122 responses so far ↓

• 1 Sandra // Sep 8, 2009 at 10:16 am

  My 19 month old was a great sleeper upto 14months. During a spell of teething and illness, the bedtime ritual was broken, and DS was brought into our bed! initially this was when he woke during the night but now he starts the night there too. We tried to break this pattern without using the ‘crying-out’ method but to no avail. Have you advise on how to re-establish a good sleep pattern in his own room.
  many thanks

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• 2 Susan Clarke // Sep 8, 2009 at 10:18 am

  Ayla goes to bed every night between 7 – 7.30pm. She waked up every morning at 5am and we have tried all of your tips. Even when we put her to bed an hour later she wakes up at 5am. We thought it might be the light but no. We thought it might be birds but no. We are desperate for her to sleep to at least 6am. Can you help. Susan.

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  Reply by JENNIFER:
  September 18th, 2009 at 2:34 pm

  IS HER ROOM DARK ENOUGH. MY BEST FRIEND HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AFTER MOVING THE CRIB TO A DIFFERENT WALL AND PUTTING TINT ON THE WINDOWS SHE SLEPT LONGER. HOW MANY NAPS AND HOW LONG ARE THEY DOES UR DAUGHTER GET AND TAKE?

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  Reply by haylen Brokars:
  September 27th, 2009 at 1:09 am

  Definitely get blackout shades and maybe even try putting her to bed 30 minutes EARLIER than usual. It sounds counterintuitive but sometimes works. Baby is more rested and sleeps better….good luck!

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• 3 Lauralyn // Sep 8, 2009 at 10:22 am

  I have 2 questions wat time should an 21 month should go to bed. i try put bed early but he crys and screams when i leave the room

  And 2 question. When u have new born and todler im worried the baby will wake up my son if they r in the same room, and or im worried he wake the baby up cuz my son can be quite Loud.

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  Reply by JENNIFER:
  September 18th, 2009 at 2:36 pm

  DOES UR NEWBORN SLEEP THROUGH OTHER LOUD NOISES? VACCUM, TV, AND WHATEVER OTHER SOUNDS ARE IN UR HOUSE.
  HOW LONG DOES THE 21 MONTH CRY FOR?

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• 4 Amy // Sep 8, 2009 at 10:22 am

  When it comes to sleep signs my child who is 26months old starts a constant chatter. It goes on and on and that is how I know she is tired. It took me awhile to figure it out because I thought she was very happy and babbling about her day when in fact she was tired from her day.

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• 5 Galina // Sep 8, 2009 at 10:28 am

  My 8 months daughter has hard time taking day naps in her crib. Once we put her in the car she falls asleep in a minute but to put her in the crib may take hours. How do I train her to fall asleep in her crib during the day. She has no problem falling asleep for the knight in her crib and sleeps through the knight. Thanks.

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  Reply by JENNIFER:
  September 18th, 2009 at 2:38 pm

  DO YOU HAVE TINT HER BEDROOM WINDOWS? IS THERE TO MUCH LIGHT COMING IN. DO YOU USE THE SAME NIGHT MUSIC DURING DAY NAPS?

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• 6 Kathy // Sep 8, 2009 at 10:34 am

  We are getting ready to take Brayden’s bottle. His is 15 months old and is very dependent on it at bedtime only. What are your suggestions for making this as easy as possible for him and us?

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  Reply by JENNIFER:
  September 18th, 2009 at 2:41 pm

  MAYBE PUT LESS IN IT GRADUALLY OR USE MAYBE KIDS ESSENTIAL BOOST INPLACE OF IT THEN. OFFER SOMETHING ELSE IN ITS PLACE. IT WILL BE A BONUS IF HE DOESN’T LIKE IT. IF HE THINKS THAT IS ALL HE CAN HAVE MAYBE HE WONT WANT ANYTHING AT ALL. OR MAYBE MAKE SURE HE EATS AND GETS HIS TEETH BRUSHED RIGHT BEFORE BED….FULL TUMMY…MAYBE OATMEL

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• 7 adele scott // Sep 8, 2009 at 10:56 am

  hi dana,
  my son is 18 mths and is a good sleeper he goes down at 7-7 30 but seems to wake a 6 am i bring down stairs but then 1/2-hour later he is shattered crammed. I have sometimes gave him a milk at 6 and then let him go off again or do i cold turkey and let him cry of too sleep until 7 am ????
  cheers adele

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  Reply by JENNIFER:
  September 18th, 2009 at 2:43 pm

  HE MIGHT JUST BE AN EARLY RISER. COLD TURKEY…. MIGHT WORK AND BE THE BEST WAY. ALOT OF KIDS GET UP BETWEEN 6-7:30 AND STAY UP. NAP TIME MIGHT NEED TO BE EARLIER.

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• 8 daniela // Sep 8, 2009 at 11:08 am

  My 5 month old daughter gives me all the signs of wanting to go to sleep (rubbing eyes, grouchy, etc) but when I put her down to sleep she won’t! She fights me even when I’m cuddling with her to help her out. She’ll start to cry and scream and I have to sit her back up and play with her. But from what I am reading if the child is rubbing its eyes and grouchy it means they’re overtired. What should I do? Warm bottles don’t help, carrying her keeps her awake…I don’t know what to do! I also would like to try and get her to sleep earlier. She used to sleep at around 11pm but now I can’t even get her to sleep at 3am. I don’t know if its the teething stage or the simple fact that she misses daddy during the day and waits for him to get home from work at 1am. Please help me! Her sleeping schedule is killing me and my husband. Thanks.

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  Reply by JENNIFER:
  September 18th, 2009 at 2:49 pm

  DOES SHE HAVE A ROUTINE? BED BY 8P.M. UP EARLY THEN NAP 3-4 HOURS AFTER GETTING UP.TRY TO PUT HER DOWN BEFORE SHE GETS TO THAT STAGE. ONCE TO A CERTAIN POINT OF TIRED THE KIDS JUST GET WORSE. IF SHE CAN GET ALL UPSET ON HER OWN SHE CAN CALM DOWN ON HER OWN IN HER CRIB. SORRY THAT MIGHT SOUND HARSH. IF CARRING HER KEEPS HER UP PUT HER IN HER CRIB TURN SOME CALMING MUSIC ON TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND LET HER CRY IT OUT. TRY TO WATCH THE TIME AND HOUR BEFORE SHE USUALLY GETS UPSET TRY PUTTING HER TO BED.

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  Reply by haylen Brokars:
  September 27th, 2009 at 1:13 am

  I was going to say the same thing: start to transition her to sleep waaay before the signs of sleep appear. At 5 months she may be ready for a nap only 1.5 hr after awake time. Bring her in her room, lights down, shades down, read or have quiet time for 15 minutes. When her eyes get heavy or she is clearly calm and tired, put her down. Good luck.

