1 yr old waking at night for 2-4 hrs at a time, help

[Doj]

you are probably right. She just got her 4 and 5th tooth.
One thing that has started is that the last 3 nights she has woken exactly at 4am. Not sure how this started, however in order to break this pattern at this age do I go in and stir her about 1 hour before as I did when she was an infant? or is there a better way for her age?

[Erin M]

If it's a habitual waking (which yours sounds like), then you would do wake to sleep, though I think with a toddler you do it about 10 minutes before their habitual time and not an hour before.  I've actually never done it with my toddler, hopefully someone with experience there will chime in.  There's actually a success story about it on the FAQs if you want to look at that. 

[Doj]

well I didn't think that things could get any worse, but they are terrible. Just want to remind you that this only happens at night, the daytime sleep is totally fine. Once we are done the windown routine and put her to bed, we leave the room, she falls asleep and about 20 minutes later wakes up hysterical. Dh nor I can calm her down and it appears that she doesn't know where she is or what is going on. This is really starting to scare me. Once we are finally able to calm her down she looks so scared and will then fall back to sleep. This happens about 2-3 a night now at all different hours. what is going on? Could she be having nightmares? or is this something I should see the Dr about?

[Erin M]

Sounds like it could be nightmares or something like that -- my LO had night terrors for awhile which do sound similar to that except her eyes would be closed the whole time, they only happened when she was overtired.  Might be worth mentioning to your doctor though to see if s/he has any thoughts on it.  I'm sorry I don't have any more helpful advice.

[Doj]

I am back and things are worse than ever. I really didn't think that they would get much worse. dd came down with cold last week so things have been a little different in that she was sleeping more during the day and actually slept 1 night from midnight -7. What a great feeling.
Now that the cold is over she is back to her nightwaking for long periods of time. We have managed to reduce the amt of crying at bedtime and its doesn't seem that there are any night terrors we have just been spending about 15 min longer winding her down and it has been working.
Not sure what to do at night. the last 3 night she is up around 2 and stays awake till 4, last night was really bad. She was up at 1-430. I thought i was going to lose it, well I did lose it on DH, poor guy.
When she wakes up at these hours she is not crying she is playing and talking this last for an entire hour. We do not go in her room at all during this time. After about an hour or so is when the whining and crying starts and gets progressively worse when we are not there. When we go there to try and get her back to sleep she cries or wants to play depends on the night. Last night she cried from 2-430. I think she wanted a bottle, but I don't want to give into that as it will become a habit again. She eats very well during the day and at bedtime, so she cant be hungry. I have places a sippy cup in her bed so that if she is thirsty she can drink.

When all this began nothing at all had changed within the home, nothing.
I started back to work about a week and half ago and she started daycare this morning. Called them and so far a not a bad morning. Brought her home for lunch and she is home for the afternoon.

It does sound like she is getting too much sleep during the day and that she is ready for 1 nap, but she is so tired that she cant stay awake long enough for the afternoon naps. I tried the catnaps 20 min in the morning and a longer nap in aft, but nothing seems to be working at all. I wondered if something could be wrong, but she totally fine during the, happy as ever.
What are my next steps, I don't even know where to go from here. I am very frustrated, tied, becoming an emotional wreck with the lack of sleep as now I am back to work FT. DH is not far behind me.

I was wondering if the night waking continue, can I at least reduce the time of them.
As mentioned when she wakes up she is talking in her crib for about an hour before the crying starts.
Should I intervene at this time? If so what should I do? the reason I haven't in the past is because I was hoping that she would fall back asleep.
If I should wait till she starts crying, what should I do? Now when I go in she is standing in her crib? Should I lay her down and keep laying her down or should I let her stand. I find that laying her down can upset her even more.

[mkoontz]

I'm not sure at all if this will be helpful, but my dd was doing exactly that when I was trying the 2-1 switch before and when I went back to 2 naps (shorter in the am, and as long as she wanted in the pm) she started sleeping through the night.  (she's gone back now but that's another story).  I also decided that I wouldn't get her out of the crib, except breifly if she needed comfort that I couldn't give her in the crib. 

