Signs Does your baby display troubled behavior in relation to bottle-feeding, such as. • Turning away from the bottle. • Refusing to close her mouth around the nipple. • Holding nipple in the mouth but not sucking. • Taking only a small amount and then refusing more. • Screaming when placed into a feeding position or at the sight of the bottle. • Milk pouring out of baby's mouth.

• Feeding too quickly. • Feeding too slowly. • Falling asleep before the feed is completed.

• Coughing and spluttering when feeding. • Not consuming as much milk as expected. • Wanting more milk than expected. • Throwing up large amounts of milk.

Then there may be steps you can take to remedy the situation. Behavioral reasons ‘Behavioral’ means baby’s behavior is in response to the circumstances rather than a physical cause.

The Wonder Weeks theory is great for helping you understand your baby's developmental leaps. But how do The Wonder Weeks affect Baby and Toddler Sleep? Messages posted to this group will make your email address visible to 'The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep groups.oogle.oomigroupfmisc.kidsrnoderatedf browse_threadithreadi01oEiZeBBcdidSBc-ildia14ca5fl2olJe1rBt- 54k - Cached - Similar pages Too little else “P - mlsc.klds.breastteedin.

Behavioral reasons are the most common of all reasons for infant feeding problems. There are numerous behavioral reasons for a baby to experience feeding problems and/or display problematic feeding behavior. Common reasons include: 1. Misinterpreting baby's cues as signs of hunger Does baby at times refuse feeds? Does she take only a little and not want more? Babies are in an oral stage of develop. Sucking is the primary way babies soothe.

They also learn by sucking and mouthing objects. Many babies have a strong desire to suck for reasons that extend beyond hunger, such as tiredness, boredom, discomfort and soothing. There may be times when you mistake your baby’s desire to suck for these reasons as hunger. Newborn babies have an active. This means a newborn baby may accept a feed even when she’s not hungry, and she might guzzle down the bottle because she cannot choose to not suck when her sucking reflex is triggered. Once her sucking reflex has disappeared (usually by 3 months of age) she will willingly take only the amount she wants to take. If you have mistakenly interpret her fussing or desire to such as hunger and offer her a feed, she might take a little and refuse the rest, or she refuse from the start.

If you try to make her drink more than she wants, she will understandably get upset and fuss, cry and pull back from the bottle. What to do • See for more reasons why babies often appear • See 2. Unrealistic expectations Is baby not drinking as much as you expect? Is she fussing if you try to get her to finish? In around one third of consultations I have had with parents regarding an infant feeding problem, I found that parents were trying to make their baby drink more than he or she needed.

In some cases, this was because of errors made their health professionals. They either failed to adjust calculations as baby matured or failed to consider baby as an individual. As a result, overestimated baby’s milk requirements. If you think your baby is not drinking enough milk (breast milk or infant formula) you’re naturally going to feel concerned. If your concern translates into trying to pressure her to drink more than she wants or needs (gently or otherwise), you’re going to upset her. So it is very important for your peace of mind and your baby’s enjoyment at feeding times that you have realistic expectations about how much she needs.

What to do • See ‘’ for standard estimations for age and weight, and reason why a baby might take more or less than recommended. • Follow your baby's feeding cues. Don't try to make her take more when she indicates she has had enough. Tiredness Is your baby at times too tired to eat effectively? Does she often fall asleep while feeding? Sleeping and feeding are closely related when it comes to the needs of babies. Both are equally important to a baby's health, growth and development and feelings of wellbeing.

You are no doubt aware that if your baby does not feed well she might not sleep well. But are you aware that the opposite is equally true. If she’s not getting enough sleep this has the potential to negatively impact on her feeding.

Physical fatigue can cause baby to fuss during feeds or falling asleep before the feed is completed. If you have a hungry/tired baby on your hands, tiredness will usually win out. What to do • Ensure baby gets enough sleep. • Feed her before she becomes too tired. • Aim to establish a flexible feeding and sleep routine to minimize the risk of feeding and sleep times clashing.

If your baby is often irritable and not sleeping enough, (see for signs and symptoms) you might find that resolving any underlying sleeping problem will cause feeding difficulties to spontaneously resolve once she receives adequate sleep. • See our section. • Download or order a paperback copy of my infant sleep book '. There you will find comprehensive information on the reasons and solutions to various infant sleeping problems.