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• 9 Brad // Sep 8, 2009 at 11:13 am

  Our little guy JC is eighteen months old. He had followed consistent nap and bedtime routines until about a month ago; now he fights being placed in the crib at the end of our song/humming, then stands up and cries. We still tell him “sleepy-time, good boy” and leave the room, but he then cries a combo of mad & hurt until he goes to sleep, 2 to 5 to even 10 minutes. I’m always there for bedtime, and feel terrible when he cries; a couple of times, I’ve gone back in after ten minutes to rock him. Do we maybe need to lengthen the sleepy-time routine (two to three minutes; sung softly, then hummed) or include rocking in a chair?
  Thank you very much for any feedback.

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  Reply by JENNIFER:
  September 18th, 2009 at 2:54 pm

  I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY DAUGHTER MY DOCTOR SAID LET HER CRY. . .IT HURTS BUT AT THE SAME TIME I RELIZED KIDS KNOW HOW TO PULL OUR STRINGS…IF I CRY THEY WILL COME. THAT WILL COME BACK TO HAUNT YOU IF YOU DON’T LET JC CRY IT OUT ON HIS OWN. PUT HIM DOWN AND LEAVE THE ROOM GO WHERE YOU CAN’T HEAR HIM. HE WILL CALM DOWN. AND DON’T WORRY HE WONT BE HURT OR REMEMBER THIS AS HE GETS OLDER. EVERY PARENT GOES THROUGH THIS.

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• 10 brittany // Sep 8, 2009 at 11:31 am

  our 1 year old started sleeping through the night at 11 months in her own crib. up until then she slept with us, timing was perfect as we broke the pacifier habbit then also since she was never that interested in it neway it was easy to do.. during the day she refuses the crib altogether for naps, we have tried and when shes finaly fallen sleep its only for about a half hour..and shes to awake to fall back asleep but still very tired. noremally she naps in our arms in the rocking chair for about an hour… how could she go down great at night but fight the crib so hard during the day?

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  Reply by laura:
  September 9th, 2009 at 1:07 pm

  We have the same problem with our 8 month old! Sleeps fine in her crib at night, but for naps…forget it!!

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  Reply by JENNIFER:
  September 18th, 2009 at 2:57 pm

  IS HER ROOM DARK ?LIKE AT NIGHT TIME

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• 11 Lisa Hoffman // Sep 8, 2009 at 11:40 am

  Skyler is 4 1/2 months old. She has never been a good napper. She will usually sleep for about 45 minutes and then wake up still cranky and tired. She can put herself to sleep, but doesn’t seem to be able to put herself back to sleep if she wakes up too soon. Occasionally she will take longer naps and a few times she has gone back to sleep after crying for a few minutes. I can’t figure out what is different those times or how to make her few good nap habits more consistent. I can sometimes rock her back to sleep if she wakes too soon, but I don’t want her to become dependent on me putting her back to sleep. How can I get Skyler to take longer naps or put herself back to sleep if she wakes up to soon?

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• 12 Beverley // Sep 8, 2009 at 12:34 pm

  My 3 and a half year old daughter goes to sleep at 7pm after a really good bedtime routine without any problems.

  The trouble seems to be the early hours of the morning around 4-5am when she calls out in her sleep and seems to be having bad dreams that wake her up at 5am and then she wants her day to start.

  I try and tell her that it’s still sleep time, but as she’s so scared or upset by this point after the dream there’s nothing that seems to soothe her to take her back off.

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  Reply by BJ:
  September 10th, 2009 at 10:32 am

  I have the same problem with my daughter, she is 3 years old and has always had problems sleeping at night. Her father and i have talked to Day care and told them not to let her sleep to much during the day but it seems like she is still not going to bed until sometimes 12 o’clock. By this time i am so tired and frustrated because i get up for work at 5am so i am suffering from lack of sleep. Now day care has told me that she goes back to bed when i drop her off but i just don’t know why she fights it so much at night. Sometimes even when she goes to bed she is restless at night and squirms wich makes me wake up and check on her. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

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• 13 Sarah // Sep 8, 2009 at 12:55 pm

  My ten month old has a bed time routine beginning around 6:30 with her last bottle of the day, bath, jammies, books in the rocker, then in the crib with her dolly. She is awake, but drowsy and falls asleep with relative ease. She has been waking around 11pm and crying out, barely awake. I rub her back for a minute, then leave. She is still crying, and I don’t want her to become fully awake, so I continue to rub the back after a few minutes. Last night she cried from 11-2, with back rubs and occasional visits from me. I ended up giving her motrin thinking maybe it’s teething and she fell asleep after 2am. Then, she’s up BEFORE six, ready to go! Her day time mood isn’t affected by this, but MINE IS! What to do??

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  Reply by haylen Brokars:
  September 27th, 2009 at 1:22 am

  Could be a growth spurt. Next time try giving her a bottle at 11p. If she takes it and goes back to sleep then you know she was hungry.

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• 14 Lucy // Sep 8, 2009 at 1:18 pm

  We have been using your techniques with a lot of succses. Aidan is almost 6 months old and now naps regularly and goes off to sleep without a problem and without falling asleep at the breast like he used to. The only problem we still have is that he is still waking once a night any time between 1-4 am and needing boob. A bottle of water is refused. He is having 3 meals a day plus snacks and 4 lots of milk. How do I break this cycle?

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  Reply by haylen Brokars:
  September 27th, 2009 at 1:26 am

  If its just a habit then try having your husband give him a pacifier instead for a few nights (or just soothing him back to sleep). If he does indeed take a full feed at 1am then he may be truly hungry (though technically he “shouldnt” need a night feed at 6mo). If thats the case you can try to dreamfeed him before you go to sleep.

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• 15 tammy // Sep 8, 2009 at 1:36 pm

  my son is 1yr. He wakes up about 1 time in the middle of the nite.. Most of the time we give him a sippy cup with milk or apple juice in it and he will drink alittle to all of it and then I usually can put him back to sleep. Is there anything I can do to get him to sleep thru the night?

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  Reply by Amy:
  September 8th, 2009 at 10:57 pm

  you are going to rot his teeth! Water only!

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  Reply by haylen Brokars:
  September 27th, 2009 at 1:30 am

  A 1 yr old should be able to go all night without a drink. I would let him cry for a little while then go in and try to soothe him back to sleep. Each night let him cry a littel longer. It sounds harsh but listen to the cry. Go in when it sounds “real”. If he’s just crying mildly or fussing, leave him. We did this and after a couple of nights he slept through the night. He’s probably waking out of habit

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• 16 Molly // Sep 8, 2009 at 2:10 pm

  I have had great success with my child sleeping until recently. He is now 8 1/2 months old and suddenly I cannot get him to nap unless he is in his crib at home. He naps three times a day like clockwork at home. My sister recently had a baby and i have been trying to go to her home and help her out. I continue the same routine at her house and lay him down to nap and he just cries and cries, but does not sleep. I use the same routine of reading him a story, nurisng him, and then putting him down awake with a special silky blanket he sleeps with.

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  Reply by haylen Brokars:
  September 27th, 2009 at 1:33 am

  We went through the same exact thing around that age. I think the only thing that helped us get beyond it was that we travel a lot and my son had no choice. If your little guy wont sleep then just have quiet time with him and put him down. He may just roll around and fuss a bit for a while then fall asleep out of exhaustion. You never know.