It worked for a while for us, so I just thought I'd mention it

[Doj]

I might be speaking too soon, but fantastic news, dd has slept thought the night for the last nights. It all started when she went to daycare..go figure.
I feel great. We are now experiencing another little problem that I am hoping to stop before it gets out of control. dd is going to bed at 8pm, but waking up at 530-6am. She wakes happy and talking, but will not go back to sleep. I have been leaving her in her crib and after about half an hour of this she starts to get upset at which point I go in.
I haven't tried this, but I think if I give her milk she will go back. I don't want to get in the habit of this.She is getting about 2.5 hrs of sleep a day still 2naps as daycare is making her very tired. Any suggestions on what I can do to stop these early waking

[mari]

If Alex goes to bed too late (after 7.30pm) she always wakes before 6am.  If she goes down 7-7.30pm then I can expect her to wake 7-7.30am.  I think it's because she is overtired.  perhaps you could try putting her bedtime a little earlier.

[Doj]

thanks, i will try that. The reason I have been putting her to bed at 8 (use to be about 715-730) is that I find that she does not settle right away and I usually do WI/WO for half an hour. If I put her to bed at 8 she goes to sleep right away

[mari]

Ok, this used to happen with Alex too and still does if she isn't tired enough or overtired, it's finding the exact right moment (easier said than done!!)  What about moving it slightly every night, say 10-15 minutes at a time.

[Doj]

Hello again,

Well I didn't think that I would be back so soon, but I am here. dd slept for about 1 week without waking up in the night and was having great naps at daycare. It was wonderful, I felt great and I know that she did as well. Well for the last 4 nights dd has been waking up several times a night and for long stretched. From the time that I put her down (now being 645) till she wakes up in the morning I hear here at least 10 times. She was up last night from 2-6am moaning, not crying, but moaning.
One thing that is different this time is that she is waking up about every 1 or so and crying for about 30 seconds and then going back to sleep. I am not sure if she is in pain or I think that I read somewhere that this is a sign of being over tired. She is not napping well at all either she sleeps if I am lucky now 45-1 hour a day. Am I stuck in a vicious over tired cycle? If so how do I get her out.
I have anther DR appt for her on Friday to see if this is something more.

[Doj]

Hi again,
I don't know what to do. DD's night last night was a disaster. She woke up every 2 hours crying and needed me to go in ad reassure her and then woke up at 330 and wouldn't go back to sleep. she would talk then cry this went on till 630 this morning. I decided that enough was enough and I was going to go and get her ready at 7 and start the day. Well I went in at 7 and she was sound asleep, but I had to wake her up at 715 to take her to daycare.
She only slept half and hour today at daycare and so she was exhausted and didn't eat lunch or dinner due to being so tired. I put her to bed at 6pm tonight. So early, but I didn't want to keep her up any longer. She has been in bed an hour and half now and I have already heard her 3x. one time crying the other times trying to get comfortable. Is she just so over tired?

She was having a lot of NW before daycare, but they are so much worse now. Could this be her excitement for the change in daycare? Did anyone experience this when their lo's went to daycare?

Thanks

[Diegos Mama]

Have you tried any Tylenol during these nightwakings to see if it's pain related?  She might be teething.

[mkoontz]

Tylanol was my thought too.  My lo does this when she is teathing and though I don't like giving her pain meds too much, I feel like she needs it to get a good sleep.

[caro558]

Hi
My DD is 11 months old and has been teething for 3 months almost continually, if i hear her moaning in her sleep I know it's pain related and i tend to give her some pain relief. If she is showing signs of teething during the day e.g irritable, off her food etc, i give her pain relief before she goes to bed, then I wake her and give her some when I go to bed.
I know this seems drastic, but otherwise she tends to wake around 1am and is really upset which takes ages to calm her down.
I generally only have to do this for a couple of days before the pain eases and she gets back to normal.
Doj - It sounds like you're all going through a tough time, I really hope things work out for you soon.
Keep smiling
Caroline x