Toddler Sleeping Issue!!!

Question

My fiance's son (almost 13 months) is fighting sleep so badly, it is about to cost me my job with the no sleep issue. Not only is he fighting sleep, he wakes up every 2-3 hours crying for a bottle. I read up on this, and this is a sleeping "crutch" and that I should take the bottle feedings out at night because they are relying on it to make them go to sleep! It's not like we can make a schedule for him to sleep to, because he is with his mother half the time and she doesn't care about his sleeping patterns or anything. Most likely her parents take care of him while she is out living the party life. I am so strung out I just dont know what to do anymore!! How can I get him to sleep through the night (more than 6-7 hours) and without him waking up all night wanting a bottle!?!

Answer 1

Try Children's Gravol for those nights that you need sleep the most.

Only the reccommended doseage, though.

Also, just leave him crying.  If you hear him, shut both his and your doors at night and put a fan on in your room on high speed to drown out the noise...... he'll fall back asleep eventually.

Sounds mean........ but trust me, it works.

He's continually crying at night because he KNOWS you'll go get him.

So, stop doing it.

He'll soon realize that there's no point in crying.

Answer 2

I don't agree with the "just let em cry" idea.  My son, now 3, had issues sleeping as well.  We just got him off the bottle about 6 months ago.  It takes time.  Take it slow...it will get better.  Try letting him cry for a little bit and then reading to him or letting him watch a movie.  Don't just give in to a bottle.  Even if you have to give him a bottle some nights, try to not do it every night.  Hang in there, this parenting thing is tougher than we thought.

Answer 3

Try putting some soothing lullaby music in his room and make sure that the CD player is on repeat. The constant noise will soothe him to sleep and when and if he wakes up, he will be presented with the same environment in which he fell asleep in.

(you can buy lullaby CD's at Walmart, or you could just get any soothing artist's CD- such as Josh Groban)

Let him cry it out. He does not need to be fed every 2 hours. With you (and or your fiance) basking at his every need, it is only training him to persist in his crying habit.

I know it may seem unbearable, but if you ever want a complete nights sleep, it will take some work!

You may try putting a fan in your room, to help ease your mind off of the crying baby.

Also, if you did not want to put music in his room, a simple fan would work as well.