My 16Month Old Daughter Still Doesnt Sleep Through the Night

My daughter just started sleeping through the night at 15.5 months, so I know how hard it can be to go without sleep for so long. We had different issues, so I'm not sure I can help much. What really helped us was her becoming attached to a lovey. Now, this was much easier said than done, but it finally happened. We had tried since she was 6 months old to attach her to something, but she never took really well to anything. Then, about 1.5 months ago, she randomly decided to fall in love with a stuffed giraffe we had bought her at Christmas 6 months earlier!! She had completely ignored it until that moment, but now it is a life saver. I would try to get her to attach to something if possible like a blankie or animal. My daughter also loved the Fisher Price Soothing Sea Horse.

I would also say that she needs to tough it out a little. I don't believe in crying it out per se, but something similar would probably work. It might take a while, but instead of giving her a bottle, just go in and try to soothe her yourself without the bottle. She will probably be very mad at you, but if you are there for comfort, it might help. Also, our doctor told us that when my daughter was still nursing in the night beyond when she needed food to try giving her water. The theory is that when she wakes up for milk and only finds water (which they normally won't want), they figure it is just better to stay asleep. Whatever you do, do not give in and give her a bottle, not even once. That will mess everything up that you have worked so hard for. Just stick with it and do whatever you feel is best for your baby and your sanity.

Good luck, momma!! I hope you get some sleep soon!!

Edit: I also wanted to add that while it may be a 'mistake' on your part, we all have to do what we can to make it through the first year in one piece. I have done so many things that other people considered mistakes because I would have to break the habit later. However, I don't regret any of them, because my daughter and I both made it through the first year alive and healthy, even if I was only hanging on by a thread. ^_^ Don't knock yourself and just take it as it is. Good luck again!

well, there's no sense beating yourself up for it, just don't let any more babies of yours get into this habit! there's no real quick fix for this. if you want both of you to sleep all night eventually (which i presume is the case) STOP giving her the bottle! it's a short-term fix that is sabotaging your long-term strategy every time. yes, you have to resign yourself to going in and patting her while she learns to do without the bottle. you can't expect her to unlearn what you've spent a year and a half teaching her. the alternative is CIO which i don't think is ideal (if she's just whimpering now, why escalate it to full-scale howling?)
resign yourself to an adjustment period while she figures out the new way of getting through the night.
khairete
S.

My 16 month old is in the same boat except that she is breastfed and therefore addicted to the boob! I hate to say it but there is no quick fix for this. What is done is done. I think that you need to work on finding a new routine and then implementing it slowly. There are some good suggestions from the other moms. You might try a white noise machine or soothing sounds cd to help keep her asleep at night. Be patient...this transition will take some time. My friend has a similar problem and when her son turned 22 months old, he just started sleeping through the night with no problem. Some of it is just an age issues too. I wish I had a solution but just wanted to offer support and that you are not alone! Good luck!

My now 3 year old son was the same way. But his thing was being held and given a pacifier. We never got any sleep. I must admit, he still wakes up every once in a while. His problem is that he is so high energy, he always wants to be doing something and he doesn't want to miss a thing. What finally worked for us was learning to put our frustration aside and keep everything calm and peaceful. A family dinner, making sure his belly was full, then off to a warm bath with Johnson's Bedtime Bath and off to bed. The thing that really made the difference was when we put a cd player in his room, under his crib, and played a cd of classical lullabies at a low volume. By the time the cd was over, he was fast asleep and content. We did this every night and it worked like a charm. If he happened to wake up during the night, all we had to do was go into his room and press play on the cd player. It worked for us. If you're desperate, you might want to give it a try. Hope I could help. : )

Time to get rid of the bottles. Start snipping the tips off of them or just let her know the bottles are for babies and since she is a big girl, she can have a sippy cup of water at night. Remember the milk on her teeth at night is going to cause cavities. Once those bottles are gone, they can NEVER come back.

Then you can work on the sleeping through the night.
I agree about finding a lovey. It will help so much. A blanket a stuffed animal a doll. It can be her bed buddy and will always be able to sleep with her.
A CD player or a white noise machine that plays softly helps.

A good night time routine is helpful. Children like to know what the schedule is and what is going to happen next.
Quiet dinner, warm bath with lots of strong rubs, story time, and then a kiss and then CD or sound machine..

If she wakes up in the middle of the night, leave her. Whimpering is ok for a little while. If she cries, that is ok for a little while. If you do go in, keep the lights off and do not say anything, just pat her bottom or back lightly, til she falls asleep.