I really don't know where else to turn, so I'm going to post here & see what type of advice I can get. I am holding off taking my 14mo old to the dr. b/c I'm afraid they will put her on some type of medication. Here is my problem:
Have a healthy 14mo old who was nursed til 12mo of age. She has always been a very restless sleeper since she was an infant. I figured that was b/c she was being nursed & was waking to feed every 2 hrs. Well, she hasn't nursed in almost 3 months & her sleep patterns have taken a turn for the worst: She will toss & tunn ALL night long. Not just regular tossing & turning, but violent, throwing her body back & forth, slamming into the wall. If I put her on the floor, she will start from 1 end of the room & wind up clear across the other side of the room. I am in no way exaggerating here. I put her in bed w/me to keep her from hurting herself, but she will just bang her head on the wall, roll into me. She will sit up, then throw her body on the pillow over & over again. Kicks her legs/pushes up, like a bucking horse almost. Last night I timed it & it was every 2 min. that she would toss/turn. She's like this all night long & I'm so worried. She cries in her sleep, moans. Like it' a bad dream. If I get up & rock her, she's fine. But the minute I lay her down, the tossing/turning starts again. I don't know what it could be. I wonder if she's in pain. During the day, she's fine, a normal happy child. I usually give her 1-2 bottles during the night & she will go back to sleep for a while, but then the moving starts again. It's like she's never in a "deep" sleep. I've done some research online & all i can chalk it up to is "night terrors". However, I think she's too young to have those. 2wks ago, she was sleep walking. I tried to wake her up & she would not, just stood there. I had to put her back in the bed w/me & she stayed there. Does anyone know what could be the problem? Like I said, I'm afraid to take her to the dr. for this b/c I dont want her on any crazy drugs as such a young age. I don't know what else to do. I give her a warm bottle w/formula/rice cereal before bed. I rock her to bed, have classical music playing. It's that she just cannot "fall" into a "deep" sleep & stay at that state. Any help is appreciated.
Well, the funny thing was when she was an infant, she did have acid reflux. The dr. RX her some liquid zantac. But that was way back when she was under 6mo. old. She was vomiting so much that she was not holding weight. She finally out-grew that b/c she doesn't throw up anymore. However, after reading the replys to my post, I'm wondering if it is infact her stomach hurting her. The vibe I get from my baby is that "something" is bothering/hurting her, which is why "I" think she toss/turns/jerks all night.
Last night, I had a hard time getting her to bed. Evertyime I'd lay her in the bed with me, she was up, trying to get out of the bed. I put her on the floor once she fell asleep, went to the kitchen to do dishes & about 10min later, she was standing right behind me in the kitchen! So, this time I rocked her back to sleep, put her in her crib (something I never do) & she cried for maybe 3min. but went to sleep after that. And guess what? SHE SLEPT THE ENTIRE NIGHT in her crib. I maybe heard her cry once at 2am for like 5 seconds, but then she went back to sleep. I kept checking on her & she seemed fine. I still have the bumper pads on her crib, so she won't hurt herself. Maybe she likes the crib better? She never even woke up for a bottle not once during the night. She has never done that before. This morning when I woke her up for daycare, she seemed happy, fine. She seemed more happy than usual. I asked her daycare provider how they get her to sleep for a nap & they told me they rock her, put her in the crib & that she will cry for a tiny bit & then she falls alseep. I was expressing to them the hard time I have getting her to sleep. They suggested I do the same, by letting her sleep in her crib. I did that last night & it worked. I'll try it again tonight & see if it works. If the restlessness continues, I may try giving her some children's pepto. Perhaps it may be an upset stomach that is keeping her up.
Also, I wanted to add that I have before mentioned to her dr. about her restless sleep. I've been bringing it up since she was around 6mo old. They told me it was b/c I was nursing her & she was waking every 2 hrs to nurse. When she was 10mo. old, I took her back in to the Dr. for the same sleep problem & they didn't seem too concerned & told me to get the "Ferber" book on sleep patterns. I felt like I was not taken serious, so I've just been struggeling on my own w/this. Maybe the crib worked last night? Who knows. Tonight, I'm going to try it again & see if that works.
Have you tired taking to her to a sleep lab she would sleep there and they monitor her all night maybe they could help.
My advice is to take her to the doctor. I'd be interested in an EEG and an MRI of her brain while she's sleeping... I agree, 14 months is too young for night terrors - especially when you say she's always been a very restless sleeper.
OTOH, I was a restless sleeper too until I was about 6 months pregnant with my first - then it stopped, and it hasn't started up again.
