15m.o. Development spurt/sleep regression..Advice needed please.

[treehuggermum]

My gorgeous dd is actually 14m.o. but was told about the 15m development spurt which seems to fit what she's going through. We've finally sorted out her naps and bedtime routine, however now she's waking up in the night for an hour, demanding milk (she's breastfed+co-sleep) continuously,even after each feed she wants more. She is fed very well in the day, has a good supper and only has one nap. I dont think she stays awake because she's hungry, but because feeding is the only way which'l get her back to sleep, yet it's not doing for an hour in the night. I've tried every other way of comforting her and ignored her (which makes it tons worse) the only way she'll go back to sleep is after lots of frustration and tears and a final feed. Is this really necessary? There must be a better way. Should i just keep feeding her? Or get up and play for a bit? It's leaving us all so tired the next day. Anyone know any good links for this? Thanks

Sorry, just re read my message, it is so long.

bump

Hi, just read your message. I'd love to know too. My 15 month DD is going through a similar thing. It was so great, I would literally put her in her cot after usual routine and she would go off on her own. Since the last 2weeks, she resists going to sleep so much that it can take up to an hour and a half to get her to sleep after constant crying, picking up, putting down, playing. I'm really not sure why and she also wakes in the night every night and refuses again to go to sleep. Don't think she's hungry, eats well. However, bringing her up vegetarian. DD for some reason always fusses over anything with protein in it and won't eat it so well. According to Gina Ford, babies who do not get proper protein meals ESP. At lunch, do struggle to sleep through. Often wonder if that's got anything to do with it. But she's only having problems sleeping since last 2weeks, so not sure.
What is the sleep regression theory?

Picklebum, what do you mean by 'bump' ? Babymay. Sorry ur going thru similar thing. Protein info v.interesting thanks. Google wonder weeks for bit of info on phase. I wish i knew more links!

It is developmental. They can't work out how to self settle and do the only thing that they knows works ie feeding in this case.

I don't have the answers but dd was exactly the same. We just got through it. It does pass. It's usually when they're working on a big developmental leap like walking/talking and their brains switch into a mode where they want to practise the skill instead of sleeping. Key signs are them waking frequently, more active when asleep, reverting to increased night feeding, standing up as a reflex and being cross about being made to lie down.

And 'bump' means I don't know the answer to your question but I can post and get your thread back into active conversations where other people might help. Bumping it up the list of most recent conversations.

Thank you xxx

Sounds like really normal sleep regression behaviour - DS always does this when he's working on a developmental leap, although he's usually up for 1.5-2 hours. I just feed as much as he wants, and it always stops on its own without any effort from me once the developmental leap is past.

Even babies who can self-settle do it. DS feeds to sleep at bedtime, but nowadays he'll be awake for an hour and a half, roaming around the bed in the dark (we co-sleep) and then gets himself off to sleep again on his own once he gets sleepy again. I often sleep through quite a lot of his roaming!

Other indications of a developmental leap are being clingy, cranky & crying during the day, only taking short naps, struggling to get to sleep, waking early in the morning and e.g. only feeding to sleep when previously other methods of going to sleep worked.

There are developmental leaps at 65 and 76 weeks (around 15 and 17 months) and sleep usually goes down the pan for a few weeks beforehand. At around 18 months there's a mind-blowingly awful sleep regression, although my DS is only just getting going on it at 19 months. It's not your fault, and it will pass. :)

I think the protein thing is a red herring - it's actually quite hard not to eat enough protein if you eat a balanced diet (even if you're vegetarian) and most of us in the West eat far too much.

Thanks angeldog that's very informative:) x

AngelDog, what is that about the mind-blowing 18 months sleep regression? Just want to brace myself whilst we are riding through some dodgy nights at nearly 15 months.

Hi angeldog, thank you for your post. Will have to ride it through I guess.

You can read about the 18 month sleep regression here and here and here.

The second link is about sleep regressions in general, not just the 18 month one. TBH lots of the sleep regressions could be described as mind-blowingly awful. But they do pass.

If it's any comfort, DS's sleep hasn't gone down the pan as badly (yet!) as it did at 15 months. :)

sorry to resurrect an old thread but I just wanted to say a huge thankyou to SaulGood for describing so perfectly how DD is when going through a leap!!
And of course to AngelDog for all of the info, I'm always very reassured whenever I read a post by you about developmental leaps and sleep regressions.

For some reason I thought that the standing-up-as-reflex and being cross about lying down should only apply when she was learning to walk

How wrong was I!!! She's 15 months (yesterday in fact) and has just started with this regression after weeks of blissful ten-hour stretches. I'm pretty sure there are molars coming too. The fact that we co-sleep isn't helping me as I keep getting elbowed in the face!

Thanks for keeping me sane

As above, thanks ladies XXx