Nighttime wake-ups

Tonya - posted on 08/16/2009

If you figure this out let me know. lol My son is a 2am on the dot kid. He can climb out of bed too.

Portia - posted on 08/12/2009

my 22month old who is still breastfed still wakes up to have a drink from the all night snack bar, on top of that, he sleeps with me i wouldn't mind so much if he just STAYED sleeping i hear you sister

Avi - posted on 08/11/2009

I had the problem of both of my children waking during the night with my 2 year old getting up. I got firm and let the baby cry it out till a set time (7am for us), it took 3 days and now she sleeps through the night no problems. My older child I simple took him back to bed and said only stay in bed. I did this repetitively every night it took 3 nights and now he sleeps through and doesn't get out of his bed till 7:30am, he doesn't get up when we put him to sleep in the evening either. Children want firm, constant, boundaries. They are happier for knowing that you are in control not them. There are wonderful books published with ways to train your child to help them to be confident, well behaved children and become successful adults.

Rochelle - posted on 08/09/2009

I think it depends on the child. My first one slept with me in the bed until about 18 mo -24 mo and when I found out I was pregnant with the second it was a smooth transistion to his own bed. I think if he didn't do it that way and just let him cry it out at night,he would still be getting up, now that he is 3. My second son is 9 mo and starts off in his bed but half way through the night wants to sleep with me, so I'll let him until about 18 mo-24 mo. I plan to transition him to his bed then. On their own they have stop wanting to eat in the middle of the night. But like I said before it depends on the kid.

Krista - posted on 08/08/2009

I agree with Amanda and the other co-sleepers. It might not be the easiest and convenient way to do things for you but it's not all about you - it's about raising our children in a loving, compassionate way. If they have a need - physical or emotional - we need to be there for them - to show them that we care about their needs and will do anything we can to fulfill them. That's my humble opinion! :) Good luck!

Amanda - posted on 08/07/2009

I have to agree with the few cosleepers out there...but just because that works for my family doesn't mean that it has to work for yours. You need to decide what plan you want to take and stick with it. My family of four (me, my husband, a 2 year old, and a 1 year old) all cosleep. I hadn't planned on it initially, but after the birth of our first child it just felt right. I didn't see you mention if your were breastfeeding, but that was a major reason that we chose to cosleep. There are a lot of research based article out there that back up breastfeeding and cosleeping. For me it was just a basic case of laziness...I chose to feed my child while we BOTH rested and still do. I nursed my oldest until I was 7 months pregnant and she woke up every 2 hours to eat until she was 15 months old! She now sleeps through the night without waking and without demanding I feed her...children grow at their own pace and may need a little snack or whatever..they also may just need you. At your sons age he obviously needs something so I would try to figure out what it is that he needs. If it were true that our children are "training" the parents then I would assume there would be a lot of 10-15 year olds out there breastfeeding still. As this is not the case I believe children teach you (not train) how to raise them with lots of love and kisses along the way. Hope you find a solution soon

Christina - posted on 08/07/2009

i would recommend reading Dr. Sear's Sleep Book. He is pro-co-sleeping/pro-attachment parenting and has a detailed plan on how to get a toddler into their own bed and sleeping through the night without crying-it-out. He also discusses food that can inhibit sleep and different temperaments. I am anti-cry-it-out, but if you are looking for something more along those line, try Ferber.

Linda Grace - posted on 08/07/2009

looks like you got lots of advice! Have you developed a plan? What have you tried? My understanding is that we all wake up after we complete a REM - that's 4 hours for most of us. Generally, we naturally fall back asleep if it's not enough sleep. As the other mothers said, if there is no circumstances to cause emotional strain, let him figure it out. And like Jamie said, no midnight snacks! If you let him cry for 15 min or so, don't pick him up, give him a drink of water, let him cry - every 15-30 min or so, tuck him back in, offering water, then kindly leave him alone. repeat until he fall asleep. If you stay consistent, he'll sleep the whole night in a few days. (3weeks max)

Kailey - posted on 08/07/2009

I agree with Stacey. If you are giving your child what they want when they wake up at night, why would they try to sleep on their own? My advice would be to go into it gradually. If you have been feeding him, start by picking him up and rocking him, but not feeding. Then, the next night, just pick him up and give him a hug, then lay him back down. After that, don't pick him up at all- just pat him or rub him, whatever lets him know you are there. Like Cindy said, you may have to go back every 5 minutes, but once you start DO NOT give in. If they find a breaking point (1 hr, 2 hrs...) they will think that is how long they have to fuss until you give in. The process took both of my boys two nights before they were sleeping 7:30- 7:30. My 2yr old started at 5 wks and my 7 month old at 4 months (only because they are sharing a room and we didn't want him waking his older brother). The first night is NOT easy, so stay strong- he will be a better sleeper for it in the long run. Good luck!!!

Beverly - posted on 08/07/2009

at this age you may want to see if you can find a reason he may be waking up if he didn't do this before. My son would scream not going to bed without sleeping with his sisters and if they moved to their bed after he was asleep and he woke up he'd scream. it wasn't until one day I took a nap with him and realized he had quit breathing and it was like a floatation device in a pool. He would grab me and then settle down and go to sleep we did a sleep study on him and he had mild sleep apneia. He later outgrew this. But I might also add he had breathing problems from 2 weeks forward and at 7 months was finally diagnosed with Asthma after being hospitalized over night. Good luck.

Stacey - posted on 08/07/2009

Actually, I think it's cruel to not teach a child to sleep in their own bed. Are you still going to let them sleep in your bed when they are 8, 10, 15? You are only enforcing a habit that you are going to have to break sometime.

I have to reccommend a book, 'Save our Sleep' by Tizzie Hall, it's excellent, it taught me how to help my 2 kids to settle themselves to sleep. My Son (2 1/2) puts himself to sleep in his own bed at 7pm & sleeps through the night to 7am and has since the age of 10 months, when I found this book. My daughter (10 months) does the same and has done since age 3 months, both are in their own beds, in their own rooms. & NO controlled crying involved. I'm sure they get a better night sleep this way and are happier for it.

Jordan - posted on 08/07/2009

Quoting amanda:

so your letting him sleep with you? i know it is hard but trust meeee you gotta just stick to it and be strong make him stay in his bed and go to sleep alone or you will create a monster and end up with a 5 year old trying to sleep in bed with you all the time lol good luck!

Sorry but trust me when I say it is proven that co-sleeping actually benefits babies and children it does not create 'monsters'

I could never force my child to stay in bed how cruel

Cindy - posted on 08/05/2009

I agree with Kimberly and Amanda. He is lonely and is getting you trained. The most you can do, might seem mean but, don't pick him up and rock. Go to his room, give him a kiss on his forehead, (if he's dirty change him,) if he's clean, lay him back down in his bed and say "I love you, good night." and walk away. You might cry, and he will have hurt feelings, but it will get better. You just need to be consistant.


You might want to use the 5 minute rule. Set a timer for 5 mins after you walk away. If he is still pissed at you after 5 mins go give him a hug, a kiss, and put him back again. Make sure Dad doesn't give in either. 5 mins might seem like forever the first time, but it's worth trying.



And I agree with having toys in the crib. An interactive mobile or a toy that makes the baby happy might just work.

Cathralynn - posted on 08/05/2009

When my daughter started waking we bought a couple of really cool toys. One is a crib soother it play soft music and has lights. Your son can learn turn it on himself and it turns itself off. The other was a toy that plays a light show on the ceiling and music. You have to turn it on and it turns itself off. Both allowed me to go in turn on the toy and rub my daughters back and not say anything or pick her up and then she would stop crying and calm herself. Eventually she turned the toy on herself. Now its still there but she doesn't hardly play with it. This happened for us around 8mo, I think it was a separation thing, and my daughter is 14mo and sleeps without crying. I know we are not yet at your son's age but I worked from birth to teach my daughter to self soothe so I hope this helps in some way. At about a year she started sleeping with a stuffed pal who helped her sit still for book readings and we also keep soft books and toys in her crib so she can wake slowly. She doesn't like to be yanked out her crib before she's ready. This helps if she wakes early in the am she will normally play and go back to sleep. Hope any of these ideas help when applied to your situation. My thoughts are to give your son something he can control to help him comfort himself to sleep and then he will less likely cry for you. How does he go to sleep the first time? That might make a difference as well.

Nancy - posted on 08/05/2009

I don't feed him or anything when he wakes up. He has a nightlight in his room. He does sleep in his crib but when he wakes he won't go back to sleep unless we pick him up and rock him.

Nancy - posted on 08/05/2009

I don't feed him or anything when he wakes up. He has a nightlight in his room. He does sleep in his crib but when he wakes he won't go back to sleep unless we pick him up and rock him.

Amanda - posted on 08/04/2009

so your letting him sleep with you? i know it is hard but trust meeee you gotta just stick to it and be strong make him stay in his bed and go to sleep alone or you will create a monster and end up with a 5 year old trying to sleep in bed with you all the time lol good luck!

Kimberly - posted on 08/04/2009

I know it can be hard but you may have to put him back in his bed and let him know it is alright. Believe it or not I just got through with this with my 7 year old son.

Amber - posted on 08/04/2009

I am having that trouble with my 13 month old as well, she wkes 1 or 2 times during the night and I am not sure if its because we still share a room (not a bed, but a room) or if its becuz I am feeding her, or what......will let you know what I figure out, and keep me posted on ur details as well.

Alisa - posted on 08/04/2009

well I was having problems with this to so I went online and found this lady who made a lot of sense to me, she has problem solving videos and all kinds of helpful tips, I bought her book and it's saved my life big time. Its called The Sleep Sense Program, By Dana Obleman. If you type her name up on Google you should get her web site. Good luck Alisa & Shaylee

Marta - posted on 08/04/2009

Have you tried putting a nightlite in his room? It might just be that he wakes up to toss and turn but then gets a little scared because it's so dark. If there's been a recent change in the family dynamic or schedule that could be affecting his sleep pattern also. That or he's working on his 2 yr. molars. I would recommend sitting with him with his door slightly open until he calms down, reassure him that you're going to be right outside of his door and walk out into the hallway leaving the door slightly ajar so that some light can come through. Eventually you can inroduce the nightlite and close the door completely and go back to bed. It'll take some time and patience and he'll probably cry a fair bit but you have to restrain yourself from running back into his room. Let him cry for 5 minutes then pop your head through the door let him know that you love him and that it's nighty night time so he needs to calm down and go to sleep, blow him a kiss and let him cry for 10 minutes and so on and so on. He needs to learn to self-soothe and that he can't expect mommy to come at his beck 'n' call. Good luck feel free to message me if you need any help or advice with anything else. I'm currently battling the whiney 3 (almost 4) yr old, the terrible two's and enjoying a 3 month old.

Jamie - posted on 08/04/2009

do you give him milk or any kind of food??? My son was doing the same thing and my dr asked me if i was feeding him anything... and of course i was and she said that he wakes up and knows he will get a midnight snack and who doesnt want that lol she said start giving him water... so far it has worked very well for us. Hope that helps you