My one year old STILL isn't sleeping through the night. He is up every 2-3 hours. I am SO TIRED.
Mine doesnt sleep either, they say let them cry and they will get over it but I can't. They will eventually sleep my daughter did the same and they are 3 & 5 and both finally sleep through the night, now my son is next. He is 1 1/2.
Morriah - SAHM of three and WAHM and loving it!
Others have asked a lot of good questions -- without more information it's hard to tell what might be going on. But I do want to say that I don't think he needs to be eating or drinking in the middle of the night now (I'm not sure whether he is, but some others have said he is probably hungry). At 1 he should be able to make it through.
My younger son was also getting up (to nurse) during the night past the age of 1, and I was so exhausted, too. I decided I just had to do something because I was not functioning well at all. My husband and I chose one week that we knew would be difficult, but we decided I would not nurse him during the night anymore and that my husband would get up when my son cried, tell him it was time to go back to sleep, and then leave the room. My little guy is very stubborn, so he cried and cried, and my husband would keep going back in to tell him it was still time to go to bed (my son was in a crib in a room with his brother -- this wouldn't have worked if he was in the same room as us). After a day or two, it took less time for him to fall back asleep, and after the week was over he was sleeping through the night (and even started napping better!). I don't know whether you are still nursing, but because my son would just fixate on nursing if I went to him, my husband went. It sounds like that's not an option for you, but I think you could try this technique even if you are still nursing. If you aren't nursing, then your son isn't waking up for that, and you might just need to try waiting longer and longer periods before going in to comfort him (I'd go right in the first time he cries so he knows you are there for him, but after that let him try to get back to sleep on his own for a bit).
Anyway, it sounds like the key is to teach your son to sleep through the night somehow. I really think it should be possible at this age -- just be determined and persistant! I put off doing it for too long because, in the middle of the night when I just wanted to go back to sleep, it seemed easier not to do battle and to let my son have what he wanted. But things got so much better for everyone in our house once we got through that one rough week -- it was so worth it.
I don't have any advice...my 18 month old son is up frequently as well and I FEEL YOUR PAIN!! It's not so bad if he goes right back to sleep, but once or twice a night he will stay awake for 30 minutes to 2 hours. That really kills me. Good luck!
Maybe if you'd share your bed with him for a while...?
Co-sleep. You will both sleep better, and thats whats really important. The list of priorities should start with good sleep for you both and comforting your child, and things like teaching your child to sleep on his own should be waaaaay down on the list. Theres plenty of time for that in the future.
I am also curious if you are still breastfeeding and/or if he still gets nourishment at night. He may indeed be waking from hunger or thirst. My son is 20 months old and still wakes around 4-5am to nurse. He sleeps with me so I nurse him and we both go back to sleep for a couple more hours.
He's Hungry! is he eating enough solid food during the day? Is he still nursing? He still needs to nurse or have a bottle during the night. Does he sleep in the bed with you? If not have you tried that? check out some great articles for some wise advice: http://askdrsears.com/html/7/T070100.asp
know that this is totally natural, babies sleep very differently from adults. Their bellies are much smaller and they need to eat more frequently, without those nighttime feedings they are missing out on some crucial nutrition. Us mom try to do everything we can to get them to sleep through the night, this is just not natural for them. I will add that my daughter has slept through the night since birth, only because she sleeps right next to me, and every two hours she rolls over and nurses, most times not even waking me. Sleeping peacefully can happen with babies! Good luck!
At 7 months my daughter was heavy enough to make it through the night but used to nursing every 2 hours. I let her cry it out cold turkey - 4 nights in a row she cried for 4 hours straight and then she slept through the night! The 2nd one we used the Ferber method "how to solve your child's sleep problems" by Dr. Ferber http://www.amazon.com/Solve-Childs-Sleep-Problems-ebook/d.... You go in the 1st night after 5 minutes of crying but do not soothe or feed, come back after 10 minutes the 2nd time that night, then 15, etc. The second night you let him cry 10 minutes at first, then 15, then 20, etc. That way it took about 2-3 weeks and she slept through the night).
If I was a single mom I might co-sleep in a big bed just for the comfort for ME. My kids slept in their own beds from day 1 just because hubby and I wanted our privacy and be able to watch tv in bed at night after the kids bed time.
However you do it, I hope you get some good rest because tiredness affects everything you do.
What sort of sleep training have you tried so far?
My son is 18 months and still doesn't sleep through the night, but it's MUCH better than it used to be.
My son used to wake up every few hours and at the time is just seemed easier to go pick him up and soothe him back to sleep. However, this made ME exhausted! I finally convinced my husband to get on board with the crying it out thing...and we did that for a week or two. We didn't have TOTAL success...but it DID cut down on the number of times the kid would wake up.
At this point he wakes once in the middle of the night and I've been able to lead him back to his bed, tuck him in, and go right back to my room... When he wakes and comes to me at 4:30am or so, I just pull him in with us since the alarm goes off at 5 anyway. That's as good as we've gotten it so far.
W., I am so sympathetic to your exhaustion! Liz S. really asked all the right questions.
If you aren't still nursing and/or co sleeping, you are going to have to ignore him when he gets up at night. Now it is a habit. If you are looking for a book resource, I recommend the Dr. Sears books, my favorite sleep book is "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr Weissbluth. Dr Weissbluth advocates that the WHOLE family deserves good sleep and needs it to be healthy.
Hi W.,
I have felt your pain! But let me give you hope: EVERY sleep problem I have ever encountered as a mom of seven has been addressed and solved by the book one of the other moms recommended, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child," by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. He explains everything clearly, and walks you through the process of training your children to get themselves to sleep/back to sleep. Well worth the $10-12 you'll spend on it. Good luck.
okay let's see how many naps is he getting during the day? you may need to cut those back. also i used to play games with mines b4 bedtime to tire them out and it worked for me. such as a game of chase or tickle. also make sure thecats are not getting in his room, mines is notorious in my house for waking everyone up...lol....
Sorry for the late response, but I did want to comment regardless.
My son, who is 3 now, was never a good sleeper. I take him to bed with me...he sleeps longer...and in turn, so do I. Hope this helps. :)
When he wakes up, does he cry? Is he sleeping in his own crib? Do you rush in every time you hear him? Are you still breastfeeding? Is your son napping during the day? My son woke up every 2 to 3 hours until 10 and half months. We co-slept and I was breastfeeding. After BF was done he moved into his own crib and I let him cry in his crib, but I would comfort him. He would wake up and I would go in and rub his back. Then one night I ignored him and he cried for 5 minutes and fell back to sleep. It was so much better after that. at 11 months he slept the night through, of course not every night was that simple like when he was teething or sick, but sleep training for him worked like a charm. Good luck.
I don't have a lot of advice but wanted to let you know you're not alone...our little guy turned one last month...it still takes 1-2 hours to get him to sleep and he's up several times a night. We sometimes think we will never sleep again..we have to keep reminding ourselves that this is a short time in our lives and he will not still be up four times a night when he is older...this too shall pass!
