16 mo suddenly won't sleep - what is going on?

[Brodster'sMommy]

DS is 16 months and although he's never been the best sleeper, he's always been easy to put back to sleep during a night wake. Usually all it takes is to help him find his paci. We went through the 2-1 and he did very well. His schedule usually looks like this:

a: 7:15
s: 12:45ish-2:30ish (usually 1 hr 45 min max)
s: 8pm

DS is low sleep needs and very spirited.

Well, I'm 9 months pregnant, due any day with DD and we are moving tomorrow morning! Talk about bad timing. Not to mention I've been super sick with hyperemesis this whole pregnancy.

Ok, on to the problem.... 3 nights ago, DS started fussing around 9.30pm (never happens). Took 10 mins to settle even with paci in (so weird). Then he woke again at 10, then again at 10:30, 11:00, and each time taking longer to settle. Finally at 11:30, he refused to settle, kicked and screamed until 1:30am. I tried everything (meds, bottle of milk, etc). Everytime I would pick him up, he stopped crying. Then the moment I would lay him down, the fits would start all over again. I couldn't handle it physically anymore around 3am so I took him into bed. He slept until 5ish then I transferred him back to his crib where he protested for 15 mins or so but went to sleep. The next day he was a mess, the next night he did the same thing. And last night it happened again. I tried staying next to his crib and use my words to calm him which always worked in the past but he will only settle if I am touching or holding him.

What is going on? If it's teething, pain meds aren't doing anything. If he's hungry, the bottle isn't doing anything. Is this suddenly S/A? Could the fact that we are moving be upsetting him? Our home has been in boxes for a few dats now. How do most LOs handle moving? What should I do? I can't be dealing with this AND a newborn - I will die! Please help! 

[becky1969]

Oh boy! 9 months pregnant? You must be beat!

It's hard to say exactly.  THAT many waking, I'd guess discomfort/pain/illness.  Those canines may be on the move, and those puppies HURT!  I'm not sure which meds you used, but they may not have been effective enough.

Definitely moving AND new baby will also cause some disruptions.  But I wouldn't expect every 30-60 minute wakings because of separation anxiety or disruption to routine.


What you might try is a slightly earlier bedtime and see if that helps. If it is illness or teething, then he might be more tired than usual, and a little earlier bedtime might help.

As for the moving and new baby changes, there's not a whole lto you can do! DS is a bit young so you can't really prepare him for those changes.  I think what I would do is give him LOTS of attention during the waking hours.  You might talk about the new house a lot and what his new room will look like.  I realize he can't talk back! But they understand lots more than they can communicate back.

Try the earlier bedtime (say 30 minutes earlier) with meds and see what happens.

[deb]

I'm going to guess eyeteeth/canines. We had to medicate pretty strongly with those, both ibuprofen/nurofen AND topical gel like Orajel. In fact, during the three months we medicated Josie for each sleep time and had a filled syringe ready for the inevitable 2AM waking when it wore off, she also learned to sob the word "Orajel" thru her 2AM sobs. 

We did have to give her time to get used to the sensation, though - it's pretty surprising even when you know what to expect, and the extra-strength stuff is crazy-feeling. But double-medicating like that really was what we needed to do while the canines came in. They were THE worst for Josie!

Oh, and the house in boxes might be contributing as well. Are you able to show him the new house a few times, let him wander around there while he's awake once or twice, or at least see the outside and yard/garden? And of course he knows there'll be a baby any minute now to boot!
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Becky beat me to the punch!

[~*Nicole*~]

If you can get his nap a tad earlier while he's going through this that might help also.

[Brodster'sMommy]

Thank you for the support and advice. I'm at such a loss with him right now.

I had to wake him this morning at 7:45. My babysitter put him down for his nap at 1:10. I usually don't let him sleep past 1hr 45mins bc in the past it has messed with nighttime sleep. What should I do today?

He has molars on top and bottom poking thru - they've been working their way out for a month or so now so it couldn't be that, right? I'll check his mouth for swelling when he wakes up from his nap.

Also, would it be too much for me to wean the paci as we move? I figure I might as well do it while things are crazy like they are now?

[Brodster'sMommy]

DS slept until 3pm. I will put him to bed at 8pm which is 30 minutes earlier than normal. I'm crossing my fingers for a better night. Tomorrow is moving day!!

[deb]

Good luck and hope the move goes well. For now I'd just expect things to be out of whack for a while; I find that if I lower (or eliminate) my expectations for stuff like teething and moving and new babies, then I'm not so upset when things go awry.

Congrats on the new house! 

[~*Nicole*~]

Good luck! I hope the move goes well!

[Brodster'sMommy]

Thank you! We moved today. I'm exhausted! I think you are right - I need to have low expectations for DS with all the changes going on in his life. Poor guy. Teething, moving, new baby... Big changes for a little one. And me too! And I think you were also right about his poor sleeping the last few nights due to teething. It looks to me like something big is ready to pop through those gums of his. I know molars and canines are notorious for causing problems. After that, I'm in the clear, right??? (fingers crossed)

[becky1969]

Glad to hear teeth look like the culprit!

I definitely wouldn't wean paci just yet.  He's going to need some soothing methods for the next few months.  And with a baby using a paci in the house? It could REALLY cause some sibling issues and regression (he's already so little that he might really act out b/c baby 'stole' his paci etc.).

Paci isn't that big of a deal, if it's not causing sleep disruptions.  Our pediatric dentist says that as long as they are done using paci by 4 (if only using it at sleep periods) then their teeth will move back in place.  I'd limit paci to sleep periods, but beyond that this is a battle I'd save for age 2 or so.  Once baby is a fact and not a new issue!

GL!