sleep deprivation

Bethany - posted on 02/05/2011

ya, I used Pentavite with Iron, it's a kids liquid multi with Iron for Charlotte and she ate heaps more and was more active. Thanks for reminding me, I'll have to get it out again and see if she'll rest easier. She's been skipping her naps lately, and been getting up a bit at night.

Andrea - posted on 01/30/2011

Im always boderline anemic, plus i'm breastfeeding my 6 mo. Never really considered that this is why I'm always so wiped out. haha! guess i should think about myself too.

Aleks - posted on 01/29/2011

hmmm... not that i can tell. she seems to be right on track for milestones. Her annemia was food intollerance related, to be honest. Plus I too suffered mild anemia (though have since been on iron supplements) so was unable to provide the relevant iron thru breastmilk, not that she would have been able to absorb it well since she had her gut/bowels inflamed... but that is another story... :-)

Andrea - posted on 01/29/2011

ya i wouldn't say he is sleeping through the night just yet but we have on and off nights so much better than every night. Did your LO have any developmental delays from the anemia?

Aleks - posted on 01/28/2011

Wow,

My LO also had bad appetite when she was low on iron!!!

Now that her iron levels have sorted out she eats so much better too :-)

However, that still hasn't made her sleep thru the night LOL.

Though she is sleeping a bit better than before, but only marginally...LOL

Kelina - posted on 01/28/2011

awesome i'm glad he's doing better!

Andrea - posted on 01/28/2011

Thank you so much! We took him to the doc, they did blood work. Found out a few days later that he is anemic. Since he's been on the iron drops his appetite has returned (so thankful for this) and since he eats a full dinner he sleeps all night! He cries for a while before falling asleep but this is a huge leap forward from where we were. Thank you all for helpful suggestions!

Aleks - posted on 01/25/2011

The drinking makes me think it is the sucking that he needs. Sucking is a primitive comfort thing. Sounds like he may be having seperation anxiety (CIO will only make it worse)!

Be gentle with him, if you have another baby in the house who gets more attention and let's face it, toddlers need huge amounts of attention for them to be emotionally and mentally happy or on an even keel, so the lack of that (due to the baby) is what may be causing him his anxieties.

These anxieties can also cause nightmares and night terrors from which when he does wake up wants to be comforeted, and since sipping (ie, sucking) is the only thing he seems familiar with, that is what he asks for.



I know it may be hard, but do you get much if any one-on-one time with him during the day? If not, it would be well worth both of your efforts to get that. See if that helps him settle at night.

Also, bed time routine. What is it like, does he get comforting when he goes to bed/sleep? Does some one spend time with him then? Purely focused just on him?



I have found in my experience that sleep issues derive from (particularly in very young children) emtional needs not being met. That or actual physical problems (like reflux, tummy aches, teething, etc).



So, rather than thinking of how to "solve the problem" think aboout how to "solve your child"... if that makes any sense? And hopefully something may become clear and a solution my present itself.



Good luck :-)

Kelina - posted on 01/15/2011

how much does he drink during the day? have you taken him to the doctor to make sure there's nothing medically waking him up? like his sugars?

Andrea - posted on 01/14/2011

i have tried everything you mentioned! He goes to bed with a sippy cup, reccently switched from soy milk to water but he drinks so much water or milk through out the day also.

Kelina - posted on 01/14/2011

Is he in a diaper or pull up at night? why's he drenching his sheets? how warm is it in his bedroom? have you tried leaving a sippy full of water in his room with him? maybe try something different with his bedtime routine because at this point waking up has probably become part of his sleep routine. so change the routine and leave a sippy of water in his room with him or something like that. Also does he have a nightlight in his room? when my son was younger he'd wake up screaming so we put a nightlight in his room and that fixed it. good luck!