Baby Just Stopped Sleeping Through the Night

She may be teething or getting a cold. My daughter did the same thing. Its the first sign to us that teeth or illness are on the way.

Hopefully she'll work through it soon. Try some tylenol 30 min before bed and maybe some orajel when she wakes up along with a snack to see if she'll calm back down.

Best of luck!

I agree with Bridget. She could have started teething. My daughter started at 4 months old. try giving her some tylonol and some orajel (they have a night time formula that is a little stronger than the regular). Good luck!

The only thing I can think of is that she might be teething. A lot of books that I've read say that babies don't usually teethe until they're 6 months old, but my son has started drooling like crazy and biting on everything that comes close to his mouth, so you can never really believe everything the books say, since he'll be 4 months old on the 18th of this month. He hasn't been waking up at night any more than usual, which is once in the middle of the night to eat, but he is very grumpy through the day if he doesn't have something readily available to chomp on. A lot of other people that I have talked to, though, said that their babies had horrible times with sleeping during the period when they were cutting their first teeth. If you don't think that's it, though, you might just want to get her an appointment with the pediatrician, because there might be something hurting her that she can't tell you about. As for myself, I usually pull my son into bed with me when he has trouble sleeping, but I have that luxury because I have a queen sized bed and my husband works third shift too; I realize not everyone is comfortable sleeping with their babies.

Best of luck,
K. G

Hi, has your daughter started teething yet? I have 3 kids and when all of them started to get teeth their schedules were all out of wack. My baby will be 1 in a couple of weeks and he is just now on a good sleep routine. It takes time and patience, and all kids are different, what works best for me might not work for you. Good Luck.

I think this is common for this age. They are becoming more aware and realizing that they might be missing out. It could also be a growth spurt. Also, make sure she isn't sick. I am very much against the cry it out method. I would recommend the book, the No Cry Sleep Solution. It is great!

Is she hungry when she wakes? It seems a little young, yet it could be the separation anxiety stage. My 11 month old daughter was in that stage at about 8 months. It is esentially the baby just checking to make sure you are still there. Our pediatrician recommended using a soothing voice, letting the child know you're still there & love them but don't fall into the habit of picking them up, rocking them, etc. It's rough, (I know as a mother you want to hold, love & soothe...& cry when you can't!) but he said the baby has to learn how to deal on it's own, (unfortunately that means letting them cry) and the best thing you can do is re-assure. It's sad for the looks you're getting from your neighbors, but your child is more important, right? The stage varies for each child, ours only lasted 2-3 weeks, and the neighbors can get earplugs until then! Good luck...

M.,

I remember my baby boy started waking up 2 or 3 times during the night; it wasn't so bad, but I was worried like you. He started very early with teething. However, before assuming your baby girl is teething or need more food, I would suggest you to check if she has fever, touch very gently her ears, check if she does not have some rash (bottom, arms, etc..)if she has some reaction when you check all this, that means there is something for you to check out with her pediatrician.
When my baby boy woke up, my husband and I could not use the "cry out method" or "extinction method". We just couldn't. It works for some babies, I guess.... We thought our baby was too little, and he needed our attention at that age. (We do that now at 10 mo old, when he wakes up sometimes, and he goes back to sleep by himself...!)Because he was teething, I remember I held him, I hug him, and I put some soft music. I gave my baby a little cold wash cloth for him to chew, and that helped him a lot. We never used Orajel, some babies get to swallow too much of it, and they choke because their throat are numb also, even when it is just a little bit you put on the gums.
About the cereal on the bottle, I am not sure how well it works, but what I would say that while your baby girl is well fed during the day, she will be ok without cereal in the bottle. But do not do anything before checking other things. Never assume things with your baby.
I used bumpers with my two children all the time until they were old enough.
It will pass, believe me...
Let us know what happened with her...
Alejandra

What we tried which worked great was to let her cry for a few minutes at a time and go back and check on her (we used a passifer and comforted her each time) and increase the time you go back by a couple minutes each time. This way she knows you're there but knows you're not going to pick her up and feed her. We also used a bumper pad. She never got tangled but if you are worried you can check on her when you go to comfort her. It only took 3 days doing this. If you are going to try this be consistent. If you give up, it will make it much harder.

Maybe you could try to add cereal to your baby's bottle before bed time. I had this problem and I would just load up my son's night-time bottle with cereal. It seemed to help.

I also have a four month old, a little boy. He usually sleeps through the night very well, but sometimes wakes up. Do you put her to bed after her last bottle, even though she is still awake. I had to learn to do this, as much as I would love to just play with him all the time. Also it could be she is starting to teeth. If this is the case, give her a little tylonel before putting her down and she should sleep better, because she won't be in pain....Hope this helps:)

I think DS was similar at that age. We never used a crib; he slept right next to me. So when he woke up, I just nursed him back to sleep and went to sleep as well. I think that CIO is an unnecessary method that breeds mistrust. I know that many babies have been brought up that way with no obvious problems, but it just seems cruel to me. I couldn't tolerate listening to DS cry for long. Anyway, I second (or third?) the suggestion for Hyland's teething tablets. But it's entirely possible that this waking pattern is one that will continue for some time. I think tiny babes just sleep better than older ones.