There is a chapter on rocking and headbanging at night in Richard Ferber's book Solve your Childs Sleep Problems. It is a great book that I recommend buying. He basically says that most infants and toddlers that experience this type of behavior grow out of it, and it really is not hurting them so just make sure they have a safe place to sleep and then don't worry about it too much. For more info, I'd suggest getting his book, or going to the doctor. My husband is a pediatrician and to be honest most doctors don't like to put young children on medication and try to work out other options. You should find someone who will work with you and make you comfortable. Even if they do prescribe something, you don't have to make your daughter take it.
Hi I'm J., I have a 6 yr old Bi-polar daughter.
She has these same sleep patterns. Although: I am in no way suggesting your child is bipolar. It to me sounds more like night terrors. It is becoming a more recognized diagnosis believe it or not in perfectly healthy babies. If your regular physician does not or will not take this seriously please contact someone who will...
My daughters, my niece, and other family members see Dr Kaza in Beaumont, ###-###-####, He seems to be very good at what he does, and I am a skeptic. I've watch him closely evaluate my kids. Not been happy with the session, spoke with a couple other councilors who explained the line of therapy, and believe me the turn around for both of my girls is amazing.
I personally have had night terrors and sleepwalking from about 1 1/2 years until my 20's. Some of my insomnia was what they found out later was that I was getting severe headaches and so I banged my head because of the pain. Probably not the case with you, but I strongly suggest you at least speak to your doctor.
Please take your child to the doctor. I know that you don't want to medicate your child unnecessarily, but if that's what she needs so that she can have calm, restful sleep that isn't unnecessary! Likely this is something your doctor has seen before and can at least tell you what is causing this. Then you can research any medication he suggests and alternative therapies. Good luck!
WOW It sounds like you have your hands full in the evening hours. I am wondering what her days consist of? Do you have her outdoors for a few hours daily or does she spend most of her day inside? I thought maybe taking her to the park during the day might help her relax at night. Also, there is a tea that is made for babies called sleepy time tea. It can be found at Sun Harvest or Whole Foods.
You might also try taking her to the doctor. I know your afraid but don't forget your the mom and you can decide what medications to give your baby. If you don't feel comfortable with what one doctor says go to another for another opinion.
Hang in there..I know you must be having a hard time and being a single parent doesn't make matters better. I am also a single mom of a 2 year old so if you need a friend in the same boat please just email me at ____@____.com
I feel for you...i really do!!! I have a almost 6 year old little girl who has sleep walked and has night terrors for over 2 years now. She has had horrible sleeping patterns from birth and grinds her teeth and coughs all night along with the tossing and turning. Have you had your little girls adnoids and tonsils checked...I have a appointment to have my daughters checked. Her doctor said there is a link with them and the snoring. Snoring is a sign of restless sleep. I am guessing with a child so young you are not feeding her caffeine or anything with red dye...those have been known to cause restless sleep in some children...Let me know how it goes...I would love to fix my little girls nightime problems too...
I understand your concern about your daughter on a drug. But just because you take her to the doctor doesn't mean you have to put her on some kind of medication. It may be suggested, but you still don't have to do it. I would listen to the doctor, see what he/she says, and weigh the benefits of the drug against the side effects. There's no telling what this could be. I think finding the right doctor will be key but your pediatrician should be able to steer you to the right specialist. Get second opinions if she does get diagnosed with one particular disorder/disease/condition.
my son was similar and we found out he has silent reflux, once it was treated he felt better.
I would take her to a doctor and see if they will do a sleep study. If you doctor won't take you seriously, find a different doctor. As the mama, you know when something is concerning. Trust yourself.
My son would wake up screaming in the middle of the night when he was about that age. He scared me to death, and I couldn't calm him down. He had no idea I was there. He outgrew it by 18 months. Your daughter sounds like she is having much rougher night, though.
My son was very restless also, sometimes he would bang his head against the wall, he would kick me, start crying like he was frustrated. So i started taking him baths at night, i used that lavender soap, after that i used the lavender lotion massaged his feet legs and arms then when he finally fell asleep i put him in his crib, he slept over night, he would usually wake up at night for water and he doesnt anymore. Also if you feel like it a serious problem, you should take her but let your doc know you dont want her under meds. They should respect your decision. My sons first doc would not listen to me, i knew something was wrong with my son, he was always sick and he would just say sore throat or just would say this and that but he never really wanted to do any tests so i finally got fed up, i changed Doctors, they did x-rays and it turns out he had asthma. So if you do decide to go make sure you let them know what you want or dont want
Get some help professionally for your duaghter, but be firm that medication is not the route you want to go.. But some questions to ponder. Is she awake or asleep when she is tossing and turning? If she is already truly asleep and is having such violent movements it sounds neurological and the responses posted about reflux could hold some merrit. BUT if it is prior to her falling asleep, it could be a learned behavior of moving and you come in to feed her, comofort her etc. Also the feeding during the night should not be necessary and may be causing her to wake more often. You've tried different formulas and had her tested for allergies? How is nap time? similar behaviors or does she sleep soundly during nap? What's different in the environment during these 2 times?
she might have acid reflux.
