12 Month Old Toss and Turns at Night

D.,
He needs to be in his own bed at night. You mention that he sleeps fine for his naps. Well, that's because you are not sleeping with him. When we adults sleep, we toss and turn without knowing it. You are keeping him awake and causing him not to sleep through the night. This can develop into a pattern if you don't change the sleeping arrangement. You and your son will sleep much better as soon as you get him into his own bed.
L.

I would put him in his own crib, he may be feeling cramped and need more space and it would be better for you so you could get a good night sleep.

I hate to say this but, he might be more comfortable in his own bed.

I was prepared to cosleep for an extended period and enjoyed it. At 5 mos or so, it became clear that the baby slept better in in his own bed. Tossing, turning, and waking, as you described, was immediately be resolved when I put him in his crib in our room. We slept better too.

I agree with Love, I would also recommend calcium magnesium as a supplement to his diet. It helps relax muscles and mind.

My daughter tosses and turns a lot as well. I decided that her bed was just too small for her and got her a normal size bed. It could be that your son is ready to move to his own bed and needs more space to sleep. My daughter also, at that age, started having something between nightmares and night terrors. She couldn't really tell me anything about a bad dream, but it wasn't full blown night terrors either. She would just cry out and sometimes sit up. She's 3 and still does it. My doctor told me that I should rule out tonsel problems (she might be waking in the middle of the night because her tonsels are too big and it's causing her to stop breathing). That could also be a problem.

Hi D.,
Yes, it's true. He needs his own space. Every child is different and so I don't want to offend anyone who is a hardcore co-sleeper advocate. However, overwhelmingly most babies sleep better in their own space. And remember, it's not just about your baby. There is also your husband/mate and your relationship with him to consider. It's hard to have a healthy, loving relationship with someone when there's a baby between you every night. One of the best things you can do for your child is to show him an example of a wonderful, loving relationship with your mate. Don't forget your husband's feelings in all of this. But I really do believe your problems will be solved by putting him in his own crib. Look at it this way...it can't hurt to try it for a week or so and just see. Good luck and God bless.

Hi D.,
Perhaps he is becoming disturbed by co-sleeping. My daughter started to become restless at night in our bed, once I moved her into her own room she settled right down and slept all night. Just a thought. He may also be going to bed too late. You did say what time his bedtime is. I HIGHLY recommend buying Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth for info on sleep needs, circadian rhythms and sleep schedules. Syncing sleep times with his natural sleep rhythms improves many things, not just sleep. Email me anytime if you have questions.
Sincerely,
L.

Hi D.,

I have to totally disagree with the advice that has been given so far. I have a 12.5 month old that cosleeps with us, and we've gone through periods of restlessness off and on since he started getting teeth. You mentioned that your little one hasn't cut any teeth yet - I would wager that he's about to.

My son has cut 4 teeth so far, and with every one, we dealt with some restlessness at night for a couple of weeks, followed by total relief when the tooth broke through. Incidentally, this has also happened when he's had a cold and been having a harder time breathing because of congestion.

What's worked for us is homeopathic teething tablets (you can get them at Safeway in the oral care area, or at any natural foods store), and Natrabio teething relief liquid (at natural foods stores). We give him some of the drops before we put him down, and if he becomes restless, we give him tablets or more drops. Oh, and the tablets dissolve pretty much instantly, so no worries about choking or anything like that. He doesn't even wake up, just takes his drops or tablets and he sleeps peacefully for another few hours.

Don't listen to people who say that he's too old to cosleep. Plenty of people have a family bed for years, and everyone sleeps just fine. As long as it's working for all of you, keep doing what feels right to you. People just tend to be negative about things that are different from what they know.

Good luck, and feel free to send me a message if you want more information about anything!

N.

It's probably dreams. I noticed when my daughter was working really hard on something, like learning to crawl or walk, she would have disruptive dreams. Take care!

C.