Sleeping FAQ: 12-18 Months – Night Waking

My 17mth old son is waking and screaming for hours but not every night.

Since having a few illnesses(chest infection, gastric flu) my son has, in the last two months been waking at midnight and screaming for anything up to 4 hours sometimes coughing and on occasions this has made him sick. Although on some other nights he can sleep for 12 hours. There seems to be no pattern to this and the unpredictability is placing a strain on both me and my wife. Sometimes the easiest thing to do is to take him into bed with us as he settles and sleeps quickly. He seems contented in most other aspects and is eating well during the day and developing well with walking and talking and socialises well at nursery. We are, at the moment just starting controlled crying but this too seems very difficult for us all. I wonder if you could help with any other advice.

He eats 1 weetabix, fruit toast with butter for breakfast. Lunch is a protein and carbohydrate meal such as homemade spaghetti and meat sauce. He has a carbohydrate snack in the afternoon and a soup and sandwich for tea. He drinks fruit juice water and some milk during the day.

My son naps from 1-2pm. He settles at 7.30pm

When dealing with random waking like this it is important to deal with the wakeful periods in the same way each time. You need to go in to your son and reassure him when he wakes suddenly. At this age, increased activity in the toddler’s daily routine can lead to overtiredness and this can cause sleep disturbances. If you are aware that he is very tired by the end of the day, bring his bedtime forward and make sure you have a very quiet wind down after tea. Keep bath time calm and have your son in bed within half an hour of coming out of the bath.

Having a special toy to sleep with may help your son. He may like to choose his own or you could buy him one to be his special friend in the night.

Controlled crying should only be used as a last resort and if you feel that his waking is due to habit. This would be more likely if your son was waking at the same time every night.

When you go into his room reassure him with the same words each night. If he needs to be cuddled to calm down then do cuddle him. Tuck him up with his special toy and remind him that you are just next door. Although you need to reassure your son you must also let him know that night time is for sleeping, so it is important that you keep any interaction with him to the minimum. Taking him into bed with you may solve the immediate problem but it could become a long term habit which may be hard to break, especially once he is in a bed.