1 year old waking EVERY night screaming 1 1/2 hours after bedtime

[Deb123]

Hi

My LO is 1 year old and has always woken 1 1/2 to 2 hours after bedtime for as long as I can remember. Its like she treats it as a nap and then has difficulty rolling over into the nightime sleep?

Sometimes its not such a problem I would give her a cuddle and she would go straight back to sleep, but lately she wakes up screaming seems terrified and it takes ages to calm her down. This has been happening since she was sick with an ear infection. Then she wont go back to sleep without me staying in the room ( also pretending to be asleep) and it takes her  an hour sometimes two to drop off.

She never wakes after twelve and will sleep in until 8 or 9 if allowed.

She is on one nap already, when we allow her to have two she wakes up at night and starts chatting so its obviously too much sleep, if she has one nap she is still tired so more willing to go back to sleep

Her routine

8 wake
12 nap for 2 hours

2 wake

7.30 ish bedtime

We dont have a very strict bedtime can be somewhere betwen 7 and 8 maybe that is the problem?

I know its not the worst problem in the world ( could be middle of the night ) but i never get a break as I work during the day ( DH is a SAHD ) and as soon as she is in bed in the evening she is awake again. We never get to spend any time together.

Please help!!


Oh -I should stay she is somewhat of an independent sleeper, she has a paci and a lovely and goes to sleep with them for naps and evenings, its just during NW that she seems very upset.

[babybarr]

Maybe she needs an earlier bedtime?  She is quite young to be on one nap.  Often early waking indicates OT to bed.  Have you tried asleep by 7pm for a few nights to see what happens?

[Deb123]

Hi

Thanks for the reply

Yes i have, if I put her to bed earlier it is the same thing, 1 1/2 earlier she is awake. This has been going on for the last year, all through every routine, 3 naps,2 naps and now 1

If she is UT she wakes up chatting, OT she wakes up crying...lately however she seems really afraid as well

I was thinking of W2Sleep tried it before but not a lot of success

[babybarr]

What about a nightlight if you think she is afraid?  Otherwise yes I would do w2s at the hr mark...

You don't think it's wind or something?  Or is it night terrors - these tend to happen around the same time each night and you are supposed to really stir them about an hour before.

[Deb123]

Hi

I leave the door open so there is light in her room. As I said it has been going on almost since she was born so I dont think its night terrors they happen later right?

For the W2Sleep do I need to do that half an hour before she wakes or closer like 10 mins?

The 10 mins I tried before and woke her every time....

Thanks

[Deb123]

Ok so its getting worse, today it was only 40 mins after she went to sleep, granted it was almost 8 so she was probably overtired. She's now either screaming the place down or playing cant get her to go to bed at all.


Think on top of everything she is teething she's making grinding noises poor baby 

[babybarr]

Hi

Sorry things are a bit rough. I really would try bedtime at 7pm and see what happens, maybe she's just a little OT and that's causing her to wake.

If you do w2s yes do it about 45mins or so before.  10mins before and she'll still be in a light sleep getting ready to wake.

I'd also give meds at bed if you think teeth are also bothering her - just to rule that out.

HTH
Laura

[Deb123]

Hi

Thanks a lot for your help

From tomorrow, 7 pm bedtime, she is getting the meds too


I will try W2S 45 mins before

thanks

[babybarr]

Let me know how you get on.  Fingers crossed.

[Deb123]

Hi

So last night bed at 6.30 ( she was awake in thte morning at 8 bit earlier than normal so I thought earlier than 7 a good idea.

8

Nap 11-1

Bed 6.30

I gave her meds, did W2S at 7.30 -she turned her head and went back to sleep

8.15 -awake and screaming. I lay beside her in the room until 9.15 until I couldnt take it anymore and took her out of the cot. She gets hysterical if  leave the room and just sobs quietly to herself if I dont. I find it very hard to take.

SHe was awake until 12.30 when she went back to sleep without protest. Still asleep now at 8 in morning.

I am at my wits end 

Thanks so much for your help I really,really  appreciate it.

[babybarr]

Sorry you had a bad night.  W2S can take 3 nights to work.  I think if you stick with the early beds for a while hopefully that'll help.

I wouldn't let her sleep much past 8 in the morning otherwise she may think she can make up for her nighttime lack of sleep first thing.  If you see what I mean?

You did the right thing to stay with her if she's upset.  When you got her out of the cot what did you do - more meds or take her to your bed or rocked her?  Just asked so we can get a better picture.

[Deb123]

Hi

Sorry i took so long to reply, my internet was acting up.

When I took her out of bed that night I just walked around 5 mins until she calmed down, then let her play until she was tired enough to go back to sleep. I dont rock her or take her into my bed, her bedtime routine is a bottle, soother, lovely and bed half awake. She goes down for naps no problem like this and at night intially. I worked on this a lot over the last year.

Last night (Bed at 7) with meds, she woke twice once at the 40 min and then again after an hour an a half. So that caught me out and i didnt do W2S at all. She has a lot of difficulty sleeping between 9 and 12, mainly I think because she's so used to being awake then.

What i did last night and what I think/hope will work eventually, fingers crossed  is stay in the room but not take her out of the cot, pretending to be asleep myself. I had to stay for almost an hour and a half teh second time she seemed to be asleep but every time I tried to leave she would wake and start crying. When I leave her in the cot -while i'm in the room- she crys for 6-8 mins- I timed it and then starts to settle.

Do you think that's ok, i'm totally against CIO or anything like that, but I think maybe she doesnt really need to be picked up but it crying more out of frustration at "why,why am I awake I'm so tired" ?

Or do you think it could be SA, I never had this problem that she would cry when I leave the room before, but then it would be there for naps too right?

I wont let her sleep much past 8 either

Thanks for your patience 

[babybarr]

It sounds like what you are doing is fine.  I wouldn't pick her up if you can avoid it like you said you're staying so she knows you're there.

Or do you think it could be SA, I never had this problem that she would cry when I leave the room before, but then it would be there for naps too right?

I agree it prob would be there for naps too.

Have you tried WIWO with her?

[Deb123]

Hi

I've tried WI/WO but she gets very upset when I leave the room


But I'm making good progress now , for the last 3 nights she is waking only once in the evening and the time she is crying for is getting shorter and she's getting less upset every time.

Do you think eventually she wont wake at all? Or I should do a form of GW where I pretend to be asleep while closer and closer to the door. ( I've tried sitting on a chair but she thinks thats playtime only if i pretend to be asleep does she settle too)

I'm also thinking if after a week or so she's still waking I should think about a routine tweak, what would you think?

At the moment she's doing

8 wake

12-2 nap

Bed 6.30-7

Maybe i should go back to 2 naps maybe just half an hour in the morning and 2 hour later or something like that.

Thanks a lot for your advice its been extemely helpful especially with knowing if I'm letting her cry too long, I'm fairly soft I think and I hate to hear her crying

[babybarr]

I think if she seems to be doing ok with one nap I'd leave it. You may want to push the nap back a bit to give her some more A time and then do bed at 7pm rather than the 6.30pm.  Cos with getting up at 8am and bed at 6.30pm ish and 2hr nap she potentially could have a bit more A time.

Yes I would do GW however works best for you.  Sounds like some progress though