Sleeping Through the Night - Northville,MI

Updated on April 11, 2007
J.S. asks from Northville, MI
4 answers

My daughter is 17 months, and she has been sleeping through the night since she has been 6 weeks old. I know, I have been very lucky. She has now fell into a pattern, where she is getting up around 4:00 am. She cries and then screams for myself or my husband to come and get her. She is still exhausted and wants us to lay down with her. I do not bring her into our room because, I don't want to start a bad habit. Instead we lay in our spare room.

She has always been a great sleeper and I don't know what to do for her. Has anyone had this happen? Also, does anyone know how to stop it?

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C.L.

answers from Saginaw on

Is there something waking her up? A noisey neighbor going to work, hungry, teething, ear infection, etc? If not, it is probably just a phase. If you think about it, you have someone to sleep with and cuddle with, your child probably just yearns for the same connection. The spare room is a good thing if you don't want them in bed with you, but my 2 year old wakes up about the same time and I just put him back in bed with us for a few hours. We really don't care and he will outgrow it. He sleeps well the rest of the time in his own room, morning is just like a treat/cuddle time for all of us. I think it is kind of strange that some people feel their parenting responsibilities end at bedtime and that a child should "just cry it out" and "learn to deal". It reminds me of putting a dog in a kennel and leaving for a few hours aka expecting to throw a child in their crib and go to bed for a few hours and leave them to sit by themselves. While I do crate my dogs to keep them out of mischief, a child is a little bit different. I also see it as he will only be little and want the attention once, someday I'll be wishing for these days again.
Good luck with whatever you decide. Dr. Sears has some good information on different levels of "attachment parenting" and helping the children who are a little bit more cuddley through things.
C.

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K.H.

answers from Detroit on

I am going through the exact same thing with my 18 month old son!!! It started about a month ago and has progressively gotten worse, especially when he had an ear infection two weeks ago! I am at a loss and hopefully someone's advice will help the both of us! I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one with sleepless nights for no reason!

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K.W.

answers from Jackson on

I went through this with my oldest child and as mean as it sounds, I had to let her cry it out. I would check on her (discreetly) so I would be assured that there was nothing worng like a blanket over her head etc. It took me a week of letting her cry it out and getting very little sleep myself. It did pay off though beause after that week, she never did it again unless she was sick. Im not sure if this is an option your willing to try, but it worked for me, and its ttruly not cruel and unusual punishemnt because your baby still knows your there, just that you want them to learn to self sooth a night time. Maybe getting them a reaaly soft pillow or stuffed animal to cudle with could help too. Oh another thing I did was I reversed the baby monitor, and when she started crying I would talk to her and tell her I loved her and to go night night.

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J.J.

answers from Detroit on

J.,
My son wasn't a very good sleeper from the time he was born until he was 5. I woke up all the time and needed something, even if it was a quick re-tuck.
I think many times it's something they have to outgrow. Maybe she is having bad dreams, a night light might help. Somehow you need to make her feel more comfortable going back to sleep on her own, a special cuddle friend, reward chart for going back to sleep on her own. Perhaps not going into the room, comforting her from the hallway.
Something else that worked for "scary monsters" was a spray bottle of water we made up. We decorated to look like "monster repellent" and and we would spray the room before bedtime. He didn't know it was just water and it made him feel much more comfortable.

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