One year old waking every night

Lisa2011

Hi all

My niece turns one tomorrow and since June 5th last she has been waking every night . My brother and his Girlfriend are so frustrated and don't know what to do.

This started when they went on holiday to Santa Ponsa. They were told it was initially due to the heat that she woke during the night.

They are home nearly 5 weeks from their holiday and nothing has changed.

They have to try and get her off the bottle of milk at night when she wakes but its the only thing that will settle her back to sleep. They cant leave her cry as they both work. Trying water or baby juice wont work.

They have tried what's known as Lullaby milk which adults or kids can drink. It works for some kids and makes them sleep all night but not my niece.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what is the way best to get her to sleep all night.

They really need to get her out of this routine asap or they will be driven crazy.

pwurple

Could be loads of things.

Teething,
Growth spurt or developmental spurt.
Hunger if she's not getting enough snacks during the day.
Sleep disturbance is she is getting too many or too little naps during the day.
Too hot, too cold.

Is it just the once she wakes and then back to sleep for the rest of the night? If so, I'd guess hunger. Maybe offer her more during the day, and wait it out.

Joe's fanclub

I would say they have to stop giving her the milk, baby is waking up for it, if they stop giving it to her she'll stop waking for it, sounds harsh but I've a one year old myself and sleep deprivation is an awful thing. Let her cry it out for two or three nights, it will be worth the lack of sleep on those nights in the long run.

Lisa2011

Joe's fanclub wrote: »

I would say they have to stop giving her the milk, baby is waking up for it, if they stop giving it to her she'll stop waking for it, sounds harsh but I've a one year old myself and sleep deprivation is an awful thing. Let her cry it out for two or three nights, it will be worth the lack of sleep on those nights in the long run.

Yes the giving of the milk has to stop but they cant stay awake until she decides to sleep. They have been going to work for the last 5 weeks exhausted.

It has already had a terrible affect on my brothers health.

She woke 4 times this morning and they were told its a habit my niece has gone into due to going on holiday to a warm place.

Lisa2011

pwurple wrote: »

Could be loads of things.

Teething,
Growth spurt or developmental spurt.
Hunger if she's not getting enough snacks during the day.
Sleep disturbance is she is getting too many or too little naps during the day.
Too hot, too cold.

Is it just the once she wakes and then back to sleep for the rest of the night? If so, I'd guess hunger. Maybe offer her more during the day, and wait it out.

She has been coping well with the teething and has a good breakfast of weetabix and fruit and eats well at lunch.

She still wakes even though she has a good dinner on top of everything else.

I think maybe they might have to try her with water or apple juice so she will realise she wont get milk if she wakes.

Lisa2011

Joe's fanclub wrote: »

I would say they have to stop giving her the milk, baby is waking up for it, if they stop giving it to her she'll stop waking for it, sounds harsh but I've a one year old myself and sleep deprivation is an awful thing. Let her cry it out for two or three nights, it will be worth the lack of sleep on those nights in the long run.

Yes thats true especially now he has had to take time off to get better.

I assume you experienced it so even though every baby is different how long do they cry before going back to sleep.

Marz66

I don't have a lot of advice but there are some sleep books out there that they could buy or rent from library. No cry sleep solution or the baby whisperer are two.

If they want to do it gently, it might take some time.

In the meantime can one of them sleep in a different room so that only one parents sleep is disrupted? Also have them go to bed as early as they can to make up for the sleep lost later.

crazy cat lady

My 2nd child is 2 next month and still wakes for a bottle in the night. We just put a bottle in the bed with her when we are going to bed and she finds it and usually settles herself back to sleep.

Its not unreasonable for a 1 year old to look for a bottle in the night, especially this weather where it can be quite warm at night time

pwurple

Lisa2011 wrote: »

I think maybe they might have to try her with water or apple juice so she will realise she wont get milk if she wakes.

Please do not give a 1 year old apple juice in the middle of the night, or at any time for that matter. They'll be riddled with cavities.

January

Babies wake in the night, there is no magic cure, they'll sleep through when they are ready...

If the child settles back to sleep after a bottle, give them the bottle...

Joe's fanclub

I did go through this myself OP, depending how used to getting the bottle the child is they might really kick up a fuss, I agree with the other poster saying to take turns with it, that's how myself and my husband managed it, took about three nights and on the fourth he slept through

I would suggest comforting the child whatever way works without giving her the bottle, rocking, walking the floors etc. and then bit by bit reducing the amount of interaction over a few nights, she needs to learn how to self-soothe at these times

Lisa2011

Marz66 wrote: »

I don't have a lot of advice but there are some sleep books out there that they could buy or rent from library. No cry sleep solution or the baby whisperer are two.

