Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

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.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

He has never slept thru the night, help

223 replies

shatteredmumsrus · 19/07/2006 19:13

My 18 month old son has never slept through the night.He goes to sleep on his own even says night night. But hes up around every three hours and always has done. Ive tried everything possible to get him to sleep thru. I even gave him phenegan as recommended by my doctor but that didnt work. Has anyone got any miracle advice. Ill do anything now, im so tired

OP posts:
Original poster
shatteredmumsrus · 25/08/2006 11:05

Hi Mumtofunkydude, I tried that a while back, he used to throw the bottle out of his cot and then he'd throw a wobbly and scream the house down....

OP posts:
mellowma · 25/08/2006 13:39

Message withdrawn

Original poster
shatteredmumsrus · 25/08/2006 15:48

Ha Ha yeah your right. We can get engrossed in worrying about it and it gets you down. Hey ho, they will slepp when they want to... Better be soon!!!Ha ha

OP posts:
mellowma · 26/08/2006 15:01

Message withdrawn

Original poster
shatteredmumsrus · 27/08/2006 21:16

WOW MM, thats what we like to hear? I thought they were in separate rooms for some reason. Someone suggested that I put mine in the same room but I am aprehensive. Ah he must have felt comforted near his brother. Let me know how last night and tonight go?

OP posts:
Original poster
shatteredmumsrus · 28/08/2006 08:52

Well i had a terrible night and promised to take them both swimming today. Ahhh. I cud do with going back to bed for a week. He was up at 2.30, 4.00, 5.00 and 5.50???? Some nights are good and some nights are terrible. There is no consistency. Fed up today...

OP posts:
mellowma · 28/08/2006 09:44

Message withdrawn

Original poster
shatteredmumsrus · 28/08/2006 14:46

Thanks MM, he is back next tuesday!!!AHHHH. You must be mad.2 kids a husband and a dog!!!!
Brave lady

OP posts:
SleeySal · 29/08/2006 09:05

Hi All,

Hope last night bought some sleep for you!

Just thought I would post here as I am another one thats up . . well what seems like all night at the mo

Anyone have any advice? -

My situ -

Imo is 8mths old . . She slept great . . all night untill 6mths at what point she was weaned. . shes still b/f but has 3 meals a day.

She normally goes to sleep abput 9pm . . but wakes as soon as we put her down . . after about 20mins she'll go to sleep again . . and that when it starts . . She'll wake up after anywhere from 20mins to 1hr 30mins. . And thats it for the night . . shes up and down . . if we try CC she makes herself sick.

I just dunno what to do now . . I feel so tired and emotional, I feel such a failure, I know its my fault as I dont know what to do so I dont know how I expect her to know what to do lol. The only way she'll sleep is if i bring her in our bed which I didnt want to get into the habit of.

I just don't know how to help her sleep . . and there are so many different opinions I'm just so confused.

Anyways hope everyuone had better nights than me!

Sal

mellowma · 29/08/2006 09:25

Message withdrawn

sleepysooz · 29/08/2006 09:35

I'm struggling with my 2.10 yo twins, they don't sleep the night either, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

Original poster
shatteredmumsrus · 29/08/2006 13:19

Hello All. I was up three times,3, 4 and 5.45. Crap night again.
Sal, what does she want when she wakes, does she fall asleep on her own?
Sleepysooz, double trouble eh, your brave!Id be interested to know what your twins sleeping patterns are, do they sleep in the same room?

OP posts:
SleeySal · 29/08/2006 15:35

Hey Shattered,

Poor you!!

She just wants to be held most of the time though the last 2 nights she has been rooting and eventually gone on the boob . . Its honestly like her cot has a force field round it . . the second she gets near she SCREAMS!!

I'm not looking for a quick fix just any idea of what to do cause I think I'm going insane !!lol

Original poster
shatteredmumsrus · 29/08/2006 16:52

Sleepysal, your baby is still v young and as far as I can remember my son still woke up for a feed til past 8 months. But i completely understand you wanting her to at least have a pattern in the night. I think it was Lychee who is still BF and has weaned hers off it during the night. If your there Lychee can you help? I guess you have tried all the usual things, feeding her up before bed on cereal and milk and making sure she is tired. If she doesnt fall asleep on her own I stronglt suggest you pursue CC. My son used to make himself sick too but it worked in the end. He goes to bed like a dream just doesnt stay there. Does she have a dummy or a favourite soft toy. I weaned my son on to a soft book, he associates it with sleep and loves it to bits....

OP posts:
sleepysooz · 29/08/2006 18:39

shatteredmumsrus - well! what can I say, and where shall I start?

My twins have slept downstairs on a bedsettee with my husband for most of their life, 2.10! my ds has a fetish for dh ear! yes EAR! normal kiddies have comfort blankets, dummies, cuddly toy, but no has to be DH ear! (only for last year though)

We have taken this week off work to train them both to sleep in own beds, in same room, we have tried this before for 6-8 weeks but we were sooo exhausted that we gave up, we need our sleep just to deal with the day ahead (old parents)

So far not toooo bad, only had to get up 10 times last night!!!!!!!!!!

So any tips, please please I plead with anybody out there!

They chose own bedding, rug, secret box for whatever they like, beanie toy for them to look after at night, they will go to bed, but its just the cuddles in the night they miss.

Tried putting them together last time, but that didn't work either.

