12-Month-old Freaking Out at Naps and Nighttime

Updated on July 19, 2007
R.B. asks from Ketchikan, AK
4 answers

After our daughter Kate got her 12-month shots, she got a low-grade fever and became clingy. We held her more, and babied her a little (since she was feeling crummy). Well, the fever went away and the clinginess abated some ... but suddenly, naptimes and going to bed at night have become a nightmare. Before, she could be laid in bed awake and she would drift off to sleep after our bedtime routine. Now she immediately begins to cry, and pushes herself in to a standing position (for a few days, we would stand by her crib until she fell asleep, telling her, "stay down" when she tried to stand up but now she bolts awake when we try to leave so we are back to laying her down and leaving in the hopes she will return to her old peaceful ways). After crying for a while, Kate will sit and fall asleep sitting upright ... weaving back and forth for several minutes. When she finally falls in to a deep sleep, she will bend herself in half (head on legs). This is when we used to be able to reposition her, but now that wakes her up and she will stand up and start crying again. Also, at night, she will wake up and stand up a few times a night, usually crying. It's almost like she can't help it -- like she's doing it in her sleep and then it wakes her up. We have been letting her "cry it out" with some success, but she's still not laying down to sleep and today she got zero (O) naps during the day.

Ugh. Any ideas, anyone?

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So What Happened?

Kate's weird sleep-time behavior continued for a few days after I posted this. We let her cry it out -- one time after an hour and a half, I checked on her and discovered she had a messy diaper (UGH. I felt like I should be arrested). Letting her cry also meant a couple days of no naps or her sleeping at nighttime in unusual positions because that's where she finally conked out.

And then, as suddenly as it started, it disappeared. POOF!!!! Naptimes and bedtimes went back to being totally normal again. I waited to see if they would reappear, but so far, we've had five days of very solid, normal sleeping again (and to that, my husband and I are saying: HALLELUJAH!).

My husband thinks us letting her cry (not giving in to her refusal to go down) helped a lot, but I wonder if it was a huge case of separation anxiety that was triggered by her immunizations.

THANK YOU, EVERYONE!

More Answers

E.B.

answers from Seattle on

Hey it sounds like maybe night terror my son was stricken with it about that age as well. he was still sharing a room with us and he would be down just fine and fifteen minutes later he would scream and thrash in his sleep. his eyes would be wide open. she may not be that bad but she may have had a bad dream after she got her shots and now she is afraid to go to sleep and it is waking her at night...she could also be getting her back molars in if she doesnt have them already. those are my ideas...good luck hopefully things get back to normal for you really soon!!

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J.S.

answers from Seattle on

It sounds like a combo of seperation anxiety and night terrors. One year is a prime time for that seperation anxiety to kick in and that's when I started having trouble with my guy at bedtime. He would go down no problem and then one day he started crying. I just started telling him...Lay down, good night, I will see you in the morning. He knows the drill now. He sometimes still cries but will lay down when I say to and he's fine. I also make sure to say "good boy" when he does lay down too. Oh...I also give him this little music toy to play with in bed. That has calmed his crying A LOT!!! The music helps to lul him to sleep. He doesn't 'need' it though.

Nap time is different. I have never put my kids in their bed at nap time. I read somewhere that it helps if they snooze in different spots so that when bedtime came they knew it was definantly bed time and not nap time. My baby naps in the living room and he usually fall asleep himself while playing or watching a movie. I hold him when I'm not in the middle of something but if I am he seems to do just fine.

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L.R.

answers from Seattle on

You could try not having a routine... Wait until she is very tired and try to put her to bed. Sometimes, they know the routine and begin resisting at the beginning of the routine. Switch it up a little... ;) Hang in there!

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H.W.

answers from Seattle on

Does she still take 2 naps during the day? My peaceful napper/sleeper started making a big fuss at nap and bedtime. Last week he accidentally missed his a.m. nap and went to bed with no fuss at both nap and bedtime! Since then we have cut out his a.m. nap and he is going down much easier. He's 10 months old now. Just a thought....

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