1 year old not sleeping, im at my wits end HELP

[Butterfly Dawn]

Rescue remedy has a spray with a sleep aid in it. Might help you both?
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unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. its not.
Dr Seuss

[~Kaz~]

My son was rubbish at sleeping until about 4-6 months ago. He is 3.

Not trying to get you down, but wanted to let you know I know exactly what its like. DS used to wake frequently, sometimes 2 hrly. He also stayed awake 1-2 hours at a time from 12 months through to over 2 yrs. I tried everything too. The only way I got more sleep was to co-sleep from the first wake up. I didn't do that until after he turned 2 though so was sitting up for long periods, 2 to 3 times a night for 12 months and working 3 days a week.

The tiredness does change your personality. Try to remember its fatigue induced and temporary. As soon as I got more sleep, I coped better. Persevere with co-sleeping. She will get it eventually and settle and you'll get more sleep/feel more rested.

I'm sorry I don't have more answers. I think its brain wave related for some kids (the length of awake time between sleep cycles). Is her sleep ok/average during the day? Cause if she's all over the place with daysleeps too you could have her melatonin checked but I think that as a causal factor is quite rare.

It will pass.

Sent from my phone.

[Butterfly Dawn]

Could you alternate night with her daddy, so she sleeps with him 1night and you the next? so that you can get some sleep.
there was a thread on here about sleep remedys not too long ago but Im on my phone and can't find it.
There are herbal sleeping aids and medical 1s too of course, but you would need check with a Dr or natrapath about suitability for her age.
We had a good herbal1 we used on ds2 who is 4 to break his bad sleep cycle

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unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. its not.
Dr Seuss

[Melster]

Hey

well i have been persisting putting her down awake...last night wasnt too bad, she woke around 12 ish i think so i just resettled her, then i think she woke at 3 so this time i kept her in there, got her some milk and resettled her a couple times..then she woke around 5 and i brought her in with me until i had to get up for work just after 6......least its better than being up for hour and half or so...because then im awake awake..she seems to be sleeping in longer periods......ill just keep the putting her down awake and during her day sleeps and see if it slowly improves...

She seems to be ok during her day sleeps and we have a routine...

Yeah she could, just a bit worried because he is big and sleeps heavily...

[Butterfly Dawn]

She wakes same times roughly as dd does for milk. the rest of our wakes are normal grumbles and dummy hunts.
Not many people actually sleep solidly with no wake ups- we just don't remember them, a plunket nurse told me

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unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. its not.
Dr Seuss

[Aussiegirl777]

Hiya, sounds like you are having a tough time with the sleeping. I'm so impressed with everything that you have tried.

My son is a good sleeper and I was also trying to think what do I do to get him to sleep so easily but the thing is I think they either sleep well or they don't. I don't think the parents really have too much control over it.

The only thing I would suggest is for a daytime sleep just put her down with a 'special' book or soft toy. One that she doesn't ever have at any other time. If she just has quiet time for a while that's fine, it doesn't matter if she isn't sleeping. If she does go off to sleep then don't let her sleep for more than 2.5hrs. If she does go to sleep don't let her have an afternoon nap, hold her out until 7pm and put her down for her night sleep then. If she just lay in her cot and had quiet time then get her up when she is ready and put her down again at 3pm for another try. If she falls asleep then don't let her sleep past 5pm and still put her down for her night sleep around 7/7.30pm.

This is just what I do with my DS. Like I said I don't think it's really what I'm doing as much as that I just got lucky with a natural good sleeper.

Oh....any when he is teething he wakes through the night.

Hope you get a good nights sleep soon.

[Kahlan]

Hi,

My 1 year old son wakes multiple times at night since birth as well. What we are currently doing which is helping is stretching his day nap to 1 nap only. previously he would have 2 naps of 45mins to 1 1/2 hours each. But I have since forego his morning nap and made it around midday which he would often sleep for 2 to 2 1/2 hrs. His bed time is earlier at 7:00 pm but he usually sleep through the night and only wakes at around 5 am to fall back asleep most of the time with minimal re-settling. He now generally sleeps longer at time, approximately 11 to 11 1/2 hrs. There are times when he wakes too early (ie 5 am and won't go back to sleep). I would give him 2 naps just to make up to a total of 13 hrs of the recommended time (and also because he would be too sleepy by 10:30 am anyway.)

Not sure if this helps but in my experience my son is more wakeful at night if he sleeps too late (or too much) in the afternoon.

Kahlan

[Astrid]

I don't see it as so many kids here having sleep problems, but more showing the broad range of what is sleep in the age group

Have you looked at diet? Honestly, some foods and additives can keep kids ups. DD1 was terrible for it, thankfully DD2 not so much so. For some kids it can be something as simple as tomato dish two nights in a row. For my girls, it was a food colouring common in yoghurts, icecream etc

Another thing, is you could be trying too much, different techniques can take some time to settle in. Also some main stream technique just do not work for every kid. With us, DD1 needed music (could be techno some night), even lights, whilst DD2 needed it much darker and quieter (if anything too quiet and dark would have DD1 going hysterical).

[Chrispe]

I don't see it as so many kids here having sleep problems, but more showing the broad range of what is sleep in the age group

Actually you are quite right. Most parents aren't told that it's normal for babies and toddlers to wake in the night until they are 3 or 4 years old.

DS1 slept 12hrs most nights, but not more than 20 min during the day. DD woke every 3 hours every night until she was 3 or so. DS2 does something in the middle- sleeping well some nights, waking all night others.

Currently I'm studying paediatric and community nursing and the fact that young children have so many development changes in their first 3 years that can disturb their sleep.
While I know this may not be comforting at the moment it does mean for the majority of kids their sleep patterns settle down after 3 or 4 years old. It doesn't last for ever

[goddessofdawn]

It is 3.30am and I have beeen awake since 1.20am with my almost-3-year old.
I will now stay awake until she goes to bed tonight, probably around 8pm.
Off to buy my WonderWoman suit in the morning

No help, except to say you will be ok because the other alternative is to lose your mind xx