Fill in the Blank...

Updated on March 26, 2012
R.D. asks from Salem, OR
22 answers

My child didn't sleep through the night until...

My child stopped waking up and trying to crawl into my bed at night when...

I'm losing my mind.

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So What Happened?

**Here's an edit: My eldest is four years old and my youngest is almost two years old. My youngest was my sleeper until he hit about 18 months, then he wanted nothing to do with his crib. We did it "right" with our youngest and kept him out of our bed (until the 18 month mark). Our eldest (from birth) has been a terrible sleeper. The only way we could get ANY sleep was have him sleep with us, but there were months and months of trying different things to get him to sleep on his own. He got better for a while (right after he turned four). I could read him books, keep the side lamp on, and promise to keep two doors open and he could finally fall asleep on his own, but he still wakes up and tries to come into our bed at least four times a night. I can count on one hand the number of times I've woken up and he's been still asleep in his bed (it's once!).

I know they'll both grow out of it and I've tried all the suggestions from my doctor I was just hoping maybe there were others out there that could say, "Once I got my three year old a bed tent, or clock, or giant stuffed bear, they finally slept through the night :)

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E.F.

answers from Kalamazoo on

2 years; crawling into bed...they both still do! (5 and 2 years)

You are not alone.

As much as I need sleep, I know there will come the day when they are both grown and I hardly see them. I happily take all the snuggling I'm given.

5 moms found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Dallas on

My child didn't sleep through the night until she was 9 or 10 mos. and my child never tried to crawl in bed with me until she was 3 and had a nightmare.

2 moms found this helpful

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M.M.

answers from Washington DC on

My firstborn was so little that for the first two weeks I had to wake up every three hours round the clock to feed him. He didn't sleep through the night until August, so 4 months.

My other three slept with us. So I just rolled over, fed the baby and we both pretty much kept sleeping. I think by the time they were about 14 pounds they were sleeping through that 2am feeding.

Every so often my 11 is in my bed in the morning. So is my 14 yo. THere was a post here not too long ago "When is it too old to sleep with mommy." One lady answered that she slept with her dad three days before he died. It brought tears to my eyes. You are never too old, but your kiddos will grow out of it eventually.

2 moms found this helpful

T.N.

answers from Albany on

Oldest child is 19 and STILL doesn't sleep. He's just nocturnal.

Middle (17) slept straight through from the get-go, had to wake him up for feedings. Still sleeps like a rock.

Youngest (15), consistent around 9 months. But her sleep is still very effected by many things, growth, change, hormones, colds, weather, etc.

None of them ever had any interest in sleeping with me. Believe me, I TRIED!

Don't worry, you WILL sleep again, I promise. I remember that sleep deprived crazy as a loon time.

:)

2 moms found this helpful
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M.M.

answers from Boston on

First one: 6 mos, 2nd one: 2.

I never kept them in my bed bc I am a light sleeper.

2 moms found this helpful

A.M.

answers from Kansas City on

my child slept through the night just before 6 weeks, because he found his thumb and we never looked back. just in time for mom to go back to work! he's always been such a thoughtful kid :P lol. my child doesn't crawl into my bed, that has never been a can of worms we've opened because i need my sleep. he does, however, call me in the night occasionally if he's had a bad dream, as he did last night. i reassure him, tuck him in, and tell him to go back to sleep. usually he does, sometimes it requires another visit from me. if i don't hear him he will sometimes come into our room, then he stands by the side of my bed and whispers "mommy....mommy...mommy" lol.

2 moms found this helpful

R.B.

answers from La Crosse on

well my daughter is 3 and my son is 4...

My son started sleeping all night at 3 and our daughter is on her 4th night! whoo hoo!!

This is the first week they both have stayed in thier beds all night. I think all the playing outside is wearing them out enough to where they are staying asleep.

for the past year our daughter has just woken up at night to go to the bathroom, she cries until we take her... she doesn't go alone ( afraid of walking in the dark that far). Both kiddo's wake up just long enough to crawl in bed with us then go right back to sleep. They don't wake up us to come in, but sometimes them crawling in would wake us up... other times they snuggled in between us and we don't even feel them.

2 moms found this helpful

K.M.

answers from Chicago on

1. 2.5 when we started melatonin
2. 5 - we agreed that he could come in our bed when the sun woke up and if he needed to join us before then he lost his cartoons for the day

Keep in mind my son also has ADHD and sleep issues are a big problem wiht adhd kids.

1 mom found this helpful

⊱.H.

answers from Spokane on

My oldest: 3 months and he very rarely did/does this.

My youngest: just after his 1st bday and he is almost 4 and still will occasionally come snuggle in if he's had a bad dream.

