Toddler Sleepless nights support thread

[iceylou]

my son did sttn from a very young age. he would demand to go to bed at 6pm, meltdown if i dragged it out, and sleep till 8am. hes now 13 and still does .

 

[first alien]

Finleyhas never slept through the night. Tried everything but now nt stressing so that I enjoy the sleep I get!

 

[tammii1981]

Hi girls I'm new here in toddler forum!
I too am having issues with ruby getting to sleep. The past few evenings it's like she gets some crazy amount of energy and just won't go down.

We can't put her in her cot to go to sleep alone though, we have always sat with her on our laps then transferred her, I'm worried I'm paying for it now......

Has anyone else successfully got their toddler to go down in cot awake and get themselves off to sleep? I'm desperate! Ruby just screams and cries!! Thanks!!

 

[claire_street]

I've got a 17 month old girl and for the past 10 nights she keeps waking up atleast twice and screaming but not that she's in pain :S she's never been a baby to settle herself I've had to tap her bottom until she's asleep but usually she sleeps through until now. Can any one give me some tips or advice to whether or not this is normal and what I should do

 

[katrina1987]

Im absolutely shattered, my son never slept through, then suddenly up until 3weeks ago we had 2months og bliss he slept through every night without fail it was a real treat. But then he got a sicky bug 3weeks ago and was very unsettled as expected but hasn't got back into routine since. Last night though was just rediculous, admitadly I have made a rod for my own back offering him milk to get him to sleep and I know exactly what we have to do to sort it but its hard. He was up last night just after 11pm, 1am, 3am, 4am and 6am and we have been up since. Im getting to be heavily pregnant and its taking its toll on me and desp need some sleep other then an hour catch up in the day not the same as a good night sleep. So tonight we have a strategy plan!
We are taking his milk, not completely as would be very unfair, we are going to water it down over the coming nights so eventually its just water and he wont wake for boring water, normal things we usually do bath and story before bed, But im also goingto make him an extra filling meal for his dinner to make sure he is completely full for the night. Fresh bedding, nice fresh blanket and we'll see what happens. We do all these things every ngiht except the milk thing so we'll soon see what happens. I was sat on the bed at 3am this morning in tears, im soooo tired and poor OH has to work everyday and needs his sleep and he is shattered aswel. Any extra advice would be great ladies

 

[Marg_27]

Hey everyone,

I dont very often post in the toddler forum, but definately should, so Im getting my slippers on, and im gonna site with a cuppa and get confy in here with all you lovely ladies

My son will not sttn! Never has! He wakes at least 4 times a night for a drink! Grrr!! Someone please help I am exhausted! Im also working full time so Im generally walking round like a zombie most of the time

Thanks for listening

 

[forummummy]

We have trouble with our 2nd who is now 19 months and the key has been activity. Not books, TV, painting but good old fashioned exersize. We have a trampoline and she has a little Toddlebike - I reckon she needs a good couple of hours exersize on them for us to even stand a chance of getting some sleep- she's not narky when she's up in the night she really just doesn't seem to need the sleep that her older brother always has. It makes life slightly more difficult in the day but I'm learning to keep her buggy/car/inactive time to an absolute minimum - the bike comes with us everywhere and TV doesn't get put on at all. It's worth it when it works (she says having been up since 5am!). Hey ho, teenage years will be here soon enough I guess!

 

[dollyminxture]

Hi Ladies, my son is 10 month old, has never slept through once, and wakes 3-4 times most nights, screaming for me or OH to get him, he wont stop screaming til he has a drink of juice or milk (water wont work) and then often wont go back to sleep in his cot and i have to sleep in single bed with him... but he still wakes up even when co-sleeping. Any ideas or advice?

thanks

 

[ladymilly]

Hi girls Its been ages since I posted on here, 4 kids keep me busy ha ha, so this is my problem Max is 13 months and has never properly slept through, ok I can live with that but the last couple of months he just won't sleep He won't go into his own cot anymore to go to sleep, sometimes he will fall asleep drinking the bottle so I put him into bed and maybe get a couple of hours out of him before he wakes screaming looking for me. He is so clingy with me its unreal. I can't even go to the toilet without him crying for me so he wakes loads and sometimes he will eventually go back if I stay in the room with him but more often than not he just ends up coming up to the sitting room with us and then falls asleep up there so I try him in the cot again and might get an hour or so but without fail he never lasts past 1 or 2 a.m. he ends up in the bed. now I don't mind this cos literally from the day he was born he wouldn't sleep in the cot in the hospital so ended up in the hospital bed with me the problem is now he is waking up and sitting up and won't go back to sleep. last night was the worst. he woke at 1.40 a.m. and I ended up coming back up to the sitting room with him and changing his nappy, gave him calpol and then even tried a bottle, he is not mad on milk so only ever haves one before bed, he didn't want it so I sat up with him for about an hour and then headed back down to bed and there was no sign of sleep on him by about 5 a.m. he finally went back to sleep but still woke up at his usual time 8.15 a.m. wide awake He doesn't get much sleep in the day either. he only ever sleeps about 40 mins if that!! I have tried everything, no sleep in the day, loads of sleep in the day, nothing works. I am at my wits end.I am actually goin to ask my doctor if there is anything I should be trying. None of the other kids were like that I can't let him cry it out cos of the other kids, Jack is only 3 so he would wake if I did that. Any suggestions?? please?? So sorry for the really long post

