Help! My Daughter Hates Sleep!

Teething - I remember those days... The best advice I ever got was to put a slightly damp washcloth in a ziploc bag in the freezer and let the baby chew on the washcloth. It's cold so feels good on the gums and gives a bit when chomped on. That might help with the pain of teething.

Are you set up to soothe her in her own room? If getting up is "fun", she may be resisting being alone in her own space. Making it clear that getting you up in the middle of the night doesn't mean getting out of her room may help. Low lights (or now light if you can manage it), quiet and calm in her space may get her back into a routine.

Yes - it's probably just a phase - and this too shall pass.

Good luck!

Have you tried Motrin/ibuprofen. It's an anti-inflammatory, so it not only helps with pain, but also with the swollen gums that can accompany teething.

If you can't find the teething tablets, you can try ordering them online. There's also a liquid one similar to it. If you still have no luck, try "Colic Tablets" or "Calms Forte 4 Kids". Both have a calming effect in addition to help with teething.

Have you tried GasX. She may be having tummy aches along with the teething.

Did you change anything about where she sleeps or anything about her room? My son did the same thing for about a week until I realized I had taken down his comforter that I hung up on his wall for decoration because I couldn't use it in the crib. The only way I figured it out is he kept saying animals and pointing to that area. I put the comforter back up in it's original spot and ta da. Naps began happening again and he was sleeping through the night.

she could possibly have an ear ache. The doctor told me that the pain gets worse at night time. And if it is her teeth my mother in law told me to rub dill pickle juice on the gums. The vinegar is supposed to soothe the gums some how. Other than that all I can say is good luck and catch a nap during the day.

H.,
I understand your frustration 100%, my Son has always had difficulty sleeping as an infant, he was dealing with an illness which only made the struggle to sleep even greater. I also have a Daughter who is older, her sleeping habits were normal, from what I recall. One thing I missed in what you wrote was how much does she eat? Is she on ceral? I know 10 years ago when my son was born and also when his 16 year old Sister was born I was told; "They don't start ceral until after 12 months." My Mother was with us when my Daughter was born and through out her first 2 years. Per Mom's advise; "Give that baby something to fill her belly, that helps her sleep." My Daughter (full term normal pregnancy) and my Son (Preme-High Risk/ Born @ 34 wks.) He did not even know how to suck for weeks, I was feeding both of them ceral thickened formula at about 10 months. I know we want our babies to sleep so we can rest & be alert for them, but maybe cutting out a nap during the day will help with night-time sleep. Having a baby that is teething, gassy, not tired when you are can really wear parents down. You will all kinds of advice; do this - don't do that! I just wanted to share with you what worked for me. There was a crazy thing we tired, we got one of those vabrating seat massagers and placed it under our Son's crib mattress. The vibration was felt on his, you need to keep an eye on this if you decide to do something like this or buy the proper matress, because your babies saftey is number #1. (I know you realize it.)
Too bad she's out grown the burrito wrap, that really helps little ones. I know you will get through this LIVE IN THE DAY!
Let me know how everything goes.
From Another Mom
C.
Knoxville,TN.

I just wanted to let you know that Hyland's Teething Tablets have NOT been recalled. Gripe Water was recalled not too long ago and maybe that's what they were thinking of.

Hi H.-

I second the ear ache idea, especially since this has all come on so quickly. The pain is worse when they sleep, and usually they are up within 1/2 an hour or so because the pressure builds up in the ears. My son had MANY ear infections and it wasn't until three nights after he had tubes put in that he slept through the night (at about 15 months!). I know that doctors are shying away from suggesting Motrin too much, but for teething and ear pain, only Motrin worked for my kids. As long as you keep a written log of when you give it to make sure you're not giving too much too soon and for short term use, I think it's ok. Most kids have fever with ear infections, but my son didn't. I learned to trust my gut and I was right just about every time. If I were you, I'd have my pediatrician check her ears. No one wants to be miserable at Christmas, and my son had a double ear infection last year with a 105 degree fever. We were at my mother-in-law's in Colorado and got snowed in to a hotel on the way there and missed the 2nd storm by a few hours because we left early. Needless to say, we're staying home this year!!!!!

