My son is almost a year old and has never slept through the night. Any suggestions?

Question

My son has never slept through the night and is almost a year old. I have been told that I need to let him learn to put himself back to sleep but check on him every 15 minutes or so when he wakes up crying. So far it hasn't worked. When I have attempted it he is usually crying standing up in his crib, sees me and then he cries harder. He has dinner and a bottle pretty close to bed time each night so I don't think hes hungry. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Maybe hes thirsty. Dont give milk only water,if you give milk then he will expect it all the time and keep waking. I had troubles with my son and that seemed to work. Keep at it and it will happen.

Answer 2

For one thing, it might help to stop checking on him every 15 minutes...(If it'll ease your Mommy feelings, you might want to put some kind of small video monitor in his room so that you can 'see' him without actually letting him know he has your attention.) If he sees you, OF COURSE he is going to start to cry harder! He knows that it will make you more likely to pay him attention. Also, you probably don't want to feed him RIGHT before bed...that can keep the little darlings awake, too.

It helps to have a very consistent bedtime routine....same order of doing things every night, cuddle time with Mommy....

You have no idea how much touch can help a person's sleep, BTW. I've worked in nursing homes, and I'm tellin' you that just a 5-minute backrub can make the difference between people sleeping through the night or lying awake for most of it.

Try this routine for 2-3 weeks; and if he still doesn't sleep, it's probably time to call the doctor. It might be some kind of medical issue that's keeping your son awake.

I jalso wonder if maybe he's not getting enough exercise....not to insult your intelligence or anything, but sometimes that's why people have trouble sleeping.

Answer 3

You are actually the problem.
You really need to not check him that often, he knows you're going to be there so, no, it's not going change until you do some changing.
I know it's going to hard at first and yes, he's going to cry.
It will probably take a week or so for him to figure it out but it will get easier.
When you put him to bed, don't go back. If and when you do check him, wait at least 1 - 2 hours don't let him see you.
Get a baby monitor, that way you can still hear that he's doing just fine. The crying will subside with time.

Answer 4

You must be absolutely exhausted! His restlessness could be an indicator of many things:

1) Avoid giving infants cow's milk directly and limit access to cow's milk. Breast milk was made for the job, and unless there is medical reason for why it can't be used, then it is all that should be used.
2) Is he comfortable- check the mattress in his crib and the materials of pillows etc.
3) You haven't mentioned how he reacts without your company at other times- does he at a similar way during the day if you aren't nearby?
4) Does he have a particular toy that comforts him that he misses during the night?
5) Are his sleeping quarters too warm/too cold?
6) I personally wouldn't feed him close to bed time.

He will get better, in the meanwhile make sure you have the support of your family to ensure you get a good night's rest at least once in a while.

Answer 5

try warm milk... or maybe his cold... a baby sleeping bag is good to fix that... i had same with my daughter and found that the littlest bit of sugar was keeping her awake.... now no sugar after 7.30pm... and cut right down during the day...worked for me... goodluck

Answer 6

Just show him how much you love him!! And you could sing him a song or read him a storie before he sleeps! That should work!!!

Answer 7

Bring him into bed with you.