Still not sleeping trough the night (15 months)

Melina - posted on 06/08/2010

I feel sorry for you all, there's a reason sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture! My boy is 15 months, & suffers from what is commonly called "night terrors", where he wakes screaming, seems unresponsive to comfort (because he is really mostly still asleep) & will not settle (except in his own time, & sometimes from exhaustion).

While I don't have a cure, I have noticed that if he gets a better, longer daytime sleep, he will usually sleep better at night. Trouble is, his daytime "sleep cues" are harder to spot now that he's a little older, & busier while he's awake! So I try to put him down for a nap no more than four hours after he first gets up in the morning.

I find this gives him a more restful daytime nap, & seems to lead to a better night time sleep. It is a pain that he has his only daytime nap smack bang in the middle of the day, but it generally means he will go on to sleep from 7pm to 7am.

When he does wake through the night I try to keep things very quiet, dark & boring. He is also never, never allowed out of his room. So I may get him out of his cot for a cuddle, & offer more milk, but the light is never on, & we never leave the room.

I think he has cottoned on to the fact that night time is pretty boring, so not really worth being awake for. Although if he has woken due to night terrors, he is not really himself, & there is generally nothing we can do for him.

He seems to be really upset that he's even awake, and rejects any comfort, and the bottle, and well, everything! So we try to give him a little comfort then put him back in his cot, & hope he calms down. Sometimes I stay in there with him for a while, and it sometimes works.

Sorry I can 't offer much more advice, but just wanted to know you're not alone! And it will pass, cos whoever heard of a fifteen year old waking their parents through the night by crying???LOL.

Debbie - posted on 06/02/2010

My son is the same age and he still wakes through the night too. I still give him a night feed at about 9pm when he wakes up. That bottle of milk helps him re-settle and keeps him from waking due to hunger. I also let my baby sleep with a dummy (pacifier) and I usually pop that back in his mouth when he wakes. I also have a music box in his room that I put on when he wakes. but sometimes, I'm so tired and I just need sleep, so i put him in bed with us as a last resort. This is my third child and I just tell myself this won't last forever and I just do what it takes to help me survive!!

Nydia - posted on 06/02/2010

I have the same problem with my 15 month old. She gets up multiple times during the night. I've tried giving her oatmeal right before bed and it did help a little but not much. I don't know what to do either. She's still breastfed so I put her back to sleep on my breast. I'm scared it'll be a problem when it's time to wean her. What are we supposed to do? :-(

Melisa - posted on 05/11/2010

my son is the exact same way, and i convince myself its because hes hungry, hes not much of an eater during the day, so he does wake up at night time 2-3 times and i give him his milk and he turns around and goes back to sleep. but he also has those nights where he will wake up sit up and just scream like hes had a nightmare, and it takes awhile for him to go back to sleep. let me know if you find anything that works! :) good luck.

Michelle - posted on 05/11/2010

Yeah ... my daughter who was born feb 25th went through like a 3 or 4 month period of sleeping through the night... Now she wakes up at least 1 time throughout the night. Mostly 3 times a night. I am still breastfeeding and its very comforting to her to nurse in the middle of the night ... I keep being told not to do this but it's the only thing that will calm her. I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO! AHHH Help! hahahha

Jodi - posted on 05/07/2010

Hi hun,
I feel for u, i cant offer advice coz im in much the same position.

I have 4 aged 3 and under and none sleep thru the night completely.

My son turnt 3 yesterday and he wakes constantly and always has, i have 15 month old twin girls, 1 wakes a few times the other wakes constantly screaming til she is sick and has asthma attack, in fact my 10week old son is best sleeper of all, goes from 1am til 7am.

Ive just been told i myself can phone the local NHS run sleeping clinic for help. So maybe u cud ask ur health visitor if there is 1 in ur area.

Im not optimistic on this as they told me i can do appointment over phone, so will be told different things to try, which to be honest i really hav already tried.

But may help u hun, hope u get some relief. Its awful havin no sleep, 3 yrs now ive had no sleep and it shows, and i swear i hav aged by 20 yrs physically and mentally coz of it, ive become a boring moaning machine, with 1 health problem after another arising, so defo worth seekin advice and help. xxx

Dawn - posted on 05/06/2010

He could be teething or having nightmares (I have read these start about now). Is he standing and alert when he wakes or is he still sleeping? I would first rule out medical reasons like ear infections, then try working on your methods. Try not to feed him, as it is rare at this age to wake up hungry during the night, and you will just get him looking for it as a comfort. If he is still sleeping, try to see what the issue is, attend to it quickly, comfort him a little and then put him back in his crib (if you even take him out.). If he is awake/alert and looking to get up you may have to be firmer and let him cry. I have had a heck of a time with my son this week; come to find out he has an ear infection in addition to cutting teeth! He was waking up screaming but sleeping every hour!! Even though I am adamant about not co-sleeping, when he is not feeling well, I think he deserves some nightime mommy cuddles, so I have been letting him sleep with me the last few hours of the night!!! If nothing you do seems to help, I would give this a try; just don't get him use to it, or you will have another problem to deal with!!! :) Good luck!