14 month old used to sleep thru the night, but....... - Parenting Issues Message Board

KIDINSANITY · 11-06-2002, 05:22 AM

Hi all, hopefully you can help me with this. My 14 month old son was sleeping through the night fine until this past week. Now every night for the last week he wakes up crying at almost the same time. (about 2am) It's the screaming kind of crying, too, not just the whiny type. I've checked him to see if anything is wrong, tried giving him a small bottle to console him, changed him and nothing works.

I've even tried cuddling with him in the chair for a while. He'll fall alseep on me, but when I put him back in his crib, he starts crying again. I don't want to continue this habit,because I know where it will lead, and I don't want to go there. I do it once, then I let him cry, but it takes about 40 minutes for him to cry himself to sleep.

Although he is my third child, I never had this happen with my other two. If the other two woke up in the middle of the night, they went right back to sleep once I checked them and covered them up again. I'm almost starting to feel inadequate.

Any suggestions?
Thanks
Sue

wattagirl · 11-06-2002, 08:27 PM

i'm having the same problem with my 14 mnth old-except she gets up for a couple hours after she goes-i hope someone can help-i can't do the "let her put herself back to sleep thing"because my husband has to get up so early-you think it has something to do with teething

wattagirl · 11-08-2002, 08:28 PM

kidinsanity-no replies huh-i'm still having the same problem but at least she has stopped screaming when i put her in the bed-this is a child who would go to her door and knock when she was ready for a nap or bedtime-what happened-maybe we'll still get some ideas

KIDINSANITY · 11-09-2002, 05:47 AM

Hi Wattagirl. I spoke to my pediatrician yesterday, while I was there with my other son. He said that if is happening at the same time each night, wake the chile up 15 minutes earlier (just a little) to get them out of REM sleep, then let them fall back asleep. After a few days of this, the problem should clear up.
He also said to give him warm milk for the L-Tryptophan, to help him sleep, so I've been doing that too....in a bottle, for the comfort aspect of it.

I've heard and read this option before, but I was trying to avoid having to set my alarm every night just to wake my son up. My husband works tons of hours, and doesn't sleep enough as it is.

Last night, Jonathan (my son) slept through the night with no problems....yeah!

I do know, however, that when he wakes up screaming like that and I pick him up and sit in the chair or rock him (like I had been doing,) he will become trained that every time he cries at night, I'll rock him......and I'll never sleep again!!

I have a GREAT book that my Ped. gave me when my first son was born..It's called "Your Child's Health" by Barton D. Schmitt, MD., F.A.A.P. It has almost everything you can think of in it.

Good Luck.....I think we're gonna need it!

Sue