I think she may be hungry... or what else

[lavenderpegasus]

I have a 11 month old, and just recently she has started to be a real strugle to get to sleep at night only.

I think she may be hungry, the reason I think so is she isn't eating much dinner, she is turning away from the boob just not interested and then just lays in the cot not sleeping. She screams like a mad woman if i leave the room, but if i'm in the room (I'm sitting on a rocking chair about 2m from her bed) she lays not a word from her.


What do you think.... I need to get out of the room... It is not like this at all during the day, I put her in the cot and off I go.

[lavenderpegasus]

some one... any one

[Me]

Can you try bringing her dinnertime forward a bit so that she isn't so tired when she's eating? Or give her dinner at afternoon tea time then a snack at dinner time so she's
filling up?

[shersche]

I am having a similar problem but am not sure I have a solution. My 11 month old was going to bed beautifully - with a sleeping bag, story, light off, song, into cot routine followed by less than 10 minutes of singing and patting and she was asleep.

This is still working for day sleeps but then at night she started crying as soon as I left the room no matter how long I stayed there. I would sit there up to 1.5 hours and then be so sure she was asleep but as soon as I moved there were tears.

I am sure she isn't hungry - eats a big dinner and then boob before bed. I think it is her age and seperation anxiety. Still odd it is for the night only and not for day sleeps.

What I have been doing is staying in there for 10mins singing and patting (by this time she is usually snoring) and then I say to her mummy loves you and will be just outside if you need me for anything then I leave. Sometimes she yells out a bit, sometimes she just mumbles and then goes to sleep, I am hoping that at 11months she understands that I am outside if she needs me. I would go back in if she cried but funnily enough she doesn't seem to. She sometimes makes noise, yells out but is back asleep in 2 mins max. If she were to cry I would go back in to her and pat/sing for another 5/10 mins I guess. It hasn't happened yet though. I can understand that this might not work for some people because it does involve letting her make noise in her cot by herself but I am relying on her understanding that I am just there if she really needs me and will respond if necessary.

I tell her about it all during the day as well. Chat to her about going to sleep and about how mummy and daddy are always listening for her and will always go to her if she needs us.

Not sure if this post will help you at all but wanted you to know you are not the only one.

PS, if you think she is hungry maybe you could try to give her a banana before bed, I think the potasium is meant to help with sleep.



Hope this helps

[Lil Bugs Mummy]

I think is proabably is separation anxiety a bit as well, i would giver her dinner at 5pm and
then maybe as her last feed as a bottle of formula as the last feed as something to try, i only breastfeed last preg but this is something i might try for the next or like the pp said a bananna. good luck hope it works out :)

[Lil Bugs Mummy]

Just to add to that i demand my dd until she was 15 months because i always worried she wasn't getting enought food and then ended sleeping with her all the time to get her to sleep and now at 20 months she sleeps in the cot by herself after being in a bed on the floor since she was 8 months, not something i would recommend lol but we got thru it. i feel that i should have introduced a bottle of formula when she was 6 months so she would take it when she was older and she wouldn't drink cows milk until she was 18 months thats just opinion and my situation tho not pushing anything.

[lavenderpegasus]

I'm so tired, she stayed awake till 9.30 last night. Then awake at 12 (feed) then 2.30 then 3.25 (feed) then up at 7.
SHe has dinner half hour after she wakes from her afternnoon sleep. Which is when we all have dinner 4.45, around 5.15 ish we got up to bath, then read books, and DS off to bed. DD and I are then playing (quietly) till around 6.45 when I give her a boobie feed and then read a book and up to bed. where she is quiet till I try to leave the room. I went in and out till 9 last night and then sat there crying till 9.30 when she went to sleep.

[LittleBug'sMum]

Maybe she's not tired enough at bedtime? Could you try making her afternoon sleep a bit earlier?
When DS was that age his afternoon sleep was until about 2pm, then bed at 6pm, so a good 4 hours awake time before bed.
But they are all different.
He doesn't eat much dinner, but eats like a horse at breakfast, and grazes all day long.
I think I've read somewhere that eating a good lunch is more important for their night time sleep than what they have for dinner :confused: