My 14 Month Old Still Won't Sleep Through the Night

A 14 month old doesn't need a bottle at night. Since you said that she's waking up at all different times, it's normal waking, but she isn't getting herself back to sleep and the bottle is just a habit. I would say to leave a bottle of water in the crib. Often if they switch to water, they won't bother anymore ... and if it's water, you can leave it in the crib and not get up to give it to her

Good luck

We went through the same ordeal with my daughter when she was about that age. The doctor suggested putting water in the bottle. Once she realized that water was all she was going to get she stopped getting up in the middle of the night. It took a few nights to actually make an improvement, but it was worth it in the long run.

This might be a dumb question, but do you have a consistent night time routine with her? That went a really long way in helping our son to sleep through the night. We read a few books, cuddle, nurse, prayers, then a song.

Also, did she sleep better when she had the morning nap? As they say, "sleep begets sleep." When they nap well, they sleep better at night, and vice versa.

Other than that, I can only offer sympathy. It won't last forever. Have you tried, "Good Night Sleep Tight"??? That book was helpful to me in trying to get my son to sleep through the night. (www.sleeplady.com)

Good luck.

Dear C., Hi Mommy, I'm a little confused. Is the baby 9 months or 14 months? In either case if baby is waking up and needs to eat then that is what needs to be done. I'm an old fashioned mom who does not believe in "crying it out" Being a mother is not always easy but we have to follow the child's lead. Some need more comfort than others and if you don't respond they think they are abandoned. I know it is rough when you have to go to work but these early months and years are what form our relationship with our child. I raised 5 and learned to function on less sleep. I can't give you any easy advice. You little girl has her own personality. Do your best as I know you are. Grandma Mary

Hi C.,

I don't think that my daughter was sleeping through the night without waking up at that age, but when she got older, I used the following strategy. I made a routine that we basically follow every night. She takes a bath which generally calms her down, I read her 3 books (she gets to pick them out) and I play specific sleepy-time music to help her fall asleep. The music really helped and I think that I turned it back on if she woke up. I also sat in the room until she fell asleep. I don't think that you child is big enough yet but maybe a little later you can start telling her that she's a big girl now and big girl's sleep through the night. Hope this is helpful and good luck.

Actually when this happened.. I remember that it was actually easier when I no longer fought the idea that I still had to get up. When I just jumped up to put my 10 minutes in and go back to sleep .. it went easier and started to subside.. I also keep her in our room when she did that so I could just reach out and it wasnt so startling to me too.

my daughter was still on the bottle at night at that age....the only difference is that i was doing 2-3 oz milk, and 7-8 oz water (just enough to taste the milk, and plenty of water to not cause bottle rot, which i double checked with a dentist on this one). a little before she turned 2 i completely stopped bottles and went to sippy cups w/ mostly water and a splash of milk, once she stopped crying for the bottle, and drank the sippy cup, i now have her on strictly water whenever she goes to sleep (bed and nap)...though she rarely touches it, just went she wakes up "choking" from dry mouth/throat...but i do it myself, so i can understand. don't worry, it will all work out, there may be some crying, but if you wean them down 1 oz at a time...adding 1 oz of water, taking away 1 oz of milk at a time, they'll never notice. gl.

Have you tried a binky. Sometimes they only need the sucking to sleep, rather then the eating. With my daughter I gave her less and less formula every night until she got none. You can also switch her milk with water. She is old enough to do it. But with both my kids I had to force them. They never would have done it on their own. My son, I moved back the time he was allowed to eat 15 mins every night. So tonight if he woke at 12:30 tomorrow it was 12:45. If he made it to 1 then it was 1:15 the next. The first night he was up at 12:30, the next was 11:30. He cried 6 mins and went back to sleep, never waking again. After that if he did wake I only gave him the binky. My daughter I decreased the amount of milk she got by 2 oz every couple days. The way I did it with my son didn't work with my daughter, I tried. Now she goes back to sleep with her binky.

Hi C....
I'm probably in the minority...but I say give her the bottle.
My daughter, who turned 1 on May 15th, has just this week stopped taking a bottle at night.

Our pediatrician told me to add extra water...so if you are giving her a 6 oz. bottle, only put in 2 1/2 scoops, then in a few days, 6 oz. water to 2 scoops formula, etc...til basically she's only getting water, and will eventually stop.

I know it's hard getting up, I have 3 kids...it is challenging, but look at it as extra snuggle time with your daughter, they grow so fast!

Enjoy your kids...
J.

