My daughter is 14 mnth old+is still wakin each nite.oly for bout10mins but it wearing me out.any ideas?

Question

I have tried every i can think of to help her sleep better and after 14 months of waking up with her everynite its starting to take its toll. i have3 children,i'm working and studying full time so my sleep is important and i'm now starting to struggle a bit. any ides would be appreciated! x

Answer 1

Fresh air.
take her for longer walks...everyday.
More interactive exercise...
not just the bouncer...
take her swimming
get her on the floor pushing cars and toys,
laughing with face making and with good tickles.

It's better to have her used to an activity before dinner, than an activity in the middle of the night.

Answer 2

Establish a bedtime routine and stick to it. Give your baby a bath, have a last nursing session or bottle, read a story, say a personal, meaningful goodnight to each of your baby's stuffed animals. It doesn't really matter what your ritual is, as long as it's soothing, not stimulating, and you're consistent.

Maybe your baby has already developed a special attachment to a stuffed animal or a blanket. If so, use it. If not, try to foster such an attachment by carrying around the blanket (or whatever) as you go through your routine.

Put your baby in her crib when she is sleepy but still awake. Your baby needs to learn how to get herself to sleep. If she becomes accustomed to falling asleep while you are nursing her, rocking her, patting her back and/or singing your sweetest lullaby, she'll be put out (to put it mildly) if she/he wakes in the night and that comfort is gone. If your child cries when put to bed awake, don't pick her/him up!

Some experts advise you to stay in the room so your baby doesn't panic, thinking she's/he's been deserted. Others advise leaving the room but returning at regular intervals (five to ten minutes is commonly suggested), to speak softly to her, rub her back briefly (but don't take her out of the crib!) and then leave again. You'll have to decide which approach works best for you and your baby.

If she/he wakes during the night and cries, go to her, but don't pick her up. Do a quick diaper change (preferably with her still in the crib) if you have to, then settle her/him back down and leave the room. Repeat the process of going back into her room every ten minutes or so, until she falls asleep on her own. If you stick to this routine religiously for three to four nights, she should cry a little less each night and then finally, learn to settle herself into a long, peaceful slumber.

Some people will try to make you feel guilty about sleep-training your baby by trying to convince you that getting up several times a night is just part of being a parent. Don't let them! Remind yourself that it's very difficult to be the calm, patient and loving parent you want to be during the day when you're chronically sleep deprived.

My daughter never slept (she's 19 now) but even after all those years, I know exactly what you are feeling hon. Check what the baby is doing BEFORE bedtime, that is key, check the stuff you allow the baby to drink, even baby drinks sometimes have stimulants. and foods.nothing that will keep baby up. I found with my daughter that keeping a routine (which included a buggy ride before bedtime,), checking those things already listed helped a great deal...
try www.sleepingbabyhappybaby.com

Answer 3

this is hard but works - you need to leave her to cry - if she is only waking for 10 minutes this has just become habit. I had this problem and was advised to let her cry, its hard as you've got other children but if you preserver she will eventually realise that it serves no use waking as no-one will come. Start by warning the other children that she might cry. then when she wakes, let her cry, if she does not settle after about 5 minutes go to her and quietly reassure her, lay her down and sooth her, but dont pick her up. You need to continue this every 5 minutes or so until she falls asleep. It will be hard for you to leave her but if you are consistent with this for a few nights it works. She will come to realise that you are there if need but that she will not be cuddled or picked up as it is night time and this is sleep time. Good luck I remember it well, it works and you will all get some sleep permanently after a night or two X

Answer 4

Firstly...congrats!!! You have so much on your plate it's a wonder how you cope when she's sleeping :-) My eldest was a nightmare and I had her in my bed until she was 18 months old, boy was I shattered! With my second, I made sure she was fed and changed and everytime she woke to see if I was there, I would go in and check her again. It was hard but I managed to leave her a little longer every time until she got into my routine instead of her own. It seemed like a lifetime to me but she was sleeping through the night after only two weeks. Hope it works out for you and good luck with the studying.

Answer 5

If she wakes let her cry, at least you know she is safe in her cot, you will just have to try using the control crying method, it's usually at bed time that it's used but, it works in the same way, if you don't go to her she may cry for a bit longer but after a few days it will get shorter and shorter until it stops.
I know it's hard not to go running in as I've had to stop the wife from doing it since the wee man arrived a year ago, but he will sleep 9-10 hours straght every night since 6 months old.
Might give a wee cry, but it's only because they are dreaming.

Answer 6

Hi Kimmy, first of all , let me tell you that I know how you feel ! It doesn't take 14 months to wear you out , I was worn out after 8 ! lol

There could be a million and one reasons that your daughter is waking up at night.. but since you say that she's only waking for a few minutes, my suggestion is that she is simply not able to soothe herself back to sleep.

No child sleeps entirely though a night, don't allow any parent to tell you that one does. What makes the difference between parents who THINK their child is sleeping all night and a parent who KNOWS that their child isn't sleeping all night is the child's ability to self soothe.

All children under the age of 5 wake approximately EVERY 2-3 hours at night. It may only be for a few seconds, and then they go back to sleep, or they may wake for a longer period and want their mother or father, or anything else that comforts them.

What I would suggest, is that when she wakes up, go in and put her back down on her bed. Lay her on her pillow, cover her with her blanket and then leave the room without saying anything. Give her little to no stimulation at all. Do not turn on the light, do not talk to her, do not linger and rub her back, do not look back when you leave the room.

She's staying awake because she knows that she's going to get something out of it. She's going to get to cuddle with her mommy, she's going to get a song.. she's getting something that she likes. Stop giving it to her. It will be hard on the both of you for a few days, because she's going to cry.. but don't give in. The reward later is going to be 2 fold. You're going to get some much needed sleep, and she is going to learn to help herself.

Good Luck !

Answer 7

I understand how it feels with three children to take care of , job and all that. As you know it is normal for babies to wake up during the night. But getting up just once, and that too briefly shows that the baby is real good unlike other babies who keep their mother awake almost whole night. Find out the reason why the baby is waking up and if you solve that : like for food, you can feed it more before putting the baby in the bed or craddle so that he/she can have a peaceful sleep and allow you to get your sleep too.

Answer 8

sorry to be the barer of bad news but it is possible that your struggling is affecting how secure she feels, if a baby feels insecure she will want you to reassure her. in my opinion the worst thing you could do would be to leave her crying. this doesn't teach her that it is an inappropriate time to be awake, it teaches her that her mummy wont be there for her when she needs her. and she will stop crying but in will be because she is defeated and not because she is contented. I know what i want for my children.

Also you know that it will probably change again soon. if you can make time before she goes down to just be close and quiet it might help her waking (might all kids are so different aren't they).

Good luck and bare with it!

Answer 9

Try and keep her up as long as you can during the day then give her a warm bath then a bottle before she goes to bed see if works. And never let her fall asleep in your arms put her down in her cot and let her fall asleep it worked for me i have 2 children aged 7 months and an 8 year old and it worked both times try it.

Answer 10

Also worth trying is what I used with my daughter. Allow your daughter three minutes of crying then go settle her. Keep the lights low, make very little fuss, talk little, etc. If she fusses wait five minutes this time before going in. Repeat same settling down procedure. Next time wait eight minutes. Gradually your daughter will learn that although you will come eventually, there is very little to be gained in the way of attention! Good luck.