Distractibility Is your baby too busy looking around or trying to play to want to feed? Is it hard to keep her focused on feeding? Babies over the age of 4 months can easily become distracted while feeding.

They are often much more interested in the activities going on around them than they are in feeding. What to do Feed your baby in a quiet environment away from noise and distractions of other children. Feeding management Some feeding problems can be related to what may appear like insignificant details but which can make feeding difficult or uncomfortable for a baby. For example, how you hold your baby will affect her ability to feed from a bottle.

If her head is too far forward or too far back or her neck is twisted this can make it difficult for her to suck or swallow. What to do See 6. Feeding aversion Does your baby refuse to feed even when hungry?

Does she scream at the sight of a bottle or when placed into a feeding position? Have you resorted to trying to feed her while asleep? A baby can develop an aversion to feeding when past feeding experiences have taught her that feeding is unpleasant, stressful or painful. Typically, baby is diagnosed with reflux and/or milk protein allergy or intolerance to explain her aversive feeding behavior.

However, a behavioral feeding aversion (related to feeding management rather than a physical cause) is a far more common cause of infant feeding aversion. A feeding aversion is the most complex of all infant feeding problems. An effective solution relies heavily on accurate identification of the cause. What to do See. Feeding equipment Does your baby gag, cough or splutter during feed? Does she make clicking sounds while feeding?

It could be the nipple is too long, too short, too fast or too slow. The most important piece of feeding equipment is the nipple. The nipple needs to be the right size and speed for your baby's size, age and sucking ability. If the nipple is too long, too short, too fast or too slow for your baby, she may experience feeding difficulties and express her frustration by fuss or crying.

What to do • See for more information on choosing a feeding nipple. • Experiment with nipples of different lengths, shapes and speed. The nipple ring is screwed too tight Does the nipple collapse in your baby’s mouth as she feeds? Do you find that air rushes into the bottle once the bottle is removed from her mouth? Its possible her feeding difficulties could be due to the nipple ring being screwed on too tight.

In order to maintain a neutral balance in air pressure within the bottle air needs to be able to enter the bottle to replace the void left by the milk the baby is removing. If the bottle is vented, this is achieved via the venting system. However, in the case of a non-vented bottle, the only ways air can enter the bottle are between the nipple ring and the rim of the bottle and through the holes at the end of the nipple.

While sucking, a baby will maintain a seal over the holes at the end of the nipple with her tongue and prevent air entry in this way. If the nipple ring is screwed down tightly this also prevents air entry. If air is prevented from entering the bottle, this causes a negative pressure to build in the bottle.

As the pressure builds, baby need to work harder and harder to extract further milk, until such time and the air pressure is returned to normal. The effort required to suck against the negative pressure can cause a newborn baby to tire and fall asleep before completing the feed.

An older baby may simply give up or express her frustration. What to do The nipple collapsing (not all will) or stopping to burp baby allows air to enter through the holes and neutralize the pressure. But you don’t want to wait for this to resolve the problem. By then baby is already tiring or getting frustrated. See ‘Collapsing nipple’ for ways to manage this problem. Volvo Truck Driving Simulator Demo Download there.

Feeding patterns Is your baby often take only small amounts, refuse more, but then wants to feed again an hour or two later? Some babies develop a grazing or snacking feeding pattern where they will only drink small amounts of formula at a time and then want to be feed frequently, possibly every hour or two. Although this will not cause any problems for a baby, provided she drinks enough formula in total over a 24 hour period, it can become very tiring for parents to keep up with her constant demands for feeding.

What to do • Try to encourage your baby to take as much milk as possible within 45 minutes. But don't try to make her feed if she doesn't want to. Stop sooner if she does not want to continue. • Ensure baby gets plenty of sleep.

• Avoid allowing baby to fall asleep while feeding. • Support your baby to extend the time between feeds, by offering a little water, a pacifier, a nap, playing with her, or taking her for a walk. Aim to encourage her to wait at least 3 hours from time you started her previous feed, but only if its reasonable to do so without distressing her.

If necessary extend the time between feeds gradually. As your baby gets used to going longer periods between feeds she will gradually take larger amounts at each feed. Excessive night feedings Is baby feeding more often at night than you would expect? Unless your baby was born prematurely or is very small for her age, developmentally she no longer requires feeding during the night beyond the age 6 months.

