Help us PLEASE!!?

Question

Our 18 month old will not sleep through the night. He should be shouldn't he? We've let him cry, but it doesn't work b/c he is not in a crib, but in a bed. So he just gets out of bed and goes to the living room and cry's untill one of us goes and gets him. Can someone gives us some tips on getting him to sleep all night.

He's NEVER slept in a crib. I don't know if he's closterphobic or what, but we've never been able to put him in a crib or playpen. He just cries for hours and ends up waking himself right up. As a tiny baby he slept in his stroller.

He can open his door, so if we shut it he just opens it. I haven't breast fed him since November, and he's been on a night time routine since he was 6 months old. I don't uderstand what I'm doing wrong

Answer 1

Your son will know when you are not ready to be serious. I breastfed for 19 months and when I decided to let it go it was cold turkey. It took a few nights of a new routine and not giving in.
Routine is a number way to get him to sleep thru the night. While I breastfed my daughter would get up for that boob at least once a night. I couldn't take it anymore , I needed a whole night of sleep. Be consistent. Follow thru . Start the nightly routine with a warm bath, then a nice story, no tv or any other stressful activity. Maybe you can also introduce him to a bear that he can sleep with and keep it around him wherever he is so that he can get close to it so that at bedtime he has a companion.

I hope this helps.

Answer 2

At 18 months he should be sleeping through the night. If this is a recent problem he's probably not feeling well. Does he look like he's hurting, or puts his hands to his ears? He might have an ear infection. Prevent this by not giving him sugary juices or milk at night. Take his temperature, see if he has a fever or is ill. If he has to go to bed with a bottle give him water. If the crib is new, he's probably not used to it. Take him to bed and lay down with him for a little bit until he sleeps. Let him know that is his room and he should sleep there. Put a night light in the room if he doesn't already have one or play music softly for him. Hope that helps.

Answer 3

My son is 18 monhs and doesn't sleep in a crib either, he just has gotten too big and gets cramped. Anyhow, I had the same problem as you. The only thing that has worked so far is to make sure his little belly is full of solid food when he goes down to sleep and let him know that he has a sippy cup (or bottle if he uses them) of water nearby that he can drink if he wakes up. We make believe that it's magic water in his special magic cup to make him sleep, we call it sleepy water. It sounds silly and over his head but the more dramatic I am about it, the better it works. He now sleeps through the night about five nights a week.

Answer 4

I am so sorry. I don't know what to do, the only thing I can say is, don't worry that he should be sleeping regularly by this time, a little girl I know (she is 4) has never slept through the night, I hope that doesn't scare you. I don't know what you could do...does he nap a lot? If he does you could reduce his nap times so he would be tired, someone told me once that warm milk helps too, and warm bath before bed maybe...I really don't know. I hope you can get some sleep, you really need it, I am so sorry I cannot be of any more help than this. Sorry, and good luck.

Answer 5

Have you heard of the Ferber method? Not letting them cry all night,but in short intervals. Check on them every 5 mins or so but don't talk or pick them up. In the case that he can get out of his bed and room it may be harder. But I would try the crib again.He's alittle young to be in a bed. It may be hard at first,but a few nights are better than a few years of this!!!

Answer 6

When my daughter was at that age, she did the same exact thing. This is going to be tough I promise and it will tear you apart to do it, but here's what needs to be done. We had to put her to bed, in her own bed and evertime she got out, put her straight back. If she cried, she cried. It broke my heart to see my child feeling so much pain, but if you don't stop this now, your child will be sleeping with you as they get older and Mommy and Daddy time goes out the window. Also if you can get a crib and lower it all the way and leave him in there and just let him "cry it out" ( i know tough love) he'll fall asleep when he gets worn out. It's gonna be tough and draining and for a few nights, it's going to feel like you can't do it anymore, but be strong, if not for your child, but more importantly for yourself. Good luck! and I hope I was helpful in some way!

Answer 7

yeah-- if he can't even sleep through the night-- he should not be in a "big boy" bed...
My son was about 3 months when he slept on his own and in his crib... he is now 2- and just recently got his regular bed. And he does crawl out of it, and comes to the living room- but you just have to put him back in, the first time say: goodnight, I love you. Second time say: goodnight, it's bed time. Third time say: nothing. Just put him in bed and don't say anything.

Answer 8

Ahh, I miss the good old days of an insomniac toddler...
Not!

At 1-1/2, they're getting too old to be in a crib. They'd just climb out of it anyways. What we did was to place a few nightlights around and have a CD player playing some smooth classical music at a low volume. It offers enough stimulus to keep him occupied and get him to stay in bed, but just enough soothing qualities to knock him out. Reading to him helps alot. We read all sorts of books (still do) to ours to help set up a nighttime routine. What helps too, is for you to keep quiet for a bit after he goes down. Your little one is hearing all the noise outside his room and he wants a piece of the action.

Answer 9

my daughter had this problem and we just got her to quit waking up and she is 18 months old also. We have learned to ignore her, of course she is still in the crib, but we have to just let her cry. The first week or so I wanted to pull my hair out and my husbands too, but we stayed strong and now she doesnt wake up at all. Have you tried a gate in his doorway(unless its upstairs)? Put a night lite in his room and the gate in the doorway, my friends had to do this. Good luck and I hope this helps.

Answer 10

Put him in his room and shut the door so if he gets out of bed he can't go any where.
He knows if he cries long enough you will come and get him. If he is left in his room and no one comes for him he will eventually learn to go to sleep in his own bed.
My son just turned 2 years old and sleeps in a bed. I have a night light on in his room so he doesn't get scared and then we shut the door. He cries for a little bit and then goes to sleep. We have found him on the floor of his room on occasion. We check on him in the middle of the night and cover him up in bed.

Hope this has helped.