Lots of luck and Merry Christmas,
J.

I used Solving Your Child's Sleep Problems, a book describing the Ferber method. It really worked for us! It was hard to hear my son cry for the first few days, but the crying got shorter, and in two weeks, he was sleeping through the night. I wish you the best!

Hi H.. I am a nurse, and I was given a great teething solution by my pediatrician when my girls were small. Put a little liquid Benadryl (pediatric type...I use the generic, much cheaper than Benadryl brand) on your finger and rub this on your baby's gums. Repeat as needed. Benadryl is an antihistamine, and teething involves swelling of the gums and it hurts. Your little one will only be getting a small amount of medicine and most of it will be on the gums. This will help w/ swelling. If your baby is still irritable, give her a little Tylenol. (Again, I go for the generic). You may get some sleep w/ this combo. Hope it helps, it did for me.

V.

my daughter was and IS like that, i swear the first 4 months of her life, i didn't sleep at all....she still doesn't sleep well, BUT have her doctor check her sinuses she may not be getting enough air when she is lying down, and her tonsils and things like that, mine has an appointment already made for her, i can't take it anymore, BTW mine just turned 3.....i thought she would just outgrow it, turns out, i was wrong....lol good luck

With my daughter, she is two, I always sing one particular song over and over and then she will calm down and finally go to sleep. I don't switch songs becuase then she likes to start singing also, but If I just sing the same song over and over she goes to sleep. I only sing "Hush little baby with her when it is time to go to sleep. I hope you find somehing that works. I know how fustrating it can be to be sleep deprived.

She may have an ear infection! My kids never want to lay down, much less sleep when they have one. I would definately get them checked, even if she doesn't have any other symptoms. Until you can get there, I would try getting her to nap on your chest with you sitting up, put one ear on you and cover the other with your hand. If this works, you can just about bet it's her ears. GOOD LUCK!!

Has she been to the doctor since this started? It sounds to me like she has an ear infection. Waking up screaming during the night is often a tell-tale sign of ear pain.

I agree with the earache too. But, there is so much it could be. She could be ready to start giving up that nap during the day, too. All kids are different in this area & I remember my son giving up naps very early on. If it's an earache, colodial silver works wonders! Ask her pediatrician to check her ears. Chamomile and/or lavender are good for calming & relaxing. A bitof chamomile tea (decaf) at bedtime and a bath with lavender oil are really good calmers...that may help her sleep at night some. For gums, we always used the homeopathic teething tablets & let him go to town on some crushed ice wrapped in a washcloth. Hope some of these ideas help!

I have two suggestions. The first is to make yourself a pot of coffee and see how later the child can stay awake.
Then wake her up in the morning at the time you want her to be awake. Keep her moving and active all day tomorrow, unitl it's nap time. Only one nap tomorrow afternoon and no more then an hour, then keep her active unitl bed time. I will asure you that one day of not being allowed to sleep and her clock will be reset.
The second suggestion is a tablespoon of brandy in milk with a teaspoon of sugar and a drop of vanilla, at bedtime. Good luck and blessings from one mommy to another.

If you have not already, you may want to see your doctor and make sure she does not have an ear infection. Children can get them with very few symptoms besides fussiness. If she has an ear infection it will hurt more when lying down. Also whenever children go through a new development task (ex. walking, cruising, etc) they may fight sleep more. Good luck.

H.,

I understand your frusteration. I spend many hours in our lazyboy with my one year old. I would suggest just taking her to the dr and check for ear infection or anything else that may hurt while she falls asleep. If she is perfectly fine then I would just comfort her and this too will pass. My daughter has been a poor sleeper since birth but now that i am down to once a night with BF my husband gladly takes his turn in the lazy boy which helps me with my sanity.

Also, if it is an ear ache you can slightly warm up olive oil and put it in her ear (as if it were ear drops). It is a natural pain reliever. Most ear ache will clear up on there own w/o the help of antibiotics but if she's been doing this for a while she may need to see your ped. Good luck to you and I hope your family has a Wonderful Christmas.