If nighttime feeding continues past this age its not going to harm her but it could have a negative effect on her appetite and feeding patterns during the day. Your baby only needs a certain number of calories in her day (24 hours) to provide for her growth and energy needs. If after the age of 6 months she continues to receive calories from nighttime feeds this will dampen her appetite during the day and she will not need to drink as much formula during daytime feeds.

You might find she is content to go for long periods of time between feeds (which is usually what would happen at night). She might fuss or refuse some of her daytime bottles when they are offered simply because she's not hungry at the time. Or she might graze during the day. Nighttime feeding will cause your baby no harm, so if you're happy to continue feeding her during the night there's no reason to change a thing.

However, it is important that you don't expect her to consume as much milk during the day as she may have otherwise taken if she did not feed at night. Many babies will give up night time feedings on their own accord, but others will continue to wake and demand feeds overnight for months and possibly years while parents continue to provide feeds at night. Usually the reason babies continues to demand night feeds beyond the age of 6 months is because they have learned to rely on feeding as a way to fall asleep, or because their internal body clock gets turned around - where the baby has decreased appetite during the day because of the continued night feeds and as a consequence of small feeds during the day the baby wakes hungry during the night.

Body clock problems can easily become a cyclical pattern that will continue over the long term unless parents take steps to change the situation. Healthy, thriving babies who continue to demand feedings at night beyond the age of 6 months often require guidance and support from parents to cease feeding at night and turn their body clock around to a normal day-night feeding pattern. What to do Aim to cease overnight feeds after 6 months of age. However, before attempting to do this its important to address any feeding to sleep issues your baby might have. She would need to learn to fall asleep in a different way before you will be able to successfully encourage her to cease night feeds. Starting solids early Have you started giving your baby solids before the age of 4 months?

6 months is the recommended age for starting solid foods. Although a small number of babies may benefit from solids prior to this age, it's generally not recommended to start a baby on solid foods before the age of 4 months. An early start on solids has the potential to cause bottle feeding problems because solid foods may decrease the baby's appetite for milk (breast milk or formula). What to do • If your baby is less than 6 months old, either cease or reduce the amount of solids you offer to see if this helps to improve the situation. • See our article on. Solids eaten before or between formula feeds Do you give baby solids between or before bottle feeds?

If solids are offered prior to bottle feeds, either directly before or mid way between feeds, when it's time for your baby's bottle feed she might be feeling full from the solids, in which case she's probably not going to take much milk from her bottle. What to do • For babies 4 - 9 months (when milk is still the most important food) offer solids 15 - 20 minutes after bottle feeds. • For babies 9 - 12 months (when solids are becoming increasingly more important to a baby's diet) offer solids shortly before or shortly after her bottle, whichever you find works best.

Babies at this age are often down to 3 bottles per day plus 3 main meals and 1 or 2 snacks. Too much solids Does your baby love solids so much that she would rather eat solids than drink milk? In these early stages of learning to eat solids (4 - 7 months) solids are not needed to add value to a baby's nutritional intake, rather they are offered primarily to provide learning experiences. The baby is exposed to new food proteins that help prime her immune system.

She gets to discover new tastes and textures and become accustomed to eating from a spoon. It is at this age that babies are most willing to accept new tastes. So variety rather than quantity is what solids are about. Many babies, particularly very young babies, experience difficulty self-regulating their dietary intake. Some babies will continue to eat solid foods for as long their parents keep offering. Some babies will prefer eating solids compared to drinking formula.

However, too much solids and not enough milk is not a balance diet for a baby. It may be necessary for parents to limit the amount of solids they offer in order to encourage their baby to have a greater appetite for milk feeds.

What to do See our article on estimating to make sure she's getting enough. Weaning difficulties Does your breastfed baby refusing bottle-feeds? While some breastfed babies willing accept milk from a bottle many will not, at least not straight away.

Difficulty weaning from breast to bottle is rarely resolved by finding the 'right' feeding nipple. (All feeding nipples will feel equally foreign to a breastfed baby.) Nor does a solution lie in finding a formula with the 'right' taste. All formula will taste strange to a breastfed baby). The difficulty associated with weaning to a bottle most often lies in the fact that bottle-feeding requires a very different sucking action to breastfeeding.

While breastfeeding the movement of your baby's tongue milks the breast, where as bottle-feeding requires a sucking action. A baby who has been exclusively breastfed beyond the age of 3 months will often refuse milk from a bottle because it 'doesn't feel right' and she doesn't know how to suck from a bottle.

