18-Month Old Toddler Keeps Waking up at Night

Hey J.,
So I have a 15 month old and was just about to have his adenoids checked, or should I say ruled out. He still wakes 1-3 times per night. We are on prevacid and just weaned from reglan. I used to make excuses for reflux and all, but now, he;s getting older! Also, he does have milk sensitivity, not allergy as the GI dr says, but he gets a burned bottom if he drinks any milk, which is a major improvement from when he was a tiny baby when I could do NO dairy or soy. I don't think that's what keeps him awake now, but could be.

I am generally anti-CIO. I let him get a little out but if I can tell after a couple of min he's not going back to sleep, I go feed him. I always am criticized for it too. I think it's cruel to just leave them in there (in the middle of the night)...but I have often wondered if the milk helps neutralize the acid in his chest and that's why he wants it.

I am checking this thread to see if there are other ideas...we did pretty much everything you suggested minus the ENT thing so far. Do you know how much the ENT thing costs? I guess, I know my son CAN sleep all night, he did it for like 2 weeks straight at 12 months and I thought we were in the clear (we did nothing different)...why he quit and won't keep doing it, who knows!
R.

Have you tried eliminating dairy? My 13 month old is allergic to dairy and soy--if she or I (still breastfeeding) have ANY dairy or soy--even a little bit...we have a horrible night-up every 2-3 hours..we had reflux and diarrhea with blood as the symptoms of the dairy sensitivity since age 2 months! It could be any food sensitivity...other common allergens: dairy, soy, corn, wheat, nuts, gluten, berries, other legumes. You could try an elimination diet to see if it helps. Just google food allegies, and see an nutritionist for help if you decide to give it a try! Good luck, I know exactly how you feel--we have not slept normally in over a year!

Another possibility is that he's getting too much sleep. My son has had severe acid reflux since an infant, and I know what it's like to evaluate all the big things. When my baby wasn't sleeping thru the night, my mom suggested putting him to bed at 9:00 instead of 8:00. Sure enough...as long as he's up till 9:00, he generally sleeps.

If it's not that simple, some suggestions to look for indications of reflux other than lack of sleep. Does your child get hiccups a lot? Does he seem to cough on saliva in his throat a lot? Sometimes, they get acid up in their throat which causes a short...almost fake sounding cough. You have to really watch when they do it to be able to tell if it's acid or just a fake cough. A medicine I have sor symptoms that's worked GREAT for us is called Carafate. It's a prescription, but when he wakes up at night I give him this medicine. It helps him burp and sort of seems to alleviate his symptoms of indigestion and he goes right back to sleep. One other thing: if you like natural solutions, Fennel tea is great to help digesion. I steep about 2-3 tablespoons of normal fennel seeds in about 4 cups of water. Then, I keep it in the fridge. I give him a normal cup, and try to give it warm. It also helps with symptoms of reflux/indigestion.

J.,

What does she want when she wakes up? My boys are really close together also (Daniel 27 months and Johnathon 11 months) and because of my being less active, I think Daniel craved more attention at night - we solved the problem by co-sleeping (yep, all of us in a cal king bed - still) and he sleeps thru the night - he wakes up...will run his fingers in my hair or his daddy's and go back to sleep. As far as teh breath - does she let you look at her teeth? maybe a trip to a dentist to rule out a cavity??? that could bother her trying to sleep too if she has a toothache? I can only sympathize as I've been there done that - I have 2 older children too - 18 and 16 and the 18 year old was really bad with adnoids - having them out finally at 4. Daniel also was put on allergy med Zyrtec and that really helps his breathing at night....

Teri