18mnth Old Daughter Has Started Waking Up

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18mnth Old Daughter Has Started Waking Up

My 18mnth old daughter has started waking up during the night.

She goes to bed around 1800-1830 and always has. She goes to bed awake but recently she has been screaming when she knows its bedtime. After about 10 mins she will b asleep. Around 2230 she wakes up screaming clenching her fists and shaking.

Ill go into her room, she stops, I leave the room she'll start again. This can go on for about 3 hours. Ive tried going into her and sitting with her, she just lays there with her eyes shut and then every now and again she'll open her eyes to make sure I'm still there.

I have 4 yr old twin girls so i have to be careful she does not wake them up. If i take her into my room she just lays there and doesn't go to sleep, so when i put her back all hell breaks loose again.

She does not have a sleep during the day as if she does she stays up till 2300 at night. All her milk has stopped and her teeth are all through. She was sleeping through the night, this has started happening in the last 2 weeks. I'm getting about 4 hours sleep a night and starting to dread going to bed as i know what's coming. There's no point putting her to bed any later as by 1800-1830 shes falling asleep.

If u have any suggestions i would be very grateful

many thanks

nikki

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18mnth Old Daughter Has Started Waking Up

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Jun 07, 2010

Normal but tough
by: Paula (Baby Help Line)

Hi Nikki,

For a start, you are not alone with having an 18 months old who wakes up at night. It is quite common, only no one tells you! 18 months is a development period and they often tend to be shaky. In addition, this is a period when many young toddler start dreaming a lot and might really need their parents - often - to feel safe.

What would happen if you lay down with your daughter when she wakes up? Do you have a big enough bed for her that you can sleep next to her for a while? We tried with our oldest to sit next to him, but it took ages for him to go back to sleep - I guess he sort of new that we were just waiting for it. If we lay down, and simply let go, he sometimes fell asleep faster than we did, and we could go back to our own bed, or I (or my husband) would simply sleep there for sometime before waking up and going back. Everything is better than not getting enough sleep.

I really think at periods like this, the best one can do is to be as practical as possible. Try to stick to the bedtime routines, but experiment slightly with a bath or going to bed a little bit later and see if it helps. But above all make arrangements to maximize your own sleep. Get your daughter a new bed or a mattress on the floor so that you can get some rest too.

Below you'll find a few links to parents in a similar situation:

Why isn't my 18 month daughter sleeping through the night?

18 month old won't go to sleep alone

15 months daughter not sleeping through the night

I-can't get my 15 month old to sleep

I truly hope she starts sleeping better soon. Keep us posted!

Paula

Mar 31, 2011

Disagree
by: Anonymous

None of this advice worked that I heard from you, I have tried all these techniques and my daughter will be two in three months and still won't sleep through the night. You can not have your child sleep in your bed because they will get used to this and never go back in their crib. If they fall asleep in your bed and wake up in there crib they gonna scream their heads off to put him or her back in your bed. The only method that I've seen to have been having some improvement is letting my daughter scream it out every time she wakes at night. I sit outside her door and listen to make sure everything is ok. I have been doing this for 3 days and each day there is a little improvement. I do agree that fresh air will help also.

May 14, 2011

Finding your own way
by: Paula (Baby Help Line)

Hi,

I don't mind you disagreeing. Every parent has to find their own way. I personally disagree with the cry-it-out method, because even though it may teach a child to fall asleep on his or her own, it also teaches the baby that expressing his or her emotions is in vain; mom or dad won't listen. I don't believe that babies or toddlers cry at night to annoy us. They cry because they are worried, scared or lonely most of the time.

I know there may be situation when mom or dad is so exhausted that some sort of cry-it-out method may be necessary. But to me, that really should be an exception.

But that's me :-)

And that is why I suggest other methods.

I have three kids, and the methods we use have worked well in our family. It didn't make the children sleep on their own forever within a couple of nights, but it made them sleep in their own beds most nights and most of the nights.

But again, it is all up every parent to decide which way to go.

Warm wishes,

Paula

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