Hello!

I’m a first time mum in need of help. How do I get my son to sleep through the night? He is 14 months old. Thanks


Want more real mum questions sent to you?

You'll need to check this email to complete your signup.
  • Try everything! Try music, no music, night light, no light, slowly taking longer to respond to calls/crying, not talking to the when you do respond, lighter clothes, heater on low, heater off, grow bag, no grow bag, no sugar or fruit after 6, no carbs after tea, no afternoon nap, earlier nap, exercise before bed, no stimulation before bed, TV off from after tea til they are asleep, low lights in house after team no ipad/electronic or noises games/toys, bedtime routine, not responding to calls, or responding to just fix blanket or pat on hand and leave. Door open, door closed, comfort toy.
    Just know that every kid is different


  • Helping your child to sleep through the night can be difficult.There are some very clear reasons why waking still occurs at this age. It can be sleep associations or sometimes physical reasons. My one piece of advice is please don’t leave your little one to cry it out . This method works in the short term but in my 26 years of working with children, all it does is create an insecure older toddler. I can suggest a few things such as resettling, comforting and daily routines which will help. Please contact me for more information any time…Kerry


  • Hey there. So sorry you’re going through this at 14 months !! I have an 18 month old and for us it was just tough love. We have never ran to her at night if she wakes and she knows now that she is in bed and that’s it. She never cries now unless something is wrong. I would suggest leaving your baby cry it out a bit ? We always did the 20 minutes max of crying before re setting. It might be a few tough days as none of us like the crying but once your baby realises it gets him nowhere he should just learn to go back to sleep. At 14 months a baby should be able to sleep through. Hope this helps and good luck.


  • So children do and some don’t. Why is he waking? cold, hungry, want cuddles etc. If he is waking for a bottle or feed, stop giving him one. Just give him a cuddle and put him back to sleep. Maybe give him a little extra feed or yogurt before bed. Sorry no easy answer as mine woke up everynight till he was about 3.


  • I find that even if by some miracle my little one sleeps through….. I wake up anyway, & get up to check why they haven’t woken me lol. But in answer to your question, I think if it’s going to happen, then it will happen.


  • I feel your pain. Just know that you are not alone with this.
    My eldest was a total nightmare. She would not sleep. Hours after she was born i was transferred to another hospital by ambulance and she cried all the way. The Ambulance driver said to me “in all my 25 years of driving an Ambulance she is the only baby to cry all the way”…and so it began. I stayed in hospital for a week but she wouldnt sleep. One nurse said to me on night “wow all the babies are asleep at the same time…even yours”..LOL I took her to doctors who told me there was nothing wrong with her. If I managed to get her to sleep it was a toss up on what to do. Laundry, eat or sleep. Sleep usually won out and I would take the 20min sleep and then be back dealing with the screaming baby. On and on it went and everyone elses baby seemed to sleep. So many people would say “maybe she hungry…are you sure you are feeding her enough?”…”she must be teething” ( she wasnt and didnt get teeth until she was 14mths), “You should take her to a Doctor” (I had …several times) ……
    Anyway….There was nothing wrong with her at all. She just didnt like to sleep. Sorry to say that i tried everything and nothing worked…around the 2 year mark she started to settle and sleep.
    When I had baby #2 I couldnt believe how easy a normal baby was…she would sleep for 4hours…complete bliss.
    So although things are tough with this child please dont think that any others you may have will be the same.

    I know im not being very helpful here but I wanted to let you know that you are not alone. When my eldest wouldnt sleep I felt like I was the only one with a baby that wouldnt sleep.

    Good luck.


  • Give him a security object, dim lights or leave on a lamp – it’s not easy finding the right strategies.


  • Make sure he isn’t too warm or too hot. Also check his teeth, my little girl starting waking half way through the night at this age i found (even though she had no showing signs) that 2 molars were cutting and was enough to stir her. Good luck.


  • Make sure he is warm enough! This time of year is common that they wake more often. My son had a toddler sleeping bag at that age (A Bonds Winter one we found the best) and now at 3, has a Bedsok so he stays covered in bed even if he kicks his doona off We also put a heater on in his room to make sure he doesn’t get cold as it is most often the cold that wakes him.


Post your reply
Add a photo
Your MoM account


Lost your password?

Enter your email and a password below to post your answer and join MoM:

↥ Back to top

Thanks For Your Star Rating!

Would you like to add a written rating or just a star rating?

Write A Rating Just A Star Rating
Join