My 15 month old baby girl is not sleeping though the night but sleeping very well in the morning and most of the afternoon. she cry's and fuss's all night, she is still on the bottle and nothing wanting to eat solid food very well.
She may need to start getting rid of one of her naps. I would try and keep her up about 30 min. longer each day or wake her up early from her nap a little each day till she just skips it. You might have to move up her afternoon nap some at first till she is used to it but I think that would help her sleep at night.
If she is sleeping most of the afternoon, that is too much. She doesn't need more than an 1 1/2 to 2 hour nap twice a day. If she sleeps more she won't sleep well at night.
You should shorten her nap times and work on combining them into an early afternoon nap right after lunch. It sounds like she has her days/nights mixed up. You should also start giving her a sippy cup instead of the bottle...she's definitely old enough for that transition. Weaning from the bottle can definitely be hard and trying on your patience! I suggest you talk to your pediatrician about her eating habits. However, if it were me, I would also start eliminating bottle feeding and replace with solid food. Your daughter will eat if she's hungry. She's old enough to manipulate you so mom needs to be strong. :-)
Who is with her while you are working.? Get them to get her up between 7:30AM and 8:30 AM..take one knap a day from say 1:30-3:30 or 4pm then down again between 8 and 8:30pm..start her on solid food, steamed vegtables, try some Wolfgang Puck soups my daughter loves them and they are full of noodles, veg and broth. Keep her food varied so she is not bored by it..
Keep to a schedual and don't let her sleep in or take extended day knaps your life will improve.
My advice would be to switch to water only at night (and maybe in a sippy cup instead of a bottle... this might not be worth waking up for once she realizes that's all she is getting. I would also make sure she is awake by 8:30 in the morning at the latest and don't let her sleep until nap time (and only allow a normal amount of naptime... no more than 3 hours of napping total, probably). I know that's probably hard to do because YOU are so tired, but that will help her get on a regular schedule. Make sure you aren't putting her to bed very late... my daughter sleeps much better when we put her down at 8:30 than if she stays up till 9:30 or 10. I don't know why- that's just how she is. Your daughter will have to learn that food (even a bottle) is only for daytime and once the teeth have been brushed at bedtime- you only get water. This not only helps them learn to sleep better- but it's better for their teeth- a toddler with cavities is NOT going to be fun!
Sounds like she has her days and nights mixed up. I'd say play with her , read stories etc. to keep her awake more in the day time, but you say you work, so guess thats not an option. I'm sure her day care loves the fact t hat she has a good morning and afternoon nap. Maybe put her to bed a little later at night and feed her rice cereal(can be in a bottle) this seemed to help my children. When you know she is hungry, introduce some baby food to her before you let her have the bottle, and she may find out she likes it.
There is no way I am going to tell you this is easy, but you will have to do your best for a few days to KEEP THIS BABY AWAKE. Make her wake up during your waking time and let her alone during your sleep time. PLay with her, keep a loud (TV, music) house, and take her with you as you run your errands. Keep her awake. Just an ides,
I have a 17 month with the same problem except has never taken a bottle he is still being breastfed. I have heard though that you need to stop feeding her 1 time per week at night so she will sleep longer at night. I have tried this and it hasn't worked out very well. She also might be getting to hot or cold also.
Hello E.,
I know that I've read something about this on Mamasource before. You got some good suggestions to try. There's also some books out there that address baby sleeping issues. I've seen Mamasource responses that name some - don't recall the title! You might try Mamasource archives.
If I find the names of any of the books, I'll edit my response.
A.
All 5 of my children have had sleeping issues. Have you checked her teeth? Maybe she's teething? I've found that babies don't feel the pain until they are laying down calmly. We would give our children Teething Tables from a company called Calms Forte (I hope I spelled that right). They are all-natural. But, not sold at all stores. I bought mine at either Tom Thumb or Supertarget. They also have colic tablets, etc. Hopefully, this is just a minor glitch. If you think there is a serious issue, take her to the doctor. Go with your gut feeling...that is always the best!
