So, the story is this...My 14 month old son is having a lot of trouble falling asleep on his own. He will scream and scream for hours and when he finally falls asleep he will wake 2hrs later crying. We've been away from home because we are moving so he has been sleeping in a play pen it seems to be worse when im around and now he is teething. Here is the problem...Im not sure how to help ease him to sleep..should i rock him? or just let him scream even though really that isnt working :/. Some advice would be great. Thanks in advance.
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I would just rock him. I did that with my daughter for a long time. She needed the comforting. My son is 6 and still needs some comforting. He wants me to lay down with him every night until he falls asleep. I have a pediatrician now who thinks my comforting is great and normal. Other doctors told me to let them cry it out. I tried the crying out and it was torture and didn't work.
We went on a trip recently and took the pack-n-play for our 1 yr old. He hated it. You may need to find something else for him to sleep in.
HECK NO you should not just let him scream!!! thats mean hes crying for a reason their is a lot changing he needs to be comforted if that means rocking walking driving at 3 am then do it. and yes i have been there make your little man feel safe. if this still isnt working see the dr he may be having another issue
It could be a number of things so I wouldn't let him cry.
It's his only way of communicating w/you an letting you know he needs
something.
I would go in and pick him up. Hold him.
First comfort him.
Then get to the root of the problem.
It could be one of many things: teething, hunger, scared etc.
Make sure he has a dry diaper.
Sounds like the pain could be from the teething. I rubbed Infan Orajel on
their gums & gave them Infant Tylenol for the little teeth & Infant Motrin
for the molars. Def follow the dosage guide on the bottle.
Make sure he isn't hungry. At that age, my baby still took a bottle before
bed.
His play pen may not be comfortable. Do you have a crib? If not, I would look into buying one so he will sleep better.
How do you put him to bed? Does he have a routine? I always made sure my baby had "winding down time" before bed. (Some people bathe
their kids before bed...see what works for you.) I would rock him, give him a bottle while holding him, sit in a his quiet, darkened room, sing him a song then when he was drowsy or fell asleep I'd put him in his crib.
I had a nightlight on in his room so it wasn't too dark.
Do all the above and other things people will suggest to you util you find what works for you.
Hang in there & try it all.
Maybe one if these would be a better option - http://www.squidoo.com/best-toddler-travel-bed-reviews. It's ok to indulge and comfort him a bit more during times of change and pain,
I personally don't see a problem with you rocking your 14 month old son to sleep. There can be a lot of different reasons why he is having trouble going and staying asleep. Was he a breastfed child? My oldest daughter(who is 5 years old now), was a breastfed child. I stopped breastfeeding her at 15 months and she had trouble going and staying asleep. So I would have to rock her to sleep until she got into the habit of staying asleep at night and even for her daytime naps. They just want to be soothed and comforted. I also put a shirt in her crib with my scent on it and sometimes wrapped her in the shirt, just so she can stay asleep. I also played soothing classical music in her nursery to help comfort her as well. It took her about a month to get settled and she has been fine every since.I now have another child and she is ten months old and I know most likely I will have to go through the same exact thing, but this time I am more prepared.
Aww my heart breaks for your little one. Here's a few ideas on what could be wrong:
- It could be teething pain.
-Soiled or wet diaper.
-His blanket is not comfy (my 12 month-old has a favorite blanket and will not sleep without it).
-I've read they start dreaming at age one, so it could be a nightmare.
-He just wants mama to rock him to sleep.
I know it's hard, I have a 12 month old too and she cries like the world is ending so I rock her to sleep. This is our routine:
-warm bath.
-put lotion and dress.(if it's too hot we skip the body lotion).
-8 oz bottle while rocking her.
-swaddle (yes I still swaddle her) with her favorite blankie and then I lay her down in her playpen.
I also have a humidifier on during the night; she likes the humming sound.
Good luck! and please try not to let your son cry for hours before sleep, it's too much for your little one. he is just a baby.
Ditto Mary E. below.
I went by my kids' cues. They are both different with different needs, especially when they were babies and very young. I did what worked with them. I did not, alienate them when they had sleeping troubles.
If your son is teething and you know that, then give him some Tylenol or Motrin. But know the dosage. Teething is very uncomfortable and painful for some kids.
And also, you are in the process, of moving. So everything is changing for your son. They don't have coping skills at this age. They don't even know what "moving" is, like an adult. So, when a child is young like this and they don't have coping skills or the understanding for what "moving" means... they can get upset or more stressed. Hence they cry or need you more.
Just try comforting him, pat his back. Or my daughter liked it when I massaged her feet. This soothed her and made her less stressed and more bonded with me.
Just letting your son scream is not working. So it is not working.