It takes time and practice before a breastfed baby learns how to suck on a bottle. What to do • Try offering expressed breast milk in a bottle initially. (Don't be too optimistic and put too much in to start with. It would be a shame to waste it.) • A soft flexible nipple often works better.

* Many breast fed babies will refuse to accept a bottle while they are still being breastfed at times. They will simply wait until a breastfeed is offered.

For these babies it will be the case of breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, but not both. Written by © Copyright www.babycareadvice.com 2003. All rights reserved. Permission from author must be obtained to reproduce all or any part of this article.

Baby and toddler sleep is an ever-shifting, ever-changing thing, isn’t it? Just when you think you’re done with sleep training, done with, done with — you find out you’re not.

Something happens (an illness, a bout of teething, a vacation, etc.), and everything falls apart. And it’s so discouraging. So normal, but so very, very discouraging. Sometimes, you can trace the blip in your little one’s sleep to an obvious factor (like a recent vacation, for example.) Other times, though, the blip seems to come out of nowhere. In cases like that, you can usually blame a sleep regression., so if you’ve been reading The Baby Sleep Site for any length of time, you probably know at least a little bit about when they happen and what they are. In today’s article, we’re going to put aside the “baby” sleep regressions (the ones that happen at and at ) and focus on the two toddler sleep regressions. We’ll look at when the two most common toddler sleep regressions happen, why they occur, what kinds of problems they cause, and how you can cope.

What are Toddler Sleep Regressions, and When Do They Happen? Most people use the term “sleep regression” to mean that a baby or toddler, who’s been sleeping well, suddenly (often without any warning) begins waking frequently at night and/or refusing to nap during the day. These regressions usually last for a period of time (anywhere from 2 – 6 weeks); then, your baby or toddler’s sleep should return to its normal patterns.

(The exception to that rule is the 3/4 month regression; those changes to your baby’s sleep patterns are permanent.) There are two regressions that happen during toddlerhood: one happens around 18 months, and the other happens right around the 2 year mark. A Look At the 18 Month Sleep Regression All sleep regressions can be traced to a baby’s physical and mental development at that particular stage. At 18 months, some of these physical and developmental milestones contribute to the sleep regression: • (many toddlers are cutting their 4 canine teeth around 18 months) • (this tends to peak and be at its worst from 10-18 months) • Growing sense of independence (18 month olds are learning to exert their own wills, and are likely to resist doing something they don’t want to do — like going to bed) Truth be told, the 18 month regression is a really, really tough one. Because as we’ve written before, there’s a “discipline factor” involved in this regression that wasn’t part of the earlier sleep regressions: Being sleep-deprived always makes parenting harder. Descargar Biblia Reina Valera 1960 De Estudio Pdf File here. Add to this the fact that your 18 month old is likely starting to throw temper tantrums and exhibiting plenty of defiant, oppositional behavior, and parenting can seem downright impossible! The stress of dealing with your toddler’s behavior compounds the exhaustion you’re already feeling.

What’s more, these two elements (your toddler’s newfound sleeplessness and your toddler’s oppositional behavior) can end up influencing each other. Your toddler’s willful behavior can lead him to refuse naps or to shriek stubbornly for you each time he wakes at night. And of course, the lack of sleep caused by this regression can make your little one cranky, which leads to more tantrums and temper fits. For more details about the 18 month sleep regression, check out. A Look At the 2 Year Sleep Regression The 18 month sleep regression is tough, but the 2 year sleep regression is no picnic, either! Need Toddler Sleep Help? We Have the Resources You Need!

If you are tired of wading through stacks of sleep books that just aren't working, if you are beyond exhausted and just can't solve your toddler's sleep problems on your own.than personalized sleep consulting is for you. Our team of expert consultants will create a Personalized Sleep Plan ® just for your family and then support you through every step of implementing your plan. We encourage you to consider our personalized, one-on-one if you want to see real, meaningful results now. Your consultation package also includes ample follow-up help, designed to help you troubleshoot problems and tweak your plan as needed. For those persistent toddler sleep struggles, check out. Using the same unique approach and practical tools for success, this e-book helps you and your toddler sleep through the night and enjoy a better daytime schedule.

Looking for budget-friendly custom sleep help? Enjoy customized sleep help that works without breaking the bank! Our Express Sleep Plan ® is customized to fit your toddler's unique sleep needs and to work with your parenting style and goals, and it's also priced to work for even the tightest budgets. It's also available instantly - just complete a brief questionnaire, submit your answers, and your Express Sleep Plan ® is ready to download in moments!