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• 17 Helen Beech // Sep 8, 2009 at 3:00 pm

  I have 2 questions. 1.My daughter was sleeping through the night but all of a sudden at 21 months she is waking us about 5 times throughout the night.
  2. My son who is 4 was starting to stop his afternoon naps but all of a sudden he is sleeping up to 4 hours and right through the night. If I keep him up during the day by 4-5 pm he is so grumpy and looks like a he is about to doze off.
  The only major change is that we have move to the UK from Australia we have been here 3 months now. Can you please help me?

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• 18 Ruth // Sep 8, 2009 at 3:43 pm

  How do I know if my 5 1/2 month old is waking up at night because he is hungry or teething or habit? What should I expect as an appropriate interval between nursings at this age at night?

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  Reply by haylen Brokars:
  September 27th, 2009 at 1:34 am

  If he takes a full feed he’s hungry; if not it’s habit or teeth pain.

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• 19 rhian alexander // Sep 8, 2009 at 3:44 pm

  my daughter is 2yrs 4mths old and has never slept through the night she wakes aprox 3 times somtimes more somtimes less and wont go back to sleep without a bottle of milk,ive now got a 2mth old baby who also wakes 2-3times a night im so tired and desperate! i need to sort this out.

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  Reply by haylen Brokars:
  September 27th, 2009 at 1:34 am

  Can Dad help with the toddler while you take care of the newborn?

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• 20 Shelly Miller // Sep 8, 2009 at 4:21 pm

  My 5 month is finally sleeping from about 8:00 pm to 5:00 am. When she wakes, I nurse her and put her back to bed and she sleeps for another 2 hours. This schedule works great for me because it gives me a chance to work out in the morning and get my 3 year old daughter on the bus for school. However, I would prefer her to leep until later in the morning without requiring the 5am feeding. What strategies can I use to help her to achieve this goal?

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  Reply by chloe:
  September 9th, 2009 at 4:35 pm

  try putting her to bed an hour earlier,so 7pm. it made my little boy (now 23mnths) sleep that hour later in the morning.x

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  Reply by haylen Brokars:
  September 27th, 2009 at 1:36 am

  At 5 months my son went to bed earlier, like 7pm. 8:00 seems late she may be overtired.

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• 21 samia // Sep 8, 2009 at 4:35 pm

  My 3 years old was a great sleeper . During a spell of illness, the bedtime ritual was broken, and hannah was brought into our bed! initially this was when she woke during the night but now she starts the night there too. We tried to break this pattern without using the ‘crying-out’ method but to no avail. Have you advise on how to re-establish a good sleep pattern in his own room.she also scared to stay in her room
  many thanks

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  Reply by haylen Brokars:
  September 27th, 2009 at 1:37 am

  I read about an option where you put a mattress or sleeping bag on the floor in your room for her….then eventually transition her back into her own room.

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• 22 Keisha Bourne // Sep 8, 2009 at 4:42 pm

  Chesnie is not sleeping like before in the days. Just cat naps! Cant do house chores. Her play time is limited as she is easily tired of what she is playing with. Help!!!!

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• 23 Dana Dragomirescu // Sep 8, 2009 at 4:54 pm

  Hy! I have almost the same problem with my daughter as Lisa Hoffman. Ioana is 3 1/2 months old and it’s almost 4 weeks since she’s not having good naps. In the night she sleeps from 7.30/8.00 pm until 4.00/4.30 am when she wakes up for her feed. But during the day she has around 4 naps but not longer than 30 minutes/nap. In the after-noon she usually wakes up tired and I can’t make her sleep longer than 30′. I’ve tried with a pacifier, rocking, rubbing her back, everything I knew in order to prolong her nap. Sometimes every 2 or 3 days she has a longer nap, around 1 1/2 hours or maximum 2 hours at a time. Lately she is staying awake between her naps even for 2 -2 1/2 hours. I know she is tired, I tried to put her to sleep as soon as possible, staying with my eyes on the clock all day long but nothing works, she gets to sleep very hard, nothing is working very well, I’ve tried with props that worked a while ago but nothing. If I put her in her carseat for a drive or in her stroller – the same, it takes very long time to go to sleep and even a few minutes of crying until she is asleep. Can I do something about this problem? I’ve tried to follow the instruction in order for her to learn how to go to sleep by herself but after a few days I’ve quieted because it took me 1hour-1 1/2 hours to get her to sleep and after 30′ up again…and so on. Thanks, Dana

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• 24 robin // Sep 8, 2009 at 5:00 pm

  i tried the water at two am for the past week it has worked i love it thank you so much as for the last email i got from you about parents letting them cry it out i think myself it is abuse they cry for a reason im the one who is here to fix it i have and will never ever let my son cry it out it ususlly takes 30sec of my time to see whats wrong all moms should get off there butts and do the same its not hard

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• 25 Gere // Sep 8, 2009 at 5:05 pm

  My 9 month old daughter Gail had been a great sleeper until recently. She has cut back from 2 naps to 1 and wakes for 2 to 3 hours in the middle of the night in a playful mood. We are not sure what is causing this change and what we should do to get Gail to sleep through the night.

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• 26 Amy // Sep 8, 2009 at 7:22 pm

  My almost 3 yr old, continues to wake up at midnight and continues to wake up every hour or so after that. She crys and screams even if we ignore her, she gets out of her room and still screams. We had her in a good sleep routine, but i don’t know what has changed. She is always tired and we don’t know what else to do.

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• 27 Amanda // Sep 8, 2009 at 7:55 pm

  My 6 month old daughter has to be rocked to sleep. I have tried letting her cry and have also tried the controlled crying methid and nothing works. If she goes in her crib awake she will scream until I get her. Should I just let her cry it out to make her learn?

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• 28 Belinda // Sep 8, 2009 at 8:00 pm

  My 17 month old daughter Zali, has never really been a good sleeper. But after a recent illness & her coughing all night long, we were giving her a drink of water throughout the night to soothe her cough. She drinks alot of water during the day. Now she DEMANDS water every hour at the beginning of the night then generally every 2 hours all night long. she drinks about 150ml each time, & won’t settle until she has had enough. This is creating another problem, that i have to change her nappy a couple of times a night, further disrupting her sleep & mine. She goes down fine by herself at about 7pm each night & has 1 sleep during the day usually 1.5 to 2 hours long. The waking starts after 40 mins to 1 hour of sleep. Please help!!!

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  Reply by Michelle van Zoggels:
  September 11th, 2009 at 5:56 am

  Hi – it might pay to have your Doctor check your daughter out as one of the symptoms of diabetes is excessive need for water…just a thought as that is a lot of water to be drinking! Hopefully it is just a bad habit though :-)

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• 29 Kenia // Sep 8, 2009 at 8:41 pm

  Hi ,I have 10 month old baby and He sleep in our bedroom ,in his own crib but I put him to sleep around 7 PM and then he falls as sleep but then he wake up around 1 aM and wants to be awake for two hours ,knowing he is tired ,he is very hard to fall as sleep if it is not in my arms ,and when I put him he wake up ,in the day he has very short naps ,i can say nothing ,Please Help me ,what do you think is the problem?
  I really need help !!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
  thank you Dana .

