18 Month-old Won't Sleep Through the Night!!

This is not behavioral ~ your son has an over-active brain that cannot shut down. You can sedate the action of an over-active brain with high-fat foods at bedtime (cheese or organic nut-butters and bread), and calcium supplements at bedtime as well.

If he is still taking formula, cut this out as it is fortified with iron and other stimulating supplements. Milk will calm him and help him to sleep. Soy products are all fortified and will stimulate him to stay awake. If he cannot drink milk, water is best at bedtime.

DO NOT GIVE JUICE to a child with an over-active brain. Juice is 100% sugar and creates an over-active pancreas and liver, keeping the brain active at night. It also putrefies food that is in the digestive system.

Also, look at the labels of all of the food you give him. One of the most common allergens causing sleep loss is CORN SYRUP in all its forms. You will find it in everything from peanut butter to crackers to cheerios.... Take it out and watch him calm down and sleep.

There is a homeopathic available called CALMS FORTE that can be sucked on at bedtime. It is miraculous at overriding the over-active brain.

Read: Raising Your Spirited Child, by MS Kurcinka ~ this is probably just the beginning of a life with an excessively smart child. They start out by not sleeping... get off the roller coaster and read this book soon Stacey :o)

1 mom found this helpful

Please don't give in and take him into your bed, unless you want to encourage his wakefullness.

Lots of good ideas... but you might also look into sleep apnea. My son never slept through the night even until he was 4. But it turned out by a mere happen chance, that I heard a weird sucking noise when he slept with us one night and he had obstructive tonsils and adenoids causing him to wake up a ton to just breathe! We had his tonsil and adenoids removed and holy cow... overnight change!
Just something to think about.

This may be a long shot, but my son was like that and none of us got sleep in our house until he was 3 years old and when he was 6 yrs old he was diagnosed with Sensory Integration Disorder. You may want to go online and read up on it.

Hopefully you get sleep soon.

My Son is 20 months and doesn't sleep through the night. He only gets up usually once so I won't complain. As bad of a habit as it is, and I do stress bad habit, We bring our son to bed with us when he wakes up. It is the only way anyone gets sleep in our house. My husband and I both work and have to be up by 4:00 and 5:00. Right now it works. If we don't get sleep it makes for a long day and we don't have the energy to play with our kids. Good Luck.

My youngest child wouldn't sleep through the night until we stopped nursing at 22 months. We also co-slept a little longer than that (by just a few weeks). She is turning 4 on Wednesday and has been a seriously awesome sleeper since she was 22 months old. I was a zombie for those 22 months, dragging my knuckles on the floor (well, almost) but it was all worth it. I am so thankful my friends hung on because I was always so weepy and complainy (my special word). I think you have a kid who is 'on', like my youngest child is. There are many directions you can go in search of answers about your child. The following may or may not be flaky to you but they've been helpful to me. You might enjoy getting her astrological chart done, and read up on biorhythms. Some people tend to get real bent out of shape (!) when I suggest this book, but oh well, it is called Pursuit of Destiny by Muriel Bruce Hasbrouck. It is very entertaining to read, as it is a convergence of ancient and modern science.

It is tough having a strong-willed child but believe me, it gets easier. In the meantime, I know you can hang in there. I would suggest you don't take up any extra work and just expect the bare minimum from yourself. You will get through this. Nobody can truly understand how you feel while so sleep-deprived unless they have gone through it themselves. You need to be able to talk to someone about your feelings, because your feelings are important.

Hi there! We had similar issues with our 2 year old. We tried EVERYTHING - new lighting, elevated mattress, lullabies, going in, crying out, brining her to our bed...didn't work. IT turns out, Sleep begets sleep. Is he a good napper? Get him to nap better. then, put him to bed sooner. Our little one was IN BED LIGHTS OUT at 7:15 for a long time, but it really helped. The more sleep she got, the BETTER the sleep she got, and the more she needed. It also helped to do as LITTlE interatction as possible with her when she woke up. What is he doing when he wakes up? Crying out? Screaming? PLaying? If our girl was upset we'd go in, turn her music back on, lay her back down, walk away. When she was goofing off we'd go in and tell her shhh, and walk away. Also, a book reccommended by other Mamasource moms that has helped us is the "no cry sleep solution for toddlers" by elizabeth pantley. (she has one for babies as well) Good luck- and know that you are NOT alone. 50% of babies and toddlers DO NOT sleep through the night....I don't think it's that odd then, do you?!?! :0) You'll make it through!!! (ps, mine still gets up to talk to herself each night but is now napping, and can settle herself- and we have a 5 month old now that keeps us up, but it's all worth it!)

Hello S.,
My husband and I have gone through this with our daughter. One thing we found is NOT let her in our bed. You deserve sleep and by letting him in your bed is only starting a bad habbit for both mom and baby. I suggest feeding your little one about a half hour before bed time. When your little one wakes lay him back down and don't talk to him and leave the room repeat if need be however don't speak to him. He will understand it's still bed time SOON! We also wind up a music box for her to sleep to and when she hears it she relates it to bed time and the good part is it shuts off by it's self. Tough mommy love will pay off with consistency!!! Good Luck!!

Right around this age, kids start having nightmares. I am not sure why but my doctor informed me that my little girl would start having nightmares and she did. It lasted a few weeks, then it was over. Also, another time when my daughter was not sleeping, I found out she had an earache. She was fine durintg the day and at night she wouldnt sleep thru the night. Just some things to think about.

Hi Stacy,

The best 'sleep aid' that we've found for our son is that he drinks Mona Vie acai juice. It's a juice he only gets 2 oz of per day (my husband and I also drink it), but has him sleeping like a dream.

