16mo sleep issues -will only sleep 8hrs... Please Help???

[Headmeister]

Info:

My 16mo DD has been teething. Prior to that, she slept pretty well, one or two wake-ups at night that lasted literally less than a minute and then back to sleep.

Her crib is next to my side of the bed. We've been waiting for the weather to get warmer before we transition her because there is a heating issue in her room that needs to be looked at (for some reason the heat barely warms up that room yet boils the rest of them).

Problem:

Ever since the teething started, as expected, her sleep has turned to crap. However, now that she has cut those teeth, her sleep habits have not returned to normal. What is happening now is that no matter what time we put her down at, no matter how exhausted she is when we put her down or how not exhausted she is when we put her down, she wakes up exactly 8 hours after falling asleep. Yes she's up a few times in between, but when I tell you she's up 8 hours later, it can be 3am and she's WIDE AWAKE and ready to start her day. What follows is an hour or more of trying to get her to go back to sleep, she will then fall asleep for about an hour, will be up, have breakfast & get dressed, etc but then will fall asleep right before needing to be taken to daycare. Tuesday night we put her down at 7 and she passed out immed - but woke up at 3. Last night we put her down pretty tired at 8:20 - and I swear to you she woke up at exactly 4:20am. These are only two examples but it's been going on for a week and a half now... I only just realized it was exactly 8 hours this morning.

We have given Motrin at night before bed and have also given only when she wakes up, and then have not given any at all - none of it changes the outcome, her behavior is exactly the same.

Her naps at daycare range from 1 to 2 hours long, with the occasional but rare 30-45min nap instead. Her naps on the weekends are horrific - she almost refuses to nap but will pass out from exhaustion at around 4:30 and sleep for 2 hours, which is hell come trying to get her to sleep that night and through the night.

I've just ordered the No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers but it won't be here til after the weekend. Some of the reviews of that book on Amazon were from parents who described their child having the same exact issues my DD is having, so I thought it couldn't hurt to check the book out.

But if any of you have ever been though this, I would love to hear your thoughts. It's starting to break me down and turn me into a person I don't really like. On top of it, I'm 3 months pg and this has really taken a toll on me... I really just don't know what to do and I feel helpless and like I'm failing. Please help?

[solinox]

Maybe that's all she needs now. My 3yo gave up naps altogether about the same age your DD is now, still only slept 8-10 hours at night, and is running at 65 mph the rest of the day. He'll fall asleep in the car sometimes, but that's it. Try letting her stay up a little later. If she's only going to sleep 8 hours, why torture yourselves and her by putting her to bed so that she wakes up at 3am? Let her stay up until 9 or 10, or whatever puts her 8 hours away from a normal wake-up time. You'll all be happier for it. Plus, getting her in sync with the rhythms of her body and the house might get her to sleep more all by itself. You might be able to start with a 10pm bedtime and then gradually move it up a little at a time if she will continue to sleep through.

[Headmeister]

Solinox - you are the only person who hasn't told me that my child needs to sleep 14+ hours...lol. Your advice totally makes sense to me, but since I'd heard so many others tell me that there's no way she can live on only 8-10 hours sleep (that includes naps), I'd never considered that she might be totally ok with that amt of sleep. I'm definitely going to start pushing her bedtime later and later, a little at a time. Maybe that's really the only thing needed after all...? We shall see! Thank you for your reply!!!

[solinox]

Yeah, all of my kids are night-owls that get by on less sleep than "the books" recommend. I went through the fights with the triplets trying to get them to sleep more, and it was such a nightmare that I've been happy to let my singletons pretty much set their own schedule. It's much happier for everybody.

Good luck!

[sapphire_chan]

Lina frequently naps from about 7pm to 9pm. Then she's up and playing until around 11pm. She'll often wake up to pee and play a bit around 4am, but generally she sleeps until 7am.

Anyway, my suggestion to you, is since you need her awake at a certain time, get her up some time in the even after she first lays down and then put her back to bed about 8 hours before you want her to wake up.

[Headmeister]

Well, I reluctantly put her down at 9pm. She was wiped by that time and fell asleep within 5 mins. She woke up either once or twice for only a minute each time, but then at 4:30am, as if on cue, she was standing in her crib crying and calling for me. It took me about 20 mins but I was able to get her back to sleep and she slept til 6 - right through the alarm which was set for 5:30. I'll try it again tonight and see what happens over the weekend as well... Thanks again for the advice ladies

[Mamja]

This is a little late, but I wanted to let you know that my DD is pretty similar. She's 16m and just doesn't need that much sleep. She goes to bed around 10 or so, and wakes up anytime between 6-9am. The 9am wake ups are almost ALWAYS after a middle of the night waking. Some days she doesn't even nap, so 8-9 hours at night might be all she needs. I feel like part of it might be due to it being winter, and therefore she's not as active.