Or, join our packed with exclusive content and resources: e-Books, assessments, detailed case studies, expert advice, peer support, and more. It actually costs less to join than buying products separately!

As a member, you'll also enjoy a weekly chat with an expert sleep consultant. And the best part - members receive 20% off all sleep consultation services! We have definitely hit this with our 19 month old. I have struggled with understanding her sleep and helping do our best to help her achieve the best sleep she can.

For last 5 wks we have had some early (4am anyone) wakings, night wakings which I believe are night terrors, and short naps. It was a rough transition to one nap a couple months ago and add in Daylight Savings and we’ve hit a bumpy patch. She takes longer to fall asleep though she’s happy “chatting”. I relied on our consultant from baby sleepsite for reassurance that much of this is normal and we do the best we can.

Early bedtimes, slightly longer wind down, as much exercise and fresh air as we can and things will hopefully even out. I have invested in a twilight turtle for help with night terrors as the only thing that calms our daughter is calm light to focus on while we hold her. • Jennifer says. My son is only 15 months, but I’m preparing myself for the coming regressions!

The first year was really tough, but sleep (thankfully) seemed to finally click one he was a year. One tip I’ve heard regarding nighttime fears is to give your toddler a bottle of “monster repellent”. Just mix a few drops of lavender EO with water in a small spray bottle. They can fight off the monsters and the lavender scent might actually help them calm down a bit. I certainly plan on trying it when the time comes!

My 20 month old seemed to skip the 18 month regression but lately his previously great nap has gone to pot! He asks to go for a nap, falls asleep on his own as usual but wakes 40 minutes later hysterical. I’ve been cuddling him back to sleep in my own bed, it’s the only way to lengthen his nap and he definitely needs more than 40 minutes. Even more bizarre, when he does get a good nap he still wakes up screaming his head off and is inconsolable for about a half hour after he wakes. He gets lunch before his nap so he’s not hungry, I offer him a drink and a snack and he throws it at me. I’m at a loss as to why he’s so miserable when he wakes. The 18/19 month regression was soooooo hard!

Almost every nap for 5 weeks straight, failed. I kept at it though, every day at the same time, same routine, putting him down. And depending on how loud the crying got, typically left him there for ‘quiet time’, or rather ‘alone time’, for an hour. It was super hard. Nighttime seemed to do okay with only a few night wakings.

He cut in all 4 canine teeth during this time, and we also survived a few bouts of cooties as well. He just turned 20 months and he’s finally napping again.

I’m exhausted! That was a long bout. I can only hope that the 2 year one isn’t as bad • Amy says. Oh my goodnesstomorrow marks the second week that my 18 mo son has screamed when I put him down for a nap. I’ve tried all kinds of things to no avail.

We were doing so well with sleeping (finally) and now this! I am really trying hard not to create bad habits while getting through this “phase”, but it’s hard. We always go through the same routine for naps and I put him in his crib, but he screams and carries on until I can’t take it and I rock him to sleep. I put him back in his crib to have him either wake upon laying him down or 15-30 minutes later! The only way to get him to stay asleep is to lay with him in our bed, but I don’t want this to go on forever!!! Glad to know I’m not alone in this, but it is so frustrating and exhausting!

Thank you so much for everything! • Emily DeJeu says. @ Katrina McCarty — thanks so much for sharing the details of your experience! These are hugely helpful to moms and dads who are going through the same thing you are.

Thanks, too, for the kind words about your experience with one of our Baby Sleep Site™ consultants 🙂 So glad to hear that your consultant was able to help you through this season! @ Jennifer — what a cute idea! Thanks for sharing. 🙂 @ Liv — I have no definitive answers, but I can tell you that this was true for my oldest son, too.

From about 18 months until he was probably 3, he woke up from every nap (and most mornings, too) cranky and fussing (sometimes screaming!) It was so frustrating for my husband and I. We used to DREAD the moments when he’d wake up! So sorry you’re going through this, Liv. 🙁 My oldest eventually outgrew this bizarre behavior, but I remember it well.

Hang in there! And if you do eventually uncover a reason for it, or a solution, let us know! • Emily DeJeu says. @ Beth — so glad to hear you survived! Yes, the 18 month one can be so rough. 18 months can be rough in general, in my opinion, but throw a sleep regression in there, and yikes!