Mona Vie is an organic 100% juice blend of 19 superfruits, mainly comprised of acai juice, which has the highest antioxidants of any food yet found (about 30x higher than blueberries). But, because it is packed with amino acids which support healthy sleep patterns, it's been amazing to have introduced this to our family. We all sleep like rocks, and I wouldn't give it up! I started getting it just for use with our family, but because we've had so many incredible results (like hip pain I've had treated for 6 years with little improvement, but has now disappeared once I started drinking Mona Vie), I decided to become a distributor.

If you'd like more information, you can visit my website at www.mymonavie.com/jesnough, or, feel free to give me a call. Just a few days ago I read an article about acai and sleep, which I'd be happy to copy and send you, too. Our number is ###-###-####.

Jen E.

You are not alone! My son didn't sleep through the night until 2 1/2 years old. Try to keep to the same routine every night. I even kept to the exact same books, same pajamas, same everything. It finally worked. Good luck.

I don't want to scare you but my son was that way and he only just started sleeping thru the night and he just turned 6 years old. We tried everything that the dr.s suggested but nothing worked. Turns out he has ADHD and sign and symptoms can show up as early as infant stage. I am not saying that is what is going on but just something to keep in mind.

I do recommend giving him a bath just before bedtime and rubbing him down with that Johnson's lavendar bed time lotion. It works wonders on the babies and they feel more relaxed after having a rub down like a baby massage. Good luck. S.

We had trouble at that age with our son. I finally asked his pediatrician for advice, and they recommonded to let him cry it out- even for up to 2 hours. If they pass that mark, go in briefly to reassure them, and leave again. They will soon realize that you are not staying, and they don't get to sleep with you, so it isn't worth crying for you. It took us a few nights, but he sleeps all night now. Good luck!

You might want to try the 3 Day Sleep Soultion. It has worked well for us. But, be sure to try it on a weekend when your husband can physically keep you from giving up and going into settle Clay. It might be extra helpful to have Troy stay with family or friends outside the house because chances are pretty good you and your husband are going to be very tired thus possibly a bit irritable.
Also we have found the Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium to be wonderful. Both of our sons have been able to turn it on from a young age (about 6 months). Sometimes they get up in the night to play with it and then it eventually lulls them back to sleep.
By all means I would encourage you to keep your son out of your bed as this can be very confusing for your child and can also negatively effect your marriage.
Good luck!

I loved the book Happy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child by Marc Weissbluth, MD. It worked with all 3 of my children. It is compassionate and effective. Good luck!

What do you do when he awakens during the night? Only give him one short nap during the day therefore he will be good and tired by 9 p.m. Does he have a toy he can play or snuggle with in his crib? That usually offers comfort. He can get spoiled just knowing that when he cries you'll come running even if he is fine. What happens when his brother sleeps in his room, then does he sleep through the night?

Check out Mary Sheedy Kurcinka's book, "Sleepless in America." She has some great ideas. Hope you're sleeping better soon; I've been there.

My son did not sleep around the same age. I was completely sleep derived. Turns out he is allergic to cats and dust mites which was making him uncomfortable and itchy at night. You could try washing all of his bedding at 140 degrees and change all of his bedding once a week. Also remove pillows, soft toys from his bed and keep pets out. Once we knew he had allergies, he started sleeping all night. Its worth a try.

try feeding him and keep him up about a half hourlonger than normal D.

Hi S.:

We tried something with my son when he would wake up and call me in during the night. Your son may be too young for this, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.

Our son received a reward for each night he "slept" through the night. He would still wake up, but he wanted the reward, so he would not call me immediately. He would work on getting himself back to sleep. We gave the reward for 1 week. He was then in the habit and did not call me in anymore after that.

We used a dollar a day and then, at the end of the week, went shopping to a toy store so he could pick out something special. With an 18 month old, if this would work, maybe something more immediate that he earns each morning, making a big deal out of him being such a big boy as to sleep all night.

Good luck! I know how frustrating it is to hear the call and not be able to ignore it!

S.

One of my boys woke up in the middle of the night every night, and wanted to join us in bed, but when he turned two we moved him from his toddler bed to a single waterbed, and he has slept all night ever since. So maybe you could try switching beds early.

i am so sorry for your frustration. sleep is such a difficult thing.

i would encourage you to allow your son to stay in his room... but not try to force him to sleep. at 18 months, im sure that he is just used to you coming and tending to him.

is he teething any molars or anything? what methods have you tried to get him to sleep better? does he get plenty of time outdoors? i have found that my son sleeps better if, about an hour before bedtime, he gets outside in the fresh air. my son is 17 months old and he still wakes up at around 5 am and wants to sleep with us... and yes he wakes up my husband too, but ive told him, if baby is asleep move him back to his crib and he should stay asleep.

maybe he is ready to drop a nap or shorten his nap time. does he nap once or twice? and how long does he nap? my son went down to 1 nap a while ago, and usually will sleep for 2 hours, more or less depending on the day. we dont have a bedtime for him yet, he usually either falls asleep on his own between 8 and 9 or he stays up till 10 with us.

have you ever tried any white noise? my husband always had to run a fan before our son was born because any noise would wake him up. when we had our son, we ran the vacuum almost every night for 2 months, until we found "for crying out loud" a cd with different white noise sounds on it. its fantastic! we play it every night and my husband sleeps better and our son sleeps well also.

make sure your son's room is safe, in case he does get up, but doesnt need anything, he can stay in his room awake if he wants, but maybe look at books quietly, or something.

also check to make sure its not too hot or too cold in his room.