15 Month Old Still Not Sleeping Through the Night??? Is This Normal?

Sounds like your little one is getting to much sleep during the day or is going to early at night. I would try and change her sleeping patterns a little at a time. Skipping a nap in the late afternoon or making her bedtime a 8-8:30 might be the trick you need to take to make her sleep all night. Hope this works for you.

She's capable of sleeping through the night at that age unless there's some sort of physical or medical problem. Check out Mary Sheedy Kurcinka's book, "Sleepless in America" for some sleep training ideas that don't necessarily involve "cry it out." My youngest didn't sleep through the night until 18 months and I wish I had done something about it sooner. Cry it out wouldn't work for him because he got so agitated he would vomit. Good luck.

My 15-month old can be an erratic sleeper too and I've found a few things that work somewhat well. First he has to take at least one long good nap during the day or else at least an hour and a half nap morning and afternoon. If he's over tired at bedtime, I know I'm in for a rough night. It sounds counter intuitive but children's bodies release a stress hormone when they're overtired which makes them wake up more often, or rouse more easily.

Second, he has to have a full belly and not just milk. I give him dinner around five or six and then a bedtime snack before his bath and brushing of teeth. Because most children at this age aren't communicative enough to tell you when they're hungry, I think a lot of times when they're grumpy or irritable hunger is the problem. They may not even recognize the need themselves and it may take a little coaxing to convince them to eat, but they are burning through the calories at this age with their new found mobility.

I also can't stress enough the need for huge amounts of structure and routine. I'm not a big structure person generally and it's taken some adjustment on my part to finally understand how much children value and crave routine. Our son does best with snack, bath, teeth brushed, stories and then bed. I'm still nursing him in the morning and at bedtime, so when he does wake up in the night the urge to just give him a quick drink to get him back to sleep is huge, but I've stopped that completely.

We let him cry it out if he wakes up in the night. Generally now, it's just a couple of cries and he settles back down, but when we first began to do it it was not a pleasant experience for anyone. At first we would go in and rub his back, encourage him to lay back down and tell him we were right outside his door if he needed us. Now, we feel like he knows we're there and is just testing the possibility of a little nighttime entertainment. If the crying is prolonged we'll still go in, but we don't pick him up and we don't give him any food. He's never had a binky so I don't know how that changes the dynamic.

Based on my discussions with other mothers I might encourage you to stop giving her the binky when she wakes up. Either she'll learn to find it herself or forget about it. One mom I know cut a small hole in her son's binky nipple - it ruined the suction or something and he just decided he didn't like it. I've heard the older a toddler gets with the pacifier the harder it is to get rid of.

Sounds like you're doing a great job and all the advice in the world isn't substitute for doing what works and feels best to you.

I think that sleep difficulties are learned somewhat. My oldest daughter was always rocked to sleep, and to this day (she is now age 8), she has a difficult time getting to sleep on her own.

Best wishes.

C.,

If trained, babies can sleep for 12 hours straight through the night from the time they are about two months old. Because your daughter is so much older, training will be harder and take longer because she has learned to become dependent on you to put her back to sleep when she finishes a sleep cycle. The longer you wait, the worse it will be. If she still has this trouble when she is past crib age, she will start coming into your room every time she wakes up.

There are lots of books with suggestions on how to sleep train babies and children. I would suggest you start now and be prepared for some tears and resistance. Once you get through it, she will be so much happier and so will you.

Good luck,
S.

