19 mo. old starting to wake throughout night - help!

[babyowen]

My 19 month old son has slept through the night since he was 2 months old.  He recently went on a trip with my husband and since their return he awakens 3-4 x's per night.  If we leave him he cries continuously, so we have been using the wo/wi method which he seems to respond to.  We go in lay him down and leave, he doesn't cry and goes back to sleep.  He awakes anywhere between 1/2 hour to 1.5 hours later up to 3-5 x's per night.  It always starts at 2:20 am.  The problem is that we have been doing this for the past 4 weeks.  The frequency is not changing and he is still awakening nightly.  He has a very regular routine during the day with one nap at 11 am for approximately 2 hours.  However, this has changed in the past week where he is not sleeping for his nap.  Any suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks
A mom in need.

[Layla]

Hi there

Can you tell me what his daytime schedule looks like. The time he wakes (nap is 11 for 2hrs???) & the time he goes to sleep?

Layla

[babyowen]

He awakes at 6:30, we give him a bottle of milk, he eats breakfast around 8-9am, he usually goes down for a sleep around 11-1, has lunch when he awakes, snack around 3:30, supper at 6, snack for bed at 7:30 and bedtime routine starts at 7:30-8 with milk, books, quiet time.  bedtime around 8-:8:30.

thanks
a mom in need

[Layla]

I think that bedtime is quiet late & I would try to bump it up about 20mins every couple of days until you get closer to 6.30pm. Toddlers av about 13hrs of sleep (11hrs at night & 2hr nap) & if they stay up too long before bedtime (av A time is 5-5.5hrs), they get overtired & that causes nightwakings.

I would try something like this:

6.30 - wakes
milk
breaksfast
perhaps a snack here or you could do lunch before nap
11:30-1:30 - nap (try slowly pushing out his nap to 11.30)
lunch (if not before nap)
snack (when wakes)
5pm - dinner
bedtime routine (bath, books, quiet time)
6pm - snack & milk
6.30pm - bed

Or something like that. Where you want to fit dinner, milk, etc...

My 17mo has dinner, followed by desert b/n 4.30-5pm & then we do milk before bed (she is fine all night without a bedtime snack). My 2.5yo will do dinner b/n 5-5.30pm, followed by milk & light snack before bed

But I really think earlier bedtime is the key here to erase those night wakings
Let me know what you think
Layla

[babyowen]

I can try and put him down earlier.  However, the problem is that my husband and I work until 6, so we can't eat dinner until 6:15 pm.  I will try and put him down earlier keeping the dinner time the same.  Any suggestions?

Thanks

[Layla]

Who looks after him during the day? Any chance he can be fed dinner with that person so when you get home you can do bath & bed???

[babyowen]

Might be difficult, plus I think it is important that we have a meal together as a family.  what do you think if I did  6 pm dinner, 7 pm wind down for bed and bath in the morning.  he could be in bed by 7:30.   

 

[Layla]

7.30pm is better than 8-8.30pm

[babyowen]

thanks.  I will give it a try.