1 year old wakes 4-6 times at night

[Imran]

I really, really desperately need help with my sons sleep issues. He has never ever slept thru the night since he was born. He has been going to day care since he was 3 months old as I work full time. His routine is below:

Wake: 6:30 AM
Breakfast: 8:00 AM
Snack/Milk: 10:00 or 10:30 AM
10:30 AM - Nap for 45 mins to 1 hr
12:30 or 1:30 Lunch
Next nap is anywhere btwn 2:30 PM and 4:00 PM for 1-2 hrs maximum
He gets 1 snack either before after his nap depending on what time he goes down
7:30 PM Dinner
8:30 Bedtime (We have a bedtime routine of bath, brush, milk and bed)

Imran falls asleep within 15 mins to 1/2 an hr. The next time he wakes up is around 1 AM. So most nights he will sleep from around 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM. Sometime he might wake up before for his pacifier but once I give him his paci he falls back asleep. He always wakes at 1:00 AM. I have tried dif things when he wakes up like pat/shushing, let him cry for a bit, water but nothing works except mil. His normal milk intake is 4 oz at a time. At 1:00 AM he either drinks 4 oz but most times only drinks 2 oz. If I don't give him the milk he cries so much that he wakes up completely. After that Imran wakes up wither every 2 hours or every hour. Every time he wakes I give him the bottle and he drinks a few sips or 2 oz. I am sooooooooo tired 

Can someone please give me some advise as to what I can do and how i can help him sleep longer. It would be bliss for me to even only have to wake once or twice at night. I want him to not wake up at 1:00 AM but wake around 3:00 or 4:00 AM and then sleep till at least 8:00 AM in the morning.

I have already tried letting him take only 1 nap during the day and bring his bedtime to both 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM but nothing works. It took me even longer to make him fall asleep when putting him down earlier.

Please help me get more rest. I have become suck a cranky tired person. I fight so much with my husband as i am so sleep deprived and cannot even function properly during the day. 

[Imran]

Can somebody please help me with some advise. I would really like to know what im doing wrong.....Thx

[Colin Macs Mom]

Since your DS is older than mine I'm not sure how much help I can be, but I do have some thoughts. I suspect that the milk at night is either a habit or he's thirsty. Have you tried giving water instead of milk? Some los do wake for a small drink at night due to thirst which is fine - I mean, I get up for a drink sometimes myself. But if it's habit, you definitely need to wean that. There's a sticky in the FAQ section called How I Stopped the Night Feeds with a 9 Month Old -  you might want to check it out.

How long did you try the one nap? He may be ready, but it can take some time to make the adjustment.

[NikiJ]

Poor you!!!  I was bw site yesterday in the afternoon & last night & never saw your post.  There must have been some glitch or something.  I assure you we weren't ignoring you anyway.

Can you give me your lo exact age?  I know you said one but is he closer to 12mths or two?  Does he only take 4 oz of milk a time during the day?  His naps indicate to me that he is bout 12 or 13mths & he seems to be napping perfectly for a child his age.  The night thing is a puzzler though.  I would expect a child his age to take at least 6oz of milk @ a go.  Anyway give me dat info & I'll get back to you after dinner

[Imran]

Hi NikiJ, Thanks so much for your reply. Imran will be 1 year old next week on July 22nd. Imran has almost always taken a 4 oz bottle at a time since he was abt 3 months old. He very rarely takes a 6 oz bottle. The last time he did was when he was 7 months old and that was only for a week and he has reverted back to 4 oz bottles. Sometime he will not even take a bottle at bedtime and goes to sleep without. Imran used to have 5 solid meals a day but lately since 2 weeks refuses to eat solids and takes only 3 solid meals a day. He has a total of 20-24 oz milk in a 24 hr period. This has been true for quite a few months. He already has 8 teeth and I'm thinking he might be getting molars soon. But i don't think teething has anything to do with his sleep issues as he has never slept well at night and always wakes up a minimum of 4 times. Please help.

[TDR'smom]

If he is waking that often, I think it is out of habit?  Have you tried walk in/walk out with your lo?

[Imran]

I tried walkin/walkout only once but he is so stubborn i don't think this will work as tht time he cried continuously for an hour. My LO is a spirited baby and he's already walking. He sleeps in my room in his own crib as we have a 1 bedroom apartment. I have to go in and sleep in my bed which is next to his crib and this is the only way he will fall asleep. As soon as i stand up he starts crying. he doesn't want me to leave until he falls asleep and then only I leave the room.

[NikiJ]

Aha!!!  I would imagine that that is the problem.  We lived in a one bed hse until 2mths ago & dd woke frequently to check if we were there, to get our attention etc. Once we moved & she got her own room it stopped.

I'm not saying that it is exclusively the problem but I'm sure it is a BIGfactor.

Any plans to move in future??  Anyway you could corner a space off to be his room?  I watched an episode of "House of Tiny Tearaways" recently (dont know if you've heard of it - Dr Tanya Byron is a child physocolgist, and she helps parents with behavorial problems in toddlers).  A couple had a 2yr old with a sleep problem.  Turned out that he slept in the room with parents coz they rented out 2nd bedroom to husband's brother.  She said that was the problem & that they should sleep in living room until bro got new home so lo could have own room.

Niki

[Imran]

Well we do have a sofa bed in the living room. Maybe I can try and sleep there for a few weeks and see if that makes any improvement. So when I am outise and he starts crying, should I attend to him right away or should I wait till he gets loud and doesn't stop crying.

[Hydeh-Mari,Shawn+Xander]

Hi Imran

I have seen your post and have read all your replies. Feel really sorry for you. Please read mine as well, seems like we have similar problems! Good luck! 

Hydeh

[NikiJ]

Hi Imran

I'm not sure how to answer that one.  I think I would wait until he's really crying but then you don't want to leave him wake completely either.

The milk in the middle of the night, imho is a habit.  I know you've tried water & that hasn't worked.  Maybe if you bring him out shopping for a sippy cup & make a really big deal out of it.  Explain to him that the sippy cup is for water only & that it's for when he wakes in the middle of the night.  If he gets to choose his own, he might be a bit more open to the water.  Is there a shelf above his bed that you could put it on for him? or you could put it at the end of the cot.  Somewhere he can get it himself.