17 Month Old Not Sleeping Well

Hi A.,
It seems likely that it is her teeth. You may want to give her some infant Motrin or Tylenol before she goes to bed. This should ensure that she gets a good nights sleep.
Best of luck to you,
L.

Hi A.,

She may be getting in her first set of molars. They can be pretty painful. My son didn't sleep through the night for about 2 months while his were coming in. Once they all broke through the skin, he started sleeping again, but it can be a very long process. Give it some time and she will be back to herself again.

J.

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Of course you will have to rely on your own mama-sense about this, but in my experience(I have a 2 year old and a 4 year old) their sleep habits do just change on you. I always blame it on "teething" or "growth spurts" You have to be the constant in their life to keep them on track. If it were me, I would probably call to discuss with the pediatrician's office, but my girls definitely went off-schedule when teething and then other times when there were no other signs or symptoms to be seen.

My 16 month old son was actually going through the same thing this week. He was always a good sleeper too and then started screaming and waking up at night. Yesterday, I finally got a good look in his mouth and he did have a tooth come through. Last night he slept fine. So I would say it is probably her teeth. You are doing the right thing by going in there and comforting her. But really there is not much you can do. Just give her some tylenol or motrin too. Hopefully it will pass soon. Good luck!

The waking in the middle of the night somtimes happens for a while, then stops. I remember this a few times with my son. It lasted a week or two, then it didn't happen again. As far as the sleeping times, she is probably requiring less sleep because she is getting older. The naps will get shorter and shorter, than she won't need one at all. My two year old is dropping his nap right now and I want to cry!!!! It was down to one hour and now he doesn't think he needs it. On the other hand, I have friends whose kids still nap at 5 and 6 years old. Keep in mind that when the nap goes, the night time sleep gradually increases. My son gets up at 6 no matter what time he goes to bed or how long he naps. It is tough, hang in there. If the waking becomes a problem, try the Ferber book. I LOVE IT. Otherwise, it sounds like you are quickly soothing her and she is going back to sleep. You are doing the right thing!

It DOES sound like teething. It will most likely pass.

My son now 2 1/2 was a good sleeper to until he really started teething. He also would wake up in the middle of the night screaming and crying. Even now Sometimes he wakes up happy and fine and other times he wakes up crying.
Usually, (I've figured out) that he's more likely to wake up crying or grumpy/needy when he wakes up to early from a nap but won't go back to sleep or if he's over tired to begin with. It would seem to me that your daughter is 1) teething so she's not sleeping well and 2) over tired, from the lack of sleep due to teething, which may cause her also to not sleep well. A double wammie. We gave tylenol to get him to sleep better, and orajel (when he would let us) to give immediate relief until the tylenol kicked in. Good Luck, it can be rough. But she should get back to her normal self.

My 12 month old daughter is similar (though does not sleep for quite as long overnight). She has gone through that phase 2 or 3 times, and it generally corresponds to cutting of teeth. Although, I think, one time it was separation anxiety instead. Remember, too, that as they get older, they require less overall sleep. She may not need such long naps or such a long overnight any more. (Or she may still require the same amount of sleep and will go back to her usual routine once she gets through this round of teething. It's difficult to say. Babies are hard!)

Dear A.,

Toddlers often go through many changes from infancy to toddlerdom; teething, irritability, resistance to new things or old and others. Also, for many of my little ones (I was a foster parent for 33 years and cared for more than 100 precious, beautiful babies) earaches accompanied teething. These earaches were different than the ones that were separate from teething and I came to think it was because the teething hurt so badly that they didn't pull their ears - the greatest pain gets the focus kind of thing.

Another thing that I have seen change in this transitionary time is sleep habits - some for the better and some not - but changes in sleep are common. What will probably change is her waking up crying - which I think you have assessed correctly as teething pain. A dentist once told me that if adults had to go through teething most of us would commit suicide. There are some natural things that you can purchase at health food or Vitamin Shoppes that will soothe teething pain. There are also OTC rubs that help. For the inconsolable times for some of my children I did resort to baby tylenol. When she gets breaks in teething she will probably be that pleasant little baby again when she wakes up.

I hope this helps - at least helps you be less worried.

Warm regards,
S.

Definitely can be teeth, but I would go out on a limb and get her ears checked, too. Some kids don't even show signs of infection, no fever, nothing, but have raging infections (my son is a prime example). Just to be sure, to rule it out ... otherwise, you're probably dealing with teeth and/or gas and/or growing pains! So hard to hear them in seeming pain, I know.

My daughter who is 22 months also goes through these phases. I think it is from teething. She would tell me during the day that her teeth hurt and she is always chewing on her finger. These are the nights that she tends to wake up. Sometimes I give her a little bit of tylenol an hour before she goes to bed and that seems to help. To me it sounds like teething and don't worry it won't last forever. Just hang in there!

If you're sure her ears are OK (ear infections always seems to flare up at night) then it's probably the teeth. I've heard that Hyland teething tablets are great--didn't know about them a few yers ago :( Good luck!

My daugther is 22 months old and her sleep patterns have changed a lot, and I've gotten used to the fact that it's a "work in progress" so to speak. She has about the exact same sleep schedule - bed by 8/8:30, sleep to 7:30ish and about a 2-3hr nap per day. She goes to daycare so sometimes her nap fluctuates. But I did notice that around 16-18 months she started waking up crying/occasionally screaming and I do believe that they are starting to dream. Sometimes when I put her down and she falls asleep I notice her giggling... so I know she is dreaming b/c she is sound asleep. Also, yes, the teething. She got her bottom canines and will soon get 2yr molars. So, hang in there. It's disconcerting but I think it's normal. She should get back into her groove again soon.

Yes, I've been through it with my 16 month old twins. Try motrin right before bed (lasts longer than tylonal), and have some handy for when/if she wakes up in the middle of the night. I also found it helpful to put cereal in their bottles/sippy cup right before bed to help them sleep better. Hope this helps....good luck!