My 19 month old is still up through the night?

Question

My son is still up constantly through the night he wont settle in his own bed and ends up in mine. He is still unsettled in my bed and constantly wakes and drinks 3-4 beakers of juice. Ive tried leaving him cry but he just makes himself bad. Help I need sleep and my bed back

Answer 1

I may not be your best source of advice, since myt 18 m/o still wakes at night, but with that caveat aside, here goes :-)

First off, juice at night is a bad idea. It will wake him up! So, stick to water. Only water.

Crying it out (CIO) never really works, except that it may teach your child that you won't always come when he needs you. So it may solve the symptom, but not the problem.

With my first daughter (who is now 7) she had trouble sleeping through the night at that age, so I had a night-light near her bed and told her that when the night-light was on, she couldn't wake me up. But that when it was off, it was OK. I had the nightlight on one of those plug-in timers and it was set to go 'off' when it was time for us to wake up in the morning.

I have had excellent suggestions from Elizabeth Pantley's book "The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Young Children". I highly recommend this book.

In particular, I would not worry about the co-sleeping. I personally believe that co-sleeping is an EXCELLENT way to teach a child to sleep. You see, sleep is not an innate skill... we actually need to 'learn' it, and children have different sleep patterns than adults. So by co-sleeping, you are not only giving him comfort, but you are also also modelling good sleeping.

Next, make sure everyone is comfortable. Perhaps a child-size bed pushed right up next to yours is a good idea? Is the sleeping area warm/cold enough? Is there a problem with teething (2 y/o molars perhaps?)? Other health problems?

Next, why isn't he going back to sleep? Does he need help with that? I got one of those 'white noise' things that can sound like ocean beaches, waterfalls, heartbeats, etc. It turns out that my 18 m/o can usually put herself back to sleep with the sound of the ocean beach.

Also, what is he doing during the day? Does he get enough exercise?

There are no easy answers, but there are a lot of tips and solutions you can use to help him sleep better. I am sure that within the next 6 months or so you will be there. (It may seem long now... but believe me in 2 years you will have forgotten this period!)

Good luck!

Answer 2

u need more backbone, so basically u need to be a little more consistant with him.

maybe he is sleeping too much during the day. so decrease his nap time by 15 minutes each day, until u get to a time that he is waking up less at night.

don't give him juice @ night because the it could create tooth decay. too much during the day is no good either. give him water.

let him cry it out, the crying only lasts for about a few days and after that he will become accostomed. i suggest u try this part on a day that u don't need to go anywhere for a few days. if u work, wait for a 3 day weekend.

Answer 3

determine which you have a series recurring so as that your son can comprehend that that is mattress time. you could positioned a transportable video above his mattress and positioned a video for him to sleep to. I 've tried each little thing too, I certainly have a 2 year old and he nevertheless wakes up 5 nights a week a minimum of as quickly as a night, some toddler's prefer greater convenience than others. Now all he desires is for me to hold his hand for a jiffy than he's wonderful. carry in there.

Answer 4

My son is almost three years old and still wakes up at night screaming to get into my bed. I dont give him juice or food when he wakes up because that teaches them that if they wake up at a certain time then they will drink/food.
Its ok to let him cry for awhile...but not for hours. If he gets out of his bed and keeps coming in with you pick him up back up and say to him "its bed time" and lay him back in his bed, tuck him in and leave. Dont say anything else but that. sooner or later he wil understand that he needs to sleep in his bed. If after a few weeks that is not working, you can try what I did. When that wouldnt work for my son, I brought his bed next to mine and would put him to sleep on it. I would lay him in his bed, cover him up and sit on mine while he went to sleep. He stopped waking up screaming all night long and trying to get on my bed. Now he will sleep in his bed all night.
It will be hard to listen to him scream when he doesnt get his way, but dont give in because you feel bad, that just shows that if he screams long enough then you will give in and let him have what wants. Stay strong and show him what he needs to do. he will learn but it may take awhile.

Answer 5

Ive got a 20 month old and my fiancee and I had similar problems when she was 15 months..

This may sound simplistic, but our Pediatrician gave us the greatest and most simple advice ive ever heard:

No toddler has ever died from crying.

Let him cry. It's so hard, ive been there! But you need to show your little man that crying isnt going to result in what he wants.. It will open up pandora's box and you'll be miserable.

Answer 6

Don't give him juice when he wakes up. Try milk or water. Is he full or hungry when he goes to sleep? that migt be part of the reason too.