18, almost 19, month old son will not stay asleep

Amie - posted on 02/14/2009

oh also, do you give him a snack before he goes to bed? if not, try that too. but something heavy, like a little oatmeal or something like that.

Amie - posted on 02/14/2009

Is your son waking up because he's hungry again? If he is still taking a bottle at that time, try to slowly start giving him less and less. It takes a while, but theres alot less crying and stress. Slowly take 1oz away at a time, do that for 2 or 3 nights, then 1oz less again. Also are you using a humdifier? if not try that too. good luck, I hope you get a full night sleep soon

Katy - posted on 02/14/2009

My baby is 15 weeks and he was waking at 3ish and 5ish, I soon learned that  when he woke at  5 is wasnt even hungry it was just habit, I ignored him at 5 ....and it worked he now doesnt wake up at 5 anymore. Now like you I need to tackle the 3 oclock wakeing. When he wakes at 3 he isnt hungry.... again I think it is just habit. He drinks about 1oz and falls straight back to sleep. I am to scared to ignore him as I dont want to upset his whole rest of the night. But if like in your case he was crying and crying I would just leave him to cry it out.... its the only way they learn.

Remember that all babies are different and we can try all the tricks in the book and hopefully  you will find one that suits you and your baby - I think he will prob grow out if it in the end anyway.....x

good luck

Brenna - posted on 02/13/2009

Hey Momma, my son is 13 months old and he does the same thing and we also live with the rents for the time being and Momma, Daddy, and Baby Kale all share a same room.  My son also wakes in the wee hours of the morning and I think mostly for him it is a comfort thing.  I still breastfeed and I know that he is accustomed to that but rather than letting him suckle we rock him to sleep.  On nights that we are really really pooped and now that he is older we mainly do this but we get up and dont take him out of his crib but keep laying him back down and rubbing his back, belly, or hair and going shh shh shh kinda like womb sounds and telling him mama is here he will usually go back to sleep with ease.  This is what I do during the day too for nap time.  The one other thing I can suggest is make sure he is on a very consistent schedule. For example:  Breakfast, play, snack, lunch, nap, play, snack, play, dinner, bath, massage, book, and bed.  Also to ensure that Kale doesnt wake hungry I make sure he is stuffed before going to bed.  I hope that some or all of these suggestions help.  Take care :)

Jamie - posted on 02/13/2009

How does he nap?  Is he on a regular schedule/routine?  He may not be getting enough sleep during the day and it is causing him to be hyperalert at night.  I would suggest keeping him on as strict a schedule as you can.  Same nap time and bed time every day.  Also, you may try putting him down earlier instead of later.  I know it sounds weird, but it somehow rings true...early to bed, late to rise.  Noah is 2 1/2 and I still put him down at 7:30.  With the same routine every night and he naps at 12:30everyday.  Hope this helps.  Hugs :)

Maggie - posted on 02/13/2009

is he on a regular schedule during the day. like wake up 8, nap right after lunch, bed at 8:30 kind of thing. my daughter had the toughest time staying asleep at night as well. i asked my doctor what to do and she suggested to let her cry it out. i was told that if she is eating all her meals, has a snack before bed then to let her cry it out if she wakes up in the middle of the night (depending on the cry of course, if she's screaming i would go in). i was also told not to give a bottle in the middle of the night. now i didn't really do that, i just went from a 9oz bottle to a 4 oz and that seemed to do the trick. hopefully you find something that works for you and your son. good luck.

Melissa - posted on 02/13/2009

My son and I live with my parents. We share the same room. The massage thing hasn't worked. But making sure he has a full tummy may be something for me to look into. Lately I have been sleeping on the couch, after he waskes up just so I can go back to sleep. Otherwise if he see's me in my bed he will not stop crying.

Angela - posted on 02/13/2009

I don't have anything that will help except that my almost 2 year old is the same way. It hasn't always been a problem with her but she just won't sleep at night no matter how tired she is. If you find anyting that works, please let me know.

Thanks and good luck.

Angela

Stacy - posted on 02/13/2009

It gives children a real sense of self confidence to know that they can sooth themselves back to sleep. When he wakes up, go to him and tell him it's bedtime, tuck him in and leave. If he's in a crib, crying himself to sleep, provided you are certain there is nothing physically wrong with him, is a good option. If he is in his own bed and gets up, return him without speaking to him as many times as it takes for him to fall asleep on his own. It is difficult to listen to the crying, but it will teach him something very valuable, so keep that in mind. Also, if you don't think you will be able to let him cry, don't start. It is harder on the child to let him cry for a period of time, only to go get him before he falls asleep. Hope this helps.

Lynsey - posted on 02/13/2009

maybe try altering his nightime routine with a little baby massage after bathtime and make sure he has had enough to eat about an hour before bathtime

it could just be a comfort thing for him to know you are still there have you tried waiting till he goes back to sleep and putting him back in his own bed /cot