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Sleep

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Original poster

13 months and still waking in the night!!

24 replies

Tillypops11 · 17/01/2013 10:43

my baby girl has alway woke in the night for her dummy.and is an early riser wanting to get up and start the day betweeen 5.15am - 6.45 ........every now and again she tease us by sleeping really back to well and not waking until 6.45am ish she will do this for a few nights and then revert back her ususal routine my and daddy work full time and need sleep can anyone suggest anything that can help?? we have had a very good bed time routine from a young age 6.30pm bath, bottle with low light and music playing while in her room in rocking chair down to sleep between 7pm - 7.15pm she is put down awake if she is still awake and settles herself so thats not the issue, any advice is welcome!!!!! at my wits end!

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AlienReflux · 17/01/2013 10:46

Joining you at wits end with an 18 month old that gets up at 2.15 precisely every night, and acts like it's morning! she can be up for 3 hours!! does your DD go back down pretty quickly?

Original poster

Tillypops11 · 17/01/2013 11:02

oh i feel for you! she used to wake at about 4 and wanted to get up to start the day i used to go straight into her room and rock her back to sleep in the rocking chair and stay with her in my arms until at least 6am this i think has helped her to sleep longer however if i try this now if she wakes early it doesnt always work! she will generally go back to sleep pretty quick once given her dummy but the real issue is the broken sleep! i am considering trying cry it out but really dont like the idea! have you tried?

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MimsyBorogroves · 17/01/2013 11:02

In exactly the same boat with mine. You are not alone!

AlienReflux · 17/01/2013 11:09

No, I haven't tried crying it out, our house is too small, and my DP drives long distances, so it's really not practical.

It's totally habit now, and I'm at a loss how to break it, it's got so I wake up just before she does!
Not much help I know!

Original poster

Tillypops11 · 17/01/2013 11:39

poor you but you waking first you might be able to use to your advantage? maybe try getting her out of the cot and rock her to try keep her asleep?? do you have black out blinds/curtains? i used to put a sheet over the curtains to make sure it stayed dark in the bedroom and never put a light on! i also have a 16 year old doing GCSE's at the moment so this is another reason ive not tried crying it out! its just sooooo hard to know what to do for the best!

MimsyBorogroves it seems more babies dont sleeep through the night than those that do? it is nice t know i am not alone and doing something wrong! (not that i wish sleep depreivation on anyone!)

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Nini100 · 17/01/2013 12:56

Tillypops I feel your pain

My 12 month old keeps waking at 430am and won't settle without a bottle, I give in cause I can't face the fight at that time of the morning and she usually sleeps til about 730 after some milk
I don't know what's better the quick wake and bottle or start day 6am which she has done before.
I'm just learning to live with it now. But it's such hard work :-(

Original poster

Tillypops11 · 17/01/2013 13:35

It is really hard work does your little one sleep through to 4.30?

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Nini100 · 17/01/2013 21:00

She does sleep through but like you mention then teases me with a week or so going til 6/630. I've tried water but she is not impressed and at 430am I don't have the energy to put up a fight.

I'm sure one day ......maybe in a few years she will give it up for good.
:-)

CantSleepWontSleep · 17/01/2013 21:11

Not being funny, but if she's going to bed at 7:15 then starting the day any time from around 6 is a good night's sleep! The 7-7 sleep thing is just a myth - some babies will do it and some never will.

My advice if you are finding it tough is to go to bed earlier yourself.

thislittlewineofmine · 17/01/2013 21:21

My one year old is currently drinking 2-3 bottles through the night and it is driving me nuts waking to give her them. And then I wake in the wet patch where she has spilled it all over. I remember the days when waking in a wet patch was a sign of a good night. Not any bloody more!!

ravenlocks · 17/01/2013 21:43

I have always managed to sort out early waking problems with sorting out daytime naps. How is her napping? She might be having too much sleep in the day or not enough.

For eg my DS at 10 months would be bright as a button and up for day at 5am, then crash out for a nap at 7:30am for about an hour and a half, then have another nap in the afteroon. I figured out he was using this morning nap to catch up on sleep he was missing out on at night so (which is opposite of what your instincts would say) I worked on keeping him up longer and shortening this morning nap to half an hour, I would be waking him up from a deep sleep for the first couple of weeks til he got used to it. Would leave pm nap alone and let him sleep for as little or long as he wanted. It worked! 7am waker now.

Also I have heard that letting babies sleep for longer than 20 mins after 3pm can make their body think they are starting night sleep as they go into a deep sleep. I haven't experienced this myself as mine were always active late pm but a friend of mine had a 4am waker and she worked out it was because her DD was having a nap 4pm to 5pm. She would then be up, have a bath, feed etc and down at 7pm. She was really sleeping 4-4 rather than 7-7 with the annoyance of someone waking her up and bathing her etc. Could be bollox or coincidence but stopping her DD sleeping after 3pm sorted out the 4am thing too after a couple of weeks of persevering.

