My Baby Has Started Waking 2-3 Times a Night Again

I'm a little late on this, and it may have already been suggested. But, is it possible that any of her teeth are bothering her? I have had early teeth issues with my babies, and waking in the night have been the only signs with a non speaking baby.

I have dealt with many times of sudden wakings, and there are a few ideas I have... Is he hungry? My older daughter started waking and wanting to nurse when she was about that age and I started giving her a bed time snack and she slept. Is he reaching a milestone? Often babies wake up when they are learning something new (talking, walking, etc) and they want to practice it. And, then, of course teeth or some other hurt. I have heard a lot about "cry it out" working only temporarily. If that's the method you used to get him to sleep all night long, you might look into some other ways now if it lasts (and doesn't seem to be a medical problem). Have you read the no-cry sleep solution by Elizabeth Pantley? I highly recommend it. I hope it's just a developmental thing and will get better quickly!

K.

I have a 12 month old and he started doing that also. But he would wake up just once per night and it was at the same time also...around 2:30. I would give him a bottle and he would just go right back to sleep but he did that every night for a week...now he's sleeping through the night again...I just attributed it to a possible growth spurt...

Ears or Teeth! Every time my children start waking up in the middle of the night it is an ear infection. My son is 3 1/2 and my daughter is 1. They are fine in every other respect, just waking up at night. I take them to the doc and she says yep this ear is infected. Both kids have tubes now so I'll be sleeping all night for a while. Now about your son, give him some motrin and watch him very carefully for a day or two. See if you can catch him messing with one or both of his ears. If you see it 3 or so times go back to the doctor, cuz it is another ear infection. Also his 1 year molars might be coming through. Those things really hurt and can wake them up too. I wouldn't let him cry it out, I'd bet something hurts him. He's probably just one of the easy going kids like mine and the only way to tell you something is wrong is waking up at night. You know your doctor might have some ideas if it is not his ears. Good luck! Hope you can get some sleep soon!

My son is 13 mo old & he has been cutting 4 molars for 2 weeks. This could possibly be the case. I give my son Hyland's teething gel or their chamomile tablets. It seems to help & he loves the tablets. You can pick these things up at a health food store for $4-6.
J.
www.JessicaGrimm.com

once you rule out any medical conditions, it might just be that he got used to waking up at night when he was sick. mine went through the same thing, and we had to get him used to sleeping through the night all over again. what i always did was go in and give him a small drink of milk, but don't talk to him and don't turn any lights on. stay with him while he drinks it, petting his hair or stroking his back, whatever, then when he's done take the cup/bottle and leave the room. this lets him know you're there, and puts a little something on his tummy, but reinforces that nighttime is not playtime or attention time, but sleep time. good luck!

M.,

It is possible that there are a couple of things at play here.

First, it sounds like he might have gotten in the habit of waking up in the middle of the night from the ear infection. you might want to check with your peditrician to ensure the infection has cleared completely. Sometimes a child will act fine and appear as if the infection is cured, but later you might find that there is still a mild infection at play.

Second, has anything changed? Has your child watched any movies that might have caused some mild anxiety? Some children's movies can still elicit a mild case of fear or anxiety for some children especially if they are already sensitive as your son is, vulnerable from the ear infection. Some children become more dependent and "clingy" when they are sick which disrupts their routine. If he was exposed to a "change" during that time it could be disrupting his sleep pattern.

I know it sounds silly, but at 14 months children are very routine oriented, the slighted disruption or change alters everything. The hardest part is finding the cause.

The important thing is to try to get him back on routine. You might need to "tire" him out more than you normally would. Summer is here so it is a great time to take him outside and let him do some running around. Fresh air does wonders for "tiring" the little guys out. Top that with a nice warm bath, a cup of warm milk, a good bedtime story, and they are out like a light. If he wakes up in the middle of the night, lay beside him so he goes back to sleep in his bed without getting up, otherwise he will get in the habit of coming to sleep with mom and dad in the middle of the night. The important thing is to ensure his security. If he has a favorite stuffed animal or blanket, make sure he has that. Also, he might require a night light for a while if something has scared him.

I hope this helps. ;-)

N.

My son was doing the same thing. I took him to the pediatrician and he told me he was teething. A molar was coming in. I could not see it so I wasn't convinced but sure enough later on it broke through. It takes a while sometimes and just being in the laying down position causes tooth pain. It was something that did not bother him during the day but only when he had to lay down to sleep. When he wakes rub baby Orajel on his gums and teeth. Also giving him some baby Motrin will help. See if that works. It's worth a shot. ( :