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• 30 Christina // Sep 8, 2009 at 8:44 pm

  We are trying to develop good sleeping habbits wth our 3-month old son. We use a sleep routine that includes a bath, getting dressed for bed, feeding, story/song, then soothing to sleep. We’ve been putting him in the crib just before he falls asleep so he goes down the rest of the way on his own. This works sometimes, but other times he usually ends up screaming. Are we on the right track? Any advice?

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  Reply by chloe:
  September 9th, 2009 at 4:41 pm

  the only thing i would change is the soothing to sleep, if you can get him to go down awake (but relaxed from his bath and story) it will make it so much easier when hes older :) i used to put mine down nice and calm and say nite nite , then put on his light show or now i use classical music for babies its soooo soothing and he drops of to sleep happily, sometimes not for a half hour or so but hes happy relaxing in there . hope that helps :) (chloe, 22, mum to 2 year old boy x

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• 31 Christina // Sep 8, 2009 at 8:46 pm

  We have trouble getting our 3-month old son to take good naps. Once we get him down, he only sleeps for 30 minutes. It doesn’t matter if he sleeps in my arms, in his crib, or in the car. I think he’s waking up when he hits the light-sleep stage of his sleep cycle. Any advice?

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• 32 Shraddha Sahu // Sep 8, 2009 at 9:32 pm

  My baby is 4 months old and he only sleep when I nurse (put him on my breast) him. And I really want him to learn to sleep by himself. But I don’t know how to do it.

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• 33 Naomi Morello // Sep 8, 2009 at 11:27 pm

  My 14 month old has been falling asleep on her own since 3 months, but recently when we put her in her crib she doesn’t want to go to sleep and she will stay awake playing for up to 2 hours. She goes to bed around 8pm and we’ve tried putting her to bed earlier, later, shortening her nap, making her nap earlier in the day or later in the day and nothing seems to work. No matter how tired she is, she doesn’t want to go to sleep at night. What can we do?

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• 34 heidi willis // Sep 8, 2009 at 11:52 pm

  my 3 yr old son keeps waking in the nite and wont go back to sleep also i dont know how to recognise when he is tired someone please help as it is keeping everyone up all nite. he also doesnt sleep during the day at home but does at child care what can i do?

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• 35 Edyta // Sep 9, 2009 at 1:49 am

  You mentioned that a 3 month old should be up for about 1.5 hours, what about a 6 month old? Also how is the best way of getting your child to nap during the day, when they are acting as though they are not tired?

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• 36 linda // Sep 9, 2009 at 3:33 am

  Hi,Dana

  I tried the method of sleeping that you suggested last time—feed,play and sleep.unfortunately,I found that daniel didn’t do much different between feeding to sleep and the new way.he still wake up after 45 minutes sleep.so I have to put him in breast again.he is nearly six month now,I found it becoming more difficult to use new method,probably I can’t stand his cry that was very angry and distress.I wonder do you have any other way to put him down to sleep.thank you so much.

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• 37 Marta // Sep 9, 2009 at 5:00 am

  My 15 month old son had started sleeping through the night on alternating days. When he was smaller he would sleep through even more and early on we had to sleep feed him to make sure he wasn’t passing too many hours without drink. He has CP and reflux, the latter for which he takes medication. I have found that doctors put everything down to his CP and want to give him medicines for everything which is not helping as he is like any other child in most respects (sleep, sociability, interest, etc all the same). He does have an extra difficulty in falling asleep though as he gets involuntary movement whilst awake and as he relaxes he sometimes get spams. BUT I started a sleeping on the bed by himself plan with a bit of touching and he was managing. This has all changed in the past month or so and he wakes up lots of times in the night. Becuase of the reflux he doesn’t eat as much as toddlers his age and he has been drinking quite a lot of milk. On the other hand he was managing to sleep through before and drink a bigger amount in the morning. i know he has a complex picture of things to deal with but I do think we are in a sleep scenario of his age that we need to sort out for him and i to sleep better. Also he was sleeping about 1hr nap in the morning and 2hrsin the afternoon and this has all changed to almost 30mins each.Which also means he HAS to go to bed earlier than he did (currently 7 at dropping point) and sometimes he is too tired to even want a bath after dinner (which he has at 5.30). I;m looking at putting him to bed earlier and changing feed times closer together. But I do think he also needs to nap more as he is tired throughout the day and resisting the naps.

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• 38 Stacey // Sep 9, 2009 at 5:04 am

  Hi Dana, Sean is almost 2 years old and will not fall asleep wihout me. He actually needs to hold my hands to fall asleep. He’ll fall asleep downstairs an we’ll carry him up to his bed… And he’ll sleep there for a little while, but wake up after about an hour. If we try to take him back in his bed after that, even in the middle of the night, he will wake up as soon as he is either picked up or as soon as we lay him in bed. This child will cry like there’s no tomorrow if I put him in his room and lay him down even if I sit with him. He’s my third child and I have to get some quality rest with him not in my bed. Please help me.

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• 39 Thea Stevenson // Sep 9, 2009 at 5:18 am

  My 5 month old son does not really sleep during the day. When he does go down to sleep he wakes up between 15 and 45 minutes later. How do I get him to go back to sleep or to stay asleep for longer? How long should he be awake for at this age?

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• 40 aimee // Sep 9, 2009 at 5:18 am

  my 7 month old goes down at about 7pm up again at bout 10ish then again at 1.30 then 4 then 6.30 some nights different again, help im getting draind and dont get to sleep during day driving me up the bender she dosnt sleep much during day just about 45 min stints

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• 41 lyndsey cannell // Sep 9, 2009 at 7:45 am

  Hi, I want to take the dummy away from my 8 month old. She has diagnosed gastro-oesphageal reflux and was given the dummy to help her settle, now though I believe losing the dummy throughout the night is causing the constant night waking rather than her reflux. How can i remove the dummy as smoothly as possible?

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• 42 Teresa // Sep 9, 2009 at 12:21 pm

  I have an 8 1/2 month old that has been sleeping through the night but lately he wakes up at about 1:30 and it takes a couple of hours to get him back to sleep. He not really crying but whining. Any suggestions on how to get him sleep through the night again. I have not resorted to leeting him cry it out in his crib. I recently have weaned him from breastfeeding but has been fine taking bottles. Help!

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• 43 Jessica // Sep 9, 2009 at 12:33 pm

  My son is 6.5 mths and has never slept more than 3 hours at a time in his own bed; he usually wakes every 45 mins-an hr. every night, all night. We are trying to “sleep train” him by using a consistent bedtime routine, and then putting him in his crib awake, at which point he begins to scream inconsolably. We stay in the room with him, touching him, speaking to him etc. , but this does not help. The other night he screamed for 1 hr 45 mins straight, at which point I gave up and nursed him. I am very against the “cry it out method, but we are at our wits end and have tried everything. He is also a very reluctant/short napper. Any suggestions are appreciated.

