My 1 year old slept through the night no problem and now she is waking up every night after 2 hours of sleeping.

by Julie
(Winnipeg , Manitoba)

Question: My 1 year old slept through the night no problem and now she is waking up every night after 2 hours of sleeping. And stays awake but happy playing in her crib. Its been going on for a month now. She goes to bed at 730 and use to sleep until 830 am ish. NOW she is still put to bed at 730 and wakes up at around 930 and stays awake til around midnight. Then she sleeps in late til around 10 am. Making up for the lack of sleep at night. I've done everything, I dont go get her at night I leave her be. Of course I check on her to make sure everything is ok, but she just smiles and wants to play. So I walk out and leave her be. I have switched her from 2 naps to 1 nap. I have made her bed time earlier and later. I have kept her up all day thinking she will be tired and stay asleep at night. I have woken her up early! But NOTHING WORKS!!! What can I do to get her back on her regular routine? Should I keep waking her up everyday early? Should I let her sleep later since she is tired from being up at night? She is a VERY happy baby and rarely cries. So she is not whining when she is awake. ANY help would be appreciated! Thanks so much .

Julie

Heidi's Answer: Hi Julie, Even though I understand you would love her to sleep without waking, you should not worry.

The fact that she is awake but is happy and does not cry or call you for attention, is very positive. And you should encourage that, by minimizing the time you spend with her at night, if you go in at all.

Do keep the daytime nap - even two if you feel she becomes tired in the evening: being overtired is worse when it comes to getting a good night's sleep.

In the morning, it will be good to have a regular wake up time. No problem to let her sleep quite late, say around 9am but keep it regular and wake her then if necessary.

If 9am feels much too early now (very hard to wake her), start a bit later and bring it to earlier gradually.

Good luck,
Kindly,
Heidi