1 mom found this helpful

C.M.

answers from Bangor on

A little more information on your situation could help pinpoint the reasons for your child specifically. For me, none of my boys began sleeping through the night until about 13-15 months. And they would still come into bed with us until about 3. My children were also breastfed for at least a year (my last one refused to be fully weaned until 17 months), so they got very used to the cuddling and skin to skin contact. I found cuddling them in the rocking chair wearing a tank top so they could still get their little cheeks on my chest helped a lot with getting them out of our bed, and into their own.

try to find out what it is that is waking your child up, or making him/her want to sleep in your bed. Is their bed too uncomfortable? Trees scratching against the windows? Your dog or cat making too much noise? Are they having nightmares? Once you know the reason, finding a solution is usually pretty easy.

Best of luck to you and your family. I hope you will soon be getting the restful nights sleep you need.

1 mom found this helpful

S.A.

answers from Chicago on

#1 and #2 slept through the night at 8-9 weeks. #3, still doesn't sleep through the night and he's 2.5 YEARS old! I knew I couldn't be so lucky the third time!

1 mom found this helpful
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M.K.

answers from Kansas City on

Let's see:

Child 1 (now 8):....6 months; he got a true big boy bed (not toddler).

Child 2 (4):....8 weeks (BIG baby, just didn't need food at night anymore); still does once or twice a month (he snuggles for a few minutes, maybe falls asleep, maybe not, and I just carry him back to bed). Usually it is because he has wet his pull up and it's cold and woke him up.

Child 3 (2 this month):....12 weeks; still does two or three nights a week. He mostly just gets up extra early now that his crib is a toddler bed and he can!

1 mom found this helpful
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H.G.

answers from New York on

My child didn't sleep through the night until she was fully 2 years old. found out later she had reflux problems that were just enough to keep her up at night.

My child never really tried to crawl into bed with me. Once she started sleeping through the night at 2, I never heard from her again at night. Thank you, God.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.S.

answers from Kansas City on

My child didn't sleep through the night until 9 months.

My child still tries to crawl into my bed occasionally, and he's 5. In fact at 4:56 am yesterday, he came running into my room and announced that it was "exhausting" staying in his bed all night, and could he please cuddle with me. LOL

1 mom found this helpful
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J.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

#1 - about 18 months (I was due with #2 in 2 months)
#2 - about 14 months (I was due with #3 in 6 months)
#3 - about 24 months (she was in a crib still) - she still wakes sometimes, but it's getting better. Most nights she sleeps till 6:00 or so - I let her in bed if it's before 6:. She turned 3 in Nov.

1 mom found this helpful

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

Elayne slept the night through at 3 months.
Greg slept the night through at 6 weeks.
Nicky slept the night through at 13 months.

You are not alone. Every child is different. This too shall pass. I know you want it to pass NOW.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.L.

answers from Chicago on

1st and 2nd one were around 4 months old before that occured....3rd one slept through the night almost from the get go....got up once in the middle of the night to eat and then went right back to sleep.

My 6 year old is still waking up trying to crawl into my bed.

1 mom found this helpful

C.M.

answers from Washington DC on

my daughter slept through the night at 3 days old. I had to wake her up to feed her. She is 7 now and maybe once a week she crawls in bed with us around 4am

My son slept through the night around 3 or 4 months old.
He doesn't really come into bed with us unless he has a bad dream (maybe once a month). He is a great sleeper now. He will sleep from 8pm to 8am!

1 mom found this helpful

J.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

my daughter had reflux so it took until she was 2 to sleep through and she still alwyas comes in my bed and shes 5. That little stinker...no matter what I do has to be walked back until I'm too tired to fight it and let her sleep there or shes too tired to fight coming back in

1 mom found this helpful
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K.L.

answers from Savannah on

My son didn't sleep through the night until 13.5 months... however, he would go through phases and sleep through the night for weeks at a time and then would start waking for milk again. He did this from 4 months on.

He never tried to crawl in bed, but he would have wakeful periods where he would be awake for hours at a time. These were usually over and done with within a week.

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R.A.

answers from Seattle on

We have a 4 year old son that has never been a good sleeper and always came into our bed and a 2 year old daughter that is better at sleeping. We figured out that the reason our son was coming into our bed was that he was just lonely and scared.
We ended up moving their mattresses into the same bedroom, no toys just their mattresses on the floors side by side and he now sleeps better and stays in his bed. Going to bed we have a glass of warm milk after dinner, PJs and books, then go to bed with a turtle twilight nightlite that projects stars, a nightlight and a white noise machine. We sing them a couple of songs before we close the door and when the parents go to sleep we open their door for the night. Waking up, we have a clock that has a light that turns on at 7 am and they know that they are supposed to stay in bed until then. If they stay in their bed until the light goes on they get a sticker. If he is ever having a tough night where he can't put himself back to sleep and cries out for us, we remind him to take a deep breath and say our mantra "I'm safe, I'm calm". We also have a nightlight in the bathroom that is right next to their bedroom and he has just started going to the bathroom on his own but once in a while he will still call out for us to help him get to the bathroom because he is scared.

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J.S.

answers from Columbia on

My child didn't sleep through the night until...4 months old when we read Babywise.

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