How can I get my 13 month baby to sleep through the night without waking up?

Kilabo - posted on 10/23/2012

Make her comfortable since urine makes them uncomfortable and the size of the bed so, i think you can choose a constant time when you should always change her pamper or feeding than anytime in night.

Miriam - posted on 03/26/2012

Wendy, I make sure my boys are awake by 3:00 form their afternoon nap. which they dont always take, they sleep no more than 1-3 hours during the day. some days one, some two some (on rare occasion) 3. I dont think it matters anymore :+) O))))

Wendy - posted on 03/25/2012

when my daughter was younger i made sure she did not take a nap after 230 or 300 because she would wake up all the time when she did that but after a while she would go back to sleep no problems she is know 4 and she only wakes up when she hears the traffic is to loud or something wakes her but she goes right back to sleep

Tharon - posted on 03/23/2012

my daughter is 14months old and she's been doing the same thing since she was 11 months old. She wakes up maybe 2 or 3 times almost every night. I give her, her sippy than she falls back to sleep. Me and my daughter live with my mom, so at night my daughter sleeps with me bc she wont sleep in her crib which I dont care, and every one i tell rolls their eyes at me. But i feel like I'm getting naps too. Sometimes when she takes naps during the day i sleep with her which I'm a stay at home mom. I dont know why she's doing it either, which I dont want to ask her dr. bc she will doesnt give me good answers, I dont want to change drs. bc she takes medicaid and she's close to where i live. I would like an answer for the reason for this too.

Miriam - posted on 03/19/2012

who's website? what is it?

Tina - posted on 03/12/2012

I would like to check out your web page but, all I get it a bad request. I have a 14 month old that used to sleep all night who is now getting up at night. I have tried to let her cry but, she can cry up to four hr. By that time I am up so I get up with her then she will have a bottle and go back to sleep. I get up at 6:30 to get ready for work so I am only get about four hr of sleep. I really need more sleep.

Miriam - posted on 03/08/2012

Hope, thanks for the advise. I guess my boys are also extra spoiled, because during the day they hold their bottles, but at night when they want a bottle they want me to hold them and their bottles :) I will try it. Thanks for the advice on the Hylands, I bought them, but one of my boys spits them out because he doesnt like them, dissolving them in water sounds great!! thanks.

Hope - posted on 03/08/2012

Miriam, maybe you could try it with a sippy cup (one that has the silicone nipples, like Munchkins or Nuby) that's what I did so we didn't still encourage bottles, especially in the middle of the night. worked for my daughter when she was 12 months old. We leave it in the crib, even still (19 months) and if she wakes, she takes a sip or two, then goes back to sleep. I sleep with a bottle of water by my bed, and I get thirsty at night, so why shouldn't she? I should mention, though that she is a HUGE drinker-I fill her sippy cup with water repeatedly, probably every other hour, if not more. And she has bad sinus problems and her sinuses drain into her stomach and gets stuck in her throat so she gets a phlem-y cough at night. This cuts down on that, a lot!! Good luck!!



♥

Hope



PS: for teething, I've found the Hylands teething tablets are the greatest thing-ever. All-natural, and you can dissolve it in water. I dissolve a few in a tiny bit of water-I use the dosage cups that come with other medicine-and then use a syringe to give it to her. Sleeping SO much better now!! They are AWESOME!!!!

Miriam - posted on 03/08/2012

Morgan, so when your son woke up you gave him a bottle of water? how old was he when you did this? I think Im ready to try it with my 13 month old twins! :+)

Morgan - posted on 03/07/2012

I stop feeding then in the middle of the night and only offered water. you have to retrain her body to not want food in the middle of the night. it might be hard at friend but it only took me 2 nights for my son to start sleeping through the night

Tricia - posted on 03/02/2012

Miriam, omg god bless u. I know so when all there teeth r in we will have to def. talk. I hope they r all sleeping 12 hour nights. Lol I miss my sleep

Miriam - posted on 03/02/2012

same here Tricia, my boys are 13 months and right now they have a bad cough, ear infection and to top it off (even the dr. said) molars coming all over the place, all swollen and inflamed :( Im sure it hurts. At my house we havent slept in over a year as well. and its all night because when one finally settles down usually the other one starts:+) My D.H says he cant wait till their 2 and all their teeth are in and they sleep through the night (sure hope they do by then!!:)

good luck, we'll get through it!!!:+)

