Sleep - Morgan Hill, CA

Hi B., my son is almost 15 months and will go through this everyonce in a while and I have to nip it in the bud! If he wakes up crying I let him cry for a few minutes to see if he goes back to sleep and if he doesn't then I give him some milk. The next time he wakes I go comfort him and put him back in his crib and let him cry it out if he starts up again. Once he cries it out he rarely will wake up again. I feel bad for letting him cry, but it normally last for about 5 minutes and he is out. I don't want him to get used to waking up and crying to get my attention, so I have to do a little tough love and let him cry. Works really good though. We sleep really well since I have been doing this. They may be small, but boy are they smart!

Your son has developed a habit. I wake up at 5 every morning whether I want to or not. Same with him. At 16 months old he does not need any food at night - he is able to go longer periods of time without food. He is getting what he wants at night - a little time with you, a little food. I am not saying don't respond to him - but check on him - if his diaper is not soaked or other problems - let him be. Don't pick him up, tell him it is night-night time and that he needs to go back to sleep. I am not saying that this is easy or enjoyable. My daughter was tough - screaming in the middle of the night - but after 2 nights - she slept the entire way through and we haven't looked back. She is a great sleeper - falls asleep fast - in her own bed, stays in her own bed. She is almost 5 years old.

Good luck and stay tough - it will only be a few days - but the reward of getting a good night's sleep will be worth every heart breaking second.

Try not changing his diaper the SECOND time he wakes up. By changing his diaper your waking him up more. Use a size bigger diaper at night. I did this and it seem to help. Also, you actually know the problem...you stated it...it's a security thing...his body doesn't need the milk at this stage so until you eliminate it, it will continue.

Have you tried Hyland's Teething tablets? They are homeopathic and don't have the side effects that Oragel, Tylenol and Motrin do. Have you tried a pacifier instead? Or some of those Teething toys?

Let him try to soothe himself back to sleep and keep increasing the length of time between going in to check on him increase. He is learning that you will come in immediately with milk instead of learning to train himself to fall back to sleep. Give it a shot :D

Hi!
This may sound tough, but I would suggest that you skip the milk and the diaper change. Just make him go back to sleep, hold him and calm him down and let him sleep again. He will be upset the first nights, but it is the best way. Don't change diapers, that will wake him up more. The diapers are good enough these days to last a whole night!
Good luck!
A.

When my son was getting his molars and eye teeth he would wake up a lot in the night. It would go in spurts where he would be waking up a lot for a week or two and then start sleeping through the night again. I also gave him milk in the night and rocked him back to sleep. There were a few nights that he would not let me put him back into his crib. I felt like I was up with him all night. Once he got all his teeth, including 2 year old molars, at about 21 months he has slept great. He is now 2 1/2. If this has been going on a long time, he may have gotten into a habit. I hope that it is just the teething though. Good luck, I know how hard it is to function without sleep.

Hi B.-
I am going through the SAME thing with my 16 month old. He has never been a good sleeper, and is a HORRIBLE teether. Added to the mix, is he has severe food allergies, so I believed him to be hungry and could use more nutrition (he isn't putting on weight). All this and then he spent the night at my parent's last weekend and the little stinker slept from 9-7-uninterupted!! I fear my husband is right and I have spoiled him into bad habits. However, we have done the CIO (Cry it out) before and he is stubborn, and has screamed for over an hour (not continuously)!! We have worked and gotten him to sleep until 5 or 6 uninterupted (which is TOTALLY acceptable) but then another tooth swells and we are back again to square one (and I swear this child takes 3 weeks to cut teeth!!) I had found it easier just to give him a bottle & a change and keep the rest of the household undisturbed, however, he is back to every 4 hours. I am going to try to CIO tonite, and will check back with you:-)

Hi B.,
What is his sleep schedule right now? I HIGHLY recommend "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth to understand biological sleep rhythms and how to sync your child's rhythms with naps and bedtimes. Per Dr. Weissbluth, the BIGGEST reason for frequent night waking is too late a bedtime. My daughter's sleep schedule at this age was: wake up at 6:30-7am, morning nap around 9am, afternoon nap around 1pm and bedtime around 6pm. All the time were adjusted depending on how long naps were and daily activities. I also tried to make sure she was in a quiet, darkened place to sleep. You know you have the timing right if he falls right to sleep. He doesn't need to eat at night, it has become a habit and one you want to break for the sake of his teeth. If you are interested in Dr. Weissbluth's methods email me.
Sincerely,
L.

PS My friend who also has an in home daycare started using his methods and has much happier kids now.

In addition to the above advice, I wouldn't necessarily change his diaper unless it is seriously full. Changing a diaper is the fastest way to fully wake your little one up.