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• 44 Daniela Bryden // Sep 9, 2009 at 3:37 pm

  My Baby Joshua is now 12 months old. Never slept a night through!!I put him to bed about 8pm with no problems. But 4 hours(about12pm) later he needs his milk Bottle.I feed him in bed and at between 5 – 6am he needs his bottle again. He wont go back to sleep without it. I tried to replace it with water and tea but he wouldnt take it. He screams till he gets his milk. Now Im at a point, it can not go on for ever. He gets his Breakfast at 8.30am. If you can help me, I would love to buy your book or assistance. Many thanks, Daniela Bryden

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• 45 Suzanne Nagel // Sep 9, 2009 at 3:56 pm

  Hi
  Jack was in good routine for a 3 month old – sleeping from 8pm – till 2am feed then sleeping till 6 or 7. Then at 4 months it has all gone wrong! He sleeps for half an hour then needs a feed and often after that will not go back down in his cot but has to come in with me where he sleeps fine! Have had my tea on a tray in bed for last three nights I know its the wrong thing to do but he screams and screams! He has never had good naps – usuall only manages 30 mins. Any advice?

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• 46 bonnie // Sep 9, 2009 at 4:28 pm

  my son is three months old, he’s also gassy/nosey and has a bad startle reflex. so he has alot going against him for trying to go to sleep on his own. i got into the habit of doing whatever it takes to settle him down, however, he only wants to be beside me or on me now! so, needless to say, it’s taking it’s tole on me. one day i tried for two and a half hours to put him in his crib awake b/c i knew he was tired. he would not go to sleep. my question is, if i have a fussy baby, should i try your sleep program or wait for his fussiness to pass? i understand that waiting will make the sleep prop only worse though. what do i do???

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• 47 Sobia shah // Sep 9, 2009 at 5:00 pm

  Sarim is now just over 15 months old, he has been sleeping in his room for over 8 months now, and has been able to get to sleep on his own when put to bed awake. However over this last week I have found when putting to bed, Sarim has been creating and starting to cry, I try to leave him waiting to see if the crying settles and maybe he can then fall asleep then. sometimes the crying does ease and he falls asleep on his own.

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• 48 Sobia shah // Sep 9, 2009 at 5:08 pm

  My Sarim is just over 15 months old. has been sleeping alone in his room all night 12-14 hours without feeds for over 8 months without problems. over this last week he has been crying 2-3 times during night . normally whn put to bed, falls asleep on own, but 1 week not been doing so, crying and looking a little frightened that we are leaving him alone. I dont know what to do. as previously no problems at all putting to bed and has been managing to fall asleep on his own. Normal bedtime is 7.30-8.30pm. I have thought maybe dark in his room and had a lamp left on 1 night which did not help, also another night left hallway light on which didnt help either. please can u offer any suggestions.
  awaiting your reply
  Sobia shah

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• 49 Kirsten // Sep 9, 2009 at 7:38 pm

  Initially we had trouble with our youngest son’s sleep (Jordan) but after following some suggestions from Dana he is now the ‘dream sleeper’! Now the tables have turned and our eldest, Bailey, who will soon be four-and initially the dream sleeper, has begun to wake 3-4 times a night! He gave up his afternoon naps about 6 months back, but will have a ‘catch-up nap’ every now and then. We have tried the clock and reward systems, but he still gets out of his bed and comes into ours……It feels like a huge step backwards, and not pleasant, with the sleep deprivation thing all over again!!! Any suggestions are welcome!!! Cheers, Kirsten

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• 50 monique // Sep 9, 2009 at 8:15 pm

  My second daughter is 4.5 months old. I remember struggling with the changing nap times at this age with my first daughter, (now in pre school.) What is making it so much harder this time round is that I have to lift bub out of bed during naps to take/ pick up my pre schooler to kindy (that runs for 3 hrs 4 days a week). First of all what is an appropriate amount of nap time in total a day for a 4.5 month old if bub sleeps from 7-7 at night (with one waking feed). I seem to be able to get about 3- 3.5 hrs in total out of her. Also how late in the day should I offer a nap? Lately I force a 30 min nap at 5 or 5.30 as she is so tired.

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• 51 Ashley // Sep 9, 2009 at 9:16 pm

  I have to say thank you for all your help with my 6.5 month old daughter! I have been using your advice for a few months now and my daughter sleeps from 8pm – 7am every night. She may wake a couple times a night (only for a few moments) but she puts herself back to sleep without me having to go into her room. My only question is with regards to my daughters naps during the day. She usually naps at 9:30-10am. for about 45min-1hour, then 1-1:30pm. for about 1-2hours and then sometimes around 4pm. for 1 hour. Now she doesn’t seem to be on a routien with her last two naps. I find that if she only naps for 1 hour at 1pm. then she needs a nap at 4pm. But if she naps for 2 hours at 1-1:30pm. and doesn’t nap again she is really cranky by bed time at 8pm. How many naps should she be having a day? Also, is it too late in the day to put her down for a 3rd nap at 5:30pm. if she naps till 3:30pm. and goes to bed at 8pm.?? Thank you again for all your help so far, your suggestions are much appreciated. Ashley

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• 52 Sanaz // Sep 10, 2009 at 1:13 am

  Please help me! My son is almost 7 month, he doesn’t nap for more than 2 (40 Minutes max) during the day, he doesn’t fall sleep before 12AM!!! he wakes up twice around 3 and then 5 for a feed, than wakes up again at 7:30 or 8 AM, and the story goes on maybe on a lucky day 2 naps each lasting about 30 to 40 minutes max!!!! I have had lots of trouble since he was born, and now, I am so tired and restless, don’t know what to do and how to get him to sleep more, he never took the soother, and these days I no longer sing/walk/rock him before sleep, make sure to put him in a crib awake, I have tried most of things and nothing has worked so far…..any suggestion are appreciated

  PS: he is easily distracted by any sound or anything that can possibly distract him, he doesn’t take my breast, but takes my expressed milk, it is very hard to pump with a child that doesn’t settle all day. Thanks

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• 53 Kerry Krauss // Sep 10, 2009 at 3:45 am

  Dear Dana,
  Greetings from South Africa! I would love to purchase your sleep program but the exchange rate is a killer!
  My son Damon is 6 months old and is waking up 5 or 6 times a night. He has never been a good sleeper, although he suffered with tummy cramps from 3 weeks to about 14 weeks so that affected his sleep then. He has slept through the night 4 times, but I cannot identify a pattern that caused this to happen! The last time he slept through was about 5 weeks ago and things have been getting worse since then. We have a consistent bed time routine which begins at 5pm with a meal of porridge mixed with fruit. We bath him at 6pm, he has a bottle at 6.30, I put him in his cot awake and he is asleep by 7. He goes to sleep really easily, but wakes up 5 or 6 times a night. There are no set times. I give him water and his dummy. I don’t feed him. I don’t pick him up and I don’t talk to him at all. I just don’t know why he’s waking up. He is at day care during the day and is in a very good day time routine. He sleeps well at school for about 3 to 4 hours in total. He has cereal in the morning and veggies at lunch time as well as 4 bottles a day. He is a happy smiley baby so it is a mystery to us why he’s waking up at night. I have not yet introduced protein to his diet. Should I do that? Should I stop giving him his dummy so he can learn to self soothe? Should I stop giving him water? I look forward to hearing from you.

