Sleeping Through the Night - Austin, TX

At 6 months, my son started eating solids - rice cereal mixed with breat milk. It SO fixed the eating all night thing! He was just growing so fast, he needed a lot more food than I could give. On my mother-in-law's advice, we started the cereal on he last feeding before bed by mixing some in a bottle. Then in the night, we gave him a pacifier to calm him, but to save feeding to the daytime. I hope this helps!

Do you think he might teething now? Is he snacking or eating a lot at night. Try giving him a pacifier and just rocking him for10 minutes, if he wakes up in night.

N.,

He might be going through a growth spurt. It is very common for a 6 month old to all of a sudden need to eat every 2 hours through the night. When my kids were little They slept with me. The whole family slept well and now that they are older they have no sleeping problems. Most people will tell you that if you let them sleep with you they will never sleep on their own. I found co-sleeping very effective. Night waking is not a behavior problem. Your bay is hungry that is why he is waking up.

I just wanted to pass on a technique that worked for me.

Debra

Don't feed him in the middle of the night. Hold him and sooth him back to sleep, but no feeding. It will be tough at first...for both of you... but he will get back into the groove of things. And he will start eating more during the day. Promise

We just went through the same situation. Big Brother, Mom, Dad, and finally 6 mo Little Brother had the flu 2-3 wks ago. Yes, our little guy ate very little during the day and woke up often during the night (for comfort & nursing). This past wk, our Dr. gave us the OK at our follow-up/6mo shots visit and told us to let him cry at night (thus going back to his previous pattern of sleeping at 8pm and waking up at 5am). It was very hard the first 2-3 nights because I would hear him cried through out the night. Unfortunately, last night, he cried for a minute and fell back to sleep. Take care of yourself. Get some rest. Healthy Mom will then be able to take care of her little one(s). Good luck!

What else have you tried? Maybe replace the nursing with something else in response to his cries?
Since he is not eating much during the day, it sounds like his schedule is just off. Try manipulating his schedule a couple hours at a time.

try supplementing with a bottle of organic soy formula. he's old enough for single grain rice cereal. that will help. a six month boy needs some warm cereal on his tummy before bed. he will not get allergies from rice cereal. ask any doctor. he's old enough. besides, getting your sleep is crucial.

I have two boys, both of them had to be "trained" to sleep well. I wasnt one of the lucky ones whose baby slept through the night on their own. The earlier you do it, the easier it is and my husband made a good point that it was our first test at "parenting". Up until then we were care takers and now was our first opportunity to have to do something for our child because it was best for him, even though he didnt like it (letting him cry). But, I will tell you that I have a 2 year old and a 1 year old now who are both awesome sleepers...daytime and night and they are happy healthy kids. Sleep is important for them...they need to learn to do it on their own. I read all the books and my favorite was "Healthy Sleep habits, Happy Child". The author is a pediatrican and a sleep specialist. He tells you what to expect at each age and how to achieve healthy sleep habits, but it isnt a one size fits all. You can let them cry longer and it will work faster, or you can go in more often, whichever makes you more comfortable. Its a great book...you and your baby both need more sleep!!!

Good Luck!

HI. Just wanted to pass on what I went through with my little one. I breast fed him until he was 6 months. I was completely exhausted and ready to get a full nights sleep. At six months they are old enough to make it through the night w/o eating and only wake up due to habbit. My little man cried for 10 minutes and went back to sleep with out a problem. He did that for 3 nights and we were on a new routine. People say it takes 3 night to break a habbit. Give it a try. Another thought is give him a snack right before he goes to bed. If he isn't eating much during the day make sure his tummy is full and ready for some sleep.

I'm totally into the ten minute rule. After ten minutes, I go in pick her up hug her and put her back to bed with her pacifier. When she turned 1, I turned ten minutes into twenty minutes. They get bored with it and go to sleep. Plus, you'll start to learn when a cry is a complaining cry and a panicked cry. The panicked cries get me out of bed and up the stairs in 20 seconds flat. The complaining cries barely wake me up anymore. You HAVE to sleep. Not sleeping is dangerous. Pump and let dad bottle feed once or twice a night. Good luck and get some sleep. I promise it gets better.

You are right. He is nursing out of habit. Read the book 'How to solve your child's sleep problems' by Dr. Ferber. It helped me wean my son off of night feedings in about 4 days. Good luck.

we were blessed with a flexible child...I breast fed and bottle fed and gave her a pacifier and she "thank god" did not get nipple confused....

we found a pacifier works great at night....when she wakes up we go in the room and put the pacifier in her mouth and she falls back to sleep...I guess the sucking motion is soothing to her.

She's now 1 week shy of being 6 months....we started this routine when she was about 10 weeks.

There is a great book called healthy sleep habits, happy child/ren by Marc Weisenbluth, a paediatrician. It details everything you could ever want to know about sleeep including how to get it back on track after illness. We used it for our twins, now two, and they sleep through the night most of the time now. Of course, it alwys gets disturbed when they are ill and takes a few nights to get back to the right track. You have to be tough here. Sleep is really important and if your child doesn't need feeds or isn't ill, you really have to let them work out for themselves how to soothe themselves back to sleep. See if you can borrow the book from the library. Sleep is so im,portant to everyone in the family. Good luck!

