Sleep Issues - Help!

[LeeAndra]

I'm at my wits' end with DD's sleeping habits (or lack thereof).

She has always been a terrible sleeper. She did have reflux the first three or four months of her life, but once we switched to formula, it was no longer an issue. She did not sleep through the night until she was 18 months old, and even now at 2y3mo, she doesn't usually sleep more than 6 hours at a time. DH does work night shift, but she is often awake before he gets home. When she wakes up, she is awake for an hour (or longer!) at a time. She has a crib tent, so she can't get out (thank goodness!), but I still worry that she's not getting enough sleep.

I have tried everything with her --- short naps, eliminating nap altogether, going to bed early, going to bed late, having some milk before bed, not having milk before bed, etc etc. None of it helps, and she still wakes up 3 or 4 nights a week.

She does consistently wake up between 8 and 8:30 every morning.

Help! Any advice? Had a kid like this and s/he (I pray!) grew out of it eventually?! I'm dreading putting her in a big kid bed. I don't think she will ever sleep once she has the opportunity to get out of her bed and play in her room!

TIA!

[ayaandjudah]

we're in the same situation. My third is 7 months old and he does.not.sleep during the day. No more than half an hour. And we're up at least 3-4 times a night.

I wish I had answers. I can just offer hugs

[Julie Billingsley]

Both of my boys were like this. Up every night, always asking for a drink in the middle in the night, poor quality of sleep since they seemed to wake up tired. They were each diagnosed with airway obstruction from tonsils and adenoids. Jacob had his removed at age 3ish, Logan's were removed at age 6. Immediately after surgery, Jacob's sleep improved and he stopped snoring. Poor little guy had been struggling to breathe while lying down because of those enlarged adenoids. Logan's surgery helped, but didn't eliminate his sleep issues. Logan still is up several times during the night. But thankfully at age 8 he just stays in bed and tries to go back to sleep. Anyway, look into talking to your daughter's doctor because sometimes there is a medical reason for the sleeplessness. Hope you both get some sleep soon!!

[Lyd]

So sorry LA! Sleep issues are not fun! I think some sleep problems have to do with routine and environment, some have to do with medical issues, and some have to do with the personality of the child. And, of course, some are a combination of the three. I don't know what kind of bedtime/nap routine you have, but I know that once I established a good pattern for what happened before sleep time, my babies/kids always did better (but some not as well as others). I also agree with Julie - talk to you doctor and see if there's a physical/medical problem that could be addressed. Otherwise, I offer lots and lots of hugs. It's so hard to be a happy patient parent when you're sleep deprived.

[emmasmommy]

i hate to say it gets better, but i don't know that it does for all kids LOL

emma's ALWAYS been a poor sleeper. she doesn't sleep through the night quite often even now at 6, and while she goes to bed early, she does also get up early, which just works well for us. i do find that a consistent routine helps her with the anxiety, but other than that...i got nothin'

[breakingbrie]

I got lucky early, and my girls slept through the night as soon as we brought them home! I had to wake them to feed them. They slept a full night through even when they no longer needed nightime feedings - until they were about 2. Then they started not sleeping well at night. I thought I needed to cut out their 1 nap during the day, but that made it worse. Turned out with my girls, at that age, they still needed 2 short naps during the day(I had switched to 1 nap too early I guess), and when we went back to 2 naps, they slept well at night again. I know all kids are different though!

I hope something works for you soon, and you get her sleeping well through the night!! (hugs)