If they want to do it gently, it might take some time.

In the meantime can one of them sleep in a different room so that only one parents sleep is disrupted? Also have them go to bed as early as they can to make up for the sleep lost later.

Yes they will be doing. She might cry herself to sleep but it has to be done.

Lisa2011

January wrote: »

Babies wake in the night, there is no magic cure, they'll sleep through when they are ready...

If the child settles back to sleep after a bottle, give them the bottle...

I know they wake but she has not slept through the night sine June 5th.

As many said it could be alot of things but maybe she was not ready for a foreign holiday.

monflat

Lisa2011 wrote: »

Hi all

My niece turns one tomorrow and since June 5th last she has been waking every night . My brother and his Girlfriend are so frustrated and don't know what to do.

This started when they went on holiday to Santa Ponsa. They were told it was initially due to the heat that she woke during the night.

They are home nearly 5 weeks from their holiday and nothing has changed.

They have to try and get her off the bottle of milk at night when she wakes but its the only thing that will settle her back to sleep. They cant leave her cry as they both work. Trying water or baby juice wont work.

They have tried what's known as Lullaby milk which adults or kids can drink. It works for some kids and makes them sleep all night but not my niece.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what is the way best to get her to sleep all night.

They really need to get her out of this routine asap or they will be driven crazy.

I work full time my husband works full time.
All our 3 children wake up about 3 out of 7 nights and the baby is awake every night it's just a fact of life I work nights and when I'm away they wake up looking for me and when I'm there they still wake up.
Lots of people's children wake up at night.
This sleeping thro the night business takes a long time to come right.

Offer to stay over and get up to the baby during the night for them and give them a rest.

I'd love if someone did this for me :-)

January

Lisa2011 wrote: »

I know they wake but she has not slept through the night sine June 5th.

As many said it could be alot of things but maybe she was not ready for a foreign holiday.

None of mine slept through the night every night until they were 3...

If she wasn't ready for a foreign holiday then it's too late, damage is done... they'll just have to either tough it out or try a cry it out or no cry method but either way it'll be a long hard slog and it will take a few nights.

fall

Try to water down the bottle. A little more watery every night. My first stopped bothering to wake up once we did this and we also gave a little supper of porridge to help keep him asleep.

nikkibikki

Could they water down the milk and increase the amount of water every so often?

Lisa2011

Yes they were told to water down the milk and they did it for a while.

They are stubborn and i have told them to go back to watering it down.

Lisa2011

pwurple wrote: »

Please do not give a 1 year old apple juice in the middle of the night, or at any time for that matter. They'll be riddled with cavities.

I call it apple juice but its the baby juice, apple flavoured spring water.

Lisa2011

monflat wrote: »

I work full time my husband works full time.
All our 3 children wake up about 3 out of 7 nights and the baby is awake every night it's just a fact of life I work nights and when I'm away they wake up looking for me and when I'm there they still wake up.
Lots of people's children wake up at night.
This sleeping thro the night business takes a long time to come right.

Offer to stay over and get up to the baby during the night for them and give them a rest.

I'd love if someone did this for me :-)

I mind her all day while they work so I do need a break from her aswell.

They have said it to me but my niece doesn't have her own room at the moment so she sleeps in her cot in their room.

Of course she woke during the night prior to going on holiday but there was alot of times when she slept through the night.

monflat

Lisa2011 wrote: »

I mind her all day while they work so I do need a break from her aswell.

They have said it to me but my niece doesn't have her own room at the moment so she sleeps in her cot in their room.

Of course she woke during the night prior to going on holiday but there was alot of times when she slept through the night.

Oh well I wouldn't worry about it too much then. But it seems that because you are minding the baby you are involved.

What time of the night does the baby wake?
How long does it take her to go back to sleep?

Anything can cause a baby to get out of their routine and a number of things can happen at once too.
Sometimes we over think things.
Mine wake up during the night and early in the morning.
It won't be forever.
In a few yrs I won't be able to get them out of the bed.
Such is life and the joys of children

monflat

Also op. Can I ask do they blame you for anything you did or didn't do during the day as to why the baby does wake up at night?

To be honest it's not really your issue. I understand you are concerned and would like to help them but it's their child and it's par for the course.

