My 13 Mth Is Still Not Sleeping Through the Night

Don't get too frusterated my son did the same thing. Is he needing anythign when he wakes up or is it just crying? My best advice is to shut the doors and let him cry I know it sounds mean and cruel to him but it works. He is old enough that he doen't need anything in the middle of the night he is just used to you coming in his room to comfort him. You have to let him know you aren't always going to come running and the only way to shoe him that is to just let him cry himself back to sleep. I'll be waiting to hear how things work out
K.

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

K.,

I experienced this also about when my daughter was about the same age. First, you have to do whatever is most relaxing for him...create favorable sleeping conditions...as long as you want him to sleep...ie- darken the room, white noise, or light music etc... Whne he does wake, you wake with him and tell him EVERYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD IS ASLEEP, AND THAT HE NEEDS TO GO BACK TO SLEEP. If he still resists, you can bargain with him....tell him after a 5 minute story, then it will be time to go back to sleep...but no active time, running, loudness....keep in sleepy mode, even tip toe an dwhisper not to wake the house and neighbors (really not waken his spirits- which as you know...are impossible to get back to sleep). A story helps them keep their sleepy imagination in tact, so they have something to ponder on and sleep....dreaming of similar situations....and perhaps you rubbing his back ever so lightly, in order to being able to stop witout detection. I had my daughter keep her eyes closed during the last half of the story, to avoid any stimulous, and therefore easy to take back to bed. I really think with some practice, you might find that helpful. You will need to take advantage of his nap time whenever possible, joining in the sleep time! After all, you say that it mkes you feel as your mothering is suffering.

With the phases, and lack of sleep, I went to the Dr. upset because I felt like my mothering too was suffering, and it broke my heart and disappointed me severly. My Dr. decided to put me on LEXAPRO, and anti-depressant and
anti-anxiety...which was God sent for me! I was/am much more patient and my daughter sensed it. The length of time on the meds depends on you.

Either way, I think keeping on the "sleepy mode" will help your son stay in that mode too. Quiteness, no excitment and lots of whispering!

Good luck to you and may you find plenty of rest!! :)

Hello K.. My pediatrician told me that babies go through certain age transitions, where they will sleep through the night, and then they hit certain ages, and they dont. My daughter is 2, and she went through 2 or 3 transitions like this. I suggest getting your child into a nightly routine. That has helped my daughter greatly. I tell her its time to get ready for bed, and she goes to her room. We change her diaper, put night time lotion on (the lavendar calming really helps), put on her pajamas, read the same two books every night, then tell daddy night night, and get her cup. I have found that by doing the same routine every night, she realizes its time to go to sleep, and started staying asleep. The lavendar calming lotion is cheap and you can even get the off brand. It really helps relax them, and helps them get sleepy. Good luck!

I feel for you. My son is 15 months old this month and just recently started sleeping for 6 hours the night. I think the catch to it was finding activities to keep him occupied at a later time in the day opposed to early in the day because I'm a morning person. Other than that pop a multivitamin and an energy drink and when he naps, you nap. I feel for you and understand. It will get better, I was where you are just a couple of months ago and only part way through it now. Have faith that it does get easier.

K., my son didn't sleep through the night until he was over 18 months old. I tried the whole schedule thing (I was already using a routine and it didn't work) and the cry it out thing. Neither worked. What did work took about a week. I put my son in bed with me and everytime he even thought about stirring, I popped his passy into his mouth. He never fully woke up enough to cry. This went on for about a week (I basically only slept when he took his naps). As the week went on, he stayed asleep longer and longer each night until he didn't even stir.

I hope this helps :)

I feel your pain!! :)

E.

I agree w/ the other mom, and I also suggest and LIVE by the "No cry sleep solution".... we have had a baby sleeping through the night since 5.5 months thanks to that book alone. No cry it out tactics involved that are tormenting to you both... and if you stick with it, within 2-3 weeks he'll be sleeping longer, and possibly through the night!!!

Good luck!

Hi K.- I have a 13 mo old and my friend gave me a book to borrow at around 7mos called "healty sleep habits- happy child" (sorry i dont remember author) but it radically changed my daughter's sleep for the better. I highly recommed it and best wishes!

J.

I am a STRONG advocate for letting them cry it out once they get to be around 6-9 months old. With our son, we let him cry it out one night until he fell asleep on his own, and lo and behold, he rarely ever wakes up in the middle of the night, and he'll be two in two weeks. If he should ever wake up in the middle of the night, we know something is wrong with him for sure.

There are times when you know what's best for you and your child, but they don't, so they're going to cry about it. That doesn't mean you give in to THEM; YOU are the parent. Don't let your child control your house, because you can't stand to hear him cry; you're going to hear him cry a lot in life, so, might as well get used to it. ;) Good luck, hon!