  Kind regards,

  Kerry Krauss

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• 54 ekta // Sep 10, 2009 at 5:32 am

  I have a fifteen month old baby boy he is still sleeping with us , he wakes up 3-4 times at night time as i am still breast feeding him he sucks me all night as soon as i try to get him off he will wake up and start crying for hrs , he has been using me as a dummy can you help me what to do as i have to go to work in the morning i feel absolutely tiered ….help / advice please ??? we have tried him settling in cot many times with no luck……………

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• 55 Jenn // Sep 10, 2009 at 8:12 am

  We recently stopped giving my 19 month old daughter a bottle at bed time. There is still some fussing but she goes to sleep on her own between 7-7:30pm and sleeps through the night. However, she is up promptly at 4am screaming her head off. We leave her in her crib and go in at 5am to get up for the day, but it’s hard for us to sleep through the screaming! We have tried adjusting her bed time but when we put her to bed earlier she just gets up earlier (3 am) and going to bed later doesn’t help either. Any advice?

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• 56 Tanya // Sep 10, 2009 at 8:16 am

  We are going travelling shortly and Dembe (11 1/2 mths) has just got a good routine and an OK sleep pattern, still wakes occasionally for milk in the night. Some places we are staying will have a crib and some will not and she may need to sleep in our bed – any tips to help us deal with this? Dembe is the type of girl that usually will only sleep in crib or porta crib(which I cannot take due to luggage limits).

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• 57 sandrar // Sep 10, 2009 at 8:54 am

  Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. :) Cheers! Sandra. R.

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• 58 Kimberly Bailey // Sep 10, 2009 at 1:22 pm

  my daughter is 5 months old and is now not sleeping during the day or at night. She was sleeping 10- 12pm and 2-4pm and going to bed 7 or 8pm and sleeping 5-6 hrs before wanting to eat again and wake up at 5 or 6am. It started with not sleeping at the babysitters to not sleeping for me or my husband. It all went out the window and i don’t know where to begin. I tried starting her on solids like the ped said and than she stopped nursing. Now she wakes up at 4 or 5am, eats, naps at 6 to 7, eats at 8:30am, naps at 10am to 10:30, eats at 12:30, naps at 1- 2pm, eats at 4 or 4:30 an has to be in bed by 5:30pm or she starts screaming, wakes up every 2-3 hrs to snack, and wakes up 2 or 3am to play. Ugg. HELP

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• 59 Wendy // Sep 10, 2009 at 2:27 pm

  Hi! Alexander is allmost kind of crying every morning around 5 to 8 am, he is sleeping and crying I don’t know what it is,please give an advice about it

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• 60 Keisha Bourne // Sep 10, 2009 at 3:02 pm

  What can i do to help her sleep in the days not cat naps?She is 5 mths 3wks.

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• 61 cindy morrison // Sep 10, 2009 at 5:32 pm

  My two and half, year old has a difficult time falling asleep when she has been at day care. at daycare she does get a nap 1-2 hours. I am reluctant to end nap because she seems to need it she is very active. could this be related to physical activity which may be less at day care. when home with me she gets alot more exercise. also some nights are terrible re she wakes up crying 8-10 times, other nights she is fine. she tends to wake more again when she has spent the day at day care. Day care provider says she is easy to get to nap and well behaved when there. The only other thing is could it be the separation from me. she seems more agitated when she has been away from me-help

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• 62 Michelle // Sep 10, 2009 at 8:47 pm

  I am wondering whether I should wake my 2 year old up from long naps. I can rarely get him asleep for his hap before 2PM and no matter what time he naps he’ll sleep for a minimum of 2 hours – sometimes up to 3.5 hours. I love the time to get stuff done, but that shifts bedtime later and he may or may not wake up later in the morning when he goes to bed late. I have tried waking him up after 2 hours, but he gets upset with me for waking him and sometimes ends up VERY cranky for the next hour at least. What do you recommend? Should he just sleep as long as possible for a nap?

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• 63 Vibha // Sep 11, 2009 at 8:46 am

  Hi my son is 2 years old and he still wakes up every night 2 or 3 times.when i put him to bed he sleeps on his own so why he still wakes up?he just stands in his cot and calls me.i go and put him down and tell him mum is here u sleep and i go out of the room but after few hours he wakes again and sometimes just wants to come and sleep in my bed saying he wants to sleep with daddy.by morning he is always in my bed since i get tired so i just bring him.what can i do so he stops waking and sleep throughout the night?

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• 64 Andrea // Sep 11, 2009 at 10:55 am

  We have an almost 15 month old son, named Evan. Thanks to your help he is now sleeping through the night in his crib. We just found out that we are expecting again. I’m curious about transitioning Evan to a toddler bed and when it would be to soon to start. We are trying to avoid buying a second crib. Thanks for any help you can give.

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• 65 Morgan // Sep 11, 2009 at 10:34 pm

  My son is 9 months old. He is use to falling asleep while nursing. I am trying to wean him from nursing at night. He wakes up about 2 times a night. I have tried reading to him, rocking him, and he doesn’t enjoy his pacifier. I am not sure what else to do. He screams and cries if I don’t nurse him. Any help you can give will be most appreciated.

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  Reply by m:
  September 15th, 2009 at 11:52 am

  Hi Morgan, I had this problem at 9 months with my son, Is he having enough food during the day? I usually found my son nursing when he needed his portion sizes increasing?

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  Reply by Artimesia:
  September 26th, 2009 at 3:43 pm

  My daughter did that, I finally made my husband get up with her. The baby can smell the difference and when she realized the she wasn’t going to get fed she’d go back to sleep. It worked the best when we were on a schedule so I knew about when she’d be waking and if she would be hungry or not. Start with cutting out one feeding during the night.

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• 66 Stephanie // Sep 12, 2009 at 1:21 pm

  My 31month old daughter wont stop using the milk bottle, no matter how may other beaker type bottles I have used.
  This is now getting embarassing and i dont know what else to do
  Please help me Dana.

  Kind regards.

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• 67 dagmo // Sep 13, 2009 at 7:29 am

  dear Dana i have no question at all now i wanna to thank u all your advice it really helps me, me and my child rayan,

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• 68 Tracy // Sep 14, 2009 at 12:55 pm

  My daughter is almost 8 months old, she goes to sleep at 7 pm (or earlier) and wakes up at 6 am every day. She always sleeps through the night. However, she never takes a nap, especially at daycare. She takes three 20-30 minute naps each day. She’s not cranky, but I would like for her to take two longer naps each day, especially as she transitions to the older classroom in which they have scheduled nap times. I worry that she’s not getting enough sleep. Do you have any tips for her teacher and I for napping at daycare?