Helping out /working for family can be quite difficult from personal experience

dekey

It's totally normal for a baby to wake through the night. Just because she used to sleep through at one point doesn't mean that night wakings are behind you. In their first 2 years babies go through so many developmental leaps and these can cause changes to patterns. A baby's sleep can change because of developmental leaps, growth spurts, teething, night terrors and a million and one other causes. To be honest your brother and his partner just need to suck it up and get on with it and work out a routine between them. They're not alone. My little one was sleeping 7-6.30 at 3 months and then we hit the 4 month sleep regression and we haven't seen a full night since and she's now 11 months.My husband and I have adapted our routine around it. I'm still breastfeeding so I get her off to sleep between 7 and 8 then my husband takes over to deal with any awakenings between 8pm and 1am, I do the 1am to 6am and then he gets up with her from 6am til he leaves at 7.30 which is when I get up for work and creche. It's not like we're up the entire time, it's only for a few mins to get her back down. Sat morning he gets up early and gives me a lie in and I do it in return on a Sunday morning. It's not forever and you learn to get by on little sleep, it's way less exhausting than the early days and work is a rest compared to looking after a home and a baby.

pwurple

Lisa2011 wrote: »

I call it apple juice but its the baby juice, apple flavoured spring water.

It's still not ideal to be giving babies a taste for it. Milk or water is just fine. Keep them away from fruit drinks for as long as possible. There are 5 year olds who've had all their teeth removed

lazygal

Lisa2011 wrote: »

I call it apple juice but its the baby juice, apple flavoured spring water.

Young children should only get milk or water, no matter what the marketing of baby food might say. My dentist has told me some horror stories of parents who gave 'baby' juices thinking they were healthy, next thing they knew their three year olds have cavaties and need teeth pulled.

As for the waking, I think you need to ride it out. I also leave mine a few minutes before going in to settle them. Most times they settle back themselves without needing me to go in. If they need you to go in to reassure them, you'll just need to go with their needs. It won't last forever.

Cunning Stunt

we have this with our 19 month old. He wakes every night at some stage for a bottle, drinks it and most of the time he settles back to sleep. We're not sure what to do here -whether he will stop waking by himself or whether we are supposed to do something that encourages him to sleep through - like watering down the milk as suggested here...
It's hard to know what to do, especially on your first! I don't think I could stick letting him cry it out though

Sorry this response is of no help to you OP, just wanted to say your niece is not unique in waking this way

John Mason

Lisa2011 wrote: »

Yes they will be doing. She might cry herself to sleep but it has to be done.

Dont leave her crying is it cruel and completely unnecessary. Babies wake, this is part of being a parent.

Babies dont sleep through the night just because society says so

Lisa2011 wrote: »

I call it apple juice but its the baby juice, apple flavoured spring water.

anything in plastic which is geared towards children are full of sugar and should be avoid at all costs

There is a developmental leap around 12 months, these can disrupt sleep patterns.

Read The no cry sleep solution but tbh the best way to deal with it is to go with the flow and accept the new

Neyite

I understand you are concerned and want to help, but your brother is being a right drama queen, sorry.

He is saying he is in actual terrible health because his baby wakes up for a bottle once a night for the past few weeks? What is the name of this terrible condition he's been afflicted with I wonder?

Mine only slept through a handful of times until he was 3. We would take turns in going in with him so at least one of us got a good nights sleep and both of us got a sleep every other night. And we both work full time too. Neither of us were lingering at deaths door, nor were the lots of other parents who have children who never slept through the night.

He's not exaggerating his illness to get you to do overnight childcare, is he?

Anyway, practical advice:

Does the baby use a soother? Maybe they'd take one and it would help settle them.

If the bottle settles them, give a bottle for a few weeks, and gradually water down and reduce it. Don't give juice or flavoured water or any of that to an infant unless they plan to get her up and brush her teeth after it and play with her when she's full of energy and wide awake because of the sugar rush.

Other things to check are - black out blinds. Is the room dark enough or is the early dawns waking her up earlier than normal? Temperature? is she too hot in warmer weather, have her blankets /sleepwear been adjusted so she's not roasting? Maybe her daytime naps need reducing slightly? There is lots of teeth growing around that age so while she might not be in pain as such, there might be low-level ache that she doesn't notice during daytime as she's distracted. Maybe a late supper to fill her up just before bedtime, especially if she's likely to be having a growth spurt.