18 Month Old Won't Sleep Through the Night

The best advice I received when I was experiencing this with my twins was: Make sure they are safe and not ill, then let them cry. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I knew a bottle at bed would cause huge dental issues later and a sleep deprived mommy wasn't making anyone happy. So I took the bottles away and put them to bed. And you know what it only took 4 nights of crying before they realized that mommy wasn't going to come running. Plus no bottle at bed meant they weren't getting up at 2am because they didn't have full tummies falling asleep.

Pick up a copy of On Becoming Babywise, geared toward younger children (there is a toddler f/u though). The sleep & scheduling can still be incorporated.

My first daughter did this at around the same age-was up every night at least once, but up to 4 times each night! My husband and I went to Barnes and Noble and sat in the parenting section and read a chapter here and there on this subject. We learned that it is normal at that age and you have to train them to get back to sleep on their own. Which is waiting 5 min before going in, don't say much, don't make eye contact, don't stay long, lay him down, next time wait 10 min, then 20 minutes etc...Don't let them cry longer than 40 min and of course if the crying changes and he sounds like me may be hurt, ill etc check him immediately. It took my daughter about a week to learn to go back to sleep by herself. I feel for you, I know how hard it was to keep getting up night after night. I believe I was in my first trimester with #2 and because of her inturruptions at night she also had trouble napping-it was exhausting. I did a lot of praying!

Try putting a sippy cup of water in his crib at night. It may be that he isn't really hungry as much as he is waking up with a dry mouth. Let him know it is there and then for the first few nights, tell him it is there and put it where he can see it. Then leave him in there. He may whine and fuss, but he will soon find it and go back to bed on his own. This may take a few restless nights, but I promise it will all work out.