My 17-month has been sleeping through the night for almost 8 months now. In the past 6 weeks, he has been up for a couple of hours in the middle of the night almost every Sunday night! I believe in the cry-it-out method, but it doesn't seem to apply here. It doesn't matter whether I leave him to cry, or comfort him every 15-30 minutes, or rock him, or turn on the lights and play...it takes about 2 hours for him to be ready to go back to sleep. There must be something about Sundays that is messing him up. I have racked my brain for the things that are unique to Sundays, and all I have come up with are, well, 3 hours of church, the grilled cheese sandwiches we always eat for lunch after church, and the two packs of fruit snacks he usually gets during church in an effort to distract him from his restlessness. Could the sandwiches be bothering his tummy? I have heard people talk about the dyes in fruit snacks being problematic; could they be causing sleep problems? Obviously the routine on Sunday is a bit different from other days, but I don't know if that could be significant enough to cause this much sleep disturbance...any ideas?
Maybe he's not getting enough activity to wear him out. Can you work in a trip to the playground?
I doubt it is the fruit snacks.
Try taking toys to church instead of the snacks, or non-sugar, non-dye snacks. I would also try a different meal as it might be the cheese too. Might be too early to do cheese he might even be allergic. As far as the sleep thing goes. I don't really know if they are related, but a little comfort at night will help him feel secure and that you are there for him even if it's just a quiet voice "It's OK, or I love you" from the door. It might be night terrors but if that were the case I don't think it would be limited to one night of the week.
Good Luck
Fruit snacks are full of sugar AND artificial colors. Both could be interfering with your baby's sleep.
Concerning artificial food colorings, this is from: http://www.babybites.info/2009/07/07/artificial-colors/
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After WWII, man-made chemicals were created and replaced natural food colorings. They have brighter colors. They are more convenient, cheaper to use, and have an unlimited shelf life.
The majority of artificial food coloring ingredients today are made from crude oil. Any artificial food color which is followed by a number, such as Blue 1, Yellow 5, or Red 40 is derived from, yikes…PETROLEUM. They’re mostly made in China and may even contain heavy metals such as lead and mercury.
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It's no wonder that some children can't tolerate them. Synthetic colors can contribute to hyperactivity and sleep issues.
3 hours of church? And all the other days he's busy playing, running, using his brain to figure things out and then one day a week he comes to a complete standstill. My money's on the lack of activity and stimulation.
if we throw off my daughters routine she is like that. it doesn't matter what, from the time she was a baby she just responded to routines. (I'm so not a routine person this was a rough go for me, still can be some days lol and she's almost 4 now) church always messed up our next 2 days until she was back into her routine.
I do want to say too though that trusting your instincts is critical, if you really want to know if the fruit snacks or sandwich make a difference, put him on a applesauce and rice routine for a few days then add just the bread in see how he does, then the cheese after a few days if no neg. response, then the fruit snacks. if it is one of those things you will figure it out pretty quick.
Fruit snacks also have tons of sugar, and my son usually sleeps horribly after having them. I think I finally figured out that my son gets heartburn when he eats sugar! He is restless and coughs. Less sugar, no sleeping problems for him! Maybe you could try those Beech nut fruit snacks that are actually just fruit. They are more expensive, but the don't have all that other crud. Good luck!
OH, one more thing . . . . we are weekly church goers as well, and no matter how hard we try and keep things "normal" and on our kid's schedule, Sunday's are just always messed up! I've heard other moms say the same thing. It's like it's a full moon once a week around here! That being said, keep going to church!!!! :)
We buy sun-rype natural fruit snacks with no sugar--all fruit and even veggies. No dyes. Why not?
Our niece gets horribly constipated from fruit snacks, even just some of one pack. Could that be the problem since the sandwiches could also? Just a thought. GL! Hope it passes soon!
Do a little scientific investigation -- give him fruit snacks on a weekday and see if he sleeps through the night.
If he does, it's not the fruit snacks.
Next day, have grilled cheese just like you do on Sunday -- if he sleeps well that night it's not the sandwich.
Does he get a good nap in on Sunday? I know the 3 hour block really conflicts with my daughters nap schedule and when she doen't nap, sleeping well is a problem -- but for her it's getting her to sleep on Sunday nights because her nap gets pushed to later in the day.
I hope you find an easy answer!
If it turns out he sensitive to something in the fruit snacks -- make sure you check into what they offer as snacks in nursery so he doesn't end up getting them in nursery unbeknownst to you.
It could be something in the food on Sundays. Does he do okay with dairy in general? Maybe the cheese is causing an upset tummy. Or there could be something in the fruit snacks (some kids react differently to some things). Try cheerios, kix, goldfish crackers, or something like that instead of fruit snacks.
It could also be the having to behave for 3 hours during church. Here I am making an assumption about which church you mean, but he can start going to nursury next month (at 18 months). Have you tried taking him there and sitting with him - most nursury leaders will allow it. It gives him the chance to play with other kids and with different toys instead of having to sit quietly at moms feet. I know that for a while you'll be missing your meetings, but if you can trade off with dad that helps, and once he hits 18 months and gets used to going to nursury it will be easier on everybody. And it could help him sleep better again.
Diet is always something you can look at as a reason for not sleeping, just try different food combos on Sunday and see if it helps. And "yes" fruit snacks do cause problems, I have found more because of the sugar than dies but who knows.
Also, kids have growth spurts the are pretty uncomfortable and at 17 months they start to get those BIG molars in the back. They take a LONG time to come in and they drive them crazy! Maybe because Sunday is a bit different it just intensifies his discomfort with teeth or growth.
Good luck!
