Sleeping Through the Night. - High Ridge,MO

She's only 6 months old. She still needs the middle of the night bottle. She'll be grown and gone before you know it.

Perhaps...later bedtime, and rice cereal in a "feeding" bottle right before she goes down. She's a hungry little thing!
:)
A.

I know it's tough at this age, but her baby's sleep patterns sound right on track and completely normal. If she's a great baby when she's awake it sounds like she is getting enough sleep on her own schedule. Have faith - her pattern will probably change again soon! Oh, and water isn't recommended for babies her age as it can lead to a serious and potential fatal illness called water intoxication, not likely you would give her enough, but always play it safe!

Don't have time to read all the responses, but your grandbaby is perfectly normal. If you can't help your daughter by taking one feeding in the night, maybe you can let her take a nap after work while you watch the baby a bit longer? It looks like you're already doing a lot. Where is dad? and Grandpa? If mom is exhausted, she needs more help, but baby is normal and it's not baby's job to make everyone else's life easier.

A healthy six month old does not need to be feeding during the night. When they wake-up, go in, offer warm water in a bottle, let them have a few drinks until they are done, DO NOT PICK THEM UP, once they are done drinking the water, leave. It will be rough for a couple nights but then the baby should start sleeping through. Check with your doctor if you think the baby is needing to eat at night. The baby needs to be learning to put herself to sleep so when she does wake she can soothe herself back to sleep. It can be a rough couple of nights but worth it when everyone is getting a full night of rest. She may even start napping better!

Hi S..

I had all four of my kiddos sleeping through the night by time they were 6wks old. All of my kids were binki babies, so I guess this only works if your granddaughter uses one. It takes 3 nights in a row to teach the babies this, but each time they cry, i go in and only give them their binki. I don't touch them, or talk to them, or change their diapers - nothing. With one of my little guys I was up literally every 10 minutes, but after 3 days, they understand that they are not getting fed, and will start sleeping through the night. It's hard to get through the 3 days, but it works!

When my breastfed boy turned 4 months old, I cut out the nightime feedings. He is a healthy size (weight and height) and eats great throughout the day, so his nutrition needs are well-met.

It took about a week and a half before he would start sleeping through the night - and then it was 50/50 throughout the week. The binky became our friend during that time. We would go to his room, quietly give him a pacifier (without picking him up) and wait a few minutes in his room to make sure he was asleep. Since our little one is breastfed only, the first few nights, Daddy did nightime duty as to not confuse/upset him that the breast was there, just not available. This might be where you can help for the first few nights - take nightime duty so that your Granddaughter knows Mommy isn't available for nightime snuggles/bottles.

Try and keep the nightime routine as consistent as possible: eat at 7:00/7:30, then take a bath, diaper, book, song, bed... This works for us and signals a definite 'end' to the day and not just a naptime (where our routine is much shorter).

Hope this helps! Good luck! It may take a month or so to get used to the new 'rules', so give her time. Every night she comes close to sleeping through the night is one more night your Daughter gets more sleep!

J

I also have the same problem with my five month old son. I have asked someone who I trust about this and they responded that when he naps through the day that I shouldn't wake him up regardless if I think it will help him get on a schedule. She said to let him sleep as long as he wants because he needs as much sleep as he can get right now. So how do I get him to sleep through the night---feed him baby food, rice cereal?

A little about me:
I am a 27 yr old mother to a five month old son and a wife of 3 1/2 years.

