Sleeping - Aurora, IL

I agree with keeping her up awhile later and increase the amount of food at nighttime. If she's teething, she'd show signs like drooling, biting, and possibly diarrhea.

Skip the cereal and give her something with fat and protein. The nature of carbs (cereals) is that it give you a spike in blood sugar that wears off and that's when you feel hungry. So, if you give her something else, it could help. The AAP says that there is no need for cereal when you have waited until 6 months to start foods. Cereal was created to "teach babies to eat" when people used to start them really early. Companies only keep making it because people keep buying it. It's really unnecessary and is VERY low in nutrients. You can do almost any other type of food at this time (stay away from allergens like strawberries and anything really acidic like citrus and tomatoes. Avacados are great!

Also, could be teeth. Good Luck!

Try, giving her oatmeal, and some fruit( 2 / half oz. ), and then, the bottle!! Make, the cereal, and fruit, at the same time, but, before her bedtime, give her at least 5 to 6 oz. formula, before her bedtime??? See, if that works??? Makes, sure sssssssshe burps, well, also?? Have, you two, had a conversation, about this with her doctor?? Try, it??

Hi,
She may be going through a growth spurt, where she needs more calories to support the quick growth. These traditionally happen at 3 weeks, six weeks, three months and six months..give or take a few weeks/days. Hopefully she will settle in to a better pattern soon.
Best,
J

Sounds like it could be "night waking" - is she REALLY crying but not really awake? And you have to sort of "snap her out of it" to get her to stop? If so, this is night waking. The best thing to do is to let her cry and make sure she doesn't hurt herself - she will quickly settle herself if you do not interfear. My son used to do this - when we just poked our heads in to make sure he was ok but otherwise let him be, we found that his crying spells got shorter and shorter each night and he stopped doing it after about 2 weeks. It was reassuring to me that he was clearly not upset - he was clearly not even awake! - and it seemed that getting him to snap out of it was actually more disruptive than just leaving him alone. If she's sitting up in her crib you can lay her back down, but otherwise I'd say leave her alone.

My 6 month old is also sometimes very hungry in the night. So I just give her 6 ounces and she can eat as much as she needs. They are growing so fast right now, I count of her to let me know when she needs to eat. I remember my son doing this too and I just fed him when he really wanted it. Around 8 months he never wanted feedings at night anymore. He was just much more tired than hungry at night to wake up for it.
I just can't imagine letting her cry. Night time parenting can be difficult, but our babies/kids count on us to meet their needs until they can do it themselves. Good luck.

Hi J.,

This may not apply, but in the past few weeks we have our heat on continuously and our house is dry in the winter. We've had to put on the humidifiers to help our little guy sleep better.
Otherwise he gets so thirsty.

Just something else to throw out there.

I have never had this problem with my son, but maybe you should try keeping her up untill about 8 or 8:30 and letting her eat right before bed. This may hold her over longer through the night if she is truly hungry.

I have had the same problem with my 1 yr. old son for about 2 weeks now. Come to find out, he was getting sick. He started coughing, sneezing, and running a fever today. I'm taking care of that now. Just thought it might be worth your time to watch for any signs of congestion or fever. During this thing, his eyes looked a bit gooey for a couple of days, then it really hit. Good luck! Shannon

My son is about the same age and he starting doing something similar when he cut his first tooth. That might be what it is...

If your baby is crying at night-- give her what she needs. If she's hungry-- she's hungry. She is likely going through a growth spurt or about to hit a major milestone.

Babies need to be parented lovingly day or night. A 6 1/2 month old is not manipulating you. They are communicating their needs.

You sound like you have an amazing sleeper!

Hi J.! could be a few things - maybe the teeth she's been cutting or she may be getting to the age where she realizes you guys are leaving the room. You may try adding a little more cereal and see if she eats a little more - could be a growth spurt too. If you try more food and she still does it I found that this works: get a chair and just sit next to her crib as she's crying - that way she's settling herself, but not in there by herself crying. That way she'll break the habit, hopefully, of waking up at those times.

J.,
This happened to my 9 month old at around the same time, turns out she was teething. I ended up giving her motrin and that did the trick. You may want to feel her gums to see if you can feel anything. GOod luck.

J., To keep her from waking up just after she is put to bed try putting some lullabye or soothing music on while she is sleeping, or perhaps something with a nice rythmic sound. If you continue to feed her when she wakes up the second time then you can bet that she will be waking up every single night looking for that feeding. This pattern can develop very quickly. Better to try to give her a little extra before putting her to bed (if she accepts it).

How much cereal are you giving her? You may want to consider adding a vegetable or just giving her more cereal before bedtime. If she is hungry, she probably just needs a little more to eat. She could also be going through a growth spurt or cutting teeth. It's just so hard to tell at that age.