Hi. My 10 month old is usually a good sleeper. He has been sleeping through the night for months. Yet, for a over a week now, he has been waking up at different times once or twice a night. When I go in his room, he is sitting straight up - which is new this week as well. He's been sitting up, but this is the first week where he has been doing it during the night. I think he has become restless during the night and possibly rolls over. Then, I am thinking that once over on his belly that he pushes himself up into the seated position and doesn't know how to just lay back down. Anyhow, he is waking us up; we work; it is exhausting. I do not want it to continue. Has anyone had this happen? Suggestions?
Sitting up is very common for babies just l;earning to crawl. Try just laying him back down and soothing him to sleep. It will end shortly. Its just an automatic response.
Hi T.. Looks like you wrote this a long time ago, I just had to write to say I'm going through the exact same thing!! My 10 month old just recently started crawling, and for the past week he has been teething (his #'s 7&8), has a cold and is waking up and sitting up in his crib and talking/crying all night long. Every time I go in there (which is only when he's really crying, and usually after about 10 mins) he is sitting up in his crib with his arms up and won't lay back down, won't go back to sleep, won't take his pacifier or lovey. The only thing that works to get him to go back to sleep is to hold him and rock him for a little. And this still takes several attempts. Last night was the first night we didn't give him tylenol/motrin...and it was just like the past 7 nights...him talking and sitting up all night. How long did it last for you? Did your little boy react well to the 'lay him back down and walk away" approach? How long did it last?
My husband and I both work too - and I just feel like i have a newborn all over again.
Help.
sounds like baby may be teething, if hes not crying I wouldn't go in there....if hes just cooing and stuff he should go back to sleep on his own. I have learned this the hard way. My daughter went through a faze of this, and im so parinoid that I would always get up and check on her when she wasn't crying..just babbling..and then she would see me and think it was time to get up, then I would be up....it wasn't good. She was just going through a faze and once I was able to restrain myself from going in to check on her she would go right back to sleep and within a few days was back to sleeping through the night. If your baby is teething tho I would give him some tylenol before bed, that works wonders. My daughter is a horrible teether, and nothing would work but tylenol or Motrin if hes old enough and weighs enough. and it also sounds like he wakes himself up and wants to roll or sit up, let him do it, no harm, he will figure out how to lay back down, or if you still need to go in there for your sake, then go in there with the lights off, don't say anything, lay him down, and go back to bed. He will get it in a few days. Babies are smart like that. Good luck and hope this helps!
I'm going to assume that when he wakes he begins crying for you. ( If he is not crying, then don't go in - obviously). I would first consider the possibility of ear infection. Many times, waking during the night is the only symptom you will notice. If his ears are fine, then again, often it is just that he has learned a new skill, and doesn't know how to lie back down (you said this yourself). If that is your situation, then just gently help him to lie back down and leave (don't talk and get the situation more involved than necessary). He will begin to figure it out and the night waking will stop. When the weekend gets here, try to let him figure it out on his own. That my involve some crying. But give him a few minutes on his own first... (again, once you verify no ear infection situation).
My own son, who was an awesome "thru the night" sleeper, would wake from gas. Picking him up didn't really calm him, but if I immediately gave him some gas drops (mylecon or the store brand of simethicone) I could almost immediately lay him back in the crib and he would be right back asleep. So that is something to consider also.
Hi, T.. Has your son been teething? It sounds like this is what's waking him up. If this is so, it's going to have to run its course until the new teeth come in fully.
No child sleeps through the night forever. They go through different phases of sleeping well and then not sleeping through the night. Again, this phase will have to run its course.
If he's getting into positions that he doesn't know how to get out of, try helping him practice getting out of it during the day. Get him into a sitting position and then show him how to get out of it with his arms and legs. Eventually, he will remember how to lie back down.
At any rate, he's going to go through phases where he won't be able to sleep through the night. Please be patient with him. Try giving yourself extra times of rest or naps during the day to help make up for the sleep you are losing.
Peace,
Syl
Hi, I don't know how prone your kids are to ear infections. You might want to check with your ped 1st just to be sure. If they rule anything out, then it's probably time to go to the cry it out method. Not fun, I know, but you'll be glad you did it. I almost always check with my dr first because a few times that I thought it was nothing, my son actually had an ear infection...
"The Books" tell you to either leave him alone and he will eventually fall back down and go to sleep (although it may take an hour of crying)...or go in quickly, place him down and leave. It will pass but I'm so sorry you are having such frustrating nights. We are in the middle of 8-10 wake ups per night with our daughter. It started 4 days ago after she got her shots and we are so ready for this phase to end!
My son was/is a troubled sleeper since day one and some things we have learned, through trial and error, research, and from our pediatric sleep specialist, is that if the baby is making a habit of waking up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason (no fever, no poopie diaper, not hungry) then DO NOT GO IN THERE! DO NOT pick him up, comfort him, soothe him, anything. Basically, just let him cry it out and go back to sleep. If you start going in there every time he cries/wakes up then you are starting a habit that, believe me, will be extremely difficult to break. I do not check on my 21 month old at night unless he wakes up repeatedly (more than twice) and won't stop crying after 5-10 minutes. I know it sounds cruel, especially if you haven't had to do it before, but sometimes babies just wake up and they need to learn how to put themselves back to sleep on their own without any help from you!
Good Luck!
