Sleeping... - Keene,NH

My DD started waking every 1.5-2 hours around 8 or 9 months. It lasted a while (seemed forever at the time) then all of a sudden she stopped doing it. I don't believe in "sleep training" and I would never CIO at all. It is absolutely normal for babies to wake during the night. I have found that my DD has gone through different phases where she went down fine, slept fine then suddenly was waking. None of this changed based on any techniques I tried, she slept better when she was ready.

All that said, I do recommend Elizabeth Pantley's "The No-Cry Sleep Solution." She has a lot of techniques for babies pre-8 mos and post. Could be helpful. She based her techniques on parenting several children. Good luck.

Hi L.,
My now 8 month old had a terrible time teething the first 4 teeth (so far!) and for 3 months was up almost every hour and needed comforting. It was a very exhausting time to say the least. It seemed like it would never end, but it did, as soon as those teeth poked through. Babies can teethe for a long time, so it's possible your baby is having a hard time with it as well.

Hi L. L, I'm L. L. too. LOL I am a gramma of a 9 mos. old little boy. He loves to go to sleep with " white noise " and has since birth - and he is a great sleeper. It also drowns out the background noise we adults make when the baby is in bed ( up and down stairs, in the bathroom etc. ). Homedics makes a sound machine with an actual projector ( we now have 2, 1 for back up ). You can put different discs into it, for different shapes, animals etc that move around clockwise on the ceiling or wall. It really works to lull the baby to sleep and gives them something to do while relaxing before sleep. I'm sure most of the sound machines would work for you as well. He likes the ocean waves.They usually go for about 20 - 40.00. I thought it was worth it. JC Penney and Target carry the ones I spoke of. Well, good luck and God bless, L.

Hi L.,

...just a thought, but since you are still nursing, you might want to write down everything you eat and plot that against your daughters sleep schedule. Maybe something that you ate is bothering her.

P.

I have a 15 mo that still wakes up once a night to nurse... when she is teething or going througha growth spurt she wakes more frequently. I always wonder "what the heck is going on" and then I take a step back and try to look at everything.

Is she drooling, pulling at her teeth, etc?

They usually go through a growth spurt at 6 mos and 9 mos. Maybe she is getting one in between?

My dd still nurses 3x a day and when either of these things happens... that number goes up! We also co-sleep 1/2 the night and 1/2 she is in her bed so for her to wake more than that is unusual thats why its usually attributed to a growth spurt or teething.

Hi L.,

I have an almost 8 mo dd whob does the exact same thing as your baby! It's driving me crazy because myb first child slept through the night at 3 mo and was ( and still is) like clockwork. I also saw your posting about your 7 mo not getting enough sleep and that's what I think for my baby too! I've been tracking her sleep and nap times and she's getting less sleep than my 5 yo dd.

I guess all babies are different. My husband and I take turns so it's not too tiring for either of us.

She could be cutting some teeth or maybe her ears are bothering her, I had that issue with my youngest and he was a pain in the neck because at this stage they should be pushing more towards not having anything to eat in the middle of the night. I hate to say this but if you feel comfortable giving her some Motrin, not sure of her weight but that would help if she is uncomfortable and it would help her sleep longer at night. It is a phase and as my mother-in-law says all the time "This 2 Shall Pass" .. she isn't kidding.