NO Sleep!!

Hey! I would say it is his teeth coming in. When my daughter cuts teeth she seems to wake up a few times in the night. Have you tried giving him tylenol? I would give him some about 1/2 hour before you put him to bed and then see if that helps.
The bottle is probably just soothing his teeth, so I would try to refrain from giving him one especially if he hasnt had one in a while during the night. Sometimes my daughter would just need some cuddling for a few minutes or even to just rub her back. But if its been 4-6 hrs after you have given him tyleno and he wakes up, give him some more. This worked for me!

V.,
First, we are not laughing. We have all been there and done that and it is so awesome we have this site to be able to show others how we think we mastered it. Second, don't be so hard on yourself! You are a great mom who just needs her sleep back! It will get better. At this age he should have a good sleep pattern set. Waking up a few times a night is not a sleep pattern. If he were going to bed a earlier/later and waking up earlier/later...ok. So, you need to figure out exactly what the issue is. Try perhaps first to take him to your DR. just to check and make sure there are no health concerns. He could have a ear infection. Then again, it could be his teeth. My middle son was horrible with teething and it would last about 2-3 weeks. All children respond so differently to it. I have experienced all spectrums of teething. Try your best to rule things out First. If his weight is right, he should not be getting a bottle in the middle of the night! It will begin a wicked cycle at this age and should be stopped now before it becomes routine. Try Motrin! I found that worked better for 2 of my children than tylenol. Only use it at night and if you are concerned about the med's... try a small dose. I also tried a Organic teething gel for my daughter. When she would wake at night, I would put that on her gums. Have you tried any essential oils? They may help too! http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/toddler/toddlersleep/129...

Children are more intelligent than we give them credit for. Your son understands much more than he can speak. The challenge for toddlers is not understanding speech, but coordinating their lips and tongue and breathing well enough to make themselves understandable.
At this age he could be trying to gain control as well. I agree that if you have eliminated all of the factors, then you should try one of the cry it out methods if you choose that type of parenting style. You have to stick to it and be loving, but stern. Consistency is always the key to successful parenting. I whish you the best of luck. Try some of these links I have found informative...
http://www.babycenter.com/expert/toddler/toddlersleep/680...
http://www.babycenter.com/expert/toddler/toddlersleep/129...
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babysleep/babysleep...
The last link is the different ways to deal with sleep issues. HTH. Remember that whatever you choose it will be the right decision because you are his mother and only you know best.
Jenn
Mama to Bryce~9 Austin~6 Taylor~16 mnths
Step Mama to Nich~15 Christian~14

Hi V.,
The same thing happened to us when my son was about 13 months old. (now 17 months) He was such a great sleeper through the entire first year we really thought we were on easy street. All of the sudden he was waking from three to five times a night and the only thing that would work was a bottle. We even tried rocking him and oragel because we didn't want to get in the habit of giving him a bottle in the middle of the night but those turned out to be our worst nights. At least if we gave in to the bottle, he would go back to sleep. I think he was growing and truly was very hungry in the middle of the night. We started having dinner for him early even if everyone else wasn't eating so that he would be able to down a full bottle at bedtime. Also, he goes down at eight now instead of seven so the bottle is later. That can be a rough hour because he is tired and cranky but it's better than being up at night. I hope it helps!!

V., teething used to get my kids to sleep restlesly but not really wake up a few times a night. also, at 11 months or so they should have a good sleep pattern and schedule.
maybe he's used to waking up cause he gets the attention?

the thing is giving him pain medication is not good. you could give him a teething toy, that you make cold beforehand for temporary relief, and during the day you clould freeze a 'sack' of pieces of bananas and then give it to him to chew (NOT at nights), but a bottle in the middle of the night at this age absolutely not. plus you should start weening him off at this point.

ok, so, i am coming to the point which we all dislike to talk about: cry it out. Yup. try it. not for too long in the beginning but enough for you to hear whether his cry is gettting exhausted and maybe closer to sleep. there are bzillion books about this, truth be told i had to develop my way. good luck
vlora

Ok, maybe this is just on my mind because I happen to be dealing with it, but: ask your pediatrician about reflux (fancy name for heartburn). My daughter has been suffering from it for years (she is 10) and until we figured it out she was waking several times a night; also, kids learn that food (i.e. the bottle) can sometimes make a hurting tummy feel better. Your little guy obviously can't even say, "Mommy my tummy hurts"....but ask your doc what you'd do for a kid with reflux, try it, and see if his sleep improves.

i know the feeling my son did the same thing when he got his first tooth. just go with it. as for joey(my son) he lasted about 2 weeks and i thought i was going to go crazy. just give it some time im sure it will pass.

I agree 100% with Lola N! A bottle is not the answer. You will be creating new habits to break (you already are with the nightly attention). My brother (a pediatrician) used to say to me and to many moms and dads, that you need to discern the true need from the "I want" and tend to it properly. He had a checklist which, when followed, kept me from going crazy in situations like yours when I followed it faithfully:

Wait 5 minutes! Babies can have "bad dreams", upset stomachs, etc., so don't go running right away. They may just settle right back down themselves, and if they do, you saved yourself from creating an unnecessary scene (not to mention getting out of bed).

After 5 minutes, go and check on your child to see whether or not there is a real issue (fever, tangled blanket, poopy diaper, etc).

If there is not a serious issue, give your child a pat, tell him he's okay and to go to sleep, and then leave! Let your child cry out the restlessness or attention crave - in his own bed!

My brother used to compare these situations to a fire. As long as your willing to tend to the fire, it will continue to burn. Every time you tend to your child, you're putting a fresh log on the fire. If you just let the fire go, it will eventually burn out.

Most babies should run out of steam after 20 minutes (which seems like an eternity to an anxious Mom and/or Dad), but some (and mine have) gone an hour the first couple of times until they learned that nighttime is for sleeping - something that Mom and Dad were not going to give up easily.

Now, if your son is having real issues with teething, I would suspect his daytime nap(s) would be restless as well. If not, then your son is really playing you. If he is having teething issues that require something to gnaw on at night, then look into appropriate teething items to place in his crib. Just remember, no child has ever died from teething, so even though it will be rough to listen to his unhappiness, he will survive and so will you!

Hang in there! First borns are more about training the parent than the child. No matter how much advice you get (or previous babysitting experience), you still need live it! Good luck!