waking hourly b/w 12-6am

[BugsMama]

DS just turned 1. His first four molars have come through in the last 3 weeks. This week he started back at Mother's Day Out.

Ds takes 2 naps a day the first at around 10 for an hour, the 2nd one starts @ 3pm and ends anywhere from 4-5pm.  He never really naps longer than 90minutes. We try to get him to sleep at 8:30 but lately it's been more like 9 before he actually goes to sleep (If he doesn't get a good nap in during the day he'll go down for the night at 7:30).

For the past month he sleeps great until midnight. Then he wakes up to nurse. After that he's up EVERY SINGLE HOUR until 6am (when I nurse him again) then sleeps until 7:30 or 8 when it's time to wake up for the day. He wakes up crying and will continue to cry (not the mantra cry) until we soothe him. Typically this does NOT involve picking him up but does require us to physically intervene somehow (give him the paci, lay him down, rest hand on back, say "night night"). 

B/c of damage from Hurricane IKE we had to move his crib into the guest room. SO if one of us is asleep in the guestbed he'll wake up crying but will resettle himself if we just say "night night".

Pls help, DH & I need to get more uninterrupted sleep than this. I initially thought he was waking b/c of teething pain but w/ all 4 teeth through that shouldn't be the issue. I remember reading something about if they wake the first part of the night it's OT, the last part it's nightmares??? But this is consistent so how is it nightmares?

[speechie]

When my LO turned one, he was doing a similar thing, I needed to go in and give a hug and he'd go right back to sleep... any signs of SA during the day?

[BugsMama]

Big YES on the SA. He's started MDO and that really intensified his SA.

Tips?

[speechie]

What's MDO?
What I did that helped a lot during the day is to give him lots of attention when he was feeling really needy, before I had to get chores done... Then, I'd set him up w/toys near me and keep him in the same area. Squat down to his level to reassure him if he needed it...
Also, constantly saying I'll be right back if I left the room, continuing to speak to him as I moved about the house so he could hear my voice...
Reassuring him that Mama always comes back for you...
Explaining our routine endlessly throughout the day...
ex- after lunch you'll take a nap, and then we'll go get Daddy at work and he will play with you while Mama is working. Then we'll have supper together, etc...
Always reaffirming that I'll be back.
At night it's harder, because you're so exhausted.
I can say that it was a developmental phase that passed. It was a little rough for us for about a month...
HTH...

[BugsMama]

MDO= Mother's Day Out. He stays at our church from 9-2 for 2days a week. Now whenever we're in a situation with lots of other kids around he thinks I'm going to leave him so he has a death grip on my shirt.

I'll try to be better about cuddles & reassurance during the day. I was starting to feel like maybe that was making it worse...lots of loving during the day and then suddenly cut off at night??

[speechie]

Oh- yeah, that would be hard for a LO to understand... that just b/c there are other kids around, doesn't mean he'll be left to play...
I personally notice a difference when I reassure Nick throughout the day. They really understand more speech than they can produce and benefit soooo much from verbal explanations too.
Lots of loving during the day and reassurance that Mom always comes back for you...
I still say this at night... Mama's sleeping in her room, I need you to go back to sleep, I'll be here for you in the morning, I'll always come for you.... etc...
It does take a while, though.
Hugs and HTH