11 month old baby not wanting to sleep in her crib

Question: Our 11 month old daughter coslept with us until 4 months. We then moved her to her own room into her crib,without a problem. As I breastfed her she woke during the night until 6months, after which she started to sleep through. She's got sinus, this causes her nose to be very stuffy & congested at night, she also gets throat infections due to this.

We took her to the ped we were give nose drops & medication. It does wonders. About a month + I found out that we are expecting our second little one. Around this time our baba started waking up at night screaming & crying. We also noticed that she was pulling on her ear. Took her back to ped shes got ear infection. She is also teething, this is aggerevating the ear.

While she was sick , not feeling "lekker" we would pick her up at night when she wakes give her a bottle & put her in bed with us. Biggest mistake, now she wakes up every night like clock work around 12h00. She gets her bottle, will fall asleep, but as soon as you put her back in her crib she cries. You can pick her up comfort her & put her back, she does not settle until she is in our bed. Im concerned with the other baby thats on the way (due in Dec)& we are not getting a proper nights rest as she is restless while sleeping. How do we get her back into her own bed or to sleep through again?Is she sensing that there is another baby on the way & feels threatend?We were told it is night terrors.

Heidi's Answer: Hello,

What you describe does not sound like night terrors. When having a night terror, a child is not really awake and would not be having a bottle. Of course, it can start as a night terror, and she might wake up while you tend to her, and then eventually have the bottle but that is difficult to say from your post. Do read the night terrors page to see if you recognize it.

She is very young to feel threatened about her baby brother/sister on the way, that sounds unlikely to me. What she can sense though is your excitement and possibly some anxiety about the new situation ahead (plus the lack of sleep you have).

But that's OK, do try to relax about it. You have 7-8 months left to get the whole family ready for your next little baby. And 'ready' does not have to mean that you all sleep through 100% every night but that you find a situation that is reasonable for all.

Don't worry about having taken her into your bed when she was not well. Of course you try everything when she's not feeling well, and that is OK, even if it means you're left with a habit you did not really want ...

To help her wean from that, do wait until you're sure she's all fit and healthy. Then if you decide you do not want to take her in your bed anymore, it is best to be consistent. That may seem harsh at first but it is less confusing for her. It does not mean yo have to just put her down and let her cry.

The best is to keep putting her back down consistently and in the exact same way as when she first goes down for the night. If you put her back after feeding and she cries right away, you may want to hold her a bit longer (for a burp of to let her digest at least a little). Then put her down in the usual way.

All the while, whether it is for naps, evening or night, work with the gentle self soothing method to help her sleep independently.

And keep her as comfortable as possible in spite of the teething with one or more of the efficient teething remedies.

Good luck,
Take care,
Heidi