I Just Wanna Sleep

A. - Have you tried giving him some cereal before its time for his last feeding. We did that with my little one and it really helped. I'm sorry you aren't getting any sleep, if it helps my son is about to be 2 and we still get at least once a night for whatever reason he gets up. But it will get better.

The suggestion of a lovey is good - get two and you sleep with the other one and rotate it out, that way it smells like you.

Also, do the normal bedtime routine. Leave the room. If he cries, let him fuss for abut 2 minutes. Go in, soothe him, whatever, but don't feed him. If he cries again, wait 4 minutes. Each time, soothe him and then wait twice as long - 8 minutes, 16 minutes, etc. Be firm and most importantly, CONSISTENT! It might take a few nights for him to get his new habit down - remember, he's had his entire life to develop the one he's in, it won't be instant to break it!

He's not hungry, it's just a routine he's in. I'm betting that he doesn't really need the milk since you said he eats very well during the day. So don't re-inforce his waking by feeding him or anything. Just try going in to comfort (not taking him out of crib) by patting his back. Don't turn lights on or make much noise. Once he realizes that the buffet is closed, he may stop waking so frequently. I would do this slowly though. Nurse him before you go to bed (even if you have to wake him up a little). See how long he stretches out by skipping the next feeding. Eventually, you'll get more stretched out durring your sleeping hours. When that's established, you can start cutting back on the time you nurse him before you go to bed. Get earlier and earlier (30 min increments) until you're closer to his bedtime. Warning...if you pick him up he'll just cry longer next time until you do the same again.

Weaning him is no guarantee that he will stop waking up. Children can be notorious for wacky sleep patterns. Try to snooze when he does during the day, if your girls are in school. I would also be sure to have a nice routine in place for bedtime and night wakings. The No Cry Sleep Solution is an excellent read, and offers a gentler solution to sleep than letting a baby cry it out.

ok both my kids went through this (sorta) at about 10 months old, where they had been sleeping ok through the night (maybe waking once or twice) and then all of a sudden they started waking up all the time. my pediatrician with my first baby gave me advice that worked with both of them. he said at around this age, babies need to learn how to sooth themselves back to sleep. so what we had to do was start waiting to go in their rooms. not letting them cry themselves back to sleep! the first few nights, just wait a few minutes (i know how hard even that long is!), then go in and do your normal routine (rocking, breastfeeding, etc.). after a few nights, increase the amount of time you wait to go in. it works a lot better if the baby has a "lovie" that they like to sleep with that they can use as a comfort item when they are falling back asleep. with my first, she had (and still has!) a blankie, my youngest still uses a pacifier to sleep. anyway, it seems like forever, but after just a few weeks of slowly increasing the amount of time you wait to go in, he should learn to sooth himself back to sleep and not rely on you doing it for him. it's really important to do it now while he's young so he doesn't need you to come in when he's 3 or 4! i hope this works for you like it did for me!

With both of my daughter, up until each one turned about two or even longer, I allowed them to sleep with me whenever necessary. If it became obvious that I was going to have to get up every two or three hours for no good reason, then I would put the child in the bed with me, often in between me and daddy, and they were fine the rest of the night. I always kept a few diapers, wipes, and other necessities within reaching distance so that I could take care of things from the comfort of my bed if need be. My second child really suffered a great deal with asthma and eczema, and would cry A LOT. This would go on during the day and the night as well. However, holding her and snuggling with her was usually the solution, especially at night.

Benadryl - about half an hour before bed time.

Have you tried placing your shirt that you wore all day in the bed with him when he sleeps? This way - your smell is nearby.

Also, check to make sure that the nap schedule is not getting in the way. He should be down to 1 nap a day (or two small, nicely spaced naps) so that he's nice and pooped at bedtime.

I soooo feel your pain! my 21 month old is not sleeping in his bed and when he sleeps with me, he tosses and turns. I've found that the more I wear him out (playtime... outside... activities) the better he sleeps. Also, an earlier naptime and waking up from the nap no later than 3 also helps a lot.

Sometimes, I have to make sure his tummy is full with a snack or such to help him sleep. OThers, it may be allergies, but I'd double check with your ped before doing that.

As far as the breast "smell", there is a little logic in that. Mostly it may be just your smell, not the breast milk. You may have to wean him because he simply isn't getting full at night anymore. AS hard as that is to do since you want to nurse longer, you may find that a full tummy at bedtime (ie: cereal, 1st foods) will make a world of difference. Your son may be deciding that he is ready to be weaned. All three of mine were weaned before a year old because they were ready for more solid foods and my milk just didn't fill them up anymore (lord knows I made enough).

My son who is now 28months had the same problem. I will encourage you to read this book called "No cry sleep solution"
She also has a website you can go to that she will email you back with any questions you have. It is a great book that really helped me get my son to sleep without letting him "cry it out" which i had a really hard time with.
Finally at 12 months he started waking up only once (and i had just stopped breastfeeding him). We put a humidifier on in his room that i think helped muffle out some noise. There were a few other things we tried, but with the advice in the book and not nursing anymore i think it really helped. He now sleeps all night long!!

I have three kids, ages 14, 11 and 7 years old. My firstborn, a wonderful, gorgeous, brilliant girl (not that I am biased or anything) was very intense and needy. Now she uses that intensity to be a straight A Honor student and musician. Anyway, back then I ended up "giving up" so I could sleep. She slept with me and I gave up on the crib, which I just used for naps during the day. I guess she used me as a human pacifier but at least I could sleep! I also had to carry her around all the time and she wouldn't let me put her down. I got a snugli/sling and later a backpack. I would wash dishes and vacuum with her in the back pack. Basically, as long as she was attached me me, we were all happy. Then my 2nd child was so relaxed it was like a vacation! I guess every kid is different, but I love all three of my kids!

I had planned on nursing my son until he was one, but he decided to quit after 10 months. As soon as he quit nursing he was able to sleep through the night and so was I. I know a lot of children quit nursing at night and are able to be nursed during the day for 2 years or more, but mine was not one of them. It may be that you will have to wean him in order to get him to sleep through the night. Also, we have used a paci with him because he has been a sucker since day one and it fulfills his need to suck while freeing me from being the human pacifier. Also we use a lovey. Give him a paci and lovey and he is done for the night, no crying or fussing. It's a wonderful thing. Good luck.

Have you tried letting him cry it out and putting white noise in everyone else's room so they aren't awakened? ie...a fan, soft music, etc... My now 6 year old took 3 days to break of that behavior. The 1st night he screamed for 3 hours straight, the second night was 2 hours, the third night was 1 hour, and then heaven. He slept through the night! But you have to stick to it. If you go to him only one time he won't learn to put himself back to sleep.

Good luck!