Sleep - new night waking

[Michele]

I'm stumped. Kai (about 18 mo) has always been an awesome sleeper. Slept mostly through the night early on. Doesn't nurse to sleep. Usually I just lay him in his crb at nap time or bed time and he's out.

I knew the trip to Florida would mess things up but we've been here for over a month. And in the past two weeks he's waking at night several times and he's getting up early and then wanting an early nap. If he gets the early nap he then wants a late nap too but won't always take it. I'm having a hard time trying to coordinate Daegan with it too. And of course I'm not getting enough sleep and am a grumpy beast.

I thought it was teeth. He's cuttin his canines. But the presence or absense of Motrin has made no difference. I thought maybe he wasn't eating enough at night an was waking hungry. But I can't get him to eat any more. And I've been as consistent as I can be with the foods here as he ate at home bc I thought a change in diet might affect things. I thought he might be thirsty an sometimes he'll drink his water and sometimes not. Lately he's wanting to nurse more. I have hardly any milk bc I'm pregnant an because he was down to 0-2 nursing sessions a day. So I think it's a comfort thing. But why does he need the comfort? He's become more clingy and has started refusing my mom's attention. He will cry if she picks him up or tries to help him out. He wasn't doing this when we got here. He was seeking her out. I've noticed an increase in jealousy between Daegan and Kai, an Daegan loves my mom - so that had meant that if D was near her K had to be too. But it's not really like that anymore.

Suggestions?

My only other thought was that we are bugging him. At home, he has his own room. But here we are all in the same room. He doesn't wake up when D or I come to bed, but at random times in the night. And he wakes up crying. Sometimes he is easily comforted, other times not so. I don't think he likes the nightlight. But D can't sleep without it. And if I turn it off in the middle of the night D wakes up crying.

Is this a normal stage that I'm forgetting?

If he would just come to bed with me and nurse and sleep I'd be fine. But he doesn't do that. Never has.


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[Michele]

Re: Sleep - new night waking

Another thought. He woke around 3:45am and nursed. He fell back asleep but when I tried to put him down he woke for real. Then he held his diape/penis and went to the door. I asked potty? And he nodded. So I took him to the bathroom. He sat, pretended and wiped then as he was waving byebye to the paper as it went down he peed a little. I stopped him and put him back on, he did the same motions (but no more pee) and I put the pullup back on ( we aren't training him - I just got the pull ups cheap this time) and we left the bathroom. Then I notice that he peed in the pull up. Could he be waking at night to pee? He's really young for that no? He will be 2 in December.


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[poky]

Could it be anxiety about having a younger sibling on the way? Or worry about dad not being around?

My first thought was that you're all in 1 room. I know my kids often stir during the night, but will settle themselves when they're alone. If I'm in the room, then they know they can cuddle, or wake up to play, or just have a general hard time resettling.

Mattie is horrible - just awful with my MIL, so I don't have any suggestions re: the issue w/your mom.

[spotty_dog]

Natalie is a bit younger but perhaps close to Kai's adjusted age. She's cutting canines, getting very clingy (OMG the worst possible time for me to try to join the gym, she SCREAMS AS IF TORTURED the second I leave her sight when she's in the child care room; I think she hates my ILs now too since she screamed for 45 minutes when they watched her), and spent a weird couple of weeks of nightwaking before finally settling back to her normal (which is sleeping 4 hours in her crib, then coming to our bed and waking to nurse every 2 hours or so.) I do think it's a wonder week/developmental thing combined with the teeth. She's getting very physically proficient (just learned how to do the mini climbing wall on our playset!) and verbal (started saying "Ed-dy!" this week!)

But I was also wondering if she was bothered by having to pee. You know, babies whose parents use EC will wake in the night and "ask" to potty from just a few days old. Or, alternatively, I wonder if she wakes because of the full bladder, but can't get back to sleep because of the wet diaper? (She was in a disposable last night and it was the same if not worse -- I think the cold soggy gel between her legs makes her extra uncomfortable!)

Anyway, just wanted to say I feel your pain. Hang in there!

Oh, and a couple months after I weaned Eddy when I was pregnant, when he was about 20 months, despite a few months of sleeping through he started waking, and coming to our bed, at night again. I think the pregnancy can lead to increased neediness too, especially as the milk goes away.