Tricia - posted on 03/02/2012

My daughter is 15 months, she has yet to sleep through the night. She gets up and wants to be held for comfort. I know I allowed it and continue. The screaming would never end and she's very loud. She too has been teething since 4 months. Molars r coming and the rest now r all swollen . So I am so hoping that's once all her teeth r in. She will sleep. What do u think? Or is she so spoiled with us picking her up to console her she will continue. I feel bad for her she should be getting straight sleep for hours. Although she always wakes very happy.

Miriam - posted on 02/29/2012

Tricia, I think its a pacifier :+)

Tricia - posted on 02/28/2012

What's the" Dummy"?

Sunita - posted on 02/27/2012

This is my exact prob with my 10 month old. Did it get better?

Leanna - posted on 02/25/2012

Hi, I remember this battle,it happens to the best of us! I wrote a blog entry about how I over came the problem...

.http://diaryofapremmymum.blogspot.com/20...

Monica - posted on 02/22/2012

Try not to go in there unless you really have to. My little man is 14 months old and I will not go in the nursery unless he is really upset and even when I do, I give him a drink of water in the dark, give him his teddy and leave, as many times as I have to, I believe that if you don't pay them much attention they stop asking for it. Good luck!

Barb - posted on 02/19/2012

Hi. Just wanted to give an update to my previous post (on page 3 of this thread). My lil guy (3yo) is now consistently sleeping through the night, about 8 or 9 hours or so. It is amazing. I'm so glad I did the night weaning. I set 5am as my deadline (not feeding him before that time) and now he usually wakes at 5:30 and then drifts off again til 7:30. If he does wake in the night he goes back to sleep on his own. He's perfectly happy. We are lovin' it!

Sarah - posted on 02/18/2012

I have a 1 year old and a 2 year old. My girl that just turned 1 now has no problems going down but as a few of you the same issue is waking up in the night...she depends on me to put her back to sleep ( i am only nursing her in the night but am working on stopping this!) Her sister and her share a room annnd me! so it makes it hard when she wakes up to let her yell it out.

Anyone have this same issue? Or advice with the sharing a room thing?

Miriam - posted on 02/13/2012

Erica, mine are 13 months (twins) and still feed 2 times at night. how do I stop it? when I try to postpone it they scream bloody murder!!! LOUD!! and cry.... how did you do it?

Erica - posted on 02/12/2012

if your daughter is still drinking during the night, you should def. try to cut it down or even stop it completely. Just like adults, when infants reach a certain age, they do not need to feed during the night, they just rather out of comfort or habit. Just this past month (my daughter is almost 18m) i finally got her off feeding in the middle of the night. She has already been sleeping somewhat better. My daughter was feeding out of habit. It's actually rather easy & quick for them to stop. I was shocked because it 3nights after i stopped, she didnt eventhink twice. Now stopping the pacy is a whole nother story lol. Also making sure the bedroom is at a good temp can help.

Jody - posted on 02/08/2012

does you lil one get rocked to sleep right off the bat? if not maybe try putting her to bed awake and full, give her cereal or yogurt or something. when our youngest would cry in the night we would get up with him and rubbing his back or rocking him without feeding him at night, so once he wasnt eating at night we went to the next step letting him cry it out a bit. we have a 3yr old that sleeps right next to our youngests room so its tricky to leave him to cry.you can leave your lil one for lets say 10mins then go in lay her down tell her you love her, if you have a mbile or aquarium turn it on cover her up and walk out. then leave her 10 or a lil longer and do the same thing, that way she knows you are there and doesnt feel left and abandoned. im not one to let my kids scream, so we did it this way and worked quite well for us. our lil guy will turn his aquarium on by himself now. he will get up once in a while but now its that he hates being wet to its a lil tricky! good luck! i found too it was nice having my hubby go in once in a while too to lay ours down, nice having backup!!

