Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

Original poster

Help? Will try anything!

17 replies

Didiandb · 12/12/2013 18:06

Can anyone help me???

DD is 14 months old. She used to sleep well. Now she doesn't!

She goes down at 6.45-7pm. Normally fast asleep by 7pm. She then sleeps soundly until 10pm. At 10pm she wakes screaming and takes anywhere from 30mins to an hour to settle. She then wakes again around 2am, 3am, 4am and sometime between 5-6.30am is when we give up and start the day.

I am shattered!

I don't know what to do, we have got into the bad habit of bringing her into bed with us. She sleeps soundly then. But we can't keep doing that.

Her crys are so angry and distressing it makes me cry and gets me upset.

Can anyone suggest anything, books? Methods? Ear plugs?!?

Should I let her cry it out? I don't know what to do and her crys really upset me.

I'm struggling with so little sleep :(

OP posts:
Happydaze77 · 12/12/2013 20:37

How long has she been like this? It could be just a phase. There's yet another sleep regression at 12-13mths apparently.

How many daytime naps does she take, and for how long? Maybe she needs to drop from 2 to 1.

curlew · 12/12/2013 20:39

"I don't know what to do, we have got into the bad habit of bringing her into bed with us. She sleeps soundly then. But we can't keep doing that"

You can keep doing that, you know! If it works, do it.

nosleeptillbedtime · 12/12/2013 20:42

Don't know if it will help but we used a method with seven month old where we sat with him whilst he cried and learnt how to settle self. I must admit in your situation I would probably let dc sleep with us. I quite miss cosleeping.

Original poster
Didiandb · 12/12/2013 22:37

I didn't know there was another sleep regression! That might make sense it's only in the last 2 weeks and only this week it's been so bad!

The co sleeping is kind of working.... I worry that we will never get her out out bed, DH and my relationship is suffering a bit and I have a dodgy hip that I sleep funny on if she's in the bed but I don't really mind cause I do love cuddling her so I'm in two minds about it! When do most people stop co sleeping?

I have tried to sit beside her and just pat her but she works herself up into a frenzy of tears and coughing and anger! Then I go a bit emotional and end up just picking her up and hugging her. I can't stand the crying. It honestly sounds like we are murdering her!

She doesn't nap too much during the day, never has. Maybe 30mins to an hour some mornings and the same again most afternoons. She's never slept much during the day and it never seemed to bother her. I've forced her to sleep by going out a walk but even after that she's still waking at night.

I've read that normally 10 days of sleep training helps them a lot... Maybe I should just steel my emotions and do 10 days. It's just so so hard to not give in to her crying! I'm too much of a softie!

OP posts:
squidkid · 13/12/2013 06:28

We had exactly the same a few weeks ago (my baby is the same age) and we have been taking it in turns to co-sleep with her, and she is sleeping well like that. I wish we could all co-sleep but she is a right wriggler and I don't get ANY sleep.

I don't think it's a bad habit. Babies go through phases and you can go back to not co-sleeping once she's out of this phase. We always do.
I bet "10 days of sleep training" works in the same way that doing nothing works, because the phases pass?! We have had great sleep and terrible sleep with my baby and we never "do" anything about it and it always just changes of its own accord in time! Better for our family than causing her (or us) distress I think.

Oh, and I also found sleep has got much better in the last couple of weeks since she's moved to one nap. I kind of coaxingly keep her awake till 11 (she used to nap at 9) and she has a long sleep then, and then is tired for bedtime too. When we were napping at 9 and at 2 she was not tired for bed and woke more overnight too. It might be coincidence, but I think she was very ready for one nap. We only used to get short naps too, but now we get 2 hours!!!

squidkid · 13/12/2013 06:30

And you're not a softie to be responsive to your baby!

BikeRunSki · 13/12/2013 06:32

Cranial Osteopathy
Just enough science to convince me to try it after 18 months of dd waking and wailing several times a night.
It worked.

Original poster
Didiandb · 13/12/2013 08:16

Thanks squid :) I just keep getting "advice" from lots of people and getting told I need to harden up and let her cry!

Bike... Really? DD is totally happy during the day so I didn't think that would help her. But she was a horrible shoulder stuck forceps delivery so it's always played on my mind! Was it gentle? I've been to an osteopath before... Not sure I could subject her to it!

OP posts:
BikeRunSki · 13/12/2013 16:18

DD was a traumatic and very fast crash section and also happy during the day. The osteopath was very very gentle and really seemed to enjoy it! She usually fell asleep during her treatment and began to sleep more soundly and longer at night after the first treatment.

I am an engineer and was very sceptical, but the sudden and significant improvents in DD's sleep seem to be too coincidental to have been anything else.

Jinglejohnsjulie · 13/12/2013 23:12

Just wondering if she's ever been checked for tongue tie? Her wakings could be normal but it might be worth ruling tt out Smile

Flibbedyjibbet · 13/12/2013 23:31

How did you find the cranial person please?

It's always interested me but worry I'd get a quack who either didn't know what they were doing and hurt my baby or didn't know what they were doing and laughed at me as they took my money.

BikeRunSki · 14/12/2013 06:02

It was a personal recommendation, but I saw a advert/feature about them in a freebie parents & babies magazine. It was the quackery potential that out me off too, but I checked out which professional association they belonged to (I'll get back to you on this). They are a mainstream osteo who have practitioners who specialise in sports, kids, babies, cranial, elderly etc. the lady who dies cranial is a retired ballerina. She is sweetest and gentlest person I have ever met and her knowledge of anatomy is phenomenal.

Flibbedyjibbet · 14/12/2013 06:54

BikeRunSki don't suppose you're in the North West.....what's that you say Lands End?

Kelly1814 · 14/12/2013 06:57

OP, baby cranial osteopathy is nothing like what they do to you as an adult! Very, very gentle. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

BikeRunSki · 14/12/2013 08:39

I am in Huddersfield Flibbedy, the osteo is only about 5 mins off the M62 if you fancy a quick trip over the Pennines.

Rhododendron · 14/12/2013 09:40

Mine recently did the same at about that age, went from sleeping beautifully to lots of night time screaming for a few weeks. It turned out to be teething; at least, she had the next set of four teeth all come through at once and was then fine again! So you could try teething gel, and if nothing else, hopefully it should clear up soon by itself.

I gave up nighttime breastfeeding at 8 months, but when she's utterly inconsolable at night I bf her anyway and it sends her happily to sleep. But since you didn't mention it I'm guessing you aren't on bf??

Rhododendron · 14/12/2013 10:41

I found The No Cry Sleep Solution helpful for sleep training.

Also, as I implied above I agree with squid about being nice to the baby while she's going through a difficult phase, but I'm personally a bit firm when she starts feeling better in order to stop it becoming a habit.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page