Hi, I'm new to this forum, so I apologize if I'm writing about something that's been covered a lot. I tried to read as many posts as I could...
My son is 18 months old and has always had trouble staying asleep through the night. We co-slept for almost his first entire year and he still sleeps with us very often (if not the whole night, then part of the night.)
I'm now wondering if I'm doing something wrong, or if I'm doing him a disservice by putting him to sleep in my arms, picking him up every time he cries, and bringing him to my bed (not that bringing him to my bed stops the night waking, in fact it often makes it better at the time but worse for the rest of the night.) It just feels so unnatural to me to let him cry, stretch his arms out for me, screaming mamma!
I spoke with his doctor, thinking my son suffered from night terrors, but the doctors didn't think that was the problem. The pattern is: he goes to sleep at 8 or 9, then between 11 and midnight he wakes up crying. He wants to go to the other room, or he screams the same word over and over (could be water, milk, mommy, etc.) He also wants to go to the other room or downstairs. It takes me a while to put him back to sleep. Then he wakes up again at about 3 or 4AM. Same thing. Sometimes he sits on his bed and cries, other times he gets hysterical and won't even be awake, or calm down when I give him what he asks for. These times I turn on a light and wake him up. Then it takes me a while and put him back to sleep. Then usually around 6AM he wakes up again. At that point if he wasn't in my bed already, I bring him over. We sleep until 8ish. Exhausting for him and for me (my partner sleeps thought the whole thing.) And so disturbing to see my son so upset at night. He's the happiest kid during the day.
Any suggestions? I can take criticism about whatever it is I've been doing wrong.
Thanks.
My son is 18 months old and has always had trouble staying asleep through the night. We co-slept for almost his first entire year and he still sleeps with us very often (if not the whole night, then part of the night.)
I'm now wondering if I'm doing something wrong, or if I'm doing him a disservice by putting him to sleep in my arms, picking him up every time he cries, and bringing him to my bed (not that bringing him to my bed stops the night waking, in fact it often makes it better at the time but worse for the rest of the night.) It just feels so unnatural to me to let him cry, stretch his arms out for me, screaming mamma!
I spoke with his doctor, thinking my son suffered from night terrors, but the doctors didn't think that was the problem. The pattern is: he goes to sleep at 8 or 9, then between 11 and midnight he wakes up crying. He wants to go to the other room, or he screams the same word over and over (could be water, milk, mommy, etc.) He also wants to go to the other room or downstairs. It takes me a while to put him back to sleep. Then he wakes up again at about 3 or 4AM. Same thing. Sometimes he sits on his bed and cries, other times he gets hysterical and won't even be awake, or calm down when I give him what he asks for. These times I turn on a light and wake him up. Then it takes me a while and put him back to sleep. Then usually around 6AM he wakes up again. At that point if he wasn't in my bed already, I bring him over. We sleep until 8ish. Exhausting for him and for me (my partner sleeps thought the whole thing.) And so disturbing to see my son so upset at night. He's the happiest kid during the day.
Any suggestions? I can take criticism about whatever it is I've been doing wrong.
Thanks.
