I have a 7 month old daughter who is still getting up 2-3 times a night (every 3 hours). I'm exhausted and feel like I have tried everything. Every time she gets up she wants a bottle and won't go down until she has one. I've tried decreasing oz.'s gradually and she just gets up more. I've also tried letting her cry and that just ends up in a 2 hour battle to get her back to sleep. If anyone has any suggestions it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
I just started using a crib wedge with my 3 mos old son and it has made a tremendous difference in his sleep. He also would want to be up all night waking every couple hours to eat. THere's something about him being slightly elevated that helps him sleep better. They are about $15 at Babies R Us.
S.,
Is your little one eating baby food during the day along with her bottle or is she only getting milk during the day. My daughter I found wasn't getting enough food during the day and then would wake at night. I started giving her more food(not solely liquid) during the day and eventually it tapered off. She may be going through a growing spurt more than you realize and her body is requiring more. Is she crawling and moving around more?? Hope this helps. P.S.- my daughter at about 12 months started waking up at night only once for more milk to drink and then it stopped. Even after your little one stops waking at night it might happen again.
Try giving her water instead of milk. I did this with our 1-year old, and I wish I would have done it sooner. First we diluted the milk 1/2 and 1/2 for a few days, then switched to water. Also, I told him that after we brush his teeth, then no more milk, only water.
Once you switch to water, then you can be sure she is not getting up because of hunger. If she still gets up, then it is because she either doesn't know how to get herself to sleep, or because she wants your attention. Then you can deal with these problems differently.
I feel for you! My daughter was over a year before she started sleeping well. She would wake up 2 or 3 times a night and then be up for anywhere from 1.5 to 3 hours. I was a walking zombie! Because I wouldn't let her cry herself to sleep, there weren't too many other options for me - until we found a book called: "Goodnight Sleeptight" by Kim West. It was a life saver. Within a week she was sleeping more soundly through the night and within three weeks she was going to sleep on her own. The book gives estimates for the number of hours your child should be sleeping for each age range. Our daughter has never slept the suggested number of hours. The doctor told us that she is a smart child, and that the smarter the child is, the less they sleep! Although that wasn't much comfort at the time(!), hang onto that thought as a last resort! Please e-mail me if you would like any other input.
You need to read "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weisbluth. He addresses changing bad sleep habits and gives tips for every age child. It's all about routine and consistency. He addresses Dr. Ferber's method of 'crying it out' as well as Dr. Sears approach of attachment parenting. He lets you decide what will work for you and your family to get a good nights sleep-YOU NEED IT! It sounds like it will take some work to teach your daughter good sleep habits. By that age, she shouldn't be hungry at night, it sounds like she just wants to spend time with you. Good luck, this book is a lifesaver, you can read the reviews at Amazon.
I'm a first time mother of 10 month old daughter who sleeps from 6:30 pm to 7 AM and has since she was 6 months old and she was still breastfeeding then!
R.
My only advice is to hang in there. I had the exact same problem with my baby girl and all of a sudden, around 11 monthsand when I thought I couldn't handle the sleep depravation anymore, she just started sleeping through the night on her own. Her doctor said that some babies just need that extra comfort and there isn't much you can do about it. Just know that even though you are so exhausted it is what she needs right now and it is what makes her feel safe and secure. She'll come around!
Good luck,
R.
I have a son that is almost 9 months old. I had a really hard time getting him to sleep through the night too. One thing my pediatrician talked to me about is making sure he's getting enough food during the day time so he doesn't need to nurse at night. We actually supplemented is suppers by stirring rice cereal into his solids. Then, all the sudden about a month ago he started sleeping from 8p until 7a. He also takes two 1.5 hour naps during the day with little or no fussing.
Another big thing that really helped was having a consistent schedule with a bed time routine. My husband always reads two stories to my son, ending with Goodnight Moon. He really seems to calm down during this time.
You may just have to have a few nights of no sleep to gain the rest of the nights of wonderful sleep.
S.,
Don't know if you've got it figured out yet, but the book BabyWise (don't know the author) helped us a lot.
K.
I agree with everything Renee said about Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. It's definitely a rough first few days in following the plan, but it's so worth it (we've been doing it for 2 months with our 7 mo. old). Good luck! E.