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• 69 Adelle // Sep 14, 2009 at 8:02 pm

  Hi and thanks for having a helpful website!
  My son is nearly 7months. Lately he has become a monster to get to sleep for his afternoon nap. He has two naps – one in the morning for 2.5 or 3 hours(!) and a shorter one (1 or 1.5) in the afternoon after being awake for about 3 hours in between. Lately he is very hard to settle for this afternoon nap (and I usually end up using a dummy) and also at night time which is unusual (he has a bedtime routine and then sleeps well until about 6.30am). It seems he starts protesting as soon as we go into his room and he realises it’s nap time. I’m wondering whether his morning nap may be too long (influencing the afternoon), or whether I’m missing tired signs, although I try to pay close attention to these…how much sleep should a 7month old have in the day and what could be causing his recent protests? Thanks

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• 70 melissa Cohen // Sep 14, 2009 at 8:45 pm

  Hello,
  My son Jasper seems to be very attached to me and is now having separation anxiety at nap and bedtimes. He is getting so upset that he is vomiting when I put him down at 7pm and in the middle of the night he is waking crying so much he is having dry heaves.(sp?) I am not sure what to do? Sleep has been a challenge for Jasper his whole life and he will be 1 on Sept. 24th.
  Additionally, his 2 naps seem to be changing to 1 nap. Any advice on re-arranging the day schedule?

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• 71 Melanie // Sep 15, 2009 at 6:46 am

  My son is 8 months old and has never slept through the night. We are trying to get into better sleep routines as until recently I was feeding him to sleep (thought I was doing the right thing…). My problem is that I cannot get him to sleep without wrapping him, and then he squirms in the night becoming unwrapped and then wakes up crying and I have to go and re-wrap him and often feed him back to sleep. One of the main reasons that we still wrap him is that he scratches his head till it bleeds in the night if his hands are out (he pulls mittens off so this doesn’t help). We are unsure whether he scratches becasue of being itchy or due to frustration / tiredness. How can we get him to sleep without wrapping him so as to avoid the consequent waking when he gets out of the wrap?? Please help

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• 72 Stacy // Sep 15, 2009 at 9:05 am

  Help!! My daughter is 19 months and has never slept in her crib it has always been in our bed. we also have to lay down with her when she takes her naps and I am running out of steam. Just wondering what the first steps in getting her to sleep in her crib and going to sleep by her self.

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• 73 marian // Sep 15, 2009 at 11:50 am

  My 1 year old seems to wake up at 11pm on the dot every night, just as im ready for bed! I have been putting him in my bed at 11pm as i am usually very tired myself and now its become a routein!! HELP!! i dont know how to break it! My son wakes at 7am, has a nap at 10ish on our sofa usually until 11.30ish and then refuses to nap until his bedtime at 7pm. By this time he is very tired.He already has a clear and regular bedtime routein,bath story etc which lasts 45 mins. When its time for bed I sit next to his cot ( he gets very upset if i leave the room) until he goes to sleep, this usually only takes 10-15 mins. I just dont understand why at 11pm he wakes, and if i try to keep him in his cot he keeps waking and waking every hour or so! Please help me and my partner want our bed back!!

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• 74 Sarah // Sep 15, 2009 at 10:53 pm

  How about – “dealing with discomfort and going back to sleep” as a topic? Two out of 3 of my babies have had acid reflux – after sleeping peacefully for a few minutes, they wake up due to the discomfort of reflux, and want to be comforted back to sleep. The best way I’ve gotten sleep is with baby on my chest! This position seems to relieve the reflux symptoms. I’ve talked to countless parents that have had a similar experience: baby with acid reflux only sleeps sound while propped on mommy or daddy’s chest:) Reflux is a very common problem in infants, and I can imagine parents of babies with colic, gas, or any other discomfort can relate to this question.

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• 75 Anonymous // Sep 16, 2009 at 5:05 am

  my baby is 11 mths.she gets restless while still asleep and is all over her cot. she sleeps about 7.30-8.00 and by 2.00am she tosses n turns till morning. i thot she would out grow it by it seems like its becomin a pattern. what makes her do that n wat should i do?

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• 76 Karen // Sep 16, 2009 at 3:11 pm

  I have a 12 month old that has been waking up every 1.5 – 2 hours since he was born. But now I am getting prpared to return to wrok and the sleep deprevation is scaring me. Not only am I going to be up all night with my child but working on my feet for 11 hour shift during the day. I am not sure if I am going to be able to handle it. The thought of it is bringing tears to my eyes knowing I may not handle it and have to quit my job – which I truely need. I just want a good night sleep for both my child and myself. Any suggestions? Am willing to try anything. Desperately seeking sleep, sanity, me time again. Help please!

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• 77 Tabitha // Sep 16, 2009 at 8:52 pm

  Hello Dana, my daughter is 4 mths old and she usually goes to bed at night around 8 – 8:30 pm and sleeps until 4 – 4:30am has a bottle feed then goes straight back to sleep and wakes around 7am this is ok for me but when she wakes at 7am she refuses her bottle, i try and give it to her later but she still doesnt really want it she end up having one about 8:30 or 9 but is then ready to go back to sleep again i would rather her cut out the 4am feed and drink her morning feed how do i get her to do that. Also another question is she always wakes up after her 1st sleep cycle 40 mins and sometimes i can get her back to sleep but most times i cant it just means that she may have more naps during the day. Is it ok just to have more of the short naps.
  Any suggestions!!!!

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• 78 Jennifer // Sep 17, 2009 at 12:59 pm

  I have a set of 21 month old twins….when they go to bed they put themselves to sleep but after about an hour my son wakes up screaming and will not go bac to sleep till he is in bed with us help

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• 79 starla // Sep 17, 2009 at 2:11 pm

  my 8 month old will go to sleep in her crib, but then wake about 45- 1 hour later and then won’t go back to sleep until i go to sleep. wakes in the night around 4 times, she sleeps wth us, she wakes and goes straight to my breast, so I feed her. How can I get her to stay asleep at nights. I have started the cry it out method but, i have a concern about that. is there a wasy she can hurt herself while choking cause she is crying so hard? Can she choke to where she can not breath? Or does anyone elses’ baby do that?

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• 80 sarabeth // Sep 17, 2009 at 9:53 pm

  My 12 month old is up for hours in the middle of the night. He needs to be rocks/walked/bounced to go to sleep then he wakes up in the middle of the night and will be up for 3 hours!! He screams everytime I put him in his crib. I tried letting him sleep with me, but he still wakes up. I tried crying it out, but that just seemed to make it worse. Help.

