dd has trouble sleeping without me

[hopeforchange]

dd is 16 months old...since she was a baby i've just nursed her to sleep in the living room with me and kept her with me until i was ready to go to bed. then she came to bed with me.

several months ago, i started taking her to bed every night and nursing her to sleep there. after we got that routine established, she was pretty good about staying asleep without me, usually for about an hour, then i would have to nurse her again. after that, it was sporadic as far as how long she would sleep without fussing for me.

now, she is waking every 20 minutes or so, fussing for me to come and nurse her. i've tried just patting her back and it doesn't work...she asks for "na na's" in her sleep, lol. i'm about to go crazy because i have no time for myself at night, dh and i have no time together, etc.

she also has started nursing non-stop during the night again. she'll unlatch and roll away, only to immediately cry and i have to roll her over and latch her back on...i'm not getting much sleep.

any ideas as to what i can to do help her sleep better without constantly nursing?

[hopeforchange]

someone please help...

tonight, it took 30 minutes to put her to sleep...she unlatched herself and rolled over. i got up and had prolly an hour before she woke up fussing. after that, it was literally every 2 to 5 minutes...meaning, i'd go back and nurse her for 5 or 10 minutes, make sure she seemed settled, walk out of the room, only to have to repeat that in 2 to 5 minutes. she won't sleep any time without me. i did that prolly 5 or 6 times and now she's been asleep for maybe 10 minutes, but who knows when she'll cry again...

i'm gonna pull my hair out if this keeps up!!!! it's driving me crazy...i don't want to go to bed with her every night...i need some help here :yes2

[Serafine]

umm...my 18 month old just started up with this again...she has 4 molars trying to push their way through. Could DD be teething?

[Teacher Mom]

Right away, I was thinking of her teething too. :hug2

[hopefromgrace]

:hugheart
Hang in there mama....I clearly remember those days, it's so hard, I know.
It really is a stage though and will pass soon....it probably is a teething thing...have you
tried some homeopathic chamomile or the hylands teething tablets? they also have a "calm" blend that is supposed to help with sleep.
You are doing the best thing for your little one, this hard time will pass before you know it.You will make it through this, I remember how hard it is when you are in it though!
I wish I had more specific advice for you.... :hugheart

[hopeforchange]

well her 4 eye teeth are coming in...but they've all broken the surface a while ago. :think maybe that could still be it though. last night, after all that crazy running around, when i went to bed, we actually had a good night. she didn't nurse much during the night and i could move around, which was good because i have a cold :)

[hopefromgrace]

glad to hear you had a better night last night! :)

[Thia]

I'm practically crying. My son is doing the same thing (8/22/06). He gets about one decent night of sleep a week. Being pg, I get very nauseous during the night, every time he wakes me up and I have some resentment of his night time needs now....guilt! So...at least we're not alone. And I have tried drugging him, but it doesn't seem to make a difference.

[Quiteria]

I'm practically crying. My son is doing the same thing (8/22/06). He gets about one decent night of sleep a week. Being pg, I get very nauseous during the night, every time he wakes me up and I have some resentment of his night time needs now....guilt! So...at least we're not alone. And I have tried drugging him, but it doesn't seem to make a difference.


My experience was to get preg when ds was 12mo, so pregnancy-related low supply popped into my head as a question for you and the OP. We started doing middle of the night snacks/drinks, and that helped tremendously. It went from constant switching sides up every 20min or less, to at least getting a couple hrs in a row or more. To the OP...any chance you could be preg? Might just be the teething, but like I said, my only experience with nursing at this age was during preg, so that's what I think of.

[hopeforchange]

nope, definitely not pregnant, lol. i wish i was...but, i'm not :shrug and i have TONS of milk too, so that's not the problem. thanks for the thoughts though, it'd be nice if i were pregnant :)

[J3K]

Take one of your shirts from the laundry basket (that has your smell on it) and lay it down for her to lie on. You can also place a hot water bottle in her crib before she lays down , then remove it leaving a warm spot for her to lie on. Those things combined with the nursing before sleep should help.

[hopeforchange]

well the i put her to sleep by nursing her in our bed...so it's already warm and it smells like us :)

[herbalwriter]

My 3.5 yo ds still has nights like that sometimes. It usually means a molar is coming in, or he is getting sick, or he has some emotional/psychological thing he is working through (he is a nighttime processor, always has been).

I love chamomile tea after/during dinner for little ones. I also like Calms Forte 4 Kids. You might try those...and if it seems like teething, it's okay IMO to give Motrin or Tylenol sometimes for that really deep pain.

Oh, sometimes it means ds is in a growth spurt, too, which could mean either discomfort at night (growing pains) or increased appetite/low blood sugar.

[hopeforchange]

i do know that dd is teething and i think she's going through a growth spurt, b/c she's been eating non-stop for a couple of days now (and i literally mean, non-stop, lol!) but she is driving me crazy!!!! i just keep reminding myself that it will get better :) :yawn now maybe i should go to bed...

[herbalwriter]

Yeah, it does really sound like she's got some good reasons. ;) Doesn't make it any easier for you though!! A high protein bedtime snack + pain reliever can help a lot, too.