1 year old split nights

[Flipppperdippper]

Our 1 year old has started waking in the night and will not go back to sleep for hours.

We thought at first it might be when her routine was slightly off in the day eg sometimes she only naps for 40 mins all day but she’s also done it when her day time sleep has been ok and she’s had 1.5 hours or so.

She is usually ok at going to sleep, we have to sit with her til she nods off which can take anywhere between 5-30 mins but then she wakes any time between 12-4am and won’t go back to sleep for 2-5 hours.

We’ve been bringing her into our bed after maybe an hour of trying to settle her but the hours awake at night are killing us and throws her sleep off for the next day too as she sleeps late. When she is awake she isn’t crying, is chatty and happy to just lie there but will not sleep.

It’s driving us mad as she often drops off about an hour before our alarm goes off for work! Any ideas?

We’ve sort of tried sleep training but she just gets herself so worked up hysterically crying that we’re all up for hours anyway! Help!

I should add, she does sometimes self settle back after a wake up. So it’s not like she can’t do it.

I'd bring her straight into bed to maximise your chances of sleep, and be consistent on what time she gets up in the morning. Even if she's only just dropped off, get her up. It will be a hell of a day but if she's getting her total sleep for 24 hours in two blocks then she just isn't going to need to sleep between 2-5am for instance.

Thanks for your reply. We have been bringing her into our bed but it doesn't result in sleep, mainly us just getting kicked and pinched for hours on end!

She did it again last night, awake from 1-4:30am, and she only napped for 30 minutes at nursery yesterday. She seemed perfectly happy this morning when I woke her up though.

Everything I've read on split nights indicates it's often an undertiredness issue, but I can't see that this is the case. Yesterday her routine was:

7:15am wake
12:15 - 12:45pm nap at nursery
7pm bed
7:30pm fell asleep
1am woke up (had done a poo)
4:30am fell asleep again
7:30 woke her up for nursery

Anyone else got any suggestions?! I'm dying at work this morning!

Hopefully it is a phase and will pass very soon. Could you take her out in the car or push in the pram, possible transfer / make her sleepy again , if she likes the motion might lull her back to sleep x

I agree, she doesn't need less sleep. Interesting she pooed in the night, maybe she's got a sensitive stomach and waking because of that? Is there any link between what she's had for tea and if she wakes? As typically they aren't pooing overnight at her age (wees yes of course!) x

My youngest did this. She had reflux which was caused by a gluten intolerance which we figured out when we saw a specialist for her reflux aged 4.

She sleeps through the night now.

obviously, don’t cut anything out of her diet without seeking medical advice. My LO still has gluten as we want to avoid becoming coeliac but the Dr advised us on how to manage her diet.

If it is dietary related, there will be other symptoms I imagine - mucusy poo, constipation / diarrhoea, reflux

just mentioning as I had no idea that her night wakings were linked to what she was eating.

hope it improves for both of you soon xx

Hmm she does have a milk allergy and has had a few explosions when we've tried new foods on the milk ladder but it doesn't seem to link in any way to the night wakings. She does poo at night at least once a week though and I wonder if the changing her wakes her up properly and makes it harder for her to get back to sleep. Not sure what I can do about that though

Have you kept a good diary at all?

We were recommended to begin with cutting dairy and soy (soy has a similar make up to dairy and lots of children also react to this if they’re reacting to dairy). I kept a diary of her symptoms and food and it was really obviously gluten which was causing the problem for us.

Is your daughter having foods with soy in it? The Dr we saw said we needed to cut both but I know not all Drs mention soy.

I'm not a Dr but realise how hard it is to live and parent when you are just so tired!

good luck!