12 month old awake for 1-2 hours at night!

[lottytheladybird]

My DS turned one last week and has recently started waking more at night. When he woke in the past, he would fall asleep again fairly quickly, and if all else failed, then a night feed would usually do the trick.

However, he now wakes and won't fall back asleep easily. He was up for 2 hours (11:30pm - 1:30am) last night!

We have a good routine, so I don't understand why this is happening all of a sudden. Is this normal? Do any of your babies wake in the night and stay awake for hours???

I'm sorry to tell you but I do think this is normal for a lot of children. My own son did this regularly between 8 and 11 months - and nothing I could do would send him back to sleep. He just wanted to practice crawling, then walking and it only stopped once he was confident toddling around. I coped by co-sleeping (well, I say co-sleeping - it was more co-sharingthesamebedwithmyeyesclosedhopinghewouldgetthehint).

like tweet my ds did this a lot. Esp 8-12m and then again around 15m, the first one seemed linked to walking, the second to another recognised developmental spurt.

Often he'd be hungry despite eating lots in the evening (or me offering lots).

There's nothing i could have done either way, can't force feed him, can't stop him developing, and won't do cc, so just coslept through it. Good news is he came out of the 15m spurt sleeping better than ever.

What does he do when he wakes? My DD went through a spell of waking at night but she would just lie talking to herself and then eventually went back to sleep. We never went into her unless she cried or was upset.

Does he still nap during the day? If so, how long?

DS has a nap from 11am till 1pm, then goes to bed at 7pm.

When he wakes, he cries and wants comfort. Once awake, DS wants to get active, but I try not to let him, so I hold him, or rock him on my glider chair. If I put him back in his cot before he's fallen asleep again, he cries and stands up in his cot.

Does he go down to sleep awake at nap and bedtime?

He used to always go down awake, but only sometimes now, as he often just starts cruising around his cot as soon as I put him in. Once he starts cruising, he doesn't like being put down.

I think he is struggling to get himself off to sleep now that he is bigger and mobile and has got used to you helping him. I?m not sure how you would feel about trying this technique, which I used on my DD about the same age and it did work with a little perseverance over a few nights.

Put your DS into his cot and go through your usual bedtime routine of good night etc and then leave the room

When DS cries pick him up, reassure him by saying something like ?I'm here'

When you have done this put him back down

Leave the room

When he cries return to the room, gently pat or stroke him, avoid saying anything to him

As soon as the crying stops, leave the room.
If he doesn't stop crying pick him up

As soon as the crying stops, put him down

Leave the room

Even if your DS cries as soon as you go to put him down, do it anyway

If he continues to cry pick him up again

As soon as the crying stops, put him down

Repeat this as many times as is necessary until your DS falls asleep

Apart from the first time you go in this should be done in silence.

This approach is seeking to provide your DS with security, to know that it is okay to cry and that you are there for him. It can take about 20 minutes to settle a baby this way, though it can take an hour or more.

HTH :)

Will give it a go! Thanks for the suggestion!

Let me know how you get on :)

Good Luck :)