I need some serious help with my youngest daughter, who is almost 11 mo. old. She has not slept thru the night since she has been born. I have tried everything, including the E.A.S.Y. routine. She was diagnosed with reflux at 6 weeks and allergic to milk.
She wakes up twice a night, sometimes she will go back to sleep when we go back in and give her the pacifer, other times she will be up 1-2 hours, and will not go back to sleep unless she has a bottle or nurses. The Dr. says she should not need to feed at night. But during the day she will not take more than 5 oz. at a time, she also eats table food for lunch and dinner, and cereal for breakfast. Including a total of 3-4 bottles/breast feeds a day.
I nurse her in the early morning, anytime between 4 and 6AM, then she goes back to sleep until 8:30. She takes a 2.5 hour morning nap at 10:30 then she takes a 1.5-2 hour afternoon nap around 3:00, and she goes to bed at 9:00PM. I work full time and when I come home in the evening at 5:30, she is extremely attached to me. If I dont carry her around most of the evening or be in her sight playing with her, she cries and cries and cries. This is hard on our 4 year old, my husband works nights and is not at home.
Any tips are appreciated, Thank you!
I wih I could help. My little boy is the same age and still gets up, and sometimes multiple times a night. hugs!!!!
I'm not sure I can be much help because not one of my 4 kids ever slept through the night before their first birthday...usually around 13 months or so. I tend to give up & co-sleep part of the night when my daughter (almost 12 months) wakes up frequently to nurse. I take her to bed, nurse her, and we both go back to sleep.
It could be that she just needs extra physical comfort from you and the night is a sure time to get it.
My husband works nights too, so I completely understand not being able to get anything done because you always have a baby on your hip. You could try wearing her in a sling or front carrier while you do your chores or play with your 4 year old. That way she gets the physical contact she needs while she's awake.
Good luck & sweet dreams! :)
Hi! I am the mother of 3, ages 10, 7 & 5. Although my youngest has not napped for several years, I remember all 3 of my kids going through the same transtion around 11/12 months of age. They took 2 naps until this time and slowly transitioned to one, which was about 2-3 hours, depending on what we did for the day and time of year. If your daughter is taking a nap only 2 hours after getting up in the morning, she is definitely in need of more sleep at night, not during the day. If your husband is home with her during the day, he can keep her occupied in the morning to prolong the time when she usually takes her first naps and/or try letting her sleep a little longer in the morning (I know this may not be possible). My oldest child was the easiest to transition because I could devote time to her and didn't have other children to care for, but it's the only way I used to transition by children to one nap. Eventually they will, usually over 2-3 weeks and you should notice a big difference in her bedtime sleep patterns. Good luck!!!
Hi, as far as the allergy to milk, this is fairly common, but of those I know that have tried fresh goat's milk for general health or allergies, none have had allergies to it, none. (You would have to go to a local farmer to get this. I do not know if fresh cow's milk would work.) If she could drink this and no other drinks throughout the evening, it would be good. Maybe if she could be very active from the time you get home til bedtime, she would rest better, maybe a little more rest each night until she is sleeping all night. It is hard when you have to juggle everything and then not get much sleep. Best wishes to you and your beautiful little girl.
I know mamy moms who's babies still do not sleep thru the night (mine included). In fact she was waking every 1-2 hrs until recently mostly because of tummy troubles. Your daughter may just be trying to make up for lost time during the day. Give her as much love and cuddling as you can when you get home from work. Also, I would continue nursing. The doc's don't know what is best for your child-you do. If nursing works then continue doing it. There's nothing wrong with doing so and it is much better then being awake for 1-2 hrs. good luck!
quick question.... what is E.A.S.Y?
My oldest did not sleep through the night until 16 months. My youngest is that age and still doesn't. Your Dr. is right, she doesn't need nutritional nourishment.
I think for my boys it was a combination of their big size and that I conditioned them that they would get nursed when they wanted. I spoiled them. If that's the worst I ever do to my kids...
