I have a 19 month old who has been sleeping through the night consistently since 4 months give or take a night here and there. About 2 weeks ago he started telling us he was ready for bed and wanted to be put in his crib for bed time and would sleep all night. We were loving it and also so intrigued by how he was learning he was sleepy. All of a sudden two nights ago he woke up in the middle of the night crying so we went in (this was so abnormal for him) and he went right back to sleep. Last night when I put him to bed he woke up at 10:00 crying, when I went to hold him he would not relax and kept looking around then said "Bed" and wanted to get back in bed. Not 2 minutes after leaving him in his bed, he cryed again for a minute. Then fussed and stopped. 10 minutes later the same thing....cry, fuss, stop. This went on for over an hour or two. Then he cried again a few times during the night and woke up super early for the day. At nap time today he did the same thing, waking up after an hour and crying and crying. He went back to sleep for another hour and woke up. Tonight is the same story all over again. He went to bed about 7:45 and has woken up consistently every hour crying and fussing. If we go in he just wants his bed, but he keeps fussing. He's eating fine. Acting fine when he is awake...normal play and happy. I'm so confused. Seriously its every hour!
I took him into the Dr. to check for possible ear infection, sore throat, teething. They said he has none of them and no teeth can be seen and there is no swelling indicating it might be teething. He does have a slight runny nose and cough. It is still happening and I am still confused. I guess it could be a growth spurt or something like that. All I can do is play it out I guess.
Could he be stuffed up with allergies? Mold is extremely high right now. When my little boy is fussy at night and cries but really wants to be asleep - many times he can't breathe well and is uncomfortable. Try Vicks on his chest and see if that helps if you suspect it.
My son was doing the same thing and I took him into the doctor's office and found out he had an ear infection. Just a thought. It may also be night terrors. I understand what you are going through!
So many things it could be. Maybe you could just go to the CVS minute clinic - they open at 8:am (or your pediatrician if its easier) and rule out an ear infection as well. Poor guy... and mom! Hopefully you'll both get some rest today. May be one of those days just to hold him so he can sleep if he is not feeling well. One of the best things about being a SAHM with one baby. :)
I agree - it sounds like something is hurting him. If it continues again, I'd give Tylenol or Advil and see if that helps him sleep until you can get him to the doctor. This doesn't sound "normal".
I suggest that you look into alergies...they show up in little ones in the strangest ways. His ears may be driving him nuts or his throat...but it seems like a lot of that stuff was caused (for my boys) by alergies. They can even burst an ear drum without seeming to be in a lot of pain...it is really strange.
Is there something in his room that could be waking him up...a smoke detector that needs new batteries, a bush scraping on the window? My son did this when he was about 2 yrs and when I stood at his door I realized that the smoke detector was beeping because it needed new batteries and it was waking him up...not enough to get out of bed, but just enough to make him squirm in his sleep and fuss a little. My daughter did the same thing when she was about 3 and I noticed that the bushes outside her window were scraping on the window when the wind blew. Things that we might not notice can interrupt a little ones sleep. I hope everything works out for you and you can get some sleep.
Do you know how to check for pin worms. It is a simple process but you might ask your doctor about it first. They are easy to get rid of. Let me know if you want more details.
###-###-#### I can tell you how to check and that the pin worm has a two week lifecycle. My friend told me how to check and when I saw them, I called my doctor and explained the lifecylce of the little critter and prescribed medicine. I had a great doctor..... and that was 50 years ago.
I am sure there could be other causes but as I say, this one is easy to check.
Could be a mild ear infection...pressure builds when they lay down. Could be teething too? Try some Motrin or tylenol before bed and see if this helps...if it does, take him in to see the pediatrician.
If not, you could be entering the night terror stage. I was at the emergency room several times when my little one woke up screaming. Once she thought there were alligators on her floor and under her bed and I freaked out about the hallucinations...docs found nothing wrong with her and that lasted for a few months then went as suddenly as it came. Try the Tylenol thing!
First of all, what an amazingly bright little boy! That is so neat that he recognizes his sleep cues and asks for his bed! It sounds like something is hurting him - maybe his molars are coming in. I know my little girl is getting up all time and the doctor says her molars are coming in. She is fine during the day - happy and playing, but when it is time to sleep, she is miserable. Maybe you should take him to the pediatrician to see if he is teething or has an ear infection. Good luck!
Hi A.,
My son is 19th mo. old and started to wake up briefly and cry. I discovered that he his teething. Now on his teething days I give him a little tylenol before bed to keep him comfortable. Now he is sleeping normally again. I think the teething thing is on and off for them. Good luck and I hope you get to the bottom of your son's night wakes.