Good for you, Beth, for sticking to your routine and toughing it out. Not easy (as you point out) but worth it, once they’re sleeping well again. Thanks for commenting, Beth! @ Amy — definitely, definitely not alone. 🙂 This is so common!

Did you catch Beth’s comment, right above yours? She mentions that it took her little one 5 weeks to get past the regression — no fun! So you may have a few more rough weeks ahead of you. Just do the best you can to stay consistent, and eventually, you’ll be on the other side of this thing. Hang in there, Amy! You can do it!

• Kristie N says. @ Kristie N — glad you found the article helpful!

As for ways to prepare for the 2 year regression — I definitely wouldn’t make any changes to your daughter’s schedule yet. You never know; she might sail past the 2 year mark with no issues at all! Instead, I’d suggest watching for her cues, and following her lead. If you notice that she’s wide awake after you put her to bed, maybe try bumping bedtime back 15 minutes or so. Or if you notice her naps going a little haywire in the next few months, then make some minor adjustments to her napping schedule. But let her behavior guide any changes you make.

Also, don’t rush into any big changes (i.e. If she starts resisting her afternoon nap, don’t drop it.) Thanks for commenting, Kristie! And check back in to let us know how it’s going in the next few months. 🙂 • Emily DeJeu says. Thanks again so much for the comments and the responses to the comments!

After two weeks and two days of a screaming 18 mos old at nap time, I decided to try playing some music. It took about a half hour, but he finally fell asleep!

He was sitting up and hunched over so I went in and laid him down, but he finally napped on his own and in his own bed! I’m not holding my breath for tomorrow, but today I’m celebrating a small victory! Thanks again everyone for your support and suggestions!

• Emily DeJeu says. My daughter is now 14 months old and has been sleeping well in the past 4-5 months (sleeping from 9pm to 7am with occasional night wakings which she could fall back to sleep on her own), suddenly has some sleep regression in the recent 2 weeks. The major change recently was that we have a vacation 2 weeks before (no sleep problem at all while on trip!) and my helper (who is sleeping in the same room with my daughter)has a trip back to philiphine too during that time. Now when all things get back to normal, my daughter starts to have a sleep regression — she starts to wake up several times and could not settle on her own. We thought to re-train my daughter again and let her cry out during her night waking but she would keep on shouting (yes, not crying!!) for more than an hour!

Our whole family really have a hard time! Any advise for me? • Emily DeJeu says.

@larmlarm55 — re-training can be a good idea, but if CIO is disturbing the family, there are quieter, gentler training techniques you can try. For an explanation of the different sleep training techniques you can use in this situation, check out our free guide: You’ll find some tips in there to help. Overall, I think you’re on the right track.

You want to treat this as a phase, and to continue on as normally as you can until it’s passed. Best of luck to you! And thanks for commenting 🙂 • Lisa says.

We dealt with the 18 month sleep regression by co-sleeping. I just couldn’t listen to my little boy scream for hours and hours (tried it once, won’t do it again). My job requires me to be on call so I wasn’t willing to give up more nights of sleep to the toddler. The rule we stuck with was he had to go to bed on his own at his normal bedtime. Then if he woke up in the middle of the night (which for about 3 or 4 weeks was every night), I brought him to bed with hubby and I. He slept very well with us until morning.

I think the sleep regression might be over (fingers crossed) as he has slept through the night in his own bed for the last 4 nights in a row. I was feeling guilty about co-sleeping, so many people frown upon it. But my mom said it wouldn’t last forever and to do what felt right for us. • larmlarm55 says. Dear Emily, thanks for your advise. Currently, I am trying co-sleeping and my girl seems to calm downbut at the same time, she seems not sleepy at all!? Cos she would smile and try to play with me!

I am actually a bit guilty and distressed with co-sleeping as my sister told me that her son, who is now 9 yr old, is still sleeping with her. So I felt a bit frustrated and not sure what I am doing is right or not. I read from your website that the 18-month sleep regression can be due to the baby learning new things/developmental milestone and teething, and it so happens that my daughter is trying to learn to talk and have teething problem too, but she is only 14-month old, can it be possible too? Anyway, I hope that the current issue is just a phase and can go soon!

• Emily DeJeu says. @ Lisa — “But my mom said it wouldn’t last forever and to do what felt right for us.” YES. Your mom gives good advice 🙂 While it’s a good idea to educate yourself about healthy sleep habits, and to avoid helping your baby develop bad sleep habits, it’s also good to cut yourself a break when you need to. 😉 It sounds like co-sleeping was a good, temporary solution that worked well for your unique situation.

