I need a middle of the night solution PLEASE!

Denise - posted on 06/19/2009

I agree if teething, I wouldn't do cry it out. What is that teaching- that you are ignoring him in pain? He can't help how he feels and there are studies talking about how high that level of pain can be to them. I would continue with Motrin before bed and wait it out. Maybe also letting him eat ice chips before bed will help numb it temporarily. Sometimes propping their head a certain way (elevating mattress or a pillow if safe to use) might help. Sometimes it throbs more when they lay down etc. Hope you get some relief soon. Just know it WILL get better. My sons were horrible sleepers. One is still in teething and working on it, but the other who is now 4 sleeps like a dream. Patience is key.

Lynlee - posted on 06/18/2009

Our son really suffered from teething and would wake multiple times during the night crying for MONTHS while he was getting teeth. He would also be unconsolable and take 1.5-2 hours to go back to sleep each time. Really tiring but we are finally finished teething now. We dealt with it by holding him, walking, singing, nursing etc. We also gave him bonjela until he had too many teeth that it became dangerous to try and put it on the gums! We also got some weleda teething powder from the health shop, which calms them down and we gave Pamol when we knew he was teething. With Pamol we made sure we dosed him before bed and then when he woke up during the night (as long as it was at least 4 hours later). That really made a difference, having him dosed up before he went to sleep. There is no way I would let my son 'cry it out' at any time, much less when he was in pain and distress. When our son was teething, the teething episodes were more a continuum rather than discrete time periods. Even if there are no teeth breaking the surface, they can still cause pain.

Beth - posted on 06/18/2009

LOL! does he have ONE cuddly?! He has one main dog and then 3 other BIGGER dogs that he snuggles with....his bed is full! Strange stuff--he went to bed without a fuss tonight. Not one cry. Let's hope this continues. Thank you all so much for your input. I'll have to make sure we are taking care of all his needs and then find some ear plugs.

Lyndsey - posted on 06/18/2009

teething can be hard on little ones. my son is two and for about a year he slept through the night then all of a sudden i started screaming in the middle of the night so like eery mom i got out of bed to check on him. he maybe getting his second mollars in but after a week of doing this it occured to me that maybe he had gotten used to me coming in again and after the pain had subsided he was waking up and screaming because he knew that i would come. i put a stop to that and after 3 more sleepless nights because of his screaming he realized i wasnt going to come in and stopped waking up. long story short, your son maybe over the pain of teething and is now just wanting your attention. does he have a cuddly that he can slepp with for extra security?

Beth - posted on 06/18/2009

thanks for the suggestions. We do give our son infant motrin before bed time. I know that oragel only last a little while, but sometimes he just needs a few mins without pain, it seems. I tried putting him down earlier for a nap today. He screamed for an hour and 15 mins. I went in once to try to lay him down again. Didn't work. But he is sleeping now. I do hope to put him to bed earlier tonight. His bedtime is 7pm...but last night I didnt' get him down until 7:45pm and he screamed until 9:45pm. Thanks again.

Gabrielle - posted on 06/18/2009

Teething can definitely mess up a kid's sleeping pattern. We also used Tylenol at night, and that usually helped. We used Hyland's homeopathic teething tablets during the day. Sometimes there isn't anything you can do except let your child cry/scream. They're supposed to get past it after a few days, once they realize it isn't getting them anywhere. Is there anyway you can put him down earlier at night? Help him fall asleep for his naps? We take my daughter for a walk in her stroller or a drive in the car when she's having trouble. I empathize with you and I hope he finishes teething soon.

Erin - posted on 06/18/2009

I have heard mixed things about orajel - some people believe that it is only a temporary measure and washes away with their saliva. When our son is teething, we use infant pain reliever (infant acetaminophen or infant motrin) and it works pretty well. The motrin tends to last longer, so if he needs it we use that at night. I empathize with your frustration - our son just starting sleeping through the night after getting up once a night and it is so nice...good luck and know that this will pass! :)

Beth - posted on 06/18/2009

so even though my son is SCREAMING, it is ok to let him (he doesn't make himself sick)scream for a few hours? He is missing out on 4 hours of sleep a night.

Maggie - posted on 06/18/2009

Quoting Kayla:

I think my daughter is doing the same thing and thats the same advice we've gotten but how do you let your baby scream all night long, we cant so she comes down stairs usually for about twenty minutes and lays on her daddys chest then she goes to bed fine. I cant and wont let her scream so badly that she makes herself sick to just let her "cry it out"

that is what we did and we got into a bad habit with that. if your daughter is making herself ill i would tak to your doctor. other then that i don't see the harm in letting a child scream it out. they get the hint.

Kayla - posted on 06/18/2009

I think my daughter is doing the same thing and thats the same advice we've gotten but how do you let your baby scream all night long, we cant so she comes down stairs usually for about twenty minutes and lays on her daddys chest then she goes to bed fine. I cant and wont let her scream so badly that she makes herself sick to just let her "cry it out"

Maggie - posted on 06/18/2009

i had the same issue and i i talked to my doctor about it. and i know you said you didn't want to hear about letting him cry it out, but my doctor said if my daughter was fed and dry and not hurt or sick, to let her cry it out. it will take a few nights of unrest for everyone but they will soon get the hint that they can put themselves back to sleep. she also suggested scheduled snacks during the day and a snack with milk about 30 minutes to an hour before bed. that seemed to help. we do that and then we read 2 books, brush our teeth and i put her in bed. she talks to herself before bed, but she sleeps through the night now.

you can do it! just be strong!! no mother likes to hear their son or daughter cry. i know i don't. but all i can think of are those parents on nanny 911 or super nanny and remind myself that i NEVER want to get into those situations. also make sure your husband or significant other are on board. it will make the tough times easier. good luck!