my daughter used to be a rock star sleeper. naps & at night, never fussing when she was put down. she started sleeping through the night when she was just 6 weeks old! but lately (about the past month or so) she's been waking up between 1 & 3am, & refusing to go back to sleep. we used to offer her milk in her sippy cup & that used to help. not anymore. my husband or i would try sitting w/ her in her room until she calmed down & then put her back in her crib. again, that used to help but now she just starts crying again when you put her down.
i'm beyond frustrated! has this happened to anyone else? i know it will probably pass, but i'm exhausted! we have always has a bedtime routine & she goes to sleep between 7 & 8. depending on how early she wakes up in the AM, she'll take 1-2 naps during the day. the number of naps or giving her motrin doesn't seem to help, either. i want to let her CIO, but she throws out her blanket & then you just hear her wailing, "blaaaankie!!!"
suggestions & words of encouragement are welcome!
ok, so it's been about a week & we've had some wins! of course the night after i wrote this the little P-nut slept seamlessly through the night! she still gets up in the wee hours some nights, but we just let her cry. she'll usually stop w/ in 15 minutes. i am much slower in responding to her & as a result she doesn't throw her blankie out (almost as if she knows if she does, she may not get it back!) thanks everyone!
My mother told me to take the baby into the bed when this happened. I did it and within a few days she only got up at night from time to time. Let her sleep in her bed until she wakens.
She is only 20 months old. Crying it out is terrible passe therapy. Unless you want a very rebellious teenager don't do it.
Not sure why she is waking up....but teething is a major factor for my son. He is even so sensitive as to it being too bright or too dark in his room. I recently bought a new nightlight for him and it was keeping him awake when he would wake naturally during the night. Unplugged it and viola, he's back to sleeping again. Could she be scared of the dark? If she won't go back to sleep, so may not be tired. Two naps is a lot for her age. My son dropped his nap around 12 months. Could it be too cold in her room, or too hot? My son does not like to sleep with a blanket so I have to make sure he is dressed just right :)
Good luck...and most likely it will pass!
Is she cutting teeth? Molars and canines can be horrible, maybe ts time to cut down to one nap and try putting to bed a little earlier, bad dreams, gas, has she been sick and that got her in the habit of waking, it could be a number of things but as long as you stay consistent it will pass.
Both of my boys were horrible sleepers when they got their 2 yr molars
They do this from time to time, and depending on how you respond, they will keep waking up. So, you need to start teaching her (1) kitchen is closed after dinner and (2) when you wake at night, talk to your "transitional object," and roll over, don't call mommy.
She has trained you well, now, you need to set the boundaries and keep them enforced. If you don't, they will just keep on waking!
Maybe limit her to one nap per day at this age. Do you notice if the nights she wakes are those where she's had more than one nap? Also, do you think she's haveing nightmares or afraid of something? This often starts about this age? You can try nightlights and other soothing things... Could also be molars - not fun at all when they come in. Can you feel back there to feel them? Try some motrin before bed and see if that helps her through. Hope the stage doesn't last too long.
She's playing a game, and you're losing! :)
My son did this around that age. We eventually got to the point where he was waking up 3-4x/night and wanting to be rocked back to sleep...because we kept doing it.
Finally, after 1 night of waking every 2hrs, at 17mos, we let him CIO. I remember it VIVIDLY. He cried for 23 minutes. After that, he went back to sleep, and we had no more issues...until we moved him to a toddler bed. Whole new ballgame/different story.
She's crying because you'll come in and she wants to hang out with you. That's all. She doesn't need to eat. And if she's not sick, then she just wants some company. You'll have to nip this in the bud.
My son will be 18 months next week and for the last few weeks we've intermittently had the same problems (so I was glad that you'd written in.) All of the advice that others have offered seems reasonable (routines, not giving in, CIO within reason, etc.) but my MIL mentioned something to me yesterday that got me thinking. DS has been showing his own interest in potty training for months now - he knows the terminology, the mechanism and he's recognizing the urge now too. So far he hasn't had too much success, but I know it's early still and we aren't pushing the matter. But knowing that, my MIL suggested that maybe when he's waking up it's because he feels like he has to go potty OR he has and he's uncomfortable. I don't know where you and your daughter are as far as potty training goes, but I know I'm going to make a more of an effort to make sure DS gets a few minutes of potty time right before bed and we'll see if that helps. Good luck!!!!!
motrin needs to be given constantly to be effective.
tylenol might be a better bet- if she's teething- for "spot" treatment.
you're lucky she's been a solid sleeper till recent. my youngest
has put at least 5 years on my face. I don't think I've slept in 12
months.
does she have a nightlight?
what has changed in her routine?
does it seem like she's teething?
how have her bowel movements been? (constipation can cause sharp pain)
I know it's hard and gets frustrating, just remember she needs you to help make things better. Babies don't self-regulate very well.
Good luck-
i'm sorry momma. motherhood is just plain exhausting, right?!! geez! anyway, i've been there, my son's two and it'll pass. but you already know that sweetie b/c you've dealt w/hard, exhausting issues before. when my son does this (which it still happens! argh!), i'll put him in his crib/bed and he'll cry and go on and on and i'll just sit there. sometimes i'm desperate so i lay down w/a pillow & a blanket and pretend i'm sleeping. he gets tired and starts to fall asleep. if i'm still awake (of course i'm still awake!) i'll move a little closer to the door. every 5-10 mins or so. i read this somewhere & tried it and it works - usually! :) within 30 mins i'm usually able to leave the room, if not, i just sleep in there. bad sleep's better than no sleep in my opinion!
sometimes, i'm a weak mommy sometimes, i'll just let him be up. i show him outside that it's dark, time to be asleep. i'll lay down & ask him to lay down w/me. this seems to take a few days when it happens but it always goes away. i always make up little excuses in my mind that, 'oh he just misses me and wants to know i'm here' or 'he had a bad dream', etc. helps keep me from wanting to strangle him - lol.
i'm sorry you're going thru this momma. it's tough! i'm sure it'll work out real soon! just do the best you can, that's my motto! :)
Hi R.,
As hard as it sounds .... I would let her CIO, even yelling for the blankie. She will learn not to throw it. It will mean a sleepless night for you, but she is doing it because she knows she will get a reaction from you. If you do not react, she will stop doing it and will fall back to sleep on her own. It will be a long couple of nights for you so have that coffee ready in the morning!! :)
She's training you well! Seriously, you've showed her that you'll come into her room, give her drinks, hold her, rock her, probably sing, too, and start all over again if she cries when you try to leave, so why should she want to go back to sleep? You have to make it so boring to be awake that she doesn't want to do it. When she cries, give her 5 minutes before you go in. When you go in, it's lights out, no talking, no drinks (she doesn't need or want), no picking her up, no stimulation at all. Lay her down if she's standing, keep her down with a hand on her back if necessary, shush her, pat her til she's calm, and leave. Next time, give her 10 minutes (or 8 if you can't stand it) before you go in and repeat the process. Next time,give it 15 minutes. You're teaching her that you'll come, but you won't be fun. She'll eventually relax and put herself to sleep waiting for you. It will only take a few nights to unteach what you've already taught her. In the future, every time you're tempted to do something that's easier in the short term, like give her a drink in the night or bring her into your bed so you all can sleep, stop and ask yourself what you're really teaching her. It helps to see it from her point of view.
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