Four-Month Old Has Started Waking up Several Times at Night

Sucking on her pacifier may be unclogging her ears. Many babies get fluid in the ears with a cold. If she starts running a temp. or pulling on her ears, you'll know the cold has progressed to an ear infection, and she'll need to be seen by her pediatrician. I'd really try to avoid rocking her to sleep. You don't want her to become dependent on this to fall asleep. Does she have a "lovey?" This is a small toy or blanket that she can hold to help her settle and go back to sleep. Good Luck!

I suggest "bundling". It is like magic. I think that the baby feels like she is being held. It also helps with crying spells. I just prayed for you. I know that it is horrible when we are lacking sleep.

She probably just can't breathe very well and wants the confort, I'm sure it will pass by spring time LOL Good Luck :)

I think my kids always seemed to be fighting some cold at daycare when they were little. They didn't really start to build their immune system until around 2 or 3.

Also, you might consider that if she constantly has a runny nose and no fever this may not be a cold. This could be allergies. Perhaps she has indoor and/or outdoor allergies. Indiana is one of the worst places in the U.S. for allergies. Molds are really high this time of year with the leaves falling. Other household allergens are bad such as dust. Some sweepers tend to stir things up and the allergy gets worse after sweeping.

You may want to consult your physician... but... I suggest trying an over-the-counter allergy medicine like a generic brand for "Claritin for Kids"... the active ingredient is Loratidine.

I too have four month old who is going on a sleep strike. She is very collicy but use to be a good sleeper. Occasionaly she'd wake up at 3am and drain a 6oz bottle, but here recently she'll wake up every three hours. I'd love to hear what others suggests!

I had this identical problem at the same age. I think teething had a lot to do with it, as my baby's 1st tooth came in at exactly 5 months. Try popping a couple of Hyland's teething tablets in your baby's mouth when she wakes up. They are homeopathic with belladonna and camomile, so they aren't harmful and are calming even if teething isn't the issue. I never believed in crying it out (what in the hell is the "it" here, anyway?), but tried it as a last resort, and it never worked. Some babies are high need (read Attachment Parenting by William Sears), and letting them cry only makes them more upset. It would be worth it to try a side-car attachment your baby can sleep in attached to your bed, so you can get her right back to sleep before she totally wakes up. With all of the colds, try using a humidifier, Little Noses drops, a snot sucker, and elevating the crib mattress. Contrary to some opinions, co-sleeping is NOT a "bad habit". It is what is done is most parts of the world and has been for centuries. There is NOTHING wrong with bringing your baby into bed with you, or having her in your room. Whatever situation creates the best sleep for your family is the right thing to do. If you are nursing, by all means nurse your baby on demand. Keep in mind too that many babies are not biologically capable of sleeping through the night until age 2. That was the case for mine, and it was a nightmare, and I was severely sleep deprived. As my mom told me when I said I wanted my life back, "This IS your life now." Moms just don't get enough sleep, but you will get through it. Just trust your intuition, be patient, take naps when you can, enlist your husband's help and anyone else's that you can get, and surrender to the way it is right now. Good luck and blessings!

I agree with another poster. I have a three and a half month old...and she has started teething full force. IT does wake her up several times in the night as well. The ped told me to give her some Tylenol on evenings when it really seems to bother her and that it usually hurts them more at night. I can feel little bumps under her gums...you may want to check for that. Good luck.

Has the Dr. checked for an ear infection?

Hi A..
At 4 months old, maybe your daughter is teething? Mine would get runny noses (no cough, though) and wake up during the night when they were teething. If that's not it, I'd ask the daycare how often they're cleaning the toys. Kids will often mouth the same toys, sharing their germs over and over. I hope this helps. Hope your little one feels better.

Could she be teething? Those symptoms could be a result of that.

Welcome to the world of the ever changing baby!! My son still does the same thing and he just turned one. He was a great sleeper from about a month on until he was 6 months old. He would only get up once a night. Then he started getting up twice, then he slept through again, then he was up like 6 times a night for a while, now he's sleeping through again. The slightest thing can effect then, like a cold. I wouldn't worry, this is just one of many stages unfortunately. I would use caution in getting her in the habit of rocking her to sleep, though. They are creatures of habit!! When my son was getting up every hour in the night for a while I got desperate and started letting him cry it out, because I work FT. The first two nights were rough, but no worse than the previous month! And now he's sleeping through again.
Good luck!!

It is pretty normal around that age. My daughter did that too between 4.5 and 5.5 months but it got better after that. She might be teething because I know mine was.

You may think she is still a little young, but could she be teething? My daughter started teething at 3 months, and once the first one came in they started coming in full speed. As far as the stuffy nose, that could be related to the teething as well.

My daughter was the PERFECT sleeper. The only time she ever woke up during the night was when she had an ear infection. She never had a fever and barely had the sniffles, but that's how I knew she had an ear infection. If she's had the sniffles for a while, maybe a trip to the ped might help. Other than that, it could be teething or just a phase... lol :)

M.

If she is teething... try Highlands Teething Tablets!
My 7 month old has been going through this for 2 months now, some nights worse than others. Up to then, he slept a good 9hrs without waking. Now he wakes anywhere from 1-5 times through the night. Two teeth popped out last week. They could technically teeth for weeks or months with no teeth visible or felt through the gum.
Last night he woke up 4 times (and I only nursed him once). I hope it stops soon, as I also work FT!!

OK, I'll make this short and sweet. I'm sure it will come off as bitchy but I really don't mean it to be, I just want it to be a bit of a wake up. I'm really tired of all the people who try CIO and then complain that it doesn't work. Of course it doesn't work, you are telling an infant that their worries aren't worth your time or presence. You were really lucky that she slept so well so early, most babies don't. If your child cries, go to her. At 4 months it's probably one of two things. It's either a growth spurt, at which point she's hungry and you should be feeding her, or it's teething and there's absolutely nothing you can do but make her feel better. My first baby didn't sleep through the night until after 6 months and starting solids. My second just slept through the night for the first ever at almost 8 months. There is a lot of research that shows that you don't foster bad sleep behavior by responding to their cries. Read about sleep from people like Dr. Sears. Even I don't sleep through the night half the time, I get up and pee or I get a drink of water...why on earth would we expect an infant to do any different.
Anyhow...just my opinion...

She could be starting to teeth ALSO my son 14 mo old had a cold and runny nose THEN went into Croup THEN an sinus infection. He had the runny nose BAD croup cough with no fever. He is getting his moler teeth in and I am sure that has some to do with it as well. I would give her some Motrin to help with her aches and see is that will help. I nurse him still and when I would go in to check on him when he SCREAM waking up at 2 AM he wants nursed I try to get out of that habit BUT he has not been eating with his cold and infection so SILLY me nurses him NOT every time. I do let him cry it out and it will go on for 1 hr or more. he gets the hang of it I will not be in there and will lay down. He has a thing on his crib when he starts to cry it comes on with a light and plays a lullaby and that helps some to. I feel ya. I hate to let him cry BUT NEITHER one of my kids like to sleep. NEVER have slept to good at night. My daughter is 4 and JUST did start sleeping through the night good BUT BOTH are ALWAYS up at 7 am. Drives me NUTS lol... Good Luck Sorry to blabbing on. Hope the lil one gets better. I would call Dr though it could be an ear infection or sinus like mine NEVER know.