Original poster

Tillypops11 · 18/01/2013 08:42

Nini100 i know what you mean its easier to just give in maybe look at day time naps as mentioned i also did this as my baby girl wuld want to nap early in the morning i pushd it back over a couple of weeks and eventually i wouldnt et her na until 10am earylist i dont have much control over naps at the moment as she is with the childminder full time mon - fri but think i will speak to her about it....

cantsleepwontsleep.....i agree we get at at 6 for work anyway and i have always been an early riser so thats not the issue its the waking in the night.....if we were getting a full nights sleep waking at 6am to start the day would be fine, we are in bed most nights by 8.30pm (we bascially dont have a life anymore)!!!

thislittlewineof mne....i sooooo feel for you! its so hard to know what to do or the best! have you spoken to your health visitor or advice? i gave my baby girl a bottle during th night thinking she might but waking because she was hungry but then she refused breakfast!

ravenlocks...thank you i will look at naps i am not working today or monday so i have 4 days to try and combat this hopefuly less naps during the day will mean she is so tired she wont wake during the night and not get up to start the day until 6am earlest!!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE XXX

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AlienReflux · 18/01/2013 09:58

well, I have tried shifting her naps about, so that her aft, finishes before 2, and doesn't go on too long, she was really miserable yesterday afternoon, and absolutely knackered, so she woke at 4 instead of 2.15!
Is that progress?
She had a bottle and went down again though,no messing about chasing the cat! so will persevere! I have been told because she is learning to talk too,it's a developmental leap, and can keep the brain occupied, and make them more wakeful?!

good luck everyone!!

Original poster

Tillypops11 · 18/01/2013 19:27

Wow I would say that's progress!! Hope you have more tonight/tomorrow morning!! I have managed to cut naps today so that she's had 1 hour long nap today 1pm - 2pm she was very tired at bed time but happy enough fingers crossed I get a full nights sleep!

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Original poster

Tillypops11 · 19/01/2013 11:57

How was last night alienflux? Mine was worse than usual up at 5 in bed with me and took over 45mins to settle maybe due to teething hope tonight is better!

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AlienReflux · 19/01/2013 16:15

Oh Tilly I don't know, she was exhausted at bed time (over tired)? got up at midnight, tossed and turned, moaning but not crying until 2! Then she stood up in cot hollering! so up she got,bottle and back down, but got up at 5?!

if you think it's teething, what about a spoon of calpol before bed?

good luck tonight!

Original poster

Tillypops11 · 19/01/2013 19:34

Oh that's not good at all!!! I have teething gel at the ready again today she only napped once for just Over an hour and she too was exhausted after lack of sleep last night I just hope that means more sleep tonight.... I am also going to read Solve your child's sleep problems by dr Richard Ferber it's been recommended by a friend not sure what else to do!?!?!?

I hope you have a better night tonight!

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Iggly · 19/01/2013 19:37

There's a chance she'll be overtired making her nights worse. Ask the CM about naps. My 13 month old is a horror at night if she doesn't get 2.5 hours at least a day.

She might also be hungry. Not unheard of!

Also there's a developmental leap around 13 months where sleep goes to pot...

Iggly · 19/01/2013 19:38

Also the nights I manage to get dd asleep by 6.30/7 she sleeps much better and for longer...!!

Original poster

Tillypops11 · 19/01/2013 19:42

Iggly thanks for that I am going to stick to current pattern for the next couple of days (to try be consistent) if I have no joy I will definatley give the more sleep and earlier bed time a go! Thanks again!

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Iggly · 19/01/2013 19:48

Good luck! It's hard having to get to work on little sleep!

tinyk · 19/01/2013 20:27

Ok, so I'm clearly a lazier woman than you all, but DS 18mos does all the things your kids do. We give him 6 dummies and a tommee tippee no- drip, insulated bottle of milk and one of water in his cot (bad, bad full time working mum here!!) he helps himself to both dummies and milk. Problem solved. He wakes up about 5 or earlier, has his milk, dozes until about 630. I know it's meant to rot their teeth, but that vs mum driving off the road or being fired due to falling asleep all day seems a sensible trade-off. works for us!

Original poster

Tillypops11 · 20/01/2013 05:24

Tinkyk she is definatley not hungry and goes straight back to sleep once given her dummy of which as you do I leave 4 in the cot with her they are glow in the dark too so easy to find so this doesn't work for us if play with naps shorter nap/longer naps and earlier to bed doesn't work my next plan is to wean her off the dummy! Although she has only woke twice during the night last night so that's improvement I am awake because I think my body clock is all messed up!!

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tinyk · 20/01/2013 13:56

Weaning off the dummy sounds like s good plan for you. Probably easier course of action, as you'll have to do it eventually anyway! We plan on going cold turkey in a month or so when DS over a cold.

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