Toddler sleep help! Long

I desperately need some ideas for how to get DD back to sleeping normally. She's almost 16 months and for the passed week and a half nights just keep getting worse.

Since she was tiny, I would nurse her, we would sing a little song, and put her in the crib at night and she would go down with no more than a little fussing. If she woke at night (which she usually did) I would nurse her for maybe 15 minutes and she'd go back in the crib fine.

Well, now she screams as soon as I put her down unless she's in a really deep sleep. Unless she's exhausted at the end of the day and she passes out nursing, it can take 1-2 hours to get her to sleep. Then she's waking most nights and again it takes me at least 1-2 hours to get her into a deep enough sleep to put her in the crib. Her screams usually vary between: I need mommy, I want to walk, I need to eat, I want daddy, need to get up, and on and on.

I've tried letting her cry to an extent, the progressive CIO, giving her a sippy of milk, rubbing her belly for 45 minutes while she screamed, having DH get her, rocking. I've never been a fan of CIO but at this point I would try it since picking her up isn't really helping. The problem there is she just started getting up in the crib since she has a motor delay and she really doesn't know how to lay herself back down. It doesn't sound like it should be that hard but when you think about how big a 16 month old is in the crib there's not a lot of space for her to learn.

Thankfully she's still going down for her naps fine but I'm at a loss about what to do with her at night. My plan at this point is not to let her nap more than 2.5 hours (some days I have to wake her up after 3-3.5 hours) and to shorten her bedtime routine. We always read books before bed but lately after a few she just wants to play with them and doesn't seem to be settling down. I just don't know what else to do. Sorry this is so long. Any advice would be great!

Re: Toddler sleep help! Long

Is she taking 1 nap or 2? I would keep her to 1 nap and try to make it earlier in the day (my DD was an awful napper, but a pretty good night sleeper). Maybe you could even let her take the full nap, and just push the bedtime a little later on the day she takes a long nap? I remember reading in the Dr. Sears baby book that sleep gets more sleep...so maybe she needs a long nap during the day to not be overtired, and maybe that will help her fall into a deeper sleep at night.

If it were me, I'd try to correct the middle of the night waking before changing the bedtime routine too much. If you nurse her to sleep now, I'd keep doing that, but def don't do it overnight (I remember cutting out the overnight feeding, and it wasn't easy, and I did cave a few times if DD was otherwise unconsolable).

I hate CIO, but I did do it for the overnight waking. Luckily for us, it only took a few nights before DD got the hint that I wasn't coming. I think you shouldn't go in at all unless she's standing up, and even then, just go in, lay her back down, (I always said something consoling, but just 1 sentence) and leave again. Even if you have to do it a bunch of times for her to get the hint that there is no other option but to lay down.

Re: Toddler sleep help! Long

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Re: Toddler sleep help! Long

Re: Toddler sleep help! Long

Toddler sleep help! Long

i don't have any advice, but am dealing with similar issues! DS is almost 19 months - he does not want to go to sleep at night. He is turning into a horrible sleeper and will wake up at least once any time from 2 am to 6 am and all he wants is me :( I am really hoping its a stage because i don't know what to do either at this point and i need to sleep!!

Toddler sleep help! Long

I think it's a phase - my DS who just turned 17 months has been doing this for a couple of weeks. He's had a double ear infection and is teething but, he seems to be having a lot of separation anxiety as well - he'll lie in his bed awake in a sleeping position if he can see that I"m still in the room but, the second I leave he pops up and freaks out.

Re: Toddler sleep help! Long

It is really tough when they are so persistent!! Does she have a lovey or a favorite little stuffed animal that she can take with her to bed? DD has a lamb "Baba" that she can't do anything without! So when she's being difficult, I'll tell her that Baba really wants to do xyz. Or before bed ill tell her that Baba is really tired and needs her to lay down with him, etc. This usually works, and now she even makes us give him a little blanket. She's 2 though, so I think it's easier to reason with her now than it was at 16 months.

Since going in doesn't seem to help, I think your 2 options are either cold turkey CIO or just keep doing what you're doing and hopefully she'll grow out of it in a few months when she's older and can understand & reason better. I would try the CIO, but I don't think I'd let it go on for days. IMO, if it doesn't work/improve after the first few nights, it's not going to work.

Toddler sleep help! Long

Thanks ladies. As much as it sucks, it's good to hear she's not the only one doing this. I just hope this phase ends very soon bc I'm really getting frustrated and tired.

Re: Toddler sleep help! Long