Glad you were able to trust your gut, and glad that you survived the 18 month sleep regression! Thanks for commenting, Lisa. 🙂 • Emily DeJeu says.

So I have a soon to be 21 month old who for the last week as been taking very short naps and only sleeping for 10 hours tops at night. So we have not long enough nights and horrible naps. Her best naps were only 1.5 hours but she would do over an hour and around 10.5/11 at night and was happy. She also tries every stall tactic in the book before each bedtime.

So it’s classic regression but which one is it? Late 18 or early 24? She is not cutting any teeth but the molars are starting to fill in best we can tell. It’s been a week and I am guessing we have another 2 to go given her last regressions. So what do we think is going on?

• Emily DeJeu says. @ chantel — I’m so sorry you’re struggling through this! But take heart — this is very, very normal behavior for a young toddler. In terms of what to do — our general recommendation to parents is to keep doing what you normally do. Bringing him into bed with you once or twice probably wouldn’t cause big problems, but you’re right in thinking that if you did it often enough, it’s probably become a habit (and it sound like that’s a habit you don’t want him to develop!) Instead, look for other ways to comfort him while leaving him in his crib.

You can go in and pat him/shush him when he cries, for example. In general, you just have to survive and get through these regression phases. They’re no fun at all when they’re happening, but they’re usually over in a few weeks. Hang in there, Chantel! And let us know how he’s progressing. • Maureen says. My 24 month old son out of the blue started to scream and cry when I put him down for naps and bedtime.

He has always been a great sleeper and self soother. He would always just lay in his crib and eventually fall asleep.

I followed the Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child book. My son took to the schedule and routines the book suggested beautifully. Then one night he just screamed and cried when I walked out of the room and I would go back in and comfort him but it would start all over again as soon as I would try and leave.

It went on for more then an hour so I gave in and sat in his room till he fell asleep. He’s now 26 months old and now I sit in the hallway in front of his room with his door open but I am afraid that I created a habit now. I don’t know if it is separation anxiety or if he’s testing me. I do not want to sit in the hallway anymore but I’m afraid that if I try and leave him to cry I will make matters worse especially if it is separation anxiety.

• Emily DeJeu says. @ Maureen — this sounds like a classic 2 year sleep regression. Unfortunately, there’s nothing to do except get through it! 🙁 To determine if it’s true separation anxiety, think about this — are there other times when you leave him during the day (i.e. At a babysitter, at daycare, etc.)? If so, how does he handle those transitions? If it is separation anxiety, then the best thing you can do, in my experience, is to treat it lightly.

If you seem worried or concerned, then it reinforces to your son that he has reason to be fearful and upset. There’s nothing wrong with checking in on him when he cries, of course, but try keeping your interactions short: give him a quick hug, and remind him that you’re right around the corner and will see him first thing in the morning. I’d suggest trying to break the sitting-outside-his-door pattern, since (as you point out) it’s likely become a habit. Thanks for reaching out, Maureen! And keep us posted on how your little guy does. • Lauren says. I’m in the same boat as a lot of the other comments.

Used to have a good sleeper – now we are down to 10 hrs total in 24 hrs almost out of the blue. Last night he had 7 hours night sleep and only 1.5 hour nap today. I am now sitting in his room until he falls asleep, but like other posters, this is not sustainable. I have no time to myself as he has been waking early, shortened naps, and spending a long time sitting in his room. I also have a five year old who needs my attention too! I think my sitting in the room has exacerbated the problem b.c I am not there when he wakes up. He has woken every night the past 3 weeks.

We are all worn out! But I feel guilty when he cries. I don’t know if something is scary to him b.c he isn’t super verbal yet and I don’t know if its seperation anxiety. I don’t want to ignore those things if that is what is going on.

• Emily DeJeu says. @ Lauren — so sorry you’re struggling through this right now 🙁 No fun at all! I think you’re probably right in your guess that staying in the room with him is exacerbating the problem.

And it may be setting him up to expect that long-term (something that you’re probably not interested in doing!) Maybe you could do a check-and-console kind of thing? Go in every so often, pat him and comfort him for a minute or two, and then leave? That might be a way to offer comfort, and to let him know that you’re present and available, without creating any long-term habits. Just a thought. 🙂 Keep us posted on how this goes, Lauren!

Good luck to you — and thanks for commenting! Primary Sidebar.