 

[fluffpuffin]

Hi girls Its been ages since I posted on here, 4 kids keep me busy ha ha, so this is my problem Max is 13 months and has never properly slept through, ok I can live with that but the last couple of months he just won't sleep He won't go into his own cot anymore to go to sleep, sometimes he will fall asleep drinking the bottle so I put him into bed and maybe get a couple of hours out of him before he wakes screaming looking for me. He is so clingy with me its unreal. I can't even go to the toilet without him crying for me so he wakes loads and sometimes he will eventually go back if I stay in the room with him but more often than not he just ends up coming up to the sitting room with us and then falls asleep up there so I try him in the cot again and might get an hour or so but without fail he never lasts past 1 or 2 a.m. he ends up in the bed. now I don't mind this cos literally from the day he was born he wouldn't sleep in the cot in the hospital so ended up in the hospital bed with me the problem is now he is waking up and sitting up and won't go back to sleep. last night was the worst. he woke at 1.40 a.m. and I ended up coming back up to the sitting room with him and changing his nappy, gave him calpol and then even tried a bottle, he is not mad on milk so only ever haves one before bed, he didn't want it so I sat up with him for about an hour and then headed back down to bed and there was no sign of sleep on him by about 5 a.m. he finally went back to sleep but still woke up at his usual time 8.15 a.m. wide awake He doesn't get much sleep in the day either. he only ever sleeps about 40 mins if that!! I have tried everything, no sleep in the day, loads of sleep in the day, nothing works. I am at my wits end.I am actually goin to ask my doctor if there is anything I should be trying. None of the other kids were like that I can't let him cry it out cos of the other kids, Jack is only 3 so he would wake if I did that. Any suggestions?? please?? So sorry for the really long post

not quite sure what to suggest as I'm not sure about his routine? Does he have a proper bedtime routine? Some babies / toddlers need that regularity for their sleep. Isla always needs the same routine every night or we can end up with a bad night. Also we had to be consistent with her - once it was bed time she wasn't allowed back downstairs to play. So I'd stay in her room until she went to sleep and would only pick her up if she got distressed. it sounds as though he might have separation anxiety. Supernanny suggests to stay in the room until he goes to sleep, but each night gradually move further and further away from the cot until you're outside the room. I hope you find a solution. With 4 kids that sounds very tiring.

 

[ladymilly]

thanks for your reply hun yeah he has the same routine every day, and the same bedtime routine. I even tried changing that to a bit later but that didn't work either. I will try the supernanny thing. I think myself its separation anxiety too

 

[MNORBURY]

Evie was exactly as you described for quite a while so I really sympathise with you, it's really tough , many a night we've been downstairs watching tv at daft o clock but it must be doubly hard for you with other children to look after!

Evie started sleeping lots better from around 18 months and we didn't change a thing. She's even been known to do 11 hours on a few occasions! We usually get 3 r 4 hours out of her before she wakes then I end up in bed with her and we both nod back off it rarely now are we up for hours on end (hope I've not just jinxed it lol).

I'm not much help with suggesting what to do to make it better but just wanted you to know you're not alone and it will get easier. I always remind myself when Im feeling at a total loss that it can't possibly last forever she will have to sleep one day! Hope it gets easier for you soon x

 

[ladymilly]

Thank you hun Its good to know Max is not the only one!! I keep telling myself that it won't last forever and he will get better as he gets older! He slept till about 3 last night which was great, well I was in with him a few times to give him the dummy but he stayed in his cot till 3 but then he came into the bed and was a nightmare for about 2 hours fingers crossed he gets better with time

 

[MrsVenn]

Phew, it's not just us then!!