Barb - posted on 02/08/2012

I had same issue w my bub. I imagine you've solved your problem by now but I'll still post. The issue wasn't so much night waking but night nursing, correct? I read a really good article about night weaning. I appreciated how the author said he didn't recommend weaning (he recommends child-led weaning, which I think is best as well) but he said if you have to, here's a good way to do it. (I wish I could post the link to the article but I don't remember where it was.) So I'll paraphrase....



He said put them to bed as usual, nursing if that's part of your routine. Select a 7-hour period of time when you want them to sleep and not to feed, say from 11p-6a or whatever you choose, and do not feed them during this time. They'll cry and complain and be unhappy, but don't give in. And never leave them to cry alone. Stay with them and comfort them in any way you can, just don't feed them. The first night'll be rough but each night will get better after that as they get used to going back to sleep without milk. He explained it in a way that made total sense and seemed like a gentler way to handle it than CIO. 



My bub is almost three years old (!) and has always nursed in the night. We cosleep so it's never been a big issue, I kept thinking he'd quit eventually as most kids do. However recently I noticed he wasn't sleeping as well as I thought he should, and his stirring was actually becoming more frequent as of late. Neither of us have been getting as good of sleep as we should. So I decided to try this method.  The first night was a little rough. I prayed my way through it! He cried for a while and fought for mama milk but I didn't give in. I was committed at that point. :(  I did give him some water as all the crying had to leave him thirsty. I kept encouraging him that he could go back to sleep w/o milk... and he finally did. The whole process took almost 2 hours the first night (no, he wasn't crying the whole 2 hrs). He actually woke up happy in the am and mentioned the night of no milk but wasn't upset about it. The second night was amazing! He only cried for milk for about ten minutes, then had just a small sip of water, and happily laid down and went right back to sleep! I was amazed. And that was the only time he woke up that night. I also noticed his sleep seemed more sound. He actually slept the night on his pillow rather than flopping all around. I'm very hopeful for the third night - which is tonight!



I'm not a fan of crying it out, where you leave them to cry all alone and comfort them after increasingly longer intervals. There are articles and studies that show crying to distress can damage their brains and may result in social /relationship issues in the future, and even certain diseases later in life. Not trying to make anyone feel bad if they've done this, just saying what I've read. :(



Altho the method we're trying does call for him crying some, I'm there the whole time with him comforting him and encouraging him that he'll be fine. I wouldn't have done it when he was very young, but he's almost 3... I think it's time! :)  And I felt comfortable w this method. You gotta do what you feel comfortable with. 

Sherry - posted on 02/01/2012

I have a 14 month old who didn't sleep through the night until he was 1 year old and even now he will wake up 1-2 times per night for snuggling or looking for a binky and sometimes he even requires a bottle. I don't believe in letting him cry-it-out. The nurse who commented early said it all. I'm an exhausted working mom, but if my boy needs me to help him get back to sleep and I can help him - then I certainly will. He's my heart and he will get to where he needs to be eventually.

Anita - posted on 01/30/2012

well my 18month woke up once every night until 16months due to that dreaded dummy he is so attached to, then at 17months for a whole month slept right through and we thought he was finally getting it right with his sleep, but now at 18months he has started to wake once a night again, we have given in to getting up and finding his dummy for him which puts him straight to sleep, we were letting him cry it out but 30minutes later he would still be grizzling, my next project is to get rid of that dam dummy. whats worse is that I am overdue to have our third child. So advice is to stay clear of dummies, our third child wont be getting one.

Erica - posted on 01/29/2012

It's normal for anyone to wake during the night a few times, as long as they are not actually up & about, it's fine. Think of it this way, how many times in your life did you wake up for a few minutes then go back to sleep. She's doing just that. My daughter is 17m & does it too. I know it's very frustrating & tiring, on the bright side though, in a few more months she wil be sleeping more soundly. Have you tried putting baby rice ceral in her bottle before bed? It helps fill babies up. You can just put like 1-2 scoops into 8oz. Also making sure the enviornent is not too warm & the lights are low. What about her going to the bathroom during the night? Could it be she is wetting her diaper so much that she is uncomfortable?.For a while that was part of why my daughter woke so much. You should maybe try a nighttime lullaby cd... Actually 2weeks ago some1 told me to do that, so I bought 1 from Target (make sure it says it's for sleeping/night time & it is just the instruments, NO VOICES) that night i put it on & turned it down low - she passed out within 10 mins & for me thats a miracle! She slept so soundly & only woke once for lik a minute. Since then she wakes up less & less during the night & if she does its only for a sec. The babies see it's dark & hear that music & know its still time to sleep. So only use that cd when it's sleepy time (night & naps only) Hope some of these ideas and tips help. Always remember though, you are not alone!

