Sleep Issues with a 15 Month Old

I would try to maybe sit next to his bed. Let him know you are there and he is ok. Try to make bed time a fun experience. Read to him, play some soothing music. My daughter had this problem sometimes and I would sit by her bed and hold her hand til she fell asleep. If he cries later in the night I would NOT get him out. Hes learning that his cry gets him out of the bed. I would just repeat the sitting next to his bed and reasuring him that he is ok and you are there. Sorry, I wish there was a better way! This is something that is hard on everyone and just takes time! Good luck with your little guy!

We've had this happen to us several times with our three year old son. This was a huge problem for us, particularly around 1-2 years old. Josh got used to being in bed with us and loved it so much that he wanted to repeat that... every night. To remedy the situation, we started off by sleeping in his room and sneaking out when he finally fell asleep. That worked for about a week but then we couldn't take it anymore and were exhausted. We had to explain to him that he sleeps in his own bed and mommy and daddy sleep in theirs. If anything happens, he can call us, we will come and comfort him but everyone has to sleep in their own bed. He didn't quite understand this or agree with it so after trying a number of different things (like moving slowly out of his room every night, telling him we'll come back in a few minutes, etc.) we just had to let him cry it out. Now that he's three, he gets it. If he's sick and stuffed up, he's absolutely miserable so we sleep in his room. After a day or two he typically gets used to it and asks us to stay and we explain that we cannot. He wines for a few minutes and then goes to sleep perfectly fine on his own, or he just accepts it and asks for an extra hug or kiss. Lately he doesn't even ask us to stay with him. Once he's better, he just goes to bed on his own, without any issues. (It took us a LOT of work to get here!!)

Now, this is all fine and dandy if your child is fine - i.e., the cold is over, he's breathing normally and there isn't anything else bothering him. For your child, is there anything else that would cause him to wake up screaming? Anything traumatic that happened recently? Is he teething? Is the weather changing and giving him headaches? If there's something else going on, you have to "suck it up" and comfort him. If he's just trying to manipulate you into staying with him because he loves the closeness (who doesn't!), then you have to stand your ground. Good luck!!!

try you going into his room.... lie next to his bed.. preferbly on the floor... on a blanket... until he goes back to sleep.. then sneak out of the room... continue to do this for about 1 week... then move the blanket away from the bed for one week.. then move into the hall way... where he can see you... and slowwly move back to your room.. good luck.. next time he has a stuffy nose.. try the humidifier.. it works really good.. and some vicks..

Do you really mean all night? In training my three kids for sleep, I put them down, comforted after 20 minutes of crying - ie, pat them on the back and spoke briefly and gently - no picking up. Repeat until sleep. (This is different than if they are sick, of course.)

You might start a bed routine if you don't have one.......start getting him ready for bed maybe a half an hour or so before......maybe read him a story, tuck him in, etc......

Also, try putting soft music on in his room.........make sure he can't get to it and get hurt, but nice soothing music might keep him asleep......Also, does he have a night light.....maybe that would help too....

You will just have to try to figure out what the problem is and then try different things to stop it.......you might even try staying his room for the night if that is possible.......see if that calms him......

Good Luck and I'm sure he is a very lucky boy to have you has his Daddy......you picked him....so that makes him special....
Take care.

Hello Steve, I wonder why you mentioned that your son was adopted. I congratulate you for your new addition, but I doubt if his sleeplessness has anything to do with adoption. Its more likely that he is spoiled. Since you dont want him to scream all night (I wouldnt either) get him bathed and in his pjs and read to him while holding him and rocking if you can. Have a dim light in the room and when he is real sleepy put him in the crib and rub his back. He is old enough to understand what you say, so if he starts to fuss, tell him NO that its bed time and continue rubbing his back. If this doesnt work sit with him in his room till he is sound asleep. Whatever you do dont put him back in your bed unless you want him there for a long time.

We're having similar issues with our 2.5 year old boy. He lays down in his bed, nightlight and light music after story time...same routine every night. The issue is, he doesn't want us to leave. In the cutest voice possible, he says - "mommy/daddy, I want you. Lay down" To which we lay down because he's so dang cute. Then after about 5 min, he's almost sleeping and we try to sneak out and he freaks out and we tell him we will come back to check on him but we have to go tuck in his sister. Then he says he wants daddy or whichever of us isn't in there at the time. He plays this game back and forth and unless we stay in there with him until he falls asleep, he will not go to sleep. He ends up on the floor in the hallway and finally falls asleep out there. Then every night, we put him back into bed and every night about 2am, he crawls into bed with us. I don't remember my daughter being so difficult and I'm not sure how to break this either. I hope some of what we've tried works for you, but honestly, we're still searching. At least he does go to sleep, albeit the floor, but I hope over time, he ends up moving closer to his bed.

First make sure there isn't a valid reason for his screaming - since this started right after he had a stuffy nose, you need to rule out an ear infection, which becomes more painful after a child lays down for a while (this might be why he is fine for two hours, then starts screaming).

If he has a clean bill of health, then go to his room when he screams, and comfort him for a minute or two WITHOUT taking him out of his crib. Then leave. Repeat after 5 minutes if he's still crying, and then every 10 minutes after that until they crying stops. When he realizes his crying will not result in anything more than some pats on the back, then he'll stop.