Why is my 16 month old still waking up in the night?

Question

A couple weeks ago, my daughter got real sick. She is teething and she's getting 4 teeth at once, so she was running a fever and completely miserable. Before this she was sleeping wonderfully! She would go to sleep at 8pm and sleep until 7:00-7:30am. While she was sick and wake up in the night we would go get her because she was sick. Ever since then she gets up 3-4 times a night. Sometimes she is completely inconsolable. Other times she just lays her head down and I rock her back to sleep. We've tried to do the Ferber method by letting her cry it out, but I just can't do that. I feel like there is something wrong and just letting her cry would make it worse. The most i let her cry is 1/2 hour. Someone told me to put a small bottle of water in her crib so that when she wakes up she sees it and might be able to put herself back down.

Anyone know why she is doing this??

Answer 1

It may just be that she is still feeling the pain from teething, just becuase the teeth have broken through the gums doesn't mean they still don't hurt. It usually takes a week or so for the teeth to completley come through, or she just may have more teeth coming that you can not see yet.

It will also take her a little while to get back to her schedule of sleep go to your local library and see if they have a copy of "The No Cry Sleep Solution" it has some good tips about routines and getting kids readjusted to sleep after sickness or if you are planning on having other go buy it. It is an invaluable resource for mothers who do not want to feberize their kids.

Another thing you may want to look into is take her to your ped and check to see if she has an ear infection. I know everytime a molar comes in my little one gets an ear infection. Most of the time she didn't have a fever or anything she just tugged at her ear some and had trouble sleeping.

I honestly don't think having a bottle of water for her in the crib would help at this age. I started doing this with my 2 year old a few weeks ago, but I really don't think it would have worked at 16 months.

Good Luck, and don't worry all kids eventually learn to sleep some take longer and some have bumps in the road, the important thing is to do the best you can and comfort them along the way.

Answer 2

My DD didn't start sleeping though until 18 months and we had a little bout of trouble again when she got four teeth at once a month ago - yes teething sucks! We did end up doing CIO. I was totally against it which is why I had no full nights of sleep until 18 months. The first night was hellish - probalby 2 hours of crying (not hard) by the 3rd night she went right down and slept right through. We did this the week after taking her bottle away. If she got in teh routine of crying and you getting her while she was sick she is probably just wanting that comfort attention again. My daughter also takes a sippy of water to bed w/ her and its usually gone in the a.m. so she must wake up during the night and drink it. If you cannot do CIO maybe use the method where you sit in her room right next to the crib until she falls asleep and then each night move the chair a little closer to the door til your out of the room. My best advise though is to bite the bullet and do CIO - it was the fastest way for both us and her and really she is much happier girl now that she's getting a full night of sleep and is rested.

Answer 3

It is totally normal for her to go through periods of not sleeping well, especially while teething. Maybe there have been some upsets in her life that you don't even realize she is going through. (a lot of time in day care away from mama, new house, mama or daddy stressed about something and she senses it etc..) Your baby will go back to sleeping well as soon as she feels secure again or the teeth don't bother her anymore. For now she just needs plenty of hugs and kisses. Just rock her back to sleep and tell her you love her very much and this will pass. The more you give baby what she needs (cuddles and kisses) the faster she will get back to normal. Letting her cry it out makes her think you don't care and will make the problem worse.

Answer 4

If it is not the teething, then she may be having night terrors. Which is really just bad dreams. She is at an early age to start that, but you say is crying when she wakes up, so that could be it.

I had 2 that had night terrors. Good luck and take plenty of naps when she does if you can, it will be a long couple of months.

Answer 5

She's probably still teething. My daughter is also 16 months old and does the same thing every now and again. It could also just be a 'needy' phase she is goung through.

Also, when my bayb has a cold she gets up almost hourly - I get her from the crib and she doesnt want a bottle - and goes back to sleep almost right away.

Answer 6

Is she still teething and/or sick? if she's over that, then her schedule is just mixed up. Stop her from napping so much and plan some activitiy that absolutly kicks her fanny so she's so tired out that she falls asleep in exhaustion a couple of nights. In otherwords, let her run amok before bedtime until she drops.

Do that for a couple of nights and she should be back into her schedule.

Answer 7

My 16 month old went through the same thing. the sickness and teething to the waking up at night, i tried the "just let em cry" technique which we did to "train" him before but i found a trick that worked for me. i gradually did less and less for him. at first i would go in there and rock him back to sleep and then put him to bed, then just rock him a little and put him in bed, then just pat his back, then just walk in and say your ok, mommy is here. then it stopped. i think he realized he didnt need me. but the worst adivce is to give them warm milk before bed. studies have shown that it creates a higher percentage of nightmares. so that could take you back a step. anyway hope it helps.

Answer 8

My nephew is almost 2 and I dont think he has ever slept through the night. He still wakes up crying once or twice a night.

Answer 9

Ohhhhhhhh I wish I knew. I haven't moved off this settee all day today as I am totally shattered from a night of crying 17 month old!!

Answer 10

I THINK THAT U SHOULD TRY JOHNSON AND JOHNSONS BEDTIME BATH AND LOTION IT HAS A BLEND OF CHAMMOMILE AND LAVENDER THAT WILL CALM THE BABY DOWN AND OFFER HER WARM MILK THAT WILL DO THE TRICK LET ME KNOW IF IT WORKED!!!!