To keep your sanity and maybe get some sleep, learn to nurse laying down in bed. When she wakes, take her to bed and nurse her back to sleep. If you're too tired to get up and put her back in her crib, let her sleep with you, but USE COMMON SENSE. If you or your husband are too sound of sleepers, don't cosleep. Don't cosleep high or drunk (you would hope a nursing mom wouldn't anyway). Don't have fluffy blankets or pillowtoppers. Never sleep on a couch with them on the inside, or on a bed against a wall. In other words, don't do anything that can lead to restricting their airway!
I'm a light sleeper. I also extend my lower arm so that I can't physically roll over on the baby, and never turn my back to them (I switch sides by hopping over them).
I've also tested my babies on what they would do if I did roll over on them, or the blankets were over their head. They were both big strong boys and squirmed and screamed out of it.
I really enjoy my quiet time at night. It's usually the only time it's ever quiet in my house. I get to just relax and enjoy my son while he's still a baby. Good luck to you.
My first son, now 4, woke at 3:00am every night until he was 13 months. He too had reflux and only fed in small amounts for his age. To me, this was his way of preventing the discomfort of a full tummy with reflux.
Honestly, give your daughter a bottle at 3:00am if that's what will put her back to sleep. I used to try to follow all of the Dr's guidelines too, but they never worked for my son. He had his own agenda no matter how hard I tried. I soon realized that my sanity was more important for everyone. After 13 months, my son naturally started sleeping through the night and the night feedings were finally over.
In retrospect, I think my son truly needed that extra 3a,m bottle to get the total amount HE needed in a day. Many people may disagree with me on this, but sometimes you just have to do what will be easiest for you. Conversely, my 6 month old has been sleeping through the night since 4 months. I have used the same parenting skills as I did with my first, but they are just two different people.
my 11 month son wasn't sleeping through and the doctor told me to feed him cereal later in the evening. he now eats at 9:30, 3:30 and 8:00 and nurses around 7:30,11:30,4:00 and 9:00. For a while he was eating 4 meals a day but now he won't eat a fourth meal. I found within a day or two he started sleeping through the night, poor baby was hungry. She may be trying to tell you that she's hungry by wanting you all the time. My baby was slapping at our faces which was very unusual for him. Now I've noticed he's much more independent until he needs something.(usually his teeth are bothering him or he's bored and wants to be entertained)Anyway, That's what worked for us! Good Luck!!
Hi K.,
I am not sure what to tell you because I am going thru the same thing. My daughter will be 11 months in a week and wakes every 3-4 hours. I have not had one nights sleep in 11 months!!! She will ONLY nurse when she wakes up and will SCREAM untl I come in there and nurse her. I am completely spoiling her because I get to the point where I am just tired and I cave and nurse her. If you get any advice that seems to help, let me know!!! We tried letting her cry a few nights and it was TERRIBLE!!!!! We vowed never again. She is also an anaphylactic allergy to Milk, Casein, eggs, rice, rye and others, so maybe it has something to do with what we are limited in feeding them???? Good luck to you!!!
K.
K. -
I completely understand how hard it is to function on no sleep. We adopted our daughter at 11 months and she never slept more than 1 - 2 hours at a time for the last year and a half and took an hour to put back to sleep each time. Our daughter is also allergic to dairy and eggs. But someone gave me advice when we came home with her - to make sure there is no medical problem causing the sleep issues. Which I thought I was doing. I took her to the Dr. etc. Turns out that a friend asked me if she could possibly have enlarged adenoids. And that was it. No Dr. ever recommended we have that checked. She had the surgery recently and she is finally starting to sleep longer and longer at night. It is a miracle for us. Or maybe you could have her seen by a Pediatric Pulmonologist a sleep specialist - that was going to be our next move. Just know that I really feel for you - it is horrible to go through that every night. Take care.
J.
She may still need that feeding during the night to make up for some that she doesn't get during the day. Most of the time though it is just a matter of time before they sleep through the night. If she will go back to sleep with just her pacifier then let her do that. My oldest was 8 months before he slept through the night. My middle child was the best sleeper he was 6 wks. and started sleeping through the night. My youngest was the worst. He wouldn't sleep through the night until he 3 yrs. old. I didn't think he would ever sleep through the night. For now just try the feeding and/or the pacifier and see how she does. She will eventually sleep through the night.
D.
I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7 and 4.