I would suggest reading Babywise. It is a great book and has worked perfectly for 15 of the 19 children of mine and my siblings (the mother of the other for likes sleeping with them, her choice). Even 6month old babies are smart and can learn. It is all about appropriate expectations. This book will give you guidelines on what you might expect from your granddaughter. So right now you might expect her to sleep 10-12hrs at night and then two naps during the day both 1.5 to 2hrs long. My eldest did all of this a bit more naturally on her own but my youngest needed to cry it out more. That I let her do for 3-4 nights and then she was over it. Say what you will but my girls sleep 11.5ish hours and go right to sleep when I put them down. They wake happy, well rested and so do mommy and daddy.
The retraining will take a few days, in which it will take strength and a determined mind from the caregivers. The result is so worth it for parent's and child's health. First I would start by dropping the feeding at 12am. Let her sleep 8hrs. The book is great guideline to take suggestions from. Hope you have peaceful nights. =)

My son didnt sleep all night until he was 9months old!! So I would just suggest trying to keep afternoon naps short and make sure the baby is nice and full before bed. I would put cearal in the bottl at night right before bedtime. I know how hard it is not getting any sleep!!!

The best help for a baby to sleep thru the night is not to feed them after you put them to bed at night give them only water. If a person is use to eating at a certian time they will be hungry at that time, and wake up. Water to satesfy their thirst and need to suck (comfort them selfs) is not as habit forming and by now she can usually find her bottle in the bed if it is left close to her at least my kids and grandkids could,so no need to get up and get it for her. Good luck. Hope it helps you as much as it has always helped us. This will not stop the occasional bad dream etc but will cut down greatly on the wake up to eat problem.

Have your daughter try changing the baby's diaper if she needs it, and then rewrapping her blanket, maybe put on a toy/mobile that is in the crib and walking away. She may fuss a little at first but at this age she can sleep for at least 8 hours. Your pediatrician will tell you that as well. After doing this for 1-3 days you will be amazed that she will start to go back to sleep on her own without needing that feeding. She may still need to eat at 4 amish but that is alot better than every 4-5 hours.

I had a similar problem with my son, he slept okay at night, but terrible napper. Does your daughter put her in bed partially awake or dead asleep? My ped said it was important for them to be put down partially awake so they learn to put themselves to sleep - that way when they wake up they can return to sleep on their own. It took some very teary nights for us - but only about 2 of him crying himself to sleep and now I can just lay him down and he's out. He sleeps from 7-6:30 or 7 and takes 2-3, 1-2 hour naps a day. You might also want to try a slightly earlier bed time. Overtired babies are actually worse sleepers. Best of luck.

give her a bottle of water when she wakes up at night. After a few nights she won't wake up for it anymore and will readjust her feedings more during the day. That is what worked for my kids and all 3 of them were sleeping through the night from 6 weeks-2 months old. Just make sure she is getting enough ounces during the day and feed her right before bed. It may even help to feed her infant cereal before bed as well as it sticks with them longer.

Hi, S.. Some kids just take a while to sleep through the night. My son was that way. I would suggest trying to let her cry it out a little when she wakes up. Maybe 10 minutes, to see if she is really hungry or just restless. If she continues to get middle of the night feedings, she will get used to it, so each night add a little more time on the waiting to go feed her. Does she have a pacifier? She may need the sucking, but not the milk. Just some ideas. Hope they help. Good Luck and God Bless.

i started adding a tiny bit of cereal to my son's bottle right before bed. it thickens it up and makes them more full for longer. you can also just offer her a small bit of water when she wakes up in the night, discouraging her from waking up. outings might keep her awake at "key" points during the day, then you can manipulate when she takes her naps somewhat, too. good luck, after 6 months i'd be ready to sleep all night again too :)

I second Heather. We also use Babywise and my girls slept through the night at very young ages. My oldest slept through at 6 weeks to the day and my youngest slept through at 10 weeks. The baby has quite a few GI troubles and just started sleeping 12 hours when she was 4 months (which is kind of late to me...). She's 5.5 months now and takes 3- 2 hour naps a day. She goes to bed by 7:30 and is up at 7. I'm a much, much better Mommy for getting my full night of sleep. And if that means having to let them cry it out for a bit to settle themselves back to sleep (which they always do), than that's great. I love, love, love Babywise and it has been a great thing for our family.

Hi, I would suggest that your daughter get the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. It is a wonderful book! It seems like the first change your daughter needs to make is to put your grand-daughter to sleep around 6:30 instead of 8:00-8:30, she will probably sleep through the night. The book teaches you that sleep promotes sleep. I swear by this book. I just gave it to my cousin who has a three month old and he is now sleeping through the night after she read and followed the book's advice. Happy Sleeping!

