How can I get my 10 1/2 month old to sleep better???

Question

He wakes up all night!!! The other night he woke up 11 times between 10pm and 6am. He only takes 1-2 naps during the day 1 around 10am for maybe a hour and then again around 4pm for an hour. I try and let him cry/scream but he bothers the other kids. I hate it because the 1st half hour-hour after waking up in the morning to get the other kids ready for school I am real grumpy and it bites cause I know I am and I try not to be but every little thing pisss me off and I feel bad for my other boys. My other kids didnt sleep like this. And to top it off I am 8 months pregnant due Jan 21. Me taking naps during the day really isnt an option because the other kids in school in sports and other after school activies. My husband works 6-7days a week. The doctor dosent seem to think there is anything wrong with his sleep patterns.

*He is breast fed
*He eats baby/table food

Did he used to sleep better? Before he 1st started teething he slept all the time once he started teething he kept the sleeping pattern from the teething even though he wasnt teething anymore.
Has his diet changed? It has increased but not much
Do you breastfeed? yes
Has where he sleeps changed?no he has always slept in his crib in his room
Is daddy gone more now than he used to be? He just started a new job but before he was gone just as much
Have things gotten worse since you started talking about the baby? I dont think so
When he was smaller did he often sleep in a swing or boucy chair?He had a lot of croup so he slept in a swing sometimes only when he was croupy
Did he used to nap more during the day?no
Will he nap in the stroller?Only if we are gone for a long time

Is he getting enough exercise/stimulation during the day, or is he more sedentary now that you (may be) are habing more trouble getting around?We play all the time I am hoping that it will tire him out but we play a lot.
Has he started doing something new: walking, crawling, etc. He is standing and trying to walk


He dosent eat sugary foods or anything like that.

Answer 1

Well waking every hour his a bit much, waking 2-5 times a night at that age is more normal (So is sleeping through the night).

I hear that you are overwhelmed, I understand. I recommend you read the pages on this site: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070100.asp

They usually help me. I can't really tell you why your baby is waking based on what you have said.

You can request that your son be screened for allergies, this is done via a blood test for small children, it isn't 100% accurate, but it may help.

This is so hard to answer I don't really have the information I need (Please do not take any of these questions as a criticism, I am just trying to get some information, I have a few suggestions for most of these if you answer yes, but it is too much to get into):

Did he used to sleep better?
Has his diet changed?
Do you breastfeed?
Has where he sleeps changed?
Is daddy gone more now than he used to be?
Have things gotten worse since you started talking about the baby?
When he was smaller did he often sleep in a swing or boucy chair?
Did he used to nap more during the day?
Will he nap in the stroller?
Is he getting enough exercise/stimulation during the day, or is he more sedentary now that you (may be) are having more trouble getting around?
Has he started doing something new: walking, crawling, etc?

I'll check back later.

Answer 2

Are you letting him have any sugary treats during the latter part of the day? How about drinks with red food coloring or caffeine? I find that if I let my son have either in the evening, it is near impossible to get him to go to sleep, let alone sleep all through the night. Also, try getting your son to nap around 2 or 3 pm instead of 4. If my son takes a nap that late, he won't sleep. I hope this helps in some way because I am also pregnant (7-months) with a 21-month-old. He only takes one nap a day now, and it's at 2 pm, so it doesn't affect his nights. Good luck!!

Answer 3

Of course the doctor will say that but i tell you what, this is what i do and some parents may think this is wrong but when you go through what i went through with my 1st u might consider it. I have an 11 month old son and a 3 yr old daughter and i did this with both and it didn't hurt anything. After my son had his first cold, you know runny nose cough congestion he wouldn't sleep well so i called his doctor and told him that he was congested again could he prescribe something and he does everytime. I love cong. med. cause it makes them drowsy. It really did help both my kids sleep. Still does and my son doesn't get colds often anymore. Now I don't give it to him all the time don't get me wrong here only when he has been having a hard time sleeping and only for no more than a week. I do that because i don't want his body to depend on that medicine. Let me know if i've helped you.

Answer 4

There are a bunch of things you should have started doing 5 months ago to establish a routine., but it is never late.
I think the main ones are.
1) bath every night before going to bed.
2) a lot of physical activity during the day to get the baby tired.
3) put the baby in the crib awake before he has to fall asleep, read him a book, play soothing music, and talk to him.
4) a good feeding before going to bed, after the bath.
5) lots of light when baby is napping during the day as well as background noise.
6) avoid eye contact the last minutes the baby is falling asleep or when he wakes up during then night.

ok I hope you do o try some of these tips.

Answer 5

Well, I work at a daycare in the nursery room, and for a fact i know about these sleeping changing patterns, what i do is try to make them accommodate to the old one again by not letting them sleep when they are sleepy, but actually letting them sleep when its their time to sleep in the old schedule, it will be win-win situation since you will make them really sleepy and will sleep all the way through at night and also it will make them adjust to the old schedule.

Answer 6

Routine...routine...routine.

Our son had the same problem after the teething started. He is right at 10 months and what helped was the same bedtime routine every night.

Bath
Bottle (We add a little bit of rice cereal)
Bed