13 mo old waking for 1-2 hours at night

[Charlene.b]

Hi all,

Hoping someone has some insight/suggestions here.  I'm exhausted!!  This has been going on for a couple months.  It started out as just an occasional thing - 1x or 2x a week, but now it's almost every night.  He wakes up for anywhere from 1-2 hours and can't go back to sleep. It's never at the same time during any night. He really tries to go back to sleep... lays down, sits back up, lays down again, changes positions, repeat.  He doesn't cry, but I have to sit with him until he goes back to sleep or he will cry.  I have given in and taken him to bed with me in hopes that he will fall asleep. It doesn't help.  He does the same thing in our bed.  Anyone have any ideas what this is?  The amazing part is he will still wake up at 7/7:30 like he had a full night sleep.  I don't know how he's running on not enough sleep.  I know I'm not.

As far as our schedule goes, he's still usually on 2 naps a day (3-3.5 A time). Although sometimes only one, and an early bed time.  One nap happens more on weekends, since he naps better for the sitter than for us.  It doesn't seem to matter at all which it is.  The only thing that has seemed to help is if he sleeps no more than a total of 2.5 hrs and no later that 4p - then he will fall asleep faster (otherwise it could take an hour for him to fall asleep).  But no variation has seemed to make a difference in whether he wakes up during the night.  One day last week, my babysitter had to fill in and take care of 3 older boys (6-9yr).  Apparently they kept my boy running around like crazy.  For the first time ever in his life he slept 11 hours straight without waking.  It was glorious!  And now we're back to nightly wakings, and me lucky to be able to sleep 3+ hours at a time.  I'm looking forward to the cold an snow stopping here in NY in hopes that maybe more running around outside will help.

I would be ever so grateful for any advice/insight/suggestions anyone might have here!!

Thank you!
Charlene

[*Becky*]

Hi,
Coud you post a typical day for us in EAS format so we can take a look. x

[Charlene.b]

Hiya,

Thanks for your reply!  Here's a typical day (if the day is going well)

7:30 wake up (milk will be anytime between 5:30-7:30, usually he goes back to sleep)
E 8a breakfast
A 8:30a
S 10:30/10:45a nap/milk
E 12/12:30 lunch
A 12:30/1p
S 3p nap
E 4p snack/milk
A 4:15p
E 6p dinner
A 6:30p, 7:15p bath/story time/milk
S 8p bed

He still drinks 4 bottles a day (he's a big boy, 99% height and weight), so those just sort of depend on when he wakes up for the 1st one - then they land about 4-5 hours apart last being right before bed.  The 2nd nap is always a fight.  For us on weekends, the first nap is sometime a fight and happens later.  Maybe he's ready to go to 1 nap a day?

Here was today's actual...
Last night fell asleep by 8:15p, woke at 2:30 and couldn't fall asleep until 3:30a, woke again at 4:30, fell back asleep but restless, woke at 6:30a for milk but did not go back to sleep.
A 6:30a
E 7:45a breakfast
A 8:15a
S 9:30a
A 10:45a/milk
E 12 noon lunch
S 2p
A 3p/milk
E 6p dinner
A 6:30p, 7:15p bath/story time/milk
S 8p bed (he's fighting going to sleep, he so exhausted but refuses to lay down, I sent my husband in and it's now 8:53 and he hasn't come out yet)

Sigh... with any luck, he'll let me sleep at least 4 solid hours tonight.

Thanks for in advance for you insight/thoughts!
Charlene

[*Becky*]

Are there any teeth coming through - is he upset when he wakes at night?

If not then I would say cap one of the naps to around 30 mins. It seems he is doing his longer nap in the morning - is that right? If you are getting nap resistance in the pm then I would cap the am to 30 mins and let him sleep up to 2 hours for the pm. So it might look like...
A - 7.30am
Nap - 10.30-11am
Nap - 1.30/2 - up to 2 hours
BT  - 7.30/8pm
What do you think?

[Charlene.b]

He has his first 2 molars cutting through.  Would that or the napping be causing the 1-2 hour waking at night?

I'm worried that if I cap the am nap at 30 min, he still will fight the pm nap - but I'm willing to give it a try!

Really it's the 1-2 hour waking most nights that's killing me.  Last night he woke at 1a, but went right back to sleep.  And then again at 5a for milk and went back to sleep.  I feel like a whole new person  just by not being kept awake for an hour or 2.

Thanks so much for your thoughts!!

[*Becky*]

the molars could def be causing the wakings for sure. You could keep the naps as they are but give a dream feed meds around 2am to see if that helps - might be worth a try x

[Charlene.b]

Dream feed meds?  That sounds like it's worth a shot!  What do you give them?

Thanks so much!!

[*Becky*]

For mine with teeth we give nurofen as calpol does nothing.

[Charlene.b]

OK - do you mix it with milk and/or put it in a bottle to dream feed?  Or just give it to them right out of the dropper?

[*Becky*]

out of the dropper.