I was wondering if anyone here has gone through this. My 8 month old daughter started to sleep through the night at 3 months and now she's getting up 2 to 3 times a night again. Is there a way to get her back on track?
p.s. I tried giving her a bottle when she got up but it seemed to make her wake up more.
Also when she wakes up at night she doesn't cry she just lays there and "talks"
Kaydon, the best thing you can do is NOTHING. Do you know how lucky you are that she doesn't cry, but just lays there and talks?
If you stop interfering, she will most likely stop waking up. Right now you need to give her the chance to fall asleep all by herself.
Dawn
The one thing that drove me crazy during the first year was that patterns really only lasted for a week or two. Then I felt like I had to start all over again.
Each time she wakes, I would consider trying to see whether she's hungry or not. Does she reject the bottle every time? She really could be going through a growth spurt and need some food.
She could be teething. It could be an ear ache. We all wake up in the middle of the night, so that part's normal. She could be waking up and suddenly realizing she's alone and she doesn't know where Mommy is and it's scary.
Some people believe in teaching your child to self-sooth. I disagree. I think this is the time to teach her that you are there for her 24 hours a day, and she can depend on that.
I would just go to her and comfort her and try a few things until you find something that works. And be prepared for the possibility that you'll have to go through this a few more times before she's really able to say, "Mommy, I'm ... "
Hang in there! The middle of the night is the hardest time for me to be the best mom that I can be, but I do not regret helping my kids go back to sleep.
ETA - I just read your SWH. Hey, I'd leave well enough alone! If she isn't crying and is just talking, let her be. She will probably fall back to sleep on her own. If she cries, then I would go to her.
My dd started getting up once a night starting at 9 months b/c she got her first 7 teeth in 7 weeks and so I understood. This became a habit until 18 months and then all of a sudden she didn't wake up and nurse anymore. I bet it's teething pain.
Growth spurt and teething.
Everything changes ever few months!
My 17-month-old has never slept through the night one day. He does go from 8pm to 5:30am (then I nurse him), and he's good until 7:30am. Often he'll cry a few times a night but I only get up at the 5:30 feeding time. I'm thinking of cutting that out soon...not quite yet. It really helps him go back to sleep until the real morning, not his idea of morning.
So your baby sounds normal. :)
All my kids started waking again at 8 months. Must be a growth spurt or something. I would not start the bottle thing as it's hard to break later on. What I did was - not pick them up, pat their back and shhhh them till they eventually fell back to sleep. I did that till the phase was over. Very tiring but worked.
Yep, went through that too although mine might have been a bit older. I finally brought it up to my ped because I was so exhausted getting up all the time and then working all day too. She did recommend the Ferber method....essentially a modified cry it out. The ped said that based on how my babies were growing, they really didn't need a bottle in the middle of the night by that time. I HATED doing this, but I was desperate. Eventually it did work and my kids DID sleep through the night. So my advice is to talk to your ped and see what they recommend.
If she has been sick or is teething that can cause them to start waking up again at night. Try and determine if she is having teething pain, or if she isn't feeling well and address that. A bottle isn't a good idea, because she doesn't need to eat at night, and you don't want to get her used to eating at night. Try the Ferber method to get her to put herself back to sleep. When she cries just go in and tell her it is time to sleep. Don't pick her up or stimulate her in any way. Leave the room. If she is still crying wait 5 minutes, go back in, be reassuring, but tell her again it is sleep time. Leave for a little longer each time. Continue to do this until she falls asleep. Good luck.
It's normal for all people to awake during the night, the question is how they go back to sleep. Has she learned to go to sleep at bedtime by herself or are you rocking her to sleep?
This will be the first of many changes in their normal routine. Get used to it!!
Growth spurt. She's most likely hungry.
She will get through this in a short time. I would just make sure the lights are off and that she lays in the bed and takes the bottle. Then take it and let her go back to sleep. If she is waking up too much then you're going to have to stay up with her for a while. Her sleep cycle will get back on track eventually.
