Baby Hasn't Slept in 3 Days!! (No Sleep!! So Worried)

The only time my daughter doesn't sleep like this is when she has an ear infection. Sometimes there would be no outward symptoms. So, I agree with the other moms here that tell you to take her to the pediatrician.

I would help her fall asleep and carry her to bed. I wouldn't worry for one second about whether or not this created a bad habi (I mention this because it could be something you are concerned about). Right now, sleeping is important. So I would snuggle on the couch or rock her in the rocking chair or whatever could be lacing for both of you and just help her fall asleep. You might even decide to fall asleep together.

My kids pretty much co slept until they were 18 months, and then they were in a regular bed. We kind of skipped the crib thing. My oldest fell asleep in my arms and was carried to bed until he was about 2 1/2. I let my youngest do it a bit longer. I had no trouble transitioning eithe of them to falling asleep by themselves in their own bed. Actually, I really miss that snuggle time.

For now, do what works. Do what will allow both of you to get some sleep. Once she's sleeping again you can make some changes.

Good luck.

Take her to the Doctor.
Did she have her 18 month well baby check up?

Is she like this, ONLY when she sleeps? Or is fussy any other time, too?

It could be anything, even Night Terrors. Which my kids had at that age.
Or, is there caffeine or hidden caffeine in anything she eats?
Are you home with her all day, or does she go to Daycare?
If she goes to Daycare... do they just leave the babies in a crib ALL day? Maybe she is napping too long and too many times there.
Or growing pains.
Teething.

A friend of mine, had a baby. And her baby was very fussy. Couldn't sleep either. So she took her baby to the Doctor. The Doctor, examined the baby, and looked over the baby from head to toe... with a magnifying glass. Under good lighting. And, the Doctor found... that a blond hair, was tangled up and wrapped around her baby's toe. Being it was blond, it was pretty invisible to the naked eye and it was wrapped TIGHTLY around her baby's toe and it was getting, tighter. And of course, cutting into the skin. The Doctor had a hard time, taking it off and untangling it and cutting it off etc.

So, it really could be anything.
This is just one story. Of a friend of mine.
Then, another friend, her baby couldn't sleep either.
And after a while, she realized that her baby was not getting enough intake. Her baby was basically always hungry. She didn't know. Until she finally took her baby to the Doctor.

Anyway, I would take your child to the Doctor.

Bet it's an ear infection. When my toddler screamed lying down, that's what it always ended up being. When she sleeps with you, is her head propped up on the crook of your arm? That might be why she is better able to sleep with you.

first rule out any illness. or for the following

is it time for the 2 year molers?
could she have an ear ache?
is she hungry?
is she wet? is she potty trained?

if she is none of the things you will have to either let her cry it out or let her in your bed. i would let her cry it out if she is not sick. but then I don't like kids in my bed.

Is she tired and just won't sleep? Has anything changed in her life (diet, soaps or detergents, people in the house?) Is she having nightmares? Does she feel okay other than being tired?

Often when our kids refused naps we would put them down in our bed with a picture book and tell them it's quiet time. They would drift of in no time.

Stop the guilt and start thinking rationally. It's time to call her ped or take her to a clinic tomorrow. It could be an ear infection. Whatever it is you need a trained eye to understand what might be going on.

I agree 100% this could be an ear infection. It could be hand, foot and mouth disease (not scary). it could be anything. She is uncomfortable and I'd see a doc. Does she have fever? Does she appear to be in pain?

Have you considered keeping a journal? Record everything.

Bowel movements, urine, schedule and scent and consistency, etc. My children, nieces, and nephews always pooped on a schedule at that age. When they weren't feeling well, and there were changes in their bowel patterns, there were often changes in sleep pattern too.

Diet. Any changes in diet? Did you add anything to her diet that has artificial aka synthetic food dyes such as Red 40? High fructose corn syrup? Caramel coloring? This junk is in so much of the food we give to our babies and we don't even realize it until we read labels... but it affects their moods, behaviors, and sleep patterns. Even if the Red 40 (for instance) is "just" in Infant Tylenol a baby can have a terrible reaction. That's why there's a warning label that some babies will become hyperactive or unable to sleep on the bottles.

Weather changes. Did her sleep patterns change with major weather changes?

Possible injuries.

18 months is also an age where some major changes occur in brain development and sleep cycles can shift because of it.

Because you've gone four nights like this I would call the pediatrician and have her checked out.

You need to find out why she's not sleeping. At 18 months unless something is wrong with them they will eventually fall asleep no matter how much they protest.
I would make an appointment with her doctor to rule out any illness that might be causing it.
I'm sorry but to say this is for attention or a habit is just silly. Please don't let her cry it out! Don't give her Benadryl in the hopes it makes her sleep!! It doesn't make all children sleepy and that's not what it's intended use is anyway. It's not good for your child.
She might be teething, she might be sick, she may even have a cavity that is hurting her (yes, if she has teeth she could already have cavities, I had one child have 2 of her molars come in with defects and within 2 months they had cavities in them already...genetics, not something we did or did not do!)
Please take her to the doctor!

If you get tired enough you might have to put her in her crib so you can crash whether she cries or not.
I'm not a big fan of crying it out but if I'm collapsing from being so tired there's not much else you can do.
Another option is go get a sitter for her so you can catch up on your sleep.
Or maybe you and Dad can tag team tend the baby.
He gets her one night while you sleep and you get her the next night while he sleeps.
Take her out for fresh air walks in her stroller in the afternoon - try to exhaust her.
She's got to sleep sometime.
Does she seem fussy?
Is she teething or does she have an ear infection?

Have you sleep trained her?