The thrashing you describe is sometimes how it presents in children. I would suggest giving her a half of a children's pepto bismol to see if that helps even a little if it does there are reflux meds she can be put on that will help or she may have sleep apnea in which case a mask will help. I would take her to the dr. either one of the problems could cause serious side effects. If you don't want her on meds tell the dr. if he/she can't respect that then get a new dr.
hth
J.
My oldest daughter had "night terrors" when she was much younger than 14 months, but it wasn't as violent and didn't last as long as you describe. I would definitely take her to the doctor. My youngest child had been on some asthma medication that made her actually jump up out of her bed and run all over the house every night. I never asked what that could be, I just stopped giving her that medicine, and it stopped. It was very frightening, and if we weren't careful, she would run right out the door during the night if she could unlock it. Good luck and be patient!
I know you don't want to take her to the doctor, but you NEED to! Something is really wrong, and if you don't get her the treatment she needs it could end up worse than her having to take medication. Not all medications are bad, as long as they are monitored and she is seen regularly by a doctor. Sometimes things in our bodies just do not work right and need outside regulation. I seriously urge you to take her in. Sleep, particularly deep sleep, is something our bodies need to be mentally and physically healthy. Please take her to the doctor, before she gets hurt, or her health begins to decline.
T.
Occasionally my twins will wake up on and off through out the night. But when mine do it's because there tummy is bothering them so before they go to sleep at night I give them some infants' mylicon. It really helps them with the upset stomach and with gas. They sleep through out the night and have no problems when I give it to them before bed time. I hope things work out for the best for you and I agree completly with you about not wanting your child on meds. at such a young age, especially when she might not need it. Best Wishes!!
My daughter is about the same age. She used to have some sleep issues. I think babies can have night terrors though. I was just patient and would get up and rock my daughter(as i played play station lol) or sometimes i would just lay in the recliner with her and sleep. Now when she goes to sleep i put a bottle in her crib(water because milk and juice will rot teeth) she like to cuddle with it and if she does wake up she finds her bottle and drinks it and goes back to bed(by bottle i mean sippy cup non leak one) also try some music like the kind they have for newborns the classical stuff helps. For a while i had to put one of those vibrators underneath her matress. Also takeing the matress and inlcing her head will help maybe. I took a thin pillow and put under my daughter crib mattress and it works great. hope it helps
I had a friend whose child was having similar problems, although he was a bit older, and they found out that he had an allergy to the red dyes they put in food. A few weeks after they removed red dye from his diet all the restlessness ceased and so did the sleep walking.
Hi M.. I'm so sorry you're going through this. You both must be exhausted! I understand your reluctance to have your daughter put on strong medications. I'm pretty cautious about drugs, too. However, it sounds like she needs help. Sleep is very important to grow up healthy. A good doctor will focus on getting to the root of her condition, not just put her on meds to treat symptoms.
I don't have any direct experience with this. So take what I say with a huge grain of salt. But if it were my child, I'd want to rule out something serious like head trauma or a tumor (not trying to scare you) and even make sure she doesn't have a serious food or drug allergy, or severe sleep apnea--I'm just throwing things out there, I have no medical background.
Once your doctor determines the root of her problems, then he or she can present you with treatment options. At that point, you can choose to refuse drugs if you find the side effects or risks too serious. But at least you'll know what you're dealing with.
Best of luck to you. I sincerely hope you can find answers soon.
A.
Maybe talk to your Ped doc on next visit. If tot is getting up a lot like hmm 4 or more days a week and often maybe time to seek help.
My youngest has a seizure disorder and along with that has come sleeping issues. His Nerologist suggested getting a sleep test done. This is an over night test where they study how the person sleeps and weather deep sleep is there. We are seeing Dr J Rotenberg he is a Nero doc and sleep specialist.
Also I would suggest before that try MELATONIN, this is a supplement to help sleep. you can buy it at HEB or a better slection at a Whole Foods store. Melatonin comes in liquid, pill and caps'. I like the caps because you can put it into milk or whatever they are drinking. This can be a helpful with really rough nights. Now the fine print lol....it can not be taken more than a few days in a row or the child will become used to it....
Good Luck
V.
