13 month old sleeps in a sitting up position. Help!

NDarya

My DS was never a good sleeper. We sleep trained him at 7,5 months and had a couple of months of true blessing. Around 9,5 months we had to do some international travels (work related) and since then night sleep was practically nonexistent. DS was up every hour or two. A week ago we decided to retrain him. We do Ferber method. I knew the older they get the harder it is but I didn't expect that kind of issue at all. 

We have established routine: reading, nursing, singing lullabies, rocking a little bit, crib. On the first night of training DS cried maybe 10 minutes and after that he just sat up and "fell asleep". He was rocking back and forth trying to get comfy but never laid down. We went in and laid him down like 10 times but every time he got up in a sitting position. In the middle of the night he gets frustrated (who wouldn't?) and starts whining. We figured that eventually he exhausts himself and falls down which happens for a couple of hours but then he is back sitting up again. It's been 4 nights already and I'm at my wits end. Separation anxiety, teething, stubbornness?!

Has anybody experienced smth like that? Any advice would be highly appreciated. And sorry for a long post. 

LisaLisa1980

I've been pretty vocal about how I feel about sleep training here I think -- I don't believe in it. I really believe they'll get there on their own. DS went through months of horrible sleep but there's no way CIO or anything else would have worked because he's a screamer. (Obviously this is my opinion & no way a diss at you.)

The past 2 weeks DS has finally learned to fall asleep without being held. It takes awhile to get him there but still a big improvement!! We lay him down and rub his back/hold his hand. If he cries/ screams, we ignore him. Only give attention when he lays down to encourage that behavior. You could try a more gentle approach like that? Maybe even adding a blanket or stuffed animal.

NDarya

DS has two stuffed animals in his crib but he doesn't care about that stuff (sigh!). I never let him cry more than 10-15 minutes at a time. And I do pat his back to help him fall asleep. It worked before but now I really don't know what to do. He just sits in his crib (the whole night!) and clearly doesn't get good sleep. He doesn't even cry. He just whines when reaches the point of exhaustion. If I or DH put him down he gets back up. 

=Lee=B

If he is falling asleep in the sitting position I would leave him.  There is no need to lie him down.  Once he gets used to putting himself to sleep (even sitting) he will start to find a better way to fall asleep (ie. lying down).  If he is capable of sleeping sitting up then let him.  By going in to constantly lie him down you have trained him that if he sits then you come back in...so of course he stays sitting.

He won't sit up forever.  It will seem like it to you...but he won't.

I do home daycare and one of my little ones (12months when she started) sat for the full nap, twice a day for 9 weeks.  Zero tears, zero fussing just sat...in a trace like state.  She would doze off, shake her head awake and sit.  It sucked to leave her...but after the 9 weeks she lied herself down and now does two 2hr naps a day...solid naps.  She just needed that time for what ever reason to finally start lying herself down.  Obviously if she were screaming then I'd have approached it differently, but she was calm.  But, if I went in to lie her down over and over I am quite certain she would not have moved on to having solid naps as she would have become reliant on my going in to lie her down.

ashiscute

I agree with PPs.  Let him sleep sitting up.  If he's uncomfortable he'll change how he is sleeping.  I would not go in unless he was crying.  

And don't feel bad about sleep training.  All kids go through funks where they don't sleep well.  

carriesu2003

I just wanted to say that I didn't know this was something babies did and I think it is hysterical/fascinating all at once.