I had the same problem with my daughter who is now 8 months old. I was exhausted and my husband just didn't wake up. She still doesn't sleep through the night every night, but I started feeding her the #2 foods from Gerber that have some cereal in them. If we feed her these at dinner or close to bedtime and she is much more likely to sleep through the night.

I tried not feeding her, but talked to my doctor and he said that if she's hungry during the night, then I should feed her. When she does wake up, she eats 6 or 8 oz. of a bottle so I know she's hungry.

One thing I do is to keep some formula (she quit nursing when she was 5 months old) in a container in our master bathroom and have a bottle filled with water ready so I only have to dump the formula in and mix. It made it a lot easier for me in the middle of the night because I don't have to trek downstairs and start from scratch.

Good luck!

Feed her a little warm cereal just before her last bottle of the evening. That should help her sleep a little longer.

Also, I just want to tell you that I have been where you are. I UNDERSTAND COMPLETELY what you are going through. It really is HARD to start over with babies at our age, when we thought we were done with all that. Our bodies just aren't up to it. There is a reason why God gives kids to YOUNG parents ! LOL !

Our daughter and granddaughter finally moved back out on their own several montha ago. While we are enjoying the quiet again, I have to say I really miss that child ! I miss her company, and her antics, and the bed time routine ... all of it, but I am thankful for the rest, too.
Now I can just be "Grandma" instead of another parent. Life is more like it should be.

S., If the baby is waking at night - she is hungry. She needs nurishment. It really is that simple. Even kids who get cereal before bed(most 6 months are on at least rice cereal)will wake when hungry. I know that isn't easy for anyone - my 4 month old goes to bed at 8pm and wakes at 1:00am for a bottle, then sleeps until 6:30 or 7:00am. The pediatrician says it is normal - babies bodies know they need the protein to grow, so it wakes them up. And my daughter still take 3 2 hour naps a day. Unfortunately, if you are unable to help with night duty, then your daughter has to get up until the baby grows old enough to be sustained by daytime feedings (typically not until 8-10 months old on average). While some kids "sleep through the night" early, most do not. And sleeping through the night by definition is not our night - but being able to sleep from 1200 to 5:00am without waking...which is sounds like she does (you said she sleeps 5 hours). Just keep encoruaging your daughter that eventually she will sleep through the night, and encourage her to go to ebd when the baby does to maximize sleep. Good luck!

People ask this question a lot on this message board. There might be some good stuff to be found if you do a search. My babies were great sleepers and, after caring for my own and some others, here is what I have noticed. A well-rested baby during the day will sleep better at night. It is contrary to common sense, but if they are too wound from the day (ie they didn't get in a couple good naps at that age) they will have trouble making it through the night. When my kids were that little, we put them down at 7:00 each night. We would then sneak into their rooms at around 10 or 10:30 (right before we went to bed) and change their diaper and give them another bottle. We did it all in the dark. After a while they both started sleeping through it, but they took the extra bottle and we got a few more good hours of sleep b/c they werent' hungry or wet. That said, we were also proponents of the book "On Becoming Baby Wise" which is really controversial on this site b/c it advocates the cry it out method. We taught our babies to self soothe and so they didn't call for us unless they really needed us. All that said, both my babies slept from 7:00 to 7:00 every night by the time they were 6 months old. My daughter was doing that at 8 weeks when I went back to work (much to my pediatricians dismay - but she was growing very well and turned into a chunk, rolls and all, by her 4th month). Good luck!

She shouldn't need a nighttime bottle at this age and is probably waking up for the bottle out of habit rather than need/hunger. It will take a few nights of sleep training and will be hard at the time, but well worth it. She needs to learn to self soothe and put herself back to sleep rather than having mommy come get her and feed her when she wakes up to be able to fall back asleep. It is no fun to listen to them cry and will be hard at the time, which will include losing some sleep yourