A Good Nights Sleep

I have a 1 year old that used to do the same thing. I have the fisher price aquarium on her crib. I just rub her head and tell her "it's ok". Usually within 10 minutes she is back to sleep if not sooner. I have been doing this for about a week now and it seems to be taking less and less time to get her back to sleep. Hope this helps!! I know those sleepless nights are horrible. My first child was a angel and slept throught the night at 6 weeks old. This one is awful when it comes to that. Hopefully with the nice weather coming the fresh air will take care of it. Good Luck!!

Ooohhh...We were in the same boat. Except it was 3AM. We would get her, change her, give her a milk cup and bring her into bed with us.
I put my foot down. My husband and I made a pact that we would work together and NOT bring her into the bed unless it was after 6:30am.

We cant really let her cry it out because we live in an apartment and my landlords bedroom is directly above the kids room. I dont want to disturb them with my child's crying. And she is LOUD when she really gets going. lol

If she gets up, we change her, give her milk and one of us sits on the couch with her. Eventually she gets drowsy and we put her back in her bed. If she stays in bed, GREAT. If not back on the couch we go. And the cycle repeats until she falls asleep. Once she realizes she isnt going to get in our bed, she will usually go back to sleep.

It only took about two nights and she gave up. She has been sleeping through ever since.

My kids know that whining and crying gets them no where. So, she gives up relatively quick. I think the key is to be consistent in whatever you decide to do.

If teething is the issue try a dose of motrin or tylenol when she gets up. She just made need a little pain relief.
Best of Luck to You!!!!

I co-sleep and have with both of my children. In fact, my 3 year old is still in my bed, and we love it. I have a question, do you think that a 19 month old is really trying to manipulate you and break you down? She just wants to be with you, her mom. With my first daughter, I did whatever the docs told me and other ppl, "let her cry it out" etc etc etc...but I couldn't do that, my motherly instincts were telling me to nurture my baby, keep her close, making her feel safe and secure. I found out later that, that is called Attachment Parenting, you should google that, and find out if maybe you would feel more comfortable just following your instincts and your heart when it comes to raising your daughter. Also, I strongly suggest reading "unconditional parenting" by Alfie Kohn.
I hope this helps.

Hi-Try getting a music box. or a tape of "nature" sounds.
This can be very soothing and being something "new" i t might be enough of a distraction that she might whine & go back to sleep instead of having you give in....
YOu could try to let her cry for a bit, once she realizes you're not going to rescue her she'll give in & go back too sleep. It'll take a bit of patience though. If you can set the music up close to her door (where she won't see you turn it on). Turn it on and wait.
or you could try giving her something cool to drink which wouls sooth her teething for a bit!
Good Luck, J.

My son did that too. I ended up letting him cry it out. He cried for probably an hour, but after a couple of nights he was back to sleeping through the night. He cried less and less each night. Eventually I realized I could not go into his room in the middle of the night unless it was an emergency. Good luck!

If it makes you feel any better my 16 month old just had a couple days where she refused to go to bed at all. We tried rocking her some more, rubbing her back, staying in the room etc. I ended up letting her fuss and cry for over an hour alone in her crib. I check on her twice and changed 2 poopy diapers but she ended up falling asleep and hasn't given us the trouble again (yet). I guess we just had to show her who the parents are.

Mom,

You could try putting her to bed a little later on the weekend, and see if that helps at all,

she might not be tired enough, to sleep thru the night and break the NEW routine of waking up,

I think if she can get back to sleeping thru the night a few days in a row it might just reset her internal clock

try it friday and saturday night see if it helps.

Good luck

m

I am sorry I don't have any good advise I just wanted to say you are not alone. I went through the same thing with my daughter who is 2.5 right now. She was sleeping in her bed with no problem but she would get up at exactly 2AM every night. At first I would go in and put her pacifier back in her mouth and she would go back to sleep. That worked for a while. Then all of a sudden she did not want to be in her bed. When she got up at 2AM I would just let her cry and wait for her to fall back to sleep but you can only take that for so long. Then she figured out that I wasnt coming in to get her and so she just climbed out of her bed and crawl into ours. I was usually so tired I just left her in our bed. This started a while ago and about 6 months ago she just stopped getting up at 2 AM. SO the routine now is she goes to bed with my husband in our bed at around 8:00 - 8:30 PM and and when I go to bed at 9:30 - 10:00 PM I just carry her to her bed. Once in a while she will get up and crawl into ours but its not that often. I still try to get her to go to sleep in her bed to start with but to me its not worth fighting over it for 2 hours. My husband needs his sleep because he is up very early in the AM. Last night she did go to sleep in her bed(yeah!!)My plan is to just coninue to do this and hopefully she sticks with it. Again, sorry I dont have any real good advise, I just wanted to say you are not alone! I cant wait to see what everyone else has to say, maybe I can use some of their advise. D. (Working Mom of one daughter 2.5).

I tried those Highlands Teething drops (Natural ingredients) from CVS or Walgreens. This may help her sleep better if given right before bedtime. I know it's torchure but if you don't want to make a habit of it try not to bring her into your bedroom. She may get used to sleeping with you and like it better and then she'll wake up every night looking for you.

I would suggest Motrin at bedtime or when she wakes up at 2am. It last 4-6 hours and if she"s teething, that swelling and pain could be keeping her up and needing extra reassurance. my daughter went thoruggh a few teething bad nights in a row then it went away and her nromal bedtime routine returned. she is 22 months. motrin is very helpful and it works within 15 minutes of drinking it. tylenol takes longer to take effect as does advil and these dont last as long (2 hours).

Crying it out when she is in pain will not work!

every child is different; did you speak with he doctor about it?

personally, i have no children, but am the aunt to a wonderful and beautiful 5 year old girl. when she was teething and had a hard time sleeping, my sister would make chamomile tea and pour into an ice tray. she would take a cube, wrap in in a soft cloth, and my neice would suck on it; the ice for numbing, and the chamomile relaxes them. at times she would use an eye dropper to pick up warm chamomile tea and feed it to her - and it worked!

hope this helps - best of luck to you!

PS and a lavender scented bath before bed worked too!

My son went through the same thing, except that he was already sleeping in my bed! He wanted to get up and play at 2am. Oh, I wish I had your problem where I could bring him into my bed and he would sleep! Don't worry, it won't last. Soon enough, she'll be pushing you away! LOL. Actually, I read an interesting study that found parents who let their children come into their bed (like you're doing) and not force them into sleeping alone if they don't want to are much less rebellious teenagers and don't push their parents away when they get older. If you're they're for them, they'll be there for you. Makes sense.

What teeth are coming in? It could be that, or it could be that she is now used to coming in your room. It's hard, and now that she is 19 months, it may take a week... but, I suggest you don't take her out of her crib when you come in to comfort her. Come in, hug her over the railing. Lay her down, get her settled, and if she's stopped crying, leave the room. If she starts back up, wait 1 minute, and go in. Do the same thing. Don't talk to her, don't make eye contact, just hug, laydown, ssshhh pat and leave. Keep doing it, but wait 1 minute longer. I never go more than 5-7 minutes, because my daughter can get SO worked up that the point of what you're trying to do, and her actually even knowing what she's crying about anymore is totally lost in her meltdown. So, you may have to do it A LOT...in and out, in and out... But, she will get the message that she sleeps in her bed, and that you are there for her. So, if it's just habit and a little night time anxiety, this will take care of it. Again, you might be in and out of her room for an hour to an hour and a half depending on how her tempermant is. But, it'll decrease dramatically across the next several days. I'd start it on a Friday, so you have the three toughest days out of the way. Also, if it is teething, are you giving her some tylenol, or rather motrin before bed because it lasts longer. Because if it is teething, that will take care of that. Last question, how quickly do you go to her when she cries out. I'd suggest waiting 1-2 minutes to see if she'll settle herself. Sometimes my daughter will wake, cry out, fuss and squirm and fall right back asleep. Good luck, I know it is hard and even harder when you're sleepy!

How is her naptime goimg during the day? How much excercise is she getting? How much refined sugar? Does sje drinl soda? Most people dont realize the deliterious affects of corn syrup in oh so many processed foods. Check those labels and if so cut it out. Has ber bedtime routine been disrupted? Has there been any unusual stress in the family? All questions that could influence sleep and wakefulness.Bananas and warm milk as a bedtime snack will encourage a good sleep. My oldest went through that too. I think that at that age there is a growth spurt of cognitive developement that keeps them thinking about the days events and its harder to unwind.

I have a teething 18 month old. He sometimes wakes up crying b/c of teeth. I give motrin before bed and if he wakes up at 2 or so then I give him tylenol sit in the rocking chair (to let the medicine work) and sing a couple of songs then it's back to bed and I give him a heads up by saying one more song then into your crib. A similar routine just like at bed time. He will cry a little then will fall asleep. hope this helps!

We have this issue as well. I'm reading "The No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers". Don't buy it, check it out of the library. I've found some helpful hints but we haven't found our solution. Things have improved over time but I still end up taking him into the spare room around 3 am. He was waking at 11, 1, and 3. Now we're down to one time.

I wish there was an easy solution but remember, we're in the majority not the minority when it comes to not sleeping through the night!

My daughter is 18 months and has been doing the same 2/2:30 wake up. I'm really seeing it as a growth spurt. Anytime children learn something new or grow, it can mess with their sleep. When she learned how to sit up, she started to wake up, sit up and then not know how to lay back down, etc. Now that they are more aware and can voice more of an opinion, they want us more at night. Though some children get more woken by talk, I found that after readjusting her whispering that I had to leave and she had to lay down and go back to sleep usually worked. Of course, that only works once her breathing has calmed from any crying. One night it was clear by her pointing and shouting that all she wanted was my bed. So, I brought her in, laid down with her for literally a minute and then said, "Ok, it's time for you to go to sleep in your own bed now." Picked her up and moved her back to her room. You have to do what you're comfortable with and remember that your daughter is communicating in the only way that she knows how.

Why not let her sleep with you? Attachmnent parenting is not so bad.

S.,
I have a 16 mos old and she is the same way. We have the bedtime routine all set- she goes down easy and pretty much stays down until sometime during the night when she wakes. She was sick with the coxsackie virus 2 weeks ago and since then she has been waking up every day and won't go back until she is in our bed. I am trying desperately to break the habit but it's so difficult. I feel your pain. Last night she woke up twice and the first time, I was able to pat her back and she went back. Then again the second time, she was standing adn refused to go back in her crib. Or maybe i was too tired to deal with it and just gave in... it is so difficult when you know it's so much easier to bring them back in bed. If you're successful, let me know what techniques you are using. would love for her to sleep through the night again!
J., mom to Kirra 16 mos

I just went through this, my daughter is 21 months. At 19 she just started waking up at 2-3am and would not go back to sleep, we tried the let her cry it out but it really did not work. We suffered through the month of crazy sleep habits, but never put her in our bed. What we did do is lay with her on the couch, not hold her but laid next to her. This allowed her to fall in a deep sleep without the feeling of us holding her or the comfort of our bed. Things are better now, some nights(last one was one of them)are not so great, but for the most part the stage past. I really think that's what it is, a stage. Good luck, hang in there, your not alone.
LeeAnn

Hi S.
This is definitely a test of wills. It sounds like your daughter knows exactly what to do to get moms attention. I would make sure that she is dry, not hungry and confortable and then let her cry! Trust me it will be more difficult for you, but in the long run it will teach her to fall asleep on her own in her own bed. She know that the crying will get you running. They are very smart little creatures. For the first couple of nights go in to make sure she is ok let her know that mommy is right in the next room give a hug and kiss and walk out. She will scream like the dickens but she will eventually go to sleep. If you don't stop this now you will have a toddler sleeping in your bed al the time. Good luck. G. L.

You mentioned you know your little girl is teething. Teething happens to be painful so yes, her sleeping habbits will change if she's uncomfortable in pain. Call her doctor and find out what you can do to help her in terms of the teething.

Have the doctor check out her ears for infection. My kids often would show no obvious symptoms when they had an ear infection. Sometimes we'd be in for a well-child and the doctor would say, "Have they been running a fever at all?" Go figure!

It was the worst with my youngest. He seemed to have a chronic ear infection. After tubes, he began sleeping much better. He would do the same thing, go down fine but wake up in the middle of the night and be hard to get settled back down. At that age, they can't tell you it hurts, and if there's no fever, and they aren't particularly cranky it can be hard to tell.

For some reason, he seemed fine during the day. Whether he was just distracted or whether lying down changed pressure, I'm not sure. But I do know that nighttime was a whole lot more peaceful after he got tubes!

It may end up being the best spent co-pay of your life, if you both can get back to sleeping!

Hope this helps.
S.