Is This Normal? Sleep Related Question

Ask the doctor if you can give her Benadryl on nights like that...not every night.... just when you find her awake for several hours at a time. Now, some kids have an adverse effect with Benadryl, instead of making them sleepy it makes them wired.... so try it on a weekend. But ask the dr. first.

She obviously needed to sleep more because she didn't want to wake up in the a.m. But her schedule may be out of wack sometimes for some reason you'll never know.

Does she still take a nap during the day. If so, maybe its time to give the nap up if you want her sleeping by 7:30.

Good Luck!!

M. I hate to tell you this because I know this may not be what you want to hear--but there is nothing wrong other than her schedule being out of whack--my son now 13 months is the same way--he will go to sleep about 930-10 pm -only to awake again about 1230 or 1 am and be awake till about 2-3 am then go back to sleep and wake again around 730-8 am-and sometimes will have 6-8 oz of milk and go back to sleep till 1030-11 or stay awake and play a couple of hours and do a 2 hr nap at like 11-1 or so -otherwise if he does go back to sleep at 8am and sleep till like 1030-11-then he will be awake all afternoon till like 3 or 4 and sleep 1and a half-2 hrs till like 5 or 6 pm--I was told by my pedi-(a very good highly reccomended one)-that a young child who is still teething/growing/developing has to set their own schedule--you can try all you want to set it for them but in the end they are still young enough that their natural bodily instincts tell them when they need to eat, sleep, etc. another peice od advice that i found worked for me is making sure to get him outside into direct sunlight a few times each day for at least 10-15 minutes each time--I do it like once before noon and once in the late afternoon and once again in the early evening either just before dark or as its getting dark--this helps "set" their inner body clock so their system will know when its daytime and nightime--also try to make sure she gets plenty of physical excercise and movement as well as plenty of stimulation mentally/intellectually--this will help to get her tired naturally instead of "drugging" her like some say to do with the benadryl etc. .--(I am an older-(nearly 40) 1st time mom of 1 but aunt to a half dozen children under the age of 8 years old---both boys and girls--- as well as over ten years exp. as a child care giver-both in centers and in private homes as a live-in nanny for three different families-over a seven year time period.)--Hope this info helps--M.

My personal opinion about so many children having trouble sleeping (seems like when we were kids we didn't) is the pace we live our lives rubs off on our kids, even when we have them on a good schedule. All the stimulation during the day can't just "shut off" at bedtime--it doesn't for us grownups, either. I recommend lots of outdoors time--fresh air, sunshine, excercise. Seems like that's the main thing missing from our children's lives these days. And 30 min outside at recess or in daycare is not enough. There has to be an adequate outlet for all that stimulation, plus it does help "set" the clock so your child's mind can recognize day/night.

Have you noticed any new developmental milestones that she's going through?
My dd is 12 months, and she has been a good sleeper. But, on random occasions, she'll wake up during the night as yours is doing. It's usually around the same time she's reaching a new milestone, and the fascination with doing it is keeping her awake.
Just wondering if that might be a factor here. Or a growth spurt?

Different kids do need different amounts of sleep. My first child did not need much and when he was that age, he was not in bed before 9pm and up at 6:30. My 2nd would be in bed at 7:00pm at that age and be up at 5:30 am. So, you may just need to put her bedtime later. I realize that impacts any quiet time you might need in the evening. You might also consider whether she isn't super sensitive and some nitetime noises in the household between 7:30 and 9:30 are disturbing her sleep. Personally, if I get awakened when I'm on those early stages of sleep, it can take me forever to get back to sleep. You might consider putting a white noise device in her room (hepa air filters on low make an exceptional white noise device in our house and clean the air at the same time). Another thing to consider is what she's eating before bed. Is she getting some protein and carbs. Carbs are good because they can help you fall asleep, but some folks need protein to help maintain a steadier blood sugar level through the nite. She's too young to really know if these sorts of things are impacting her, so you may need some trial and error. Personally, I have some rice crackers with almond butter at bedtime and sleep much better, as I do have blood sugar issues. It's also possible she has food allergies such as to dairy or wheat gluten (maybe even celiac). I can use my sons as an example for the dairy, as I didn't learn until after my first was older that he had a dairy allergy. We were dairy free by the time my 2nd son was born and he has always been an exceptional sleeper and my oldest started sleeping better once he went off dairy.

Just a few thoughts from my own experiences. Good Luck!

Once we had our second child our then 16 month old went from going to sleep at 8:ish to not going to sleep until 9:15 p.m. Then it still takes her another 30 minutes to fall asleep. She usually wakes up anywhere between 7:30-8:30 a.m. I would try letting her stay up until at least 8:30 p.m. and see if that does not help with her sleeping. Also how long is her afternoon nap and what time does the school start it? If she is napping later that might be the cause of her not being sleepy.

Get the book "The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems" by Tracy Hogg. She'll teach you how to teach your daughter how to fall back asleep on her own. I PROMISE it will help! Good luck!