I'd start with three things:

Make sure her bedroom, and hopefully the rest of your home, are scent-free. Fragrances and other volatile additives are common in cleaning products and most cosmetics. Kids can become sensitized to these at any time, and they can disrupt behavior and sleep significantly, among other problems. Pack up everything questionable in plastic bags for a couple of weeks, and bring them back one at a time so you can watch for reactions.

Track what she eats in a diary, and watch for connections between sleep and foods. Some of the most common food colors and preservatives have been proven in a large, well-controlled British study to cause behavioral changes in children.

Lack of sleep can cause children and adults to become too jazzed to sleep. Rock/sing her to sleep, and don't just lay her down and leave the room. She would sleep if she could, and probably will again when she's more relaxed. I've given extra attention to my daughter, and years later to my grandson, when they go through rough patches. At least with the two of them, they never became habituated.

As others have suggested, a visit to the pediatrician would be in order if this continues. Lack of sleep is bad for your whole family. Ear, tooth, or other discomforts come to mind.

Wishing you well.

How is her mood during the day? Is she irritable/crabby? Does she have a temp at all? There was one time when my son didn't sleep - fussed/cried all night and he ended up having a double ear infection.

However, if she is just throwing a fit when you leave her alone in her crib, she is just doing that - throwing a fit. You said you sometimes let her sleep with you - and that is fine, but realize that when you want her to sleep in her crib, she might not have the same idea. You need to decide where you want her to sleep and stick to your guns. By allowing her to sleep with you, you are setting the idea that sleeping with you is always an option/okay. If that is NOT okay, then you need to take away the option/not give in.

She is protesting - at 18 months, she doesn't have the language abilities to say, "mommy, I don't want to go to bed" nor does she have the cognitive abilities to understand that she NEEDS to sleep. But as a mom, you know that she needs sleep and now you need to teach her that there is a time to sleep.

For many with sleep issues, I recommend the book HEALTHY SLEEP HABITS HAPPY CHILD. It is SO helpful and full of information regarding sleep for children ages infant through school age. It also addresses a lot of the sleep problems kids go through at different ages/stages/life changes. EXTREMELY helpful and I would HIGHLY recommend it!! :-) GOOD LUCK!!!

My daughter went through this. The only think I could figure out is she was just going through a new milestone in life, learning so many new things, and it just made her "off" for a bit with her sleep. She eventually stopped doing this on her own. It did not last that long. I never really figured out anything to do. We kept her room dark, kept telling her it was time to sleep, did not engage with her at all. I did get desperate and would take her into my bed...and she'd lie there wide awake or crawl on us driving us nuts. Some nights you could tell she was trying really hard to go to sleep (holding still) but she still would be awake for a couple hours. She finally stopped doing this on her own.

Hi G.,

Please get her checked asap for ear infection and the clumsiness could be from it reaching her inner ear. Is she pulling at her ears? or her hair? Call your doctor.

KP

Has she been to the doctor for her 18 month well check? Sounds like you need to take her to see her pediatrician. We have had "little" disruptions when our little one (same age) hit milestones, growth spurts, etc. but NOTHING like you are describing. I would definitely take her in. This doesn't sound normal at all.

First of all, you should do what feels right and trust your gut instinct. A Mom's instinct is almost always right :) I know my kids have never had problems with sleeping and we have routines too. BUT.....when they would do something like this, I knew that something else was going on or was going to happen. And sure enough there was an underlying issue. Sometimes ear infection, sometimes they were going to get sick, sometimes teeth coming in or other times it was they needed Mommy. So if it was the last reason, I would spend more time during the day with them, more QUALITY time and that was always helpful. So I would first start by taking her to the doctor and getting it checked out. Then you will feel better knowing if there is an underlying reason, or something as simple as needing and wanting you!!.They are all easy fixes!! Good luck.

I would call the pediatrician but probably give her some benadryl or tylenol to put her to sleep. 4.5 hours in 2 days is miserable for you but more importantly is not good for her either. As long as DR says ok, a little medicine to sleep may be in order. Also, would check if there is anything scary in there: is there a night light? Maybe she is now scared of the dark. Is there anything out of place in her room, is there something in there that was ok but no is scary to her? If she is eating, making sure she is eating enough and is full when it is bed time. If she is not eating, definitely call the DR. Good luck!

Have you stripped her crib? Perhaps you need to do a deep cleaning, washing the sheets and bumpers in hot water. You may need to deal with the carpet too. The reason is that I am wondering if you might have bed bugs. Maybe that's why she can sleep with you, not having bed bugs in your bed.

The other thing is that you should take her to the doctor and have her ears checked. She may have an ear infection and she can't sleep for the pain.

Good luck!

Is she getting teeth? Around this time my daughter got her molars in and slept terrible. She would wake up screaming and it would take us forever to get her back to sleep. Give her some tylenol, ibuprofen, and orajel and see if that combination helps a little. The other thing with sleep, is that once they get over-tired, it is an endless cycle. You would think that they aren't sleeping and so they should be so tired they will fall asleep. But being overtired actually makes it harder for them to fall asleep. Eventually they get through it, but it is a hard time for mom and dad. I'm glad she would sleep with you--Mine freaks out if I even try to lay down with her.

You may want to have her checked for an ear infection. My son does that when he has one. Hope you both get some sleep soon!

Is she going through a new milestone? I've read (and personally experienced) that when babies and young toddlers go through a new milestone, they go through sleep disturbances. When my daughter was learning to crawl, she woke up 2-3 times in the middle of the night, and now at 12 months, she's learning to walk and she's again waking up frequently through the night. I read that at 18 months, having a lovey -- a blanket or a stuffed animal -- helps. Try introducing one if you haven't already. It will obviously take some time for your daughter to use it to calm herself, but it's worth a try.