Toddler Wakes up All Night! Sleep Specialist??

Updated on December 09, 2008
L.B. asks from Los Angeles, CA
4 answers

Hi all! I've written before about my daughter's sleep issues and they usually just get better on their own. But for the last few months, it's the worst it's ever been. She goes to sleep between 7:45-8:00 and wakes up all night long. If she's up at 5 for the day, that's cause for celebration. I've had to hire help to tend to her so that I can sleep. This morning she was up for the day at 4:45!!! She's not a good napper either. She won't nap without nursing (and I weaned her a few weeks ago) so her naps are usually a 45 minute car drive. She is definitely not getting the sleep she needs. She's in a toddler bed, so when she's up, she just gets out of her room. CIO is not an option. Any suggestions? Does anyone know of a great sleep specialist??

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H.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

I started paying attention to all the times mine was waking up (it was suprisingly regular) and then 5-10 minutes before that I'd go in her room and wait for her to start to stir and just at that moment rub her back, shhs her and try to help her back to sleep before she was fully awake. This took time and made me exhausted but I was already exhausted from her waking up all night. The other thing I did which really helped was gave her a night light so when she woke up she knew where she was, could find her kitty and her blanket and snuggle back up and go to sleep, before that her room was just too dark and she couldn't get her self back with her comfort items to fall back to sleep. Those are just a few thoughts. I know how exhausting it is. Good luck!

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A.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

CIO was not an option for us either. My husband and I bought The Sleep Easy Solution book (by Waldburger & Spivak) and eventually had great success with it. The book says it takes a few weeks, but our incredibly active son took closer to two months for it to work. But he now goes to bed at 8pm sharp and doesn't wake up again until 6:30-7am. It's a wonderful book, but it requires a lot of log-keeping and persistance! It was a great method for us because it didn't advocate CIO and allowed us to check on him in regular intervals while showly shifting his internal body clock to a longer sleep pattern.
I will make one comment on our results: The overnight sleep only took about a week (AMAZING!) It was the daytime naps that we struggled with for about 2 months. But if you stick to it, it can work for you!

C.D.

answers from Los Angeles on

A toddler bed is kind of small, perhaps she would sleep better in a larger bed?

Children can be light and sound sensitive. Is her room dark enough? Is there light seeping through her curtains that could be waking her? Are there sounds that are triggering her to awaken? Blackout curtains, house plants (for live oxygen), and a fan in her room to circulate the air and provide some white noise might help.

Does she spend enough time outdoors? If she can run around at the park before her nap and before bedtime, you might see some improvement.

Best of luck to you!

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K.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi L., my name is K. Smith and I am a Sleep Consultant and Parenting Coach. I have helped many, many people in your same situation including many Mamasource moms. Please visit my website at www.theindependentchild.com to learn about me and my services. I would love to help you and your daughter get the sleep you need and deserve.
Best wishes,
K. Smith

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