6 Month Old Waking Every Two Hours at Night

Hi J.,
Have you tried "white-noise"? A fan on low or something? Although my kids did not need this, my niece and nephew did and it worked great. :-)

Growth-spurt.

Growth-spurts occurs every 3 months in a baby.
The next one will be at 9 months. 12 months. 15 months etc.

6 months old is a growth-spurt in a baby.
At growth-spurts, their intake needs increases, as well as their feeding frequency. This is, 24/7, day and night.
She needs to nurse.

Growth-spurts and increased nursing in a baby also serves this purpose: so that your breasts, produces more milk, for baby, per her age and needs. The more they nurse, the more your body will produce milk etc.

Intake for a baby, has to keep up with THEM. So that they do get enough nourishment/intake/calories, per their growing.
Thus, you always need to feed on-demand.

For the 1st year of life, a baby's PRIMARY source of nutrition is from breastmilk or Formula. Not solids and not other liquids.
And to feed on-demand.

Your baby is normal.

If intake/nursings are inadequate, baby is simply hungry and cannot sleep.

And, babies often do what is called "cluster feeding' in which they need to feed even every single hour.
You need to go by their cues. For intake and nursings.
Breastmilk is metabolized very quickly in a baby.

AND: make sure you are producing enough milk. If not, baby will not be getting adequate intake.
If you DO nurse on-demand... your body is supposed to then produce enough milk, per your baby, per their growth-spurts.
I have had many friends, whose baby was not sleeping well and waking a lot. They actually learned that they were not producing enough milk and their baby was not latching on properly. Once they saw a Lactation Specialist and corrected the problem, their baby then- did get enough intake and milk. Then they saw a positive difference in their baby. Just as an example.

Just nurse her. For as long as she needs to.
Some babies nurse quickly, some take awhile.
But the important thing it they nurse long enough to get to the hind-milk.

And yes, at this age, they may also start to teethe.
AND at this age, they are hitting many developmental changes/cognitive changes/physical changes and motor-skills changes. Thus, it can sometimes be, ALL of these things that is affecting them. All at the same time.
But if baby is hungry, then she needs to nurse.

My kids as babies, had GINORMOUS appetites and I breastfed. I just nursed on-demand, 24/7, day and night. And they grew like weeds and are very healthy. They often woke a lot too at night. I woke too and nursed them. And they sucked me dry. I used both breasts, each time I nursed them. And they drank me dry. Then went back to sleep. Then woke when hungry again. I nursed, then they went back to sleep.
etc., etc.
But if teething, this will wake them too.
And if rolling over/sitting up, this will wake them too. Because these are new skills they are hitting and practicing.

And, since you have 2 kids, like I do... well at night your Husband will simply HAVE TO help with the eldest child... when/if she wakes at night.
That is a Husband's 'job' too.
So, have him help.

Also, is baby napping during the day? A baby this age typically naps 3 times a day. If over-tired or over-stimulated... a baby cannot sleep well, nor fall asleep well, and they wake more.
Sleep/naps, are very very important for a baby. It also helps their development.

Growth spurt is highly likely. Also when reaching major milestones such as crawling can cause lots of night waking as their brains are working overtime. I know it's hard but it will pass. Just keep giving your baby what she needs. They do outgrow it. Don't resort to CIO. It's not needed.

I have a pacifer on my daughter pj's and then an aquarium clipped to her crib that she learned to turn on by herself at that age. Your baby doesnt know how to soothe herself back to sleep..its a milestone she need to reach..you will need to help her with this and everyone is different. if you are not ready for the CIO, then dont do it...do it when you are ready. I was ready at 5 months...worse week of my life,but the best thing I ever did.
Good luck..sorry about no sleeping

I just wanted to offer my support and tell you that I'm right there with you. My 6 mo is not a good sleeper either. Last night she went to bed at 8, got up at 10:30 to eat, then was up again (and stayed up) from 1:30-3:45, and then up again at 5 at which point I just brought her into bed with me, where she slept until 6:30 :(. It is so exhuasting, isn't it? I don't have a good solution (obviously) but I just wanted to say I hear you, and am sorry :(. I'm not going to do CIO either-I don't think it's emotionally healthy for babies (but I have to say that after the last couple months I do have more compassion for parents who make the decision to do that!). Best wishes to you!

How often does she eat during the day? If she eats less often than every 2 hours, then she is not eating because she is hungry. ;)
They do have growth spurts... but, again... how long does she go between feedings during the day? She should be able to go at least that long at night.

Also, bear in mind, that HOW she falls asleep when she goes to bed plays a part in what she does when she wakes during the night. Do you rock her to sleep each night? Nurse her to sleep? Or do you comfort her until she is drowsy and then put her to bed while still awake? Whatever she "uses" to go to sleep at bedtime, she will need again when she wakes during the night.

I'm not very good at fixing sleep problems. But when my babies have been keepIng me awake to the point of exhaustion I sometimes bring them into bed with me. It doesn't fix the waking up too many times, but at least I am able to sleep while they are nursing. That way I get a little bit more rest.

Does your daughter use a pacifier? If not, maybe try that.

Another option may be to supplement with a bottle for her last feeding each night before bed and feed her some rice cereal w/ her last feeding before bed.

My son was up to 8oz but back down to every 2 hours when he was just two weeks old. The doctor had me start some cereal w/ the bedtime feeding...it helped.

I agree with a lot of these ladies about the growth spurt, but it is also likely that she is teething. Those are hard times..mine is 14 months and getting her molars in..NOT FUN! Is she pooping more often or is it different than normal? Mine often gets the runs while teething and that causes a little diaper rash! Well if you think she could be teething..a little baby night time orajel and baby ibruprofen *6-23 months* work (they also have natural teething tablets or strips). Mine didnt sleep well until she was closer to 9-10 months. Good Luck! It will get easier and you will get your sleep back!! Also, I would recommend trying to wean her off nighttime feedings around 10 months as long as she is eating solids during the day! At that point, nursing at night is simply for comfort, not for hunger!

I say she's hungry. Tiny babies and tiny bellies fill up quick and need to be replenished quicker. Plus, if she is coming up to a growth spurt she will be extra hungry.

My son was the same way and unfortunately didn't sleep through the night until he was 18 months. I had him sleep with me and I could just nurse him when he woke up so I could go back to sleep easily. I feel your pain. It will get better!

If she's teething you can try Tylenol before bedtime & see if it helps.

She has teeth? If so feed her a few teaspoons of rice cream cereal at dinner time. Let her eat as much as she wants. Her stomach will adjust to fill her without pushing her to eat more.
This will fill her tummy and she will sleep longer hours.