Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

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

Split nights - help :(

14 replies

Louloulou123 · 11/02/2023 03:08

Please has anyone got any advice for me!
I have a 13 month old who has been doing split nights 3-4 times a week for the past 6ish weeks and it’s killing me off! He is awake for a good 4 hours at a time (usually 12-4), doesn’t need or want anything just wiiiiide awake and will not let me leave him. I’ve tried milk, calpol, rocking, nothing works.

he dropped to one nap just after his birthday but seems to be coping well with the transition, tends to be up from 6-7am has a nap 12-2 then goes down very easily around half 7. I had been waking him from his nap at 2 hours to see if that helps the split nights but it doesn’t seem to help! He also does them if I swap to 2 naps for the day, or if I get an earlier/later bedtime
has anyone got any suggestions for me or is it just a phase that will hopefully pass soon?!

OP posts:
givingupchocolatemonday · 11/02/2023 03:28

It will pass, it sounds like a sleep regression x

sunflowerandivy · 11/02/2023 13:10

We have a 12 month old doing this too. She always does it during a leap or when she's on the cusp of something, currently walking and chatting. Your routine sounds fine. What do you do with him when he wakes?

Original poster
Louloulou123 · 11/02/2023 13:50

sunflowerandivy · 11/02/2023 13:10

We have a 12 month old doing this too. She always does it during a leap or when she's on the cusp of something, currently walking and chatting. Your routine sounds fine. What do you do with him when he wakes?

nice to know it’s not just me!! Yes he’s suddenly started waving, clapping, pointing and he’s babbling a LOT so I think there’s a lot going on in his brain at the minute

I usually just sit with him, I leave him for a little bit, me and my partner tend to take an hour each and swap over. The walls in our house are so thin we can hear him everywhere so we both end up being awake which is a killer! I did take him downstairs last night as he would just not settle but apparently this is the worst thing I can do?!

OP posts:
sunflowerandivy · 19/02/2023 21:01

How are you getting on?
My split nights still ongoing.
This week it's been 4:30-6:00
2am-4am
2:45-4:30
2:30-4:30
It's hell. I tried moving to 1 nap over past few days but made no difference.

Original poster
Louloulou123 · 20/02/2023 04:37

We seem to have gone down to just one split night a week now but currently been awake an hour and a half tonight and no sign of going back off, got work at 6 so fun times!!!
these babies just want to kill us off.
have you tried a later bedtime?

OP posts:
Libmama · 20/02/2023 04:49

My DS who is now 4 went through this at just over a year old. Unfortunately it lasted a few months!!!
To begin with we used to take it in turns sitting in his room in the dark but we were both getting so tired from being up most of the night and we had an older DS too. One night I had enough and brought him into our bed and put the tv on some boring chat show. Me and DP could sleep and DS eventually got bored and fell asleep too!

RichTea63 · 29/11/2023 06:50

@Louloulou123 did this situation resolve itself, or anything in particular help? We're going through this with my 14mo and me and my partner are really struggling. The only difference with my lo is that when she is awake she is tired and often very distressed si clearly doesn't want to be awake! At wits end!

sunflowerandivy · 29/11/2023 10:34

Hiya.
Ours finally stopped split nights at around 16 months. I stopped breastfeeding (was forced to as I was unwell in hospital). But it took about 3 weeks after I stopped feeding. She was comfortably on 1 nap and she was eating well but I think it was just the passage of time

RichTea63 · 29/11/2023 14:43

sunflowerandivy · 29/11/2023 10:34

Hiya.
Ours finally stopped split nights at around 16 months. I stopped breastfeeding (was forced to as I was unwell in hospital). But it took about 3 weeks after I stopped feeding. She was comfortably on 1 nap and she was eating well but I think it was just the passage of time

@sunflowerandivy thank you for replying. When you stopped breast feeding did you settle in a different way? I think one of the reasons I've stuck with breastfeeding (which is mostly overnight) is that is the quickest way to resettle her and I don't want to lose that tool. I can't rock her as it kills my back, and she goes nuclear if you try to resettle her in the cot. I have also wondered if things will improve when she drops the second nap.

drad · 29/11/2023 16:40

We sleep trained at 10 months (pick up put down which sort of merged into controlled crying) so she always settled for naps and initial bedtime by herself but the middle of the night was a scream fest without feeding.

RichTea63 · 29/11/2023 21:26

drad · 29/11/2023 16:40

We sleep trained at 10 months (pick up put down which sort of merged into controlled crying) so she always settled for naps and initial bedtime by herself but the middle of the night was a scream fest without feeding.

So the weird thing is she can self settle 90% of the time....occasionally we have to lie next to the cot for her to fall asleep.....but in the night it's pure hysterics! I'm puzzled as to why she is so distressed. Lately even milk isn't settling her, and it's only after a couple of hours of being awake that she goes back to sleep.

drad · 30/11/2023 13:49

Yeah. Mine is 22 months now and only just started sleeping through but now won't settle herself anymore, We need to have a hand on her bottom. This is after 4 weeks where she refused cot and she'd go ape shit if we went near it. It's so up and down. Never easy with our one.

Original poster
Louloulou123 · 01/12/2023 09:57

Hiya, we still have them on and off unfortunately - it’s nowhere near as often but haven’t figured out anything that helps! I just tend to take him downstairs now and put the tv on if he’s not gone straight back off as I know it’ll be 4 hours till he’s back down 🤦🏼‍♀️

OP posts:
Mamoun · 08/03/2024 13:39

Any updates OP? Is the trend that there are fewer split nights confirming itself?

New posts on this thread. Refresh page