How Long Before Your Toddler Slept Through The Night?

[Setfree]

Jonas is 1.5 years old and he's never ever ever slept for more than 4 hours without waking. Ever. We cosleep, and he wakes 4-5 times a night - on a decent night. This is a huge improvement from infancy when he was waking 8-10 times a night. He had pretty bad reflux which lasted until about 15 months and he has a bad dairy sensitivity, but generally, he's doing well. I don't know if he's just waking because it's what he's always done, or what. It wouldn't be so bad if he'd just lay there and nurse back to sleep, but often I have to sit up and hold him. I'm tired. I never imagined life with a baby would be like this! I got my cycle back a couple months ago, and I'd like to get pregnant again, but I'm afraid I won't be able to handle his waking if I'm as sick next time as I was with him. I'm just discouraged. Please tell me there is hope!!

[tree_hugger]

There is hope! :yes :hugheart

My toddler is 21 months, and he's just started sleeping through the night. I think, for us, it coincided with the warmer weather arriving, so he doesn't wake up cold anymore.

:heart

[WI Mama05]

My first started (what I consider) STTN at 20 months when we night weaned. She still woke up a few times needing to be comforted, but I considered it so since she wasn't waking 4-6 times anymore :giggle.

My second is just starting to sleep 5 hr stretches. She is almost 21 mos.

[Psyche]

When we night weaned around 17 or 18 months. However, sometimes he still wakes up and needs a cuddle. We just went through a stretch of several nights of night waking.

[emmalouise]

Mine still wakes anywhere from 2-5 times a night. Has never slept through - he's 28 months. :)

[Embracing Grace]

Mine goes through cycles.... Right now he's 3 and wakes up once to come into our bed. When he nursed, he woke up 2-3 times. Who knows when he'll stay in his bed all night.

[righteous mama]

She was three. It was a happy day indeed! It wasn't until she was completely weaned. I was unable to bf'd so she was on formula. Found out later she had a mild dairy sensitivity...so it wasn't until she was off the constant dairy that she slept. If only I had known.

[BornFreeBaby]

'Sleeping through the night' is such a terrible expectation. My dd didn't 'sleep through' until 3 years old. Other moms have told me too that 3 is the magic number. I suspect the same with my 21 month old- she still nurses 3 times a night, but since we co-sleep, she cries for nursies when she's half asleep for just a few seconds before I roll over, latch her on, and go back to sleep. So she doesn't ever fully wake up, but she doesn't soundly sleep through like my 3 year old does. I gave up on getting my kids to 'sleep through' and gave up (or gave in)on the expectation of it. I think of night waking as my servanthood right now. It won't last forever. Since thinking of it that way, I've been much happier.

[OnlyBelieve]

Ds slept through at 5 years old, dd at about 2 and a half. They still wake up about once or twice a week.

[3PeasInAPod]

Mine started around 20 months. He will occasionally wake up to move from his mattress to ours (they're rightnext to eachother) so he can lay right next to me, but that's about it now. It's sooo nice when it finally happens. He was a non-sleeper for a long time!

[emmalouise]

Sorry! I replied before really reading through your post because I was in a hurry :(. Poor mama, you must be so tired. Mine wakes, but will nurse straight back to bed most nights. the nights when he doesn't are agony! :hugheart I'm another who never thought having a baby would be like this - I originally wanted 5 but I'm not ready for a second yet, and I got my cycle back at 3 months. I really feel for you and will be praying for you- wish i had some advice. :pray4

[Setfree]

Thanks Mamas. It makes me feel better knowing that I'm not alone. I only have one other AP type friend. No one else sleeps with their children, and they all let their kids CIO to some degree, expecting that they are supposed to sleep at night without having needs.

'Sleeping through the night' is such a terrible expectation. My dd didn't 'sleep through' until 3 years old. Other moms have told me too that 3 is the magic number. I suspect the same with my 21 month old- she still nurses 3 times a night, but since we co-sleep, she cries for nursies when she's half asleep for just a few seconds before I roll over, latch her on, and go back to sleep. So she doesn't ever fully wake up, but she doesn't soundly sleep through like my 3 year old does. I gave up on getting my kids to 'sleep through' and gave up (or gave in)on the expectation of it. I think of night waking as my servanthood right now. It won't last forever. Since thinking of it that way, I've been much happier.



I agree with you, basically. I don't expect that Jonas should be able to completely sleep through. And I truly wouldn't mind it if I could just roll over, latch him on and go back to sleep. The problem is having to sit up for 10-15 minutes at a time every 2-3 hours. At least I don't feel sleep deprived like I did the first year. Most days, I could hardly see straight back then. Generally, I can function fine now, but I'm still tired.

Servanthood is a great way to look at it. I wrote a long blog post about that a year or so ago, and that mindset really helped me get through some tough times too. Thank you for the reminder.

[CapeTownMommy]

My dd slept through reasonably consistently from about 7 months - but then, we don't cosleep. I have a theory that cosleeping babies wake more often, but they're also easier to get back to sleep again. :shrug Could be incredibly totally wrong about that though.

[Nickynoo]

My son began sleeping through about 2 months ago, aged 21 months also. I am a big fan of breastfeeding, but he was feeding about 8 times a night until then. For me, what changed, was I broke my elbow and couldn't feed him. He adjusted within a few days and has slept through since then without feeding at night. My husband helped a lot, cuddling him back to sleep for the first few nights.
It will get better!

[herbalwriter]

My ds is 3.5 and still wakes and needs to be nursed back to sleep periodically. :shifty

[HummusDip]

Oh my goodness, I can't imagine actually having to get up and hold or rock him! :hugheart My babe is 26 months and still wakes throughout the night, but I just breastfeed her back down, which gets tiring enough.

I hope this passes soon for you. You are doing the right thing and don't let anyone convince you otherwise! :clap :heart

[NovelMama]

Ohhhh..toddlers can sleep through the night?? ;)

My dd is not a good sleeper. :( I'm not either, though. We night weaned at 15 months so we could get pg, and that was almost 9 months ago. She still wakes an average of 3 times a night. She's a big-time dreamer, though, too, and usually wakes because of dreams, and I cuddle her back to sleep. I'm nearly 8 months pg and would love to get a solid night's sleep, but then I realize that I rarely slept through the night BEFORE I had a kid, so I don't think that'll ever be in the cards for me. Oh well. Hope it changes quick for you, though!

[racheepoo]

Um...consistently, like 6/7 nights? Right after he turned 3 and we'd completely weaned. :shrug He's very high needs, though-woke b/w 6-10 times a night until I nightweaned at 27 months. Even then it was at least 3x a night.

[Amber]

My 3.5yo still wakes up and comes into bed with us probably 5 nights during the week.

My 19mo old was starting to STTN a couple of months ago, but has now gone back to more frequent waking...due to teething and illness.

[jujubnme]

:hugheart My ds started sleeping through the night after his 2-year molars came in.

[lettucebabies]

my 21 mo old has never slep through the night either

my 3.5 yr old still doesn't either... well actually about 30% of the time she sleeps through the night

:yawn :yawn :yawn

[TraceMama]

Glad to see this thread, as I've gotten frustrated with Dimples not sleeping through yet --- he's 15mo :) I guess I've got a few more months, huh?

[herbalwriter]

...or years... :shifty
We're still working on sleeping all night at 3.5.