Someone help me please! How do I get my 14 month old to sleep through the night??

[RitaMorgan]

DS has never been a brilliant sleeper, but he's been ok - was sleeping through intermittently from about 9 months and slept 7.30pm-6ish about 50% of the time by a year old (the other 50% he woke 1-3 times).

But in the last couple of months things have gone downhill. He sleeps through once a week at most, other nights he'll wake up to 5 times. I went back to work this week and I desperately need an undisturbed night!

Important information:
He sleeps in a cot in his own room (has done since 5 months)
Doesn't feed in the night
Self-settles at bedtime with little or no fuss
No dummy (got rid of it recently as we thought that was waking him)
Has one nap a day between 1pm-3.30pm, varying lengths
Was teething recently but not at the moment
Has access to a cup of water in his bed

The nightwakings only last a few minutes if we go in to him - sometimes he just needs a quick pat or a cuddle, given a sip of water etc. If left for a few minutes he rarely resettles himself, and if he does he wakes up again within minutes until someone goes in to him.

So, what do we do? I realise this isn't the worst sleep problem ever but I just don't understand why he can't stay asleep.

A hopeful bump - any suggestions?

Hi Rita - I've seen you round on a lot of thread (our DC are the same age) and you have always seemed to have a good routine and be on top of things so I am sorry you are now having these problems. It could the 55 week sleep regression late/dragging on a bit in which it will sort itself out shortly. His long nap is quite late - maybe he needs to be more tired at bedtime? Could you bring the nap forward by an hour and then focus on a lots of fresh air/exercise in the hour before his dinner? My gut is the 55 week sleep regression is hitting you hard.....Can you split the night with DP at least on the days you work? so he does any wake-up up until say 2am and you wear earplugs and then he gets the ear plugs at 2am and you do the subsequent wake-ups? should ensure you both get a chunk of sleep at least. Good luck - we are currently enjoying a sleeping through phase here but DD has just started nursery and we are moving house so we are expecting it all to go to pot soon!

Unfortunately he can't sleep any earlier as he is in childcare til 1, so falls asleep on the way home and is then put to bed. I guess we could put him to bed later but we wakes up at 6-6.30 regardless so I'd worry he'd be getting less sleep overall.

We already do split wake-ups and lie-ins (lie-ins mean 7.30am on weekdays now ) but DP doesn't get woken by crying so I still end up waking up and kicking him out of bed

Last night was awful - DS was actually awake for long periods and couldn't get back to sleep, ended up giving him calpol, milk, rocking him until eventually about 2am I put him back in his cot and left him to cry himself back to sleep. Slept until half 6 after that though.

Ok so it sounds like he is getting very tired in childcare - it does exhaust them and then having a nap to compensate and then not being tired enough at night. Any reason why he can't have a nap at childcare? That could sort it. Sympathies - it's total hell when they sleep and suddenly stop!

Not really - he doesn't really want to nap til 11.30/12ish, which is when they have lunch, and if he did sleep then he'd only be able to sleep for an hour at most (but wouldn't have a chance to eat!). Occasionally he'll want to sleep earlier, around 10.30/11ish, but then he'll only sleep for 45 minutes and won't sleep again that day, which makes the rest of the day and night a disaster.

Last night was a lot better, one very brief wake-up in the early hours and then slept in til 7am! Have my fingers crossed for tonight...

Great - maybe it is just the 55 week regression and you're through the worst!

Slept through last night 7.30pm-7am

There you go - was a nasty regression! I we're clear now til 18 months when there is a horror of one.....