Original poster
shatteredmumsrus · 30/08/2006 08:33

Oh dear sleepsooz. no wonder your sleepy! It wouldnt matter if you were 16 you'd still be knackered.My advice keep them downstairs with your husband and let them play with his ear and you sleep like a baby in a double bed all of yur own!!!! haha, if only eh?
I hope you can read this message and the matchsticks are working. You have done amazingly well so far so dont feel down about that. I cant imagine how hard it would be with twins. Ones hard enough.
You seem to have tried all the obvious. So I take it that they both have their own room now? Maybe they dont like sleeping apart as they have been together since they were born, if possible. Wean then onto a soft toy instead of hubbys ear??? (or cut his ear off). Are they in beds? They are old enough to talk to now and explain that bed is for sleeping. Try doing a reward scheme.If they sleep in their own beds they get a sticker on their own chart on their wall.You may think they wont understand but they let on more that we think.Have you tried controlled crying, it isnt very nice but it gets the results. Will a drink ever get them off to sleep?Sorry for all the question...

OP posts:
Original poster
shatteredmumsrus · 30/08/2006 08:56

sorry you did say they are in the same room. Read your message again

OP posts:
sleepysooz · 30/08/2006 17:32

cutting off dh ear sounds good to me, I have told ds that my ears are poorly so he doesn't get mine (although he has a damn good try)

We are back to work next week and we are like zombies, don't know whether to give it another week, till we start making stupid mistakes at work anyway!

Yes they're in same room
Yes they've got a new toy to cuddle and look after
Yes they have a bedtime routine with drink
Yes they understand the whole its bedtime now
Yes we are weaning off dh ear for ds
Yes we have tried controlled crying
Yes we've tried supernanny approach
Yes we've tried everything
Yes we are knackered
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes, whatever anybody says we will do!!!!!!

SleeySal · 31/08/2006 09:05

Poor You Sooz . sorry no advice but just know you aren't alone!

Well hate to say it but we had a great night . . . well deffo an improvement!! She eventually went down at 11pm . . slept till 2am . . back down at 3am and up at 7.30am

Woo we're getting there slowly!

Original poster
shatteredmumsrus · 31/08/2006 16:52

Its definately getting better sleepysal!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
shatteredmumsrus · 31/08/2006 16:54

Oh Im sorry sleepysooz, poor you. What about that reward scheme?
I know you said you have tried CC but why dont you try again. Its hard to keep it up. Like on that house of tiny tearaways where they end up putting them back in their bed 30 times but by the end of the 2 weeks they have cracked it. Id do it now before your back at work.
I cant think of anything else, sorry

OP posts:
sleepysooz · 02/09/2006 12:10

Well that was a tiring week, but we are going to keep up with it, mainly because the bedroom has cost us loads! rug, secret box, winnie pooh fairy lights and posters( arh so cute) beannie toy, helium balloon etc.... and of course x2 cause of twins!

DD cracked it, although she takes a long time to get to sleep, she does actually stay alseep (most of the time)!

DS woke 10 times last night, I have to remember he goes to bed without his comfort toy (dh's ear, yuk) and he misses it in the night.

Oh well half way there. Hope next week goes better, cause I don't think my dh can take it much longer, we are soooo shattered with exhaustion and he has a very physical job plus has to concentrate alot!

annaspanna · 02/09/2006 21:38

I'm sorry to but in a this late stage but i so know where you're all coming from. 19 month old now mostly sleeps til at least 4.30am and sometimes blissfully thro the night but i have been to the sleep deprived hell you're all describing.

I only have one son but i was a pregnant bookworm & read all the baby advise i could & followed it all from day one. Baby whisperer Tracey Hogg is my guru. He hasn't had any milk in the night since 3 and a half months. I never gave any reward like light on or talking to him from day one. Good routine from 6 wks & like you he didn't struggle going to sleep. But to cut a long story he would wake several times & for up to 2 hrs at a time maybe more. i tried controlled crying but this made it worse. I read the no cry sleep solution but really for people who feed in the night. In desperation went to sleep cliniC. They advised subtle changes & ended up telling me to do what i was doing in the first place!!! I was finally "written off" by them as they couldn't help me any more!!!

I had to go it alone & i wish i knew her mane but a mn's advise was to lay by the cot. Then gradually retreat. This is the only thing that i could live with & has worked over considerable time mind you.

What i want to say really is that i believe my son is simply not skilled in going back to sleep when he wakes. Its that simple. Just as some kids don't learn to talk early or walk late. And my advise to anyone embarking on any kind of sleep training is to decide on something, be totally consistent & stick with it to the bitter end.Don't do something for 3 days then go back to what you did before. Go with your gut feeling and stick with it. Sorry to ramble on!!! Feel better now thats out!!!

Original poster
shatteredmumsrus · 03/09/2006 17:44

Ah thanks Annaspanner, it does make you feel better knowing your not the only one. My son woke 6 times last night but the night before he slept til 4.30! Just cant work him out because my approach is the same every time. Oh well another night, lets see what this brings. He is going down to just 1oz tonight!!AHHHH

OP posts:
sleepysooz · 04/09/2006 13:42

Have now bought a cd player for twins and I sit on the end of their beds but I ignore them whilst music is playing till they go to sleep, ds goes no problem dd takes up to 1hr!

The problem I do have is the ds wakes for his comfort (dh's ear) that he has had for last year! we are slowly weaning him off 'ear' but in the meantime he can wake 5 - 10 times in one night [yawn] - we literally put him back in his bed, and he goes back to sleep, its just that getting up so often! [growl]

I'm sure he will be better soon, every night seems a teeny weeny better (not much but hey)!

And for my next trick is to get them to bed earlier, at the moment it's 9pm to bed for a hopeful 10pm sleep [more yawn/growl]

Swipe left for the next trending thread