It sound harsh, but stop going to him. He will eventually stop crying and fall back asleep. You are actually disrupting his sleep by going to him and nursing him. Then having to change diapers etc. There is an excellent resource called Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child you can find it for only a few dollars on half.com . I promise this book solved all our girls sleep issues. Good luck!

Something similar happened to me. My son started sleeping through the night at around 2- 3 weeks old! I was so blessed, but then around 4 months he started waking up again about twice a night. I found out that it could be do to teething and they need to sooth the pain in their mouth and nursing does just that. He is now 7 1/2 months old and is mostly sleeping through the night again. wierd thing is still no teeth yet!;);) I hope this helps some. I tried the feeding more during the day too but it just didn't work cuz his poor little mouth just hurt!:)

He could be hitting a growth spurt, which happens at 6 months or teething. Babies want to nurse more frequently during a growth spurt and may need the nightime comfort for teething. Another reason they get up a lot at night is if they are going through a developmental spurt. Is he trying to crawl? When my little girl (6 and half months old) started crawling about a month ago, she got up all night long to practice! The most she gets now is about 6.5 hours, but the past 4 nights, she will fall asleep around 10, get up at 12, then at 4, then at 6,7, and finally up at 8! I think she is teething, but I am at a loss. I am exhausted! I have been trying to nurse her more in the day and give her at least 2 meals of cereal and fruit or vegetable. Have you started solids? I hope he starts sleeping better for you!

hyland's teething tablets, helped me with both children.. Basically give two at first. Teething is real culprit.

I know some people Co sleep and don't have to get up at all.. perhaps moving babies crib or a temporary bed to your room.
He could have an ear infection.. might want to check out the ears..
Also kellymom.com is a great nursing web rescource..
And since we breast feed to Boost Our Babies inmmune system and keep them from getting Allergies.. I am sure that he may be nursing a little more after battling the big cold to boost his immmune system.. Also please check with peditrician before introducing new foods as you can really jinx yourself with food allergies and upset tummies..

I know it seems really hard right now.. but you will get through it.. (I always reminded my self that At least I wasn't pregnant because when I was I didn't get any sleep or food ;).. ) You also will feel good about the choice you make, if it feels wrong and is against your nature, then it probally is wrong for your baby and yourself. If you are still nursing you should continue to take your prenatal vitamins that will help you with your energy as well.

I know you have gotten a lot of advice and I agree to try to feed him as much as you can before he goes down. I think we all have dealt with this as it is a teething and growing time of infancy. The way I see it, you have three options:

1.Daddy night feeding bottle duty (as was suggested by another Mom. (not an option for my pilot hubby)

2. Get up and try to give him a pacifyer(the baby has been used to getting up, so he just needs to learn how to soothe himelf back to sleep without using your nipple). The one drawback to this is that my girlfriend had her baby waking her up every night for over a year just to put the paci back in her mouth.

3.Let him fuss. If you just let him cry for longer and longer periods without running right to him (which you have been trained to do whether it is trying not to let him wake up the hubby or whatnot) he will learn that he won't get the nipple when he cries. Even just stand over the crib and pat him or rock him without feeding him. Just let the fussing get longer and longer each night or every couple of nights...what you eventually want him to do is fuss himself to sleep so he learns to go back to sleep if he wakes up. If he really gets going and starts really crying, it is likely he is looking for food.

Don't you love how getting sick messes them up on their sleep pattern! With my first, we'd just go in and pat him to let him know we were there, and eventually he decided waking up was not worth it. My 4 month old just got over being sick, too, so we've been just picking him up and bouncing with him until he's almost back asleep and he's starting to sleep longer again. Appetite will be down some after being sick, but will gradually get better. Your little one may just be eating too much at night to eat well during the day. Good Luck!

he should be back to normal when he is fully recovered from his illness. Babies take the FULL time to recover unlike adults who take 2 days or even just two weeks. So he has to replenish what was lost: nutrition to build back his immune system, sleep and a lot of it. He is feeding through the night so expecting him to eat during the day is an unrealistic expectation.

You may want to check with your doctor in about 1 more week if he isn't going back to his normal schedule which you will have to implement with patience, patience, patience. He won't do it on his own.

A full month's recovery is average. Some babies need more time for a FULL recovery. As you know, babies are not equipped like adults to just suck it up and roll with it. They do things very naturally and we all know that nature takes her time in order to get it perfect.

Hope it helps.

When my boys were little, a doctor told me their nap time was essential. The boys needed to nap during the day so they could get used to sleeping for longer periods of time.
I am praying for you and the baby.
P. S

My son was like that, he's 19 and in college now, so we did survive. I found that the hardest time was really not when they were sick, but when they were getting well. Anyway, my suggestion would be to let him cry in the night. He's old enough that he doesn't need to be eating at night, and you are right, it's a habit that he developed when he was sick. Don't delay breaking this habit. It might be hard for a night or two, having to let him cry, but well worth it in the end, as you need your sleep to function at your best as a mother.