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• 81 Elena // Sep 17, 2009 at 10:01 pm

  Hi Dana,
  I have been using the Sleep Sense program with my 9-month old son for the last three weeks and it’s working really well. Thank you! But, I’m not sure if what I’m doing is right. He goes to bed anywhere between 7:30 and 8pm, wakes at least 1-2/night, but falls back asleep on his own, without us checking on him. He wakes up at 5:30ish every morning though, and that’s when I get him, nurse him and put him back in his crib, awake. He’ll wake up about an hour or so later and that’s when I bring him into bed with us while I try to get some more sleep. Most times, he falls asleep next to us until 9:00-9:30 but only if he suckles on the breast. Is this a problem?? :) I’m having a really hard time starting my day before 8a.m.!!!

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• 82 JENNIFER // Sep 18, 2009 at 2:29 pm

  MY DAUGHTER WAS A GREAT SLEEPER TILL 10MONTHS WHEN SHE SOT MOBIL. NOW SHE IS 25MONTHS AND STILL GETS UP THROUGH THE NIGHT. SHE IS VERY LONG SO IM TRYIN TO CONVERT HER FROM CRIB TO TODDLER THEN ONTO TWIN. I WILL LET HER CRY FOR 45PLUS MINUTES AND SHE STILL DOESN’T GO BACK TO SLEEP. HOW DO I FIX THAT? ONCE SHE STOPS WAKING UP THE BED CONVERTING WILL BE EASIER.

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• 83 Anonymous // Sep 20, 2009 at 2:23 pm

  How do I stop my baby from sucking her thumb? Do I reward heriif he doesn’t do it?

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• 84 Rody // Sep 21, 2009 at 9:11 am

  Hi. I did your sleep training back in January and it worked straight away. Then in April (my son was 2 years and 1 month) we put him in the big bed and the waking and getting out of bed started again. He only wakes up once, maybe twice but I still need to put him back to bed, he usually doesn’t protest but sometimes he makes a fuss, screams, kicks, gets out of bed for like 1/2 hour. We keep putting him back in, with no eye contact but he still gets out many times (this is early morning 5:30/ 6:00am). When will this putting back to bed work? I’ve been doing it since April and I don’t see any improvement? There are nights when he sleeps through the night without waking but that doesn’t last long. I need some advice as I’m getting so tired of it all, my older daughter is getting woken up by him all the time. It’s not fair. Thanks for any advice you may have,.

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• 85 gemma shuttleworth // Sep 22, 2009 at 4:01 pm

  hi my little boy is 10 months he goes to sleep with out his dummy but may wake in the night crying but appears to still be asleep. as soon as i put his dummy in he stops crying. Is there something i should change.

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• 86 Carolyn // Sep 23, 2009 at 11:12 am

  I have a 7 month old son. He takes good naps and gets a good night sleep. However, he always wakes up crying. I don’t think he is still tired, but why would he wake crying?

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• 87 Shannon // Sep 23, 2009 at 3:00 pm

  I have 9 month old twins, boy and girl, I need advise on getting them to fall asleep on their own, boy wakes 3-4 timesand will not soothe himself back to sleep, girl sleeps thru the night, either does nottake good naps, they get ready for bed have a bottle at about 7:20pm them we put them to sleep (by rocking, etc) by 8pm, we need help. Tried letting them cry to sleep like I did with my older children, but they keep each other up, HELP!!

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• 88 Lisa // Sep 24, 2009 at 7:18 pm

  I have a 31/2yr old who goes to bed fine but at about 2 in the morning cry’s and comes to me and I always end up butting her in the middle. I’ve tried the bring her back to bed but she cries till she throws up then I have to change the sheets and my night is over????
  Please help

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• 89 Susanne // Sep 26, 2009 at 12:34 pm

  Hi Dana,

  My daughter Lily had been a great sleeper until we sent her to a daycare two weeks ago. She appeares very tired everytime I pick her up from the daycare, and she wakes up twice every night at different hours. The only thing that puts her back to sleep is to feed her with another bottle. As a result, we try to feed her more before she goes to bed but she wouldn’t take another bottle before her bedtime. What should we do?

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• 90 Joanna // Sep 27, 2009 at 5:00 pm

  My 6 month old has been a great sleeper up until now, she normally slept from 8 until 4, fed quickly and then slept until 8. She just learned to roll both ways and loves to get onto her tummy but each time she does it at night she wakes up and gets excited, or cries but keeps doing it all night. For the past week she has woken up countless times through the night and I have no idea what to do. I can’t force her onto her back all night because she will just roll, I can’t put her on her tummy because she just wakes and can’t get into a deep sleep so I’m stuck and we are all going crazy.

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• 91 Anonymous // Sep 28, 2009 at 2:08 pm

  What are some of the ways to teach them to sleep on there own if u dont use the dummy or rocking them

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• 92 Courtney // Sep 28, 2009 at 9:02 pm

  My son is just over 19 months old. Up until a few weeks ago he slept great at night. He does use soothers, but he has a couple of them in his crib and seems to find them when he needs them. Lately he has starting waking up anywhere from 10pm to 1am crying and sometimes making a gagging noise. I try to leave him for 5 to 10 minutes to see if he’ll fall back to sleep and sometimes he will but often he wont and when i go in to see him he’s very upset and sometimes its hard to get him to settle again. I’ve tried different pj’s, room temperatures, white noise, even a small night light, but he still wakes up everynight, its only once a night but still frustrating. Any advice?

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• 93 Tameka // Sep 28, 2009 at 10:05 pm

  We have been using your system for over a week now. Our 9 month old is still resisting bedtime and her night time wakings have not gotten any better. One day last week, we were up from 1:30am until the day started. I have to be at work at 8 am (rise at 5:50am) plus assist my 7 year old. We have been very consistent and even tried letting her cry it out to no avail. She hasn’t slept good since she was born, and I am at the point of exasperation.

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• 94 subrata govil // Sep 29, 2009 at 1:22 pm

  Hi Dana,
  My daughter Ayra is 4 months old. She has been a good sleeper so far .Her bedtime is 7p and she would wake up around 2 and go back to sleep. Since last few weeks she wakes up 2-3 times and in her last waking its difficult to put her sleep back. First time when she wakes up she drinks milk but then when she wakes up next few times she is not drinking nor sleeping .She fusses.I need your help to get her back to her original routine of just 1 wake up. Please advice.

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• 95 trupti // Sep 29, 2009 at 2:42 pm

  hi dana

  well just wanted to know whether my babys sleep pattern is normal. she is 8 months now and has her meal every 2 hours. we fed her solid food 3 times a day. she normally sleeps at 10- 10.30 pm. she has her solid food by 8 and then has her milk by 10-10.30 and sleeps. it is natural as she gets hungry every 2 hrs. i am not breast feeding her. she wakes up in the night onces again has her milk and immediately sleeps back without any help. and get up by 8- 830 in the morning. somtimes she even sleeps through night.

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• 96 Siobhan // Sep 29, 2009 at 8:43 pm

  My 4 month old boy uses a pacifier only for sleeping. I want to stop the use altogether as sometimes when it falls out, he cries and i have to put it back in etc. Do I let him go cold turkey without the pacifier and let him cry it out? Also if I let him cry it out, what are the steps involved in letting him just cry? How long do i leave it before going in to him etc?? Do babies need pacifiers?

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