Holly - posted on 01/26/2012

When my baby woke up during the night. i would check to see if she is either hungry or you know the teething thing. she would just cry. i would hold her and sooth her or message her legs or back or sometimes comb her hair with my fingers, she would fall asleep. i heard that they also ache through their body while growing. i remember when i was 3, i was going through some sort of faze which was the growth spurt. i also didn't feel like eating. my mother would force me and i would feel like getting sick right there. one day i freaked my mother out and fell over onto the floor because i was just tired and weak and didn't want to do what she wanted. i loved laying on the cold floor, it felt soothing lol. i would think of all types of stuff for my babies to see what is soothing and comfortable for them. my first oldest, she was very VERY hard to figure out. i was also young and didn't have any help. her pedia. would also tell me to have her cry it out that long, i couldn't handle that, it broke my heart so i would go in and sooth her. she was a huge fan of head and hair rubbing to sleep. my second child, his back being rubbed. and now my 3rd child, her legs or just be rocked on my chest..

Miriam - posted on 01/23/2012

We tried something new yesterday with our 12 month old twins. They have been getting up multiple times, were also in the process of transitioning from formula to cow milk a little at a time because they would not take it all at once. but at night I always give them formula because they do not like the milk too cold (they like room temp) and formula is easier. last night my husband and I decided to just give them cold 1oz formula 3oz cow milk and we did, neither one of them took it. they were up about 4 times each (which is normal) but they would take a sip and cry about 30 seconds and go to sleep!! so Im hoping for a better night tonight and so forth!!! we might finally sleep. I will let you know!!!

Maria - posted on 01/21/2012

my youngest was doing till just recently and i spoke to the health visitor and she suggested that she had just got used to getting up for a feed but she didn't need it. they suggested that i let her go cold turkey and just let her cry just go in her room after 30 min of cry to reassure her then put her back down they said it could take up to a week or 2 but she actually settled quite quickly only took one night so you could try that if like and good luck.

Maia - posted on 01/18/2012

Maybe give her some water in replace of the feeding? Then she will know she cant eat at night, maybe? I dont know if I would have the heart to let her cry it out. I tried this with my kids. It never worked. They cried and cried so bad that they would get sick. Its easier to just comfort them and put them back to bed. :)

Miriam - posted on 01/17/2012

oh Virginia you give me hope!!! My twins are waking up even more now, and some of those times its just to be held... Im tired!! LOL... but I know they will outgrow it..

Virginia - posted on 01/16/2012

My 1yr and 5months baby use to wake up 3x every night asking milk, i always wake up for him and feed him and now he's outgrown it... I don't let leave him and let him cry alone, I'm just not comfortable with it..

Jenn - posted on 01/15/2012

i dont think its a good idea to let thebaby cry for three hours straight! dr sounds like a quack. 10 mins at a time is max, for full out crying then you soothe. luckily your kiddo only fussed a bit (whew!)

Miriam - posted on 01/13/2012

yes Jean and Im all for spoiling them actually as long they're not rotten!!! LOL...

Jean Marie - posted on 01/13/2012

it drives me crazy when people say ot ignore babies? and let them cry, im not saying spoil them , but dont you realize your never going to sleep 8 hrs traight again in your life when you become a mother? its comes with all the joys your baby gives you, you have to give to

Miriam - posted on 01/13/2012

Jean I completely agree. If I wake up starving I have the ability to get up and get a snack so my babies should be aloud to eat as well. plus they have tiny stomachs so they need to frequently eat.... You wanna sleep all night, than dont become a parent!! plain and simple :+)