Have you heard of that Bible verse "This too shall pass" ?
Well, it holds true for much of baby life. If you're having tough times with sleep, nursing, potty training, etc -- hold on, it'll pass. But it also holds true for the opposite: if things are going well in a particular area, enjoy it 'cause it's bound to change. :-)
Also, keep in mind 6mos is a growth spurt time for his little body as well as when a lot of babies start really teething.
He may be over the illness yuckies that your family had, but he may have gone directly from that to a growing/teething/who knows kind of time.
Breastmilk digests in about 90mins. Now that your baby is 6mos old, you *could* introduce some solids if you chose to do so. A little pear/oatmeal or banana/rice puree will take longer to digest than just breast milk alone.
You said he's not eating as much during the day as he did previously... Has anything changed about your day - Are you going out more? Has he started crawling? If so, he may simply be more interested in exploring this new world he's discovered.
my 1yr is calling
hth

K. H, mama to
Catherine, 4yrs
Samuel, 1yr

Is your son eating any solid foods yet? He may be hungry. You might start a few solids such as avacado, sweet potato, banana, and porridge are all good first foods. Make certain his tummy is full before he goes to sleep. Also, is he teethng? When my children were sick or teething it definitely interfered with their sleeping efficiency. The main thing I suggest is just to make certain his tummy is full at night. If he is not eating much during the day, he is still hungry and trying to make up for it during the night. I also recommend you call La Leche League. They were a huge help to me with my first baby.

I have a 3 1/2 month old and he had been sleeping about 8-10 hours at night, and then he recently got sick, so like you I started nursing him more often, about twice in the middle of the night, but when he started feeling better and kept waking up wanting to nurse, I just check on him and then let him cry himself back to sleep. He usually does after about 15-20 minutes. It usally is hardest the first few times, but it's good for babies to learn how to soothe themselves back to sleep at night. I did it with my daughter and she's always been a great sleeper!

When that happened for us, I sent in daddy. I couldn't convince my baby not to nurse, so he stepped in and did night duty for a few weeks until she figured out that nighttime wasn't for nursing. He would go in, leave the lights off and be with her without talking. At first he held her until she fell back asleep, then he went to picking her up and just putting her back down, then he finally moved to going in and just touching her so she would know he was there. The last two nights he slept on her floor so she would know we were there for her (so sweet). She's been sleeping through the night ever since. If she wakes up, she's comfortable playing and talking to herself until she goes back to sleep.

I found the best book that helped us teach our twin boys (who are now 19 months old) good sleep habits. It's called The Lullababy Sleep Plan. It is a wonderful resource written by Cathryn (sp) Tobin, a pediatrician and mom of 4 kids, I think.

It deals with the exact problem you mentioned.

C.

I get physically ill thinking about leaving any baby to cry it out, especially at 6 months old. I don't mean to be contrary to other mothers but in the interest of these sweet, trusting babies, they're just not designed to be ignored. Bring him to bed with you, latch him on and then crash back out...EVERYONE will get sleep that way and at 6 months his body is not designed to go all night without nourishment and comfort. If he's too busy during the day to eat as much then what a blessing to have his mamma's warmth and comfort to help make up for it at night time! I think the growth-spurt possibility is probably right-on and he's just needing a bit of extra 'tank-up' time to keep up with his little growing body. Either way, rather than look at it like your nursing is a crutch he should toss away, see it as a beautiful opportunity to meet his needs and provide him comfort. Welcome him to bed with you (he'll be ready to get out on his own soon enough) and let the whole family get some rest while still meeting his needs. You can't spoil a six month old...you can just lay a foundation for tenderness and comfort instead. Best of luck with your sweet family and enjoy the added sleep you'll all get!

He is probably waking up because he LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to be with his Mommy -- and it is so much more fun to do that than to have to go back to sleep. But eventually, he will need to learn how to go back to sleep on his own - and he will look to you to teach him.

So -- my husband and I use a ten-minute rule. We ignore our daughter for ten minutes when she wakes up. If she is still awake (and crying rather than happily playing) then I go in, otherwise, I wait to see if she will go back to sleep on her own. Often, she goes back to sleep on her own. I use the ten minute rule for the five month old, but as my older daughter go older, the 'ignore' time (after vacations, sickness, teething, etc.) would have to go up each time we retrained her.

Good luck. It's hard to ignore at first, but usually if you do it this young, it works within two to three nights.

I know you must be frustrated. Have u introduced any rice cereal? That seemed to always help me. It sits heavier in their stomach making them more satisfied. Try to have a "busy"schedule with him during the day keeping him active. Open blinds talk with a regular/excited tone etc. Try to get him associate light with awake and dark with asleep. Wake him 7:30 or 8:00 AM. Then when its sleep time talk more gentle. His nights and days seem a little mixed up. Don't worry you'll get it.I have 2 boys 4yr & 17mths. Hopefully some of these suggestions helped. Also for more info abut amt of rice cereal call your doctor they'll tell u right over the phone how to mix etc. Good luck. Email me if u want, anytime.