Quick poll......sleeping habits in 9 month - 18 month olds

[goldendelicious]

DS is almost a year old. Just wondering what other babies sleeping habits (both day and night) are.

IMO DS isn't a fantastic sleeper - goes from 8pm till 1am, wakes up has to either have someone stood with him or a bottle. Sleeps then till about 5 or 6 then wakes up, sometimes has bottle then might drop off (but ONLY in our bed this time) but might stay awake. Once awake lasts about and hour and a half before he sleeps again for nearly two hours. Rarely sleeps at all in the afternoons!

Want to try and get him to stop waking and having such a long nap so soon after waking.

What do your children do and any tips for a tired mummy???

[bobblehead]

I eat extremely well through the day, but I can wake up hungry at 4am, so I'm not convinced babies don't get hungry. Of course they won't starve, but its not like they can look at a clock and say "oh well, breakfast in a couple hours anyway, I'll just enjoy my sleep".

Of course I'm a total pushover though and will believe anything to justify not having to do cc

[pogface]

My ds is 10 months - he sleeps 7.30 til 11.30 , when i wake him or he wakes for a b/f - if i leave him he wakes at 2 or 3; then again til around 5 or 6 - but i have always regarded this as still night time, and treated the feed i give him at this point as a nightfeed, done in the dark, and put him straight back down afterwards. nine times out of ten he'll go back to sleep til at least 7.30 (used to sleep til 8.30 but its got earlier and earlier).
Would love to phase out the 11pm feed but feel certain that would just mean he woke at 3 or 4 am which is a lot more painful; he hardly eats during the day so darent risk it!
nice to hear so many others arent sleeping thru either!

[goldendelicious]

Well last night tried giving DS a bottle when he cried at 9.45pm (never done that before) but he wouldn't have it at all. Went back to sleep in DH's arms so we put him back in his cot where he slept till 3.30am, then woke up screaming. I put him in bed with me (DH had been phoned at 2.00am to go in to work as burglar alarm was going off ) and he moaned a bit, then laid awake for AGES just looking round the room (laid down not crying or anything). Fell asleep eventually.

Anyways, I didn't give him any milk at all during the night. DH will give in easier but he didn't get back till gone 6am (his work had actually been burgled ) so I was in sole charge! As a result DS has eaten really well today and gone to bed easily at 8pm so we'll see what happens tonight.....

Sorry, thats a big post!!!

[fluffymum]

hi there. I have ds1 (3yrs), DS2 10 months. Both can get very thirsty in the night. Ds1 always wants his bottle of water by the bed if he wakes in the night thirsty. If ds2 wakes in the night He will down half a bottle of water.

Could your babe be thirsty not hungry?,Just a thought.

My ds2 sleeping well now (6.30-6.30) but it is variable and depends on teeth. Next week things may change, but I am not getting that regular wake up time in middle of night since introducing water.

So far as naps go, he has nap within an hour or 2 of waking for maybe an hour and then again in afternoon , 3 or 4 for maybe 1.5 hours.

We are flexible here...I'm no good at strict routine but do try to keep bedtimes the same.

[riab]

DS (17 mo) sleeps from 7.15/7.30pm til about 6/6.30am which isn't bad. he DOES wake up however about 3 night out of 7, I thought he must be hungry but soon realised its just thirst/nappy change. So we have it down to a fine art now.
I go in, lift him out and put him down with bottle stright in his mouth, he drinks while I change his nappy (he is in a sleeping bag so I only unzip it as much as needed for the change).
All done with no talking and light off.

He then has a nap after lunch from about 12/12.30 - 2pm. (recently cut this back to 1 1/2 hrs as it seems to mean better sleep at night.

If he hasn't had enough exercise he can wake at 5/5.30am GRRRRRRRRRR and refuse to go back to sleep. Those days he is VERY tired by about 9am, occasioanlly I let him have a 15-30 minute catnap on me, (ie not in his cot), or DVD for an hour, or I take him on a long walk in his pram - (he doesn't sleep just zones out)

My top tips:

Give him a HUGE tea, don't give any juice or snacks after 1pm and then give tea between 4 and 5pm, lots of starchy stuff, pasta is a fav in our house.

Then give a bottle of milk or BF for supper plus a plain biscuit or toast if he will eat it.

Now you've ruled out hunger!

Decide on a bedtime routine, you can pat/stroke/stnad by the cot/sing - whatever you want to do but you're doing this in the night as well so make sure you can do it for up to an hour at 1am.
We do lights off, bottle of milk, snuggle cuddle, into cot, 3 nursery rhymes (same ones which i know by heart) then SHhhh goodnight repeated.

Any waking in the ngiht do nappy/drink as quickly and quietly as possible then go straight back to bedime routine.

It took us 4 weeks to get is sussed but it worked! from 8 month DS was a terrible sleeper and as I was workign I was at my wits end. But we sorted it out, I don't mind the odd wakeup a 3am as I figure he gets thirsty just like I do and he can't manage the bottle yet himself. (he is back to sleep within 30 minutes)

PM me if you want details

[goldendelicious]

Thanks riab, some great tips there i'll give them a go!

I never thought along the lines of exercise - he's just starting to walk now so in a few weeks I might see a change for the better if he's wearing himself (and me!) out running riot round the house!

He ate loads for tea tonight but not till 6pm - had late breakfast as we were running very late this morning after 2am phone call from DH work so this threw everything out of whack. Must try harder!!

P.S - i've posted on the feeding thread in support of your decisions, I was exactly the same

[CrotchetyCow]

DD is 14 months.
She wakes between 7.30 and 9am and has breakfast. She gets put down for a nap between 10.30 and 11am, sleeps until 12.30-1pm when she has a small lunch. She has a small snack at 3pm and a large evening meal at 5pm.
She then gets a beaker of milk while we do some quiet play with lots of cuddles, refill beaker and a biscuit while we and sit and read some stories around 6pm. Bath and then bed, asleep at 7pm. Before I put her into her bed we sit in the dark in her room and I give her some more milk, very quiet chat/sing and then we have a lovely cuddle
(absolute best part of the day) and she is put down. I always wish her goodnight and tell her I will see her in the morning.

[riab]

golden,
exercise makes a big difference for us, I try and take him to as many active play sessions as possible. we do somethign everyday- playgroun, tumble time, swimming etc. Playgroups are good too as the stimulation of other children seems to help wear him out!