My first daughter woke up to nurse until she was one and we switched to a bottle/cup. My 2nd daughter also did the same, but when we switched she continued to wake up. So, I asked my pediatrician about it and that's when I found out that by six months babies should not need to wake to feed (unless there are some extenuating circumstances.) So, chances are your, daughter has just gotten used to you coming in to comfort her to sleep (even if it is just finding the nuk) and has not learned to comfort herself back to sleep. If this is an odd occurence and you think she needs something (like she's sick or growth spurt or bad dreams,) then I would think it's okay to comfort her, but if this is just what she has always done, you'll probably want to do some sleep training now before you have a 4 year old waking up 4 times a night. ;) Good luck and happy sleeping!

i'm gonna bump this cuz i'm waiting to hear all the responses-- i have a 15 mo. old foster girl that is doing a lot the same thing. the time and/or # of times per night that she wakes up and the amount of time that she's actually awake can vary greatly from night to night. there seems to be no real good pattern to it except that maybe it seems that she wakes up more often earlier in the night and then sleeps better later (that's probably better for me, anyway- huh?). no matter what time i put her down or how often/long shes' up, she will still wake up around the same time every morning (6:30), give or take a half hour!

My almost 20 month old still wakes up at least once or twice a night...if you are going to let her cry it out, the sooner the better! I've had my son cry it out in the past and it worked...but one time being sick and a little more leniency at bedtime started the waking all over again...but now it is much much harder since my son understands more.

She definitely has the capability to sleep through, unless she is dealing with a medical issue you don't know about like reflux or something. I think you should talk to her doctor first and then try crying it out.

C.,

It sounds like you are doing everything right as far as not bringing her into your bed etc.. I have never really liked the "Cry it out" idea especially if something else is working, like a pat on the back and adjusting blankets.

I had a son that didn't sleep through the night until he was about 21/2...it just stopped suddenly. I know when your sleep is being disturbed and you are tired, you feel like this will never end! Likely it will! My son is now 16 and sleeps till noon, if I let him!

I would mention it to my doctor...but I would enjoy my 2am visit and be glad she goes back to sleep...because before you know it, you will be waking her up for school!

Goodluck!

J.

Gosh I wish I had answers for you, my 12 month old daughter does the same exact thing! I beleive it started when she started teething, before that she slept 10 hrs a night straight through. I think she got in the habit and now cannot soother herself to sleep. I am exhausted, I do not feel right about the cry it out method, I will leave her for a few minutes but if I let her go too long she is up for an hour before I can coax her back to sleep, so it is so much better to just go in and soother her right away so we can all get back to sleep...... I just wanted to let you know you are not alone.
A.

I think it is very normal. Is she hungry? Going through a growth spurt? My personal take on this situation is that if she is craving the nuk, then maybe she is hungry. I feed on demand and I think that until children are a bit closer to 2, they are still often hungry after 4 or 5 hours. Every child is different and maybe yours is hungry. It may be a bad habit to start feeding at this hour, but if it helps her go back to sleep and STAY sleeping until 6am or later....I think it is worth it. Remember, this stage won't last forever. She is going through something and needs attention at this hour for whatever reason ....ruling things out....wet diaper, hungry, needs to burp, gas....it's usually one of those. Another possibility is that she wets her diaper and then that is waking her up. Good luck.....ps. My first child didn't sleep through the night until 2 1/2...now he is 5...so remember, it won't last forever!

# 1 most important parenting info: your little girl is NOT any other child. she is your little girl, with her own needs, emotions, and personality.

if this is not bothering your routines, and you dont mind dealing with her, there is no reason to blow off her waking at night. things that might make it easier is having her matress on the floor of your room - she might just be having a sleep issue that could be resolved by being right in the same room with you. ive found that with my son if we just allow him to sleep with us or whatever, he sleeps MUCH better, and is able to move forward with more confidence that we are in tune to his emotions and needs... and that is ALWAYS a good thing.

she is old enough that you could wait a little while and see if she can deal with it on her own, its typical that she could find the nuk on her own and lie back down. but dont feel obligated to "force" her to cry for hours or anything, then no one is getting any sleep. 5 minutes - 10 if its not flat out crying... you know? she can wimper for a little while.

anyway, just trust your heart. your girl is her own person, and as long as its not hurting your sleep or her sleep for the next day, then its normal for her. :D