Jean Marie - posted on 01/13/2012

im sorry but i do not agree! how can you let your child go hungry and cry? imagine how she is goin gto feel that mommy is not helpin gher and shes hungry? you have to just deal with it until she stops on her own, my son does the same thing its only ten min. try pouring a heavy dose of rice cereal or oatmeal cereal in her warm bottel right before bed to hol dher stomache over. that should give you more time, but if shes waking, shes hungry! shes growing and she relys on you to help her

Miriam - posted on 01/09/2012

I hope its the teeth and not just a habit now :+) Yes 3 kids will exhaust you!! :+)

Holly - posted on 01/08/2012

@ Miriam, pretty much yes. but all babies are different. maybe there is something else wrong. but most parents i talk to are having teething problems with her baby and they wont sleep through the night. mine 16m old, a few times stayed up until dawn! she has teeth coming in a lot and she is always slobbering all over her face. most of the times during the day her teeth wouldn't bother her, only at night. my son was more quite about his teeth when he was a baby but ran constant fevers. i dont know why i had it easy with him and sort of have it easy with his baby sister. i guess its because when my 9 yr old was born, she had lots of medical problems and had surgery at 2M. i rarely had any sleep with her. by the time she was 2 till now, she is never able to take a nap during the day, but sleeps through the night. she has lots of energy. i wish i had her energy, because 3 kids will exhaust you! once in a while, my 16M old would through tantrums but more because she isnt getting her way, or she will whine when her diaper is dirty. that surprises me, because my other two didnt whine when their diaper got dirty. but other then that, she does sleep well now since i got her a rubber teether toy. when they bit down on the hard rubber, its braking their teeth through the gum and making it less pressure and hurting them. i got her fingers, and on the tips of the fingers has squiggly shapes and lines on them making it better for them to brake their teeth through the gum.

Tammika - posted on 01/07/2012

Nicole...I too was told that newborn should not sleep more than 4-5 hours per night without feeding. I woke both my son's up to feed if they didn't wake up until they got about 12 lbs or so. After that I let them sleep until they woke up. The pediatrician told me that after that weight their bodies can actually hold enough to last them for a little longer.

Miriam - posted on 01/06/2012

Holly, so when the teeth came out it was better? we went to the pedi. about a week ago and he said my boys (12mth) were breaking lots of teeth and some molars and were very swollen and inflamed :(
so there is hope that once that passes they will sleep better? Teething never bothered my 9 year old so its new to me with my twins..

Holly - posted on 01/05/2012

change her sleeping schedule during the day and she also might be teething in her molar areas. my 17 M old went through that through her 13thM as well. at first, i didnt know what the hell, and thought it was somthing in the water or food. then i find new teeth growing off on the side from top to bottom... for teething, never use numbing medicen, they are on a recall for to much dosage. best thing to use is a wet rag,put it in the freezer for 30 mins or hour and let her chew it, or get some rubber teething toys, they are safe with out liquid and the best, and last very long! i dont know if every store carrys them, but i got the rubber fingers from target. they have bug shape fingers or animals in many colors at target. best thing ive ever gotten for my baby and i give them to her in bed so she can naw away and i can catch some zzs during the night! im a mom of 3, went through a lot of craziness and still going, but love it! lol

Miriam - posted on 01/04/2012

Janel Ward, I so completely agree with you!!! I work full time (school counselor) have a nine year old son, am a wife and have 12 month old twins (just turned 12 months yesterday) and believe me I have not had more than 1 and a half hours of sleep in a row in over a year, but it shall pass. they need us, plus the university of Harvard has done some studies that children left to CIO suffer from ADHD, ADD and other learning disabilities!! which trust me I see everyday working in an elementary school. so is your little one sleeping more already? good luck...

Tammika - posted on 01/03/2012

I don't thing that there is anything wrong with teaching a child who is developmentally able to sleep at night to do so. Not because I am only thinking of myself, but also because children need a certain amount of sleep at night. Sleeping is important for development. I can understand waking 4-5 times a night because an infant "needs" to feed or is teething or Needs something that's completely understandable. However waking up 5-6 times per night just because can be tiring. I don't think that setting boundaries like "bed time" makes anyone a bad parent. I think that mothers doing what is best for their household is what's appropriate. If you feel like every time your child calls you they are in distress and need you and you want to wake up multiple times per night, trust me I can't knock that. However I'm sure that attempting to teach a child that it's okay to go to sleep at night and just because I don't get up to cuddle doesn't mean I don't love you or care about your needs is okay too. With my first son, I was up all the time because I was worried about him feeling like I didn't love him. In the end, I was exhausted. With this one, I don't let him cry all night or anything, but I do let him cry a little and he does go right to sleep. Most of the time when children that age wake that many times it's out of habit, not because anything is the matter.

Mommy Of 4 - posted on 01/02/2012

I so agree with Janel Ward.



I'm only speaking from experience. I have 4 children ages 21, 19, 5 and 15 months. For the longest time I missed the baby years until i was blessed with my 5 yo . And in addition to that I decided to put my foot down with my 19 yo and was pressured by doctors and society to put her on our schedule and make sure she sleeps through the night. I didn't do that with my 21 yo or 5 yo and won't do it with my 15 month. What the result was that my 19 yo had the worst sleep problems especially when she was 10 she had anxiety and nightmares. It was horrible, it lasted 2 years until it got better. I found that if you give your babies what they need...food, milk, And comfort whenever they need it that not only will they not have sleeping problems but will be more secure in life. My 21 and 5 yo fall asleep within 1 minute. It's amazing! And I nursed my 5 yo on demand until 2 1/2 yo. So many people, doctors included told me to not do that it will create bad sleeping habits. I also coslept with my older daughter until 3 yo now she is 21but both were always comforted to sleep so they LEARNED how to fall asleep quickly while they felt safe, secure and happy in mommies arms. Everyone tells you the opposite. But really go with your gut and better instinct! It went against all my gut and instinct when I put my 19 yo to sleep , then 10 month old on a strict schedule and tough love. I so regret that and wish I can get back the baby years with my older girls. But, I cherish every night wake my 15 month old gives me! Like pp said they are only young/babies for so long. Trust me you WILL miss it.



Hth, gl. And bless you all. Just like me you are just trying to do what is best for all your children.

Christina - posted on 12/28/2011

I have been reading lots of post on cio and babies not sleeping through the night. I have 5 children and there is a reason for it. Either growth spurt and if she only gets up to feed for 10 minutes it could be she is thirsty her sinuses are draining or she is refluxing. Silent reflux go mis diagnosed so often. Once our son was properly diagnosed and treated he slept just fine no more nursing every hour or 2 because then he would get up because his tummy hurt ect. Some kids just don't need that much sleep even Dr. Ferber is recanting his earlier on books stating he was wrong some kids don't need as much sleep as he thought and that he would not do the cio method with any kids.

Heather - posted on 12/22/2011

There's nothing that actually says a baby should automatically sleep through the night at a certain age. Every child's different! My daughter is 2yrs,1mo old and has never slept through the night without waking. She always wakes at least once in the night for a drink of water or whatever.

Nicole - posted on 12/17/2011

oh dear... complete opposite of me.... I was always afraid my daughter wasnt eating enough so id wake her up at night bc if not she woud sleep all night. I finally let her sleep 6 hours before waking her at 6 weeks and at 8 weeks she slept 8-10 hours a night UNTIL NOW... she turned 1 on the 10th and she has been waking up 1 or 2 times during the night.... so im curious to see what moms say to your question...LOL

Monica - posted on 12/15/2011

Maybe controlled crying as crying it out would be very harsh since she' s used to so much attention in the middle of the night. Mine hasn't had night feeds from 6 months but when he started standing up on the cot and calling for attention in the middle of the night I would go there 2, 3, 5 times sometimes and would lie him down again without switching lights on or giving him much attention. Eventually he got the idea and at 12 months he's sleeping solidly for 12-14 hours everynight. But he didn't really cry, so I guess it would be easier than having a panicky baby crying for a long period of time. You definitely have to stop the feeding though, she is associating feeding with sleep. Read 'Healthy sleep habits, happy child', can't remember who wrote it but it is very insightful, 'Taming your toddler' has lots of interesting insights too. If there will be crying involved, it will depend on the kind of baby she is. Good luck.