My son is almost 15mo. old and he is a restless sleeper. He usually tosses and turns in his sleep, changes his position alot and wakes up 4 or more times during the night. He falls asleep in his crib, stays there for a few hours and then cries badly until i take him to my bed. In my bed he sleeps restlesly, cries every now and then, looks for his paci, looks for me, looks for better position, etc.
I am obviously exhausted and i don't think he gets a good proper rest he needs as well.
Is there any remedies for restless sleepers like my son?
Thank you very much!
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child...a great book. Read it....also would suggest not letting him in your bed.
You mention in your 'about me' tag that he was constantly sick in daycare. I'm curious is you ever hear him sounding 'wheezy' or 'raspy' as he's restlessly sleeping. You may have his tonsils/adnoids checked out in case they are overly large and could be a part of the cause of sleeping and sickness.
Another thing to note is that some kids who are on my company's kids nutrition shake have had results of better sleep and most everyone notices a huge immune system boost that helps to decrease the sickness. My 2 & 4 year old have been on this since infants and they rarely get sick (it's brief when they do catch a cold.) Let me know if you're open to learning more about that.
Blessings!
A couple things came to mind.
First, have an established bedtime routine, and don't deviate from it. Kids like knowing what to expect. If every night, bath time is at 6:30, then book at 6:45 and bedtime at 7 (or whatever time frame you choose), then that'll make it easier.
Make sure it isn't something like gas keeping him up. Give him Mylicon about 20 minutes before he goes to sleep, and see if that helps. (I remember once, our neighbor's significant other gave our daughter a piece of summer sausage. She came home, was sitting in her high chair, lifted up a cheek, and about launched herself into orbit passing gas. Mylicon to the rescue!)
In his room, find something to act as "white noise"...turn on a fan, get a humidifier, something anything. Walgreens has a humidifier with a light that shines up through the tank. (Bright enough that you can see around the room, not so bright that it'll keep anybody awake.)
Let him have a snack before he goes to bed.
Like someone else suggested, let him run around a while and wear himself out a little.
Just a few thoughts for what it's worth...and good luck!
Hi A. I know for a fact that Jill L below has the right book for you to read. I bought it for my granddaughter and it works. It takes some time and stress on your part but just remember that it will work so keep up the wonderful idea it tells you about Good Luck been there done that
Try "The Happiest Toddler on the Block".
Google "Bach Sleep Rescue" it's homeopathic and might help.
Chamomile tea is safe, you can try that watered down and just slightly warm with some honey to sweeten it.
Can you husband help out by going in and rocking, patting, singing, etc...I don't now if you are breastfeeding still, but if you are he may just be used to nursing back to sleep and if you keep going to him, he will still want it.
At 18 months I was tired of having to go in and nurse my son if he woke up during the night (it wasn't often, but still...) so my husband agreed to go in. It took a couple times where he'd scream when he realized they weren't leaving the room and then he's settle down and my husband would rock him and put him back in bed.
Good Luck:)
Hi A.,
Oh, how you have my sympathy! We have a situation like this also. We haven't found a way to make it go away completely, but we have found that doing certain things make it better and not an every night occurence.
Make sure nap happens earlier in the day (like around 11:30) and that naps are kept to just one.
About two hours before bedtime, doing an activity that will wear him out. Go outside to play or for a walk, let him toss beanbags to you, play with him in the floor, anything that will physically tire him out.
An hour and a half before bed time give him a snack to eat so that his belly is full.
An hour before bedtime give him a bath. Not a play in the water bath, but a baby spa treatment kind of bath. A toy or two, soft soothing lullabye music, dim lights, the whole shebang. Pour warm water over his back and arms, speak lowly and softly. All very soothing and relaxing. Play the same music everytime, follow the same routine every time.
Take him out of the bath in a towel you have heated in the dryer, so he isn't startled by the cold and stays in a warm soothing place. Lay him down and massage him with baby lotion. You can even heat it a little by putting the bottle in a sink full of hot water. Use long slow sweeps and use it to relax him. Listen to same music, keep lights low, and tone of voice soft and soothing.
Dress him in his jammies and lay him down to the same music he has been listening to.
This routine will have allowed him to expend his energy and then totally relax. It will also help his mind and body gear toward sleep. If he wakes up in the night the music will remind him of soothing things and he may be able to soothe himself back to sleep.