He might be having nightmares but that is really nothing to worry about, it is only a problem if it continues for too long- where it interferes with his sleep to the point that he is very sleepy or cranky during the day. If it continues for too long, talk to his pediatrician- it might only last a few nights.
Maybe he needs a wind down period- has his bedtime pattern changed since he has decided to 'announce' he's ready for bed? Maybe he may just need to keep the same bed time routine, but start it when he initiates it.
my youngest did have a couple of nights of repetative waking, but we didnt really keep track of whether it was hourly- it was short lived.
Hope to have some ideas to help,
M.
He could be having night terrors..which is completely normal for a toddler his age. My three year old still has them. The best thing to do is just let him cry. Go in his room to make sure he's not hurting himself and rub his back or something since he just wants his bed when you pick him up. My son's doctor said that they go away on their own with age..some take longer than others.
Same thing happened to my son when he was that age. Turned out to be an ear infection. It didn't bother him at all during the day but he would start waking at night. Now when ever he wakes up at night I have my husband (he's a DR.) look in his ears just to rule out the chance. Take him to your DR. and have him get a look over. The nurses always thought I was crazy thinking my son had and ear infection because my child would be running around the waiting room totally happy with out having fevers but sure enough, he always did.
He might be having bad dreams. It is very common for children to have them starting at about 18 months as their imagination develops. Just cuddle him and asure him that they are only dreams, not real.
Hi. Do you think he was scared at night? You know when your alone in your room your mind can play tricks on you. Maybe a shadow, some of his furniture in the dark might have looked scary. Has he seen any scary movies or tv shows that you might not know. These would be some good things to ask him, you might find out why hes waking up resently. Well GOOD LUCK!!
Morning A.;
Just maybe he's teething! If so, it will stop when the tooth
comes in!
Hope that's it!
B. C
do you think he might be teething?
Hi A., I have 2 boys and my youngest is 22 months. He was doing the same thing a few months ago so I took him to the doctor for a check-up because he has slept a solid 12 hours or more per night since he was 2 months old. This was not like him at all to be waking a few times a night. The doctor checked him over and noticed that his molars were coming in and that they were possibly bothering him. Sure enough as soon as his molars came in he went back to sleeping all night.
I am a 27 year old stay at home mom with two wonderful boys ages 10 years and 22 months.
Do you have a cat. If so is it possible that the cat is jumping to the bed also. If not he may be upset about something in the room. Try putting some music on and see it that relaxes him. Good luck I am sure that you are tired also.
Could be his ears. I have foster children and one little boy I had would do the same thing. We soon realized he did it when his ears hurt. He did not run fever, or act sick, but sure enough he would have a ear infection. We started to realize he had allergies and when he laid down it drained into his ears causing infections and discomfort. I would check with his Dr.
Good Luck!
like others suggested it could be teething or an ear infection... another situation could be acid reflux. one of my boys used to wake every hour because of acid reflux. after he started taking prevacid it stopped.
My 17 month old has been doing this too. Every night waking up crying many times. Finally I just let her cry (I was exhausted and can't take a nap during the day!) and after a couple of weeks she's sleeping fine again. Like yours, she tells me when she wants to go night night. She gets her blanket, puts her finger in her mouth, and rocks back and forth singing the goodnight song.
It's so cute. :)
S., mom to five, ages 13 weeks gestation to 5 years old!
A.,
If it is not his ears or teething, it could just be that he is about to make a developmental leap. Both of mine would have boughts of restlessness at night--waking up a lot, crying--for as much as two weeks at a time, right before they made a big developmental jump. Whether it be speech or whatever. I think little nightmares can accompany this.
It also sounds like he is very aware, i.e. asking to go to bed and whatnot. He is probably figuring out that the world is a big place and he is pretty small. Totally normal. At 19 months he is a little sponge, taking in and processing all day long. At night when his brain tries to rest, he may just have some trouble adjusting to all his new developments.
I am guessing in a couple of weeks he will settle back down. As long as you remain calm and consistent (I know! Easier said than done at 2:00 in the morning!) he will get right back to his good sleeping patterns. This too shall pass!
Does he have a nightlight? If not, I would try that. He may be afraid. Maybe you might put on some lulabyes softly in his room?
Hi A., My 2 yr old would wake up crying in the middle of his sleep.He normally sleeps 10 to 12 hrs every night. So when we say his prayers before bedtime I ask God that he can have a good night sleep and good dreams. Problem was solved quickly. You have to remember just because their young doesn't mean that the devil won't try to attack them just as he tries with us. Try it and see what happens. A. M.
