going mad! ds, 20months, waking at night, shouting out and kicking his cot loudly

[lunarx]

but he doesn't cry! just shouts out every so often for us.. so we don't go in (we know from past experience this makes it worse, then he will cry!)

he only naps 1.5 hours during the day and we keep him up til about 7pm. he's got a settling down routine starting at 6pm, and a bath at 6.30pm. so no roudy play before bed or in the bath.

but this is driving us insane. it isnt every night, but probably 3 or 4 nights a week. it is loud enough to wake us and keep us up.

and its been going on since right before xmas holiday. have spoke to the hv in length about this, have taken her advice (cut naptimes down, later bedime, snack before bed (usually a yogurt and breadstick), relaxing bedtime routine, lots of exercise during the afternoon (which we were doing anyway!)) but to be honest, it doesnt seem to be working.

and with it going on this long, i cant believe anymore that is is a developmental stage. he is teething, but that isnt the cause of his wakings (when he wakes in pain, he screams in agony, big difference from what he is doing now.)

anyone else go thru this? (i have posted about this before here) just feeling exhausted again today!

thanks in advance... now, time for more coffee..

hi lunarx have you looked at the No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers by Elizabeth Pantley? Has some good ideas, you basically pick which bits you think might suit you and devise a plan, then try to stick to it (which is the difficult bit). Can't remember it all at the moment but if you get hold of copy from library or somewhere,there may be something there that helps.

Have just remembered a bit of it, perhaps use little rewards if he goes through the night without shouting at you? he's probably old enough for this to work? Pantley suggests inventing a 'morning fairy' who leaves a present if kids have been good at night time.

lunarx I feel for you... ds is being a nightmare at the moment as well, though he wakes up screaming high pitch due to I think pain. Saying that after some diet changes the pain seems to be going, however he still sits up and calls out and like yours if we don't respond he lets rip (waking his sister)... so I'll be follwoing this with interest.

ds2 is coming up to 2 and he's been the same for the last month or so - he cries out in his sleep and wakes up in the middle of the night - sometimes it's obvious he's had a nightmare cos he says 'train crash' (trains are his obsession) and sometimes he's screaming 'mummy' or 'mummy gone'. We have a tape that we play when he goes to bed and I usually go in, pat his head or cuddle him, put on the tape and go back out. It almost always works. Are you sure he's really awke? Sometimes when I go in to ds2 he's actually asleep but crying out in his sleep (also, sometimes, he's wriggled into the side of the cot and got a bit stuck)

I don't know why ds2 is like that, he's usually such a good little sleeper. I blame a 'stage' of separation anxiety. Has anything changed in his life like you going back to work or him starting nursery? ds1 just started at nursery after Xmas and I wondered if that was making ds2 more clingy.
Our routine is more or less the same as yours except no nap.
hth

hi mummypig, i will have a look for that book this weekend while out and about! i think he may be a bit young for a present schedule, but i will definitely try a lot of praise..

nothing has really changed since xmas that would be considered major.. anytime we've went into the room, he's wide awake

Am interested to know if any news on this - DD is 17 months and seems to wake and be 'awake' for a couple of hours in the middle of the night. Have tried cranial osteopathy which has worked a bit but also think may be linked to not tiring herself out enough. Never really thought of that (Doh!) but may be connected. We didnt do that much yesterday (too cold) and she was up in the night. Also someone said not to give sugary snacks after 5pm which we did yesterday (whoops).

Any other tips?