My son, now 4 1/2, did this as well. I started putting cereal in his bottle (just enough to help fill him up longer) and this worked wonders. Try putting a tablespoon or so of rice cereal in her bottle w the formula (ask your Dr of course) and see if that will keep her belly full longer so she can sleep longer.

It could be a growth spurt. She might be wakeing up hungry. You could also try a differnet sleeping position, she's old enough to lift her head so she can be placed on her stomach or side. This helped my girl. She got tired of sleeping on her back.

At 4 months old when my daughter learned to roll over, we went through the same issue. I tried the Cry It Out Method, but it did not work for her.
At 6 month old she did the same thing. We found that she was teething. The Cry It OUt method did nothing for our family. She was too persistent. I would recommend buying the No Cry Sleep Solution. The book has helped my little one get back on track.

Also we have always used bumper pads to protect my daughters head, and she doesn't bother them.

I know it is hard to let them cry but I think at that age they are probably hunger or just need you to hold them since they were warm in the womb for 9 months. My son went threw it as well. It is so nice when they sleep threw the night and you are just praying that they will continue to do it. My son would only sleep like that for a few weeks at a time. He turned one in Jan and about a month ago he starting sleeping till 7:30. Maybe she is going threw a growth surpt. Food for the soul, I had a bumper on this crib and he would cry so much he would get stuck and there were times I thought if I didn't go in there would he be here today. Needless to say I took it off. What I have found to work is I rolled a blanket up and put it where is head would be. Watch that for a few weeks to see what she does. If it were me I would get up and feed her or rock her back to sleep after 10-15 mins of crying. Depends on how long do you want to listen to it. I would say by the time she is older 6-9 months try letting her cry longer. My doctor told me before he starting sleeping. To let him cry up to 30 mins. keep a cup of water in there for when he cries and gets thirsty. After about 30 mins go in there and DON'T PICK HER UP! Just touch her and say you're okay. My son is older but our doctor said he is starting to delvope fear. Good luck and I wouldn't let others bother you. It's just like when you are in the resturant or church and their crying. If I could ask do you live in Fort Wayne and if so what apartments do you live in? We live in The Hunt Club until the end of March; if you live here maybe we can get together. We finially decided to settle here and buy a house. Anyhow, Good luck!

Sounds like she may be hitting a growth spurt and may need to eat a little bit more. My daughter hit a growth spurt about that time and I was totally lost about what to do till I talked to her doc. Just feed her a little bit more and cuddle with her. Screw your neighbors too, ha ha ha, I also was in an upstairs apartment and bugged my neighbors too, who were two young single guys. One day they will be there too with their own kids. Just do what you think is right for you and your precious little one. God bless and good luck! Kiss that sweet one for me!

M.,

I know how tough it is when your little one is upset. It is possible that at 4 months she has started teething. Have you noticed any other signs of this? If so, Hyland's Teething Tablets could be helpful. It is perfectly normal for a baby to want her mother, especially at night. I have two children, and co-sleeping has always worked well for us. We all get a good night's rest and my children get that special time with me. I hope you find something that works for you.

Take care,

B.

I'm guessing it could either be teething or a growth spurt, like several others have said. Infant Tylenol or Hyland's Teething Tablets will help with the teething. If it's a growth spurt, try feeding her more often for the few hours before she goes to sleep. If she eats every four hours, feed her every two. That way she's got enough calories in her system to sleep longer during the night. Cereal does not help babies sleep longer. It's all carbs, which break down quickly.

Also, definitely start establishing a bedtime routine if you haven't already. Some soothing music or background noise (a Mommy bear or some other thing that makes noise like in the womb), maybe a little massage with lavender scented baby lotion, rocking... Whatever relaxes her. Do it every night before bedtime so she establishes a connection between these things and going to bed.

Could be a growth spurt and she's hungry. It's true, they have done more recent studies and introducing solids doesn't help babies sleep through the night even though they used to think it did. Some doctors still say it helps, but until they are eating full meals, it doesn't make a diference. More likely is that she's teething. Get some Hyland's Teething Tablets (grocery stores and drug stores carry them) they are homeopathic which is much better than plying such a young baby with meds and everyone I know who has tried them lives by them and gave up trying to spread the Orajel. They disolve instantly to you just pop a couple in her mouth and she'll feel better in no time (if it's teething that is causing the problem). Good Luck!

Do you have her in your room? I had this problem with my youngest also. I moved her into her own room and with in a 3 or 4 days she was sleeping through the night!
M.

try your hardest not too let those dirty looks get to you. my bet is the dirty looks are coming from people who have never had kids and couldn't possibly understand! if you know they have kids, maybe talk to them about what your going through. they may have excellent suggestions.

will she eat cereal an hour or so before bed to fill her up?

i agree with the advice given on teething. try those tablets. and my sons both slept on their bellies. but if she can roll over, that might not really be an option. but belly sleeping really worked for them

supernanny has some excellent tips on getting children to sleep, try her website or books