Nighttime issues

leowife1110 · April 2015

hello all! DD is 16 months old. She's extremely active. She does great with naps and bed time, most times she grabs her blanket and tells DH and I when she's ready for bed. The problem is at night time. She goes down at around 8-830 and sleepy until 130-2am and gets up. She just wants to be held. She isn't drinking and her room is cozy. She wan be passed out asleep in our arms and we go to put her in her crib and she screams. We've tried letting her CIO but that's not working because she will cry for a good 30 mins. Any ideas for us? TIA!

rspalding001 · April 2015

How long has this been going on for? Maybe its teething or a cold? Our daughter is also 16 months and will do this sometimes. I usually end up taking her to a guest bedroom so I'm not standing up by her crib all night. But its a one-off thing, not all the time. have you tried not picking her up when you go in but just shushing her and patting her until she settles back down? sometimes she just wants to know I'm there and will lay down but then look up every few minutes to make sure I'm still there until she falls asleep (this can take a while). Maybe find a chair to sit in near her crib until she gets used to the idea of falling back to sleep? I don't know really but I wish you luck!

MWoodside · April 2015

Bring her to bed with you. She probably just wants to be close to you. My 22 month old does this same thing. SHe is no longer nursing, but she still wakes sometime btw 2-4am to come cuddle and fall back asleep in my bed with my arm around her. I know it can seem really annoying right now, but this time is so fleeting. I will miss it when she is ready to sleep by herself all night, every night.

SharonB222 · April 2015

Oh, that's not expected and normal?

My DD did this and my DS now does this. In my household it's normal. And like most everything else will pass. When DD got her molars at 14m we started partial co-sleeping, with DS at birth we started partial co-sleeping... If they will tolerate it, they stay in crib or bed all night long, if not then they start in crib and join us in bed at the middle-of-the-night wake up (which is 3am if DS is well, but earlier if he has a cold or is teething). Now DD is 3.5 yrs so we have a clock which changes color when she can come "find me". Typically she stays in bed all night are joins me an hour before wake-up time which suits me just fine. I was just reading a sleep book from the library which suggested it has to be one way or the other, but obviously I still believe it can be both and blend the ideas I get from modified CIO/co-sleeping --- we do both based on the child's cues (light fussing, squirming vs. forceful arching, crying). If it seems DS is in a "bad habit" of waking at a certain time, we take the weekend nights to sooth him through it in different ways (e.g. back into crib, daddy providing comfort, not mommy). For my children I am a fan of touch when putting DS in the crib - no talk, but a hand lightly on his back for 2-5 minutes will often do the trick (this works when we move him from the car to the crib during naptime also). Good luck!

leowife1110 · April 2015

We have a 3 month old also so bringing her to bed with us isn't a great option because if I get up to feed the baby then DD will wake up. My husband works nights so he isn't home at night :-/

SharonB222 · April 2015

If I were young and/or a SAHM, I'd get up every night and spend the time to put her in the crib (with an in-crib back rub, etc.). If I were old and/or a FT WAFM (work away from home with-no-nap-room mom) with no DH resource, I'd lay a big sheet on the floor and co-sleep there between the kids.

You'll figure out what works for you, and/or your DD will get through this stage! (soon!)

JoDoc · April 2015

leowife1110 I am in the same boat as you right now. I have twin boys, almost 17 months. 1 of them has woken at 1am every night for well over a month. We have tried cry-it-out, we have tried bringing him to bed with us (he fidgets all night long, not allowing us to sleep), we have tried holding him, we have tried not holding him, we have tried sitting in a chair near his crib, we have tried laying on the floor in his room...you name it, we've tried it and it is NOT getting better. I tell you this only so you know you truly are NOT alone, my husband and I are with you in this struggle. If you come up with an idea that works, PLEASE, PLEASE let me know, and I'll do the same!

Hughesy1503 · April 2015

I had this same issue with my son around the same time .. fought it by letting him sleep in guest room with me -- finally gave in to moving him out of the crib into his own bed .. problem was solved immediately but broke my heart he was no longer a "baby"

SharonB222 · April 2015

@Hughesy1503, that is interesting as the "popular" advice I read says keep 'em in a crib as long as possible. Kudos for navigating what worked for your babe. It's doubly interesting b/c just today my DS (16.5m) was laying down in DD's twin bed - and I felt like he was saying - "I want to sleep like this!" Still, we'll keep him in the crib (at least for the onset of the night) for a couple more months at ... or maybe not... hmm... I was considering having the kids co-sleep in some fashion when DS is 18m... hmm... I guess time will tell.

Want a personalized experience?

Nighttime issues

Re: Nighttime issues

Choose Another Board

Search Boards