Have you tired noise in her room. The fan I put in my son's room keeps him content some how. I also hersd that static radio also helps. Music halps keep babies calm, try that,also relaxing scents, lavender chamomile...

dear C.;

i'm going to say this to you because you yourself wrote of the obvious evidence that supports what i will say; CRYING IT OUT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND DOESN"T WORK. PLEASE DON'T USE THIS METHOD!!!

as you have seen, your child nearly choked. it's not your fault, i'm sure that people who mistakenly support this idea have told you to do it with good intentions. but the fact is babies can go into respiratory arrest, vomit, and even worse, from excessive crying. i'm glad that you're not doing this anymore.

let's also remember that doctors are very conflicted about the advice they give; on the one hand they try to stand behind generalizations that don't apply to everyone because that's what the mainstream wants them to do, be consistent; and yet, they will also dispense advice that's outdated and irrelevant. how could a doctor tell a mother not to let the baby sleep on it's side or tummy because of the threat of SIDS, and yet, tell the same mother to leave the baby alone to cry, which could cause it to choke to death?

we're the mothers, you, me, and this chat; we know, we have the instincts. you are very wise to ask here for experienced suggestions. so here's mine.

if your baby needs to eat at night, then she simply needs to. NEITHER of my children slept through the night at 14 months. my daughter is 16 months and she usually gets up 2xs per night to nurse because she is very busy during the day and too distracted, but she needs that nutrition. babies' bodies know what they need; if they need nutrition more than they need sleep, they will wake up for food, and nothing else will do. your baby is not trying to hurt you. please give her the food that she needs.

my son is 3 years old and started sleeping through the night about 4 months ago, but, we have recently moved and he is VERY stressed out by it, so he now wakes up again once a night, and needs to be comforted back to sleep.

THIS IS NORMAL.

i know you're tired. we're ALL exhausted. that is our lot as mothers. anyone who tells you that your child should be sleeping through the night as if it's some kid of absolute law is totally rediculous. if they are lucky and thier child sleeps, cheers to them, god bless. but, they might also be LYING! everyone wants to have the perfect baby and be the perfect mother. most of the time, it's just not so.

please hang in there and give your baby all the love and food she asks for. she is not out to get you. she loves you and needs your help.

warmly,
J.

i posted basically the same thing a few months ago regarding my son who was a few months older and got 35 responses. basically, i had to do the tough love for a few nites for it to work. it literally took about 5 nites but some were better then others. sometimes i would go to him and rub his back and sometimes i didn't, depending on how loud he was. once you think it's all over, it might not be. now he's up sometimes because he's cutting 4 teeth. i've tried putting less in the bottle and he would just get mad. it was easier not to give him anything and help him settle down and go back to sleep. i think that at this age they are growing so rapidly that sometimes they don't know what do with themselves. it's quite a balance to do some kind of tough love and letting them know that you love them and are there for them. as i'm sure you know, this soon shall pass.

I have a 13 mo. old who sleeps w/ me and I have to give her a bottle that she wakes up periodically for, takes a few sips and falls back asleep. We have a night routine and she takes 2 really good naps during the day. She is just not a self soother at all. I tried adding water and she had a fit for a few nights. It wasn't worth it for me.I am also 5 months pg w/ my second and I have no idea what I am going to do w/ 2 night feeders, but my Mother always reminds me that you don't see 12 year olds still sleeping w/ their parents and drinking a baba at night. So I guess I really don't have advice, just hang in there and know that you are not alone. My Dr. said when she gets older and eats more solids eventually the night feedings will stop. She really loves her milk so I think she uses it to soothe and not because she is hungry. Hang in there!

Hi C.,

Does she wake up at the same time each night?
What time does she usually go to bed?
Do you have any bedtime routine?

My 4 y/o had a problem like this and it turned out to be an airplane that flew over our house every morning at 3am!
We plotted his every night until we found out that it always happened at the same time.
C.

i also say to try to put water in the bottle, either way it will still fill her stomach. then you could leave it in the crib and she should be able to eventually find it herself when she wakes. does she take a pacifier? this will be a good indicator of if its just the sucking she needs. now if she still waes up after that, and she normally doesnt, i would really think she is hungry.

my youngest son was a tough one too. is she underweight? she may really be hungry. my son was a bit underweight and my Ped put him on Pediasure once a day. i would give that to him right before bed. it is almost like a milkshake. that helped a lot, but i also had to do the Ferber method. get the book, read it, follow it. it took about 3 nights of me getting up from 2:30 to 5:30 or longer and listening to him cry and i sat outside his bedroom with a stopwatch and checked on him at the designated interval until he finally fell back to sleep. those 3 days were tough, but i really enjoy sleeping through the night now.

i would guess when she is waking up she is looking for comfort not food, she is way to old to be starving in the middle of the night, i would mabey try to comfort her in other ways a special blanket, mabey a binky etc. also you could try to just comfort her yourself, hold her and rock her then lay her in her crib keep reassuring her she is ok and you are here with her... you may have to do this for a few days but the more consitant you are with the routine and not giving her a bottle to soothe herself the better it wil be,
it may be a rough beginning but look at it as though the end is going to be better....you just have to havea a consistant bedtiem routine with no botle and be patient she will eventually catch on to the routine....