15m waking once every night

[brightnesses]

I posted this at 4am but had no responses so I thought I’d try again

DD will be 16m on Saturday and has slept through the night since 8 weeks. Apart from the usual sleep regression or when she’s teething, she used to sleep really well uninterrupted.

As of some months ago she will wake up through the night at least once. Can someone tell me how to stop this happening as it’s genuinely killing me. I have a small baby who doesn’t seem to mind his sister making noise and will happily sleep through it but it’s really tiring for me. She can be ignored for a little while as she’ll just be making small noises and will fall in and out of sleep. Then she’ll start kicking the cot and won’t go back to sleep without a bottle?

She eats three meals a day and has two bottles so I’m not exactly sure if she’s hungry or if this is just a comfort thing. I’m up with both of them from 7:30am to usually midnight so her waking up at 1am or 4am is too much. Any advice on how to get her sleeping through the night again?

Just to add that DD sleeps at my mum’s once a week and always sleeps through with no problem. I don’t do anything different at my house than what my mum does so I have no clue what’s going on

Have you tried offering water instead? Sometimes it's just a habit they get used to. Least that way if she is thirsty she gets a drink but she might stop waking if milk isn't offered. Depends if you are happy to put up with the protesting I suppose.

@YellowTreeHouse your comments are shocking, whatever you are going through there really is no need to be unjustly mean to others.

Funnily enough my DD’s sleep became disrupted the same month I was due to have DS. However he was in NICU for 6 weeks so even though he was born, he wasn’t at the house yet.

DD usually sleeps between 2-3hrs but I’ll make sure she doesn’t go past 2.5 and will see what happens.

Interesting point! She drinks lots of water during the day but when she wakes, I’ve never offered her water, only milk. I’ll try that from now on and see what happens. Thank you

None of my three slept through the night until they were past three so this sounds perfectly normal to me. I think honestly you had just been lucky with a good sleeper and it will eventually settle itself again. Don't go trying too many quick fixes it will only make it worse. All of mine looked for milk during the night and my three year old is just starting to stop looking for it. Honestly OP it will pass.

Also wondering if she's teething and it's causing her a bit of reflux and so she needs to drink something to help soothe it? If so you could try some infant gaviscon. Will need to ask GP although it's OTC some pharmacists will only sell you it if it's been prescribed in the past

Ah yeah that is true. She usually bounces between sleeping really well and being incredibly unsettled so I just need to learn to go with the flow.

She is actually teething! She has 3 teeth coming through so I gave her some teething powder before bed so hopefully that helps her a little

Harsh but fair tbh

Sorry OP I wouldn't normally jump on the 'my kids sleep is worse than your kids sleep' and I wouldn't have phrased it as @YellowTreeHouse did but I share the sentiment

Also a single parent here

@shakeitoffshakeacocktail it’s not fair at all actually seeing as this is a parenting forum and I’m asking people for suggestions as I thought I’m doing something wrong.

If my kid sleeps 8hrs a night and yours only sleeps 6hrs then that doesn’t mean I should put up and shut up. I’m still allowed to ask for help/advice on (and I’ll say it again) a parenting forum.

People are so weird on here. Like I’m sorry you’re bothered that my mum has my daughter for one night a week. I guess every single parent should just struggle with whatever their situation is and never ask for help in real life or on the internet.

Thank you to the majority of posters who have been very helpful. I’ll be trying most suggestions mentioned and will see what happens:)

I'm sorry, I'm also in the 'harsh but true' camp.

Your children are both good sleepers. Your baby is an amazing sleeper. Yes, your daughter's also isn't as good as it over was, but you had a good innings with it, and now she's back to waking, like most of them do. I'd try to just be grateful that you've had a good run of sleep with her, and that your baby is sleeping through.

At that age my 15m old was waking between 5-15 times a night. My children wake me more at night than yours do, at 3&5.

It might be a short phase for your daughter, it might be your new norm for years. Your son may continue to sleep, he may not.

One wake a night shouldn't be 'killing you'. I think it's that sort of melodrama that is making people be grumpy. You've had it breathtakingly easy when it comes to sleep. That doesn't mean you can't find it hard, but remember that many of us survive long term on multiple wake ups and 4hrs broken sleep, often whilst holding down a full time job.

I have no idea why people on here are such martyrs about sleep. A 15 month old waking 5-15 times js not normal or healthy.

I agree, I’ve no idea why people are suggesting most babies wake multiple times until well into 2/3 years old. It’s simply not true. It’s awful for people to go through it but people seem obsessed with claiming it’s normal to make themselves feel better.

OP first thing you should probably do is stop giving the bottle. It seems like she’s started a routine of waking for that but she definitely doesn’t need a bottle at nearly 1 and a half. Switch to water for a few nights and see what she does.
I would also wake her before 2.5 hrs at her nap, 3hrs is probably just too long at her age. Cutting her nap short will probably be hell for a week or so but eventually she will level out.

It is developmentally normal! Baby sleep is linear until at least two!

Yes, but that means that it’s totally normal for the baby / toddler to go through periods of wakings for teething / separation anxiety etc etc but generally an improvement in sleep is seen. It is absolutely not normal for a baby to wake 5-15 times every single night.

i can only assume that parents who have babies like this and accept those kind of wakings don’t have jobs to get to

@Preg19 It is developmentally normal! Baby sleep is linear until at least two!

Baby sleep overall might not be linear, as in they have periods of being unsettled but it is absolutely not normal as in the most common, for 2 year olds to wake multiple times every night. I really feel for those parents who experience that but this insistence that it is normal helps no one. The reality is the majority of babies are sleeping through most nights from 1.

the majority of babies don’t sleep through the night from one and I have to disagree in the fact it’s helping no one saying waking through the night is normal, Infact I think saying it’s not normal can be worse, making parents feel like they’re doing something wrong.

No I had a baby like this and was back to work at 9 months, he eventually slept thought at 2 1/2.
Hes a healthy happy boy no problems at all

My 15 month old still wakes every hour I'd love her waking up once a night 😆

I didn't say 5-15 was normal, but it was what I had.

What is normal is waking at least once a night at 15m. Obviously a good number don't, but the last time i looked into the research on it, most do.

OP you seem really defensive about this

yes, you HAVE been lucky in regards to your daughters sleep so far because it’s not normal for babies to sleep through from 8 weeks. Most babies do not do this, so for you to have experienced that, is very lucky. I believe this is probably why you’re feeling so tired with her current wake up, because you’ve never really had to deal with them that often until now so your body isn’t used to it

you aren’t doing anything wrong, your daughter isn’t doing anything wrong and to be honest there’s probably nothing you can do to change it. Nobody on this planet sleeps through the night 100%. We all toss and turn, or sleep walk, or wake up for what feels like no reason what so ever. Babies and toddlers are no different. The only advice is to ride it out, keep soothing her and eventually she will eventually no longer need you to comfort her. Her brain will still be developing
and sleep is usually the most affected area

I think you have learnt the hard way that people are VERY sensitive about sleep and its normal for the majority of babies and toddlers to be shite sleepers and honestly most of the time you cant to sod all about it! Coming from me, with a two year old that has never ever slept more than 3 hours straight......

I would try cutting her nap down - that's very long?