A little bit of history... Molly was a wonderful baby. On her first night in this world, she slept 6 hours straight and was hitting 10 hours straight by day 7. This continued until she hit 10 months and then it all went to pot. We changed nothing and for some reason she started waking once a night. Over the past few months it gradually got worse and she was waking several times in the night. We started off by bringing her in to bed with us in the middle of the night but this became problematic as she kicked us to smitherines. So we moved on to having a bed made up on the floor in our room which worked wonders for a month but then she wasn't happy wit hthat anymore. So I moved the bed to her room, she then slept on the floor in her room (a way of transitioning out of ours and back in to hers) and again, this worked short term. So we decided to take her cot sides off and we've had 2 nights of uninterupted sleep but she's still waking at least once a night. I thought it was habit but the time that she wakes is erratic. I found that she went back to sleep if I sat next to her bed so we've (I've!) been doing this for the past 2 weeks.. I'm really really hoping this is a phase. I'm not sure what is going on but she's not ill, not teething, is content in the day etc, I just can't pinpoint the issue so think it's just one of those things. To be fair, I didn't STTN until I was 3 and I've always been a rubbish sleeper so think Molly is the same. She wants to read when she wakes up

The thing is, she goes to bed fine, always has done (well until yesterday and tonight when we played silly buggers for an hour but eventually she went to sleep, no screaming though). So who knows!

All I can say is that it's relief to read others without these perfect babies sleeping through. I think that it's comupance from the beginning..I was too smug to my family

 

[GossipGirly]

Libby used to sttn up until recently now she keeps waking crying Bout 4-5 times a night. I'm due a baby soon and won't be able to function with two of them waking me up!

 

[Jem88]

Edit: Sophie decided to post an 'E' lol.. (No idea how she did it lol.)

 

[gumb69]

Our lo started sttn from 12 weeks and i can count on one hand the times she has woken up until her first birthday. Then it all changed!!!
In the last 6 weeks she has only sttn three times. We are up for about 1 -3 hours every night. I'm wrecked. DH is working and i'm SAHM,well i look after my 12 month old nephew every day, so i get up and DH does the occasional week night, but does weekends.
She still only has two teeth, i think she must be teething but also not able to self soothe anymore. I went away for a weekend and she was sick while i was away and DH had her all weekend and ever since then it's been a disaster.So far we have managed to not put her in our bed.We have lifted an arm chair into her bedroom, or we will sleep on her floor with our arms through the cot.
She stands up in the cot roaring her head off, and won't get back down again.
Nothing has changed, except being weaned off formula onto cows milk.
She's not waking hungry because in teh end we give her a bottle and she only takes 2 ounces.
Any suggestions?
Hope your lo's start sttn x

 

[MrsVenn]

A little bit of history... Molly was a wonderful baby. On her first night in this world, she slept 6 hours straight and was hitting 10 hours straight by day 7. This continued until she hit 10 months and then it all went to pot. We changed nothing and for some reason she started waking once a night.

As you can see, no advice but I have sympathy. I'm still trying to find the answer myself!

 

[angelae36]

Our 2 year old daughter wakes 4-5 nights a week. If she's having a good week it's once or twice.
However if she does sleep through she gets up by 6am (usually 5.30 ish)
I don't know whats worse!

When she wakes she can be awake for up to 4 1/2 hours.
But she's not crying shes talking/singing or trying to get into our room.
We've tried giving drinks but most of the time (unless she hasn't eaten well in the day) she doesn't want it.
Shes dry and clean.
Plenty warm/cool enough.

She rarely naps in the day. If she does she's then up until 9-10pm and can still wake in the night.
In the end we shut her in her room and leave her too it. I only go in if she starts crying otherwise it leads to her having tantrums and they are very loud!

She just doesn't seem to need sleep.
I'm at my wits end with her so am trying getting her to a state of exhaustion with exercise/outdoor playing. Fortunately she loves being outside!
First day of this new regime was yesterday and she still woke in the night (however for once I slept through most of it but I'm so exhausted!)
She's had a good couple of hours at the playground today so fingers crossed she sleeps tonight!

I'd love to offer advice to all of you fellow sufferers, but once you've ruled out hunger/thirst/nappies/pain theres not much left!

The best I can do is

 

[pandacub]

My LO has Never slept through the night.
We moved into our new flat last saturday, his sleep is pretty much the same. Except he wont settle in his cot At All now and sleeps in my bed all night.
I dont mind cause he needs to settle in, but my OH is coming back for the weekend and the bed isnt big enough for the three of us! I dont have a sofa yet, so not sure what im going to do.

Anyway, i think im going to start the no-cry sleep solution in a couple of weeks. I dream of a full nights sleep zzzzzzz