Sleep Habits of My 17 Month Old

It's a normal age for nightmares and night terrors (which are very different, night terrors are worse and they are not awake when they are crying). I'd just soothe without a bottle so you don't get into a habit while he's going through a normal developmental phase. My son went through this, it only lasted a few weeks but my dtr had it on and off for a few years. She shared a room with her sister who did not wake up with her crying until she intentionally woke her up. Then we set down ground rules she could not wake her sister when she had a bad dream, she could only come and wake us up...didn't alwaysw work that way but it helped. Good luck!

He could be having bad dreams or just some trouble adjusting to having a new baby brother. It sounds like the timing coincides with the new baby. I definitely wouldn't punish for it by making him CIO. He is probably just looking for some quiet one on one time cuddling with you because he's waking up scared you aren't there. Will he go back down if you just hold him and not do the bottle? That's the only thing I would try differently.

If you make him CIO I worry that he is going to relate it to the new baby more and also to you not being there for him which I am guessing is a fear he has now.

My oldest was prone to waking up scared but we comforted him each time and he went back to being a wonderful sleeper after a while. It didn't happen overnight but that's ok. He needs you right now.

L.

Hello M.. We too have a 17 months old who has been doing the same thing lately(not every night though). I give him a cup of water and he goes to sleep as well.I think it's a phase(can't remember if that's when they start having another separation thing or nightmares), because our oldest did the same thing and it stopped around 2. Ours is also getting his last mollars in, so we think that might be the reason as well.I know I am not too helpfull, sorry:(

i have 3 sharing one bedroom, a 3 yr old and a set of 2 yr old twins. my boy twin would repeatedly wake up crying all through the night and the other 2 were able to sleep right through it. it was only a problem if it was close to their normal wake up time, then everyone would be awake! try a night light in your sons room, he may be having sleep terrors-like nightmares. my oldest did this for a while, we tried a night light and he has never done it again. good luck! mine are 14 months a part too! yikes!

Hi Michelle, Your 17 month old could be waking up from many things. Teething pain (molars at this age) bad dreams, fears that start to surface. I understand your concern because my first 2 were 13 months apart and sometimes they do wake each other up. You do want to find out what, if it is something you can change, like noises but it may not be anything you can control. Best wishes, Grandma Mary

Hi M.,

While I agree that it's important to soothe a screaming toddler in the night, a 17 month old doesn't need a bottle for having a nightmare or being lonely or disoriented. You may be setting yourself up for a habit that is hard to break. I would still go into him during the night if he wakes up crying, but I would not offer bottles.

Your son is dreaming. They dont understand at that age about dreams and its scary. The dreams arent necessarily nightmares, but if he wakes up in a different 'place' it scares him. He will figure it out and if you tell him it was just a dream, it will soothe him. Think about your own dreams and how you want to recapture the nice ones.

My daughter went through a similar thing. I honestly think it was nightmares, or night scares. I've read that they can really start remembering images and dream about them. I have no clue, in her happy little world, what she'd make into a nightmare. It's not like we plop her infront of questionable TV. She watches 20 minutes of Sesame Street in the morning and that is it. But, again, she started to do the same thing. Then, she began telling me things when I came in. One time she pointed to the side of her crib and whimpered "bear...bear." Another time she looked likes she was trying to climb up into the corner of the crib, and another time she pointed to her closet and cried, "door, door!" Every time I gave her a cuddle, she settled right down and back off to sleep she went. She hasn't done it in 3 months now.

My sons are 12 months apart and also share a room so I know how you are feeling. My older one just turned 2 last week and the "baby" will be 1 next week. Just when the baby was ready to sleep the night, the older one began waking in the middle of the night (probably about 18 months old). I just figured it was because he saw his little brother do it and he saw the attention he got. Also, alot of people have posted similar questions on this site which means it is pretty normal.
It does make it difficult when they are sharing a room, however once they both get used to each other's sounds, they will sleep the night. I have actually had one of them "cry it out" while the other one slept right though it. It is so much work having the kids so close in age but it really is worth it. They are best buddies!
Good luck.
J.

My son did the same thing right around 17 months. He would either have a hard time going to sleep, or would wake sreaming in the middle of the night, or both. I really never figured out why, but after about 3 weeks of this, he went back to a normal sleep pattern. I have had two friends go through the same thing right at 17 months. Maybe it's just a phase at this age?? I don't know - but, for me, it did get better. Best of luck!

M., I'm wondering if your older son is jealous of the new baby. The little one gets to sleep with Mommy and Daddy while he sleeps by himself in his own room. Maybe he feels as though he's been replaced? Perhaps spending some extra time with him during the day would do the trick?

It sounds like night terrors. My son (who is now 11) used to have them when he was 1 to 3 years old. He would wake up screaming and thrashing about. I would hold him and comfort him and prevent him from hurting himself as he flailed about. He would look like he's awake, with eyes open and sitting up and yet I know he was sleeping, because he didn't really respond in any cognitive way. After a minute or two he laid down and went back to sleep. Eventually, the night terrors simply stopped. We don't know why they started in the first place or eventually stopped. Call me if you want any more info or free face, skin and hand treatments. ###-###-#### I. Collins, Executive Senior Director for Mary Kay, Inc.

M.,

i don't read much in the way of parenting books, but i swear by dr. berry brazelton's 'touchpoints'. it seems every time i'm having a problem and i open the book, viole! there it is. we have followed his advice in the past with very good luck. he suggests(as have many other experts) that your child needs to learn to self-soothe and get themselves back to sleep without you. a once-in-a-while occurrance or wehn they are sick is different, but if this is still going on after a few months, he has learned he gets attention when he does this. attention he may be seeking now that there is another baby in the hosue. does he sleep with a stuffed animal or special blanket? if not, now might be a great time to introduce it. how about a crib aquarium? lia has her bear, blanket, and aquarium and does a great job at getting herself back to sleep.

****I am editing to add a comment on the night terror theories. nightmares are not typically a nightly thing, but a once-in-a-while thing and should not require a nightly response. True "night terrors" have been studied lately in young children and require a formal sleep study to rule-out seizure activity and/or sleep apnea. physicians believe more children have sleep apnea than we know and that it may contribute to misdiagnosed add and such.

Sounds like Night Terrors? I guess they're pretty common in young children. More info at http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/sleep/a/night_terrors.htm

I have 2 theories:
1. Teething - my 20 month old got both of his canines at 17 months old, and those seemed to hurt him more than the molars.
2. He wants your attention and since he's sharing you during the day with his baby brother, he's using the nighttime to get your cuddles and attention. My 20 month old has a big brother who is 3 and this same thing happened in our family when he was a couple months old.
Good luck to you.

They sound like night terrors. My daughter had them too and they started at about 17 months. They eventually grow out of them. My doctor told me that if hers got more frequent that I could give her a dose of benadryll before she went to bed and that would help her sleep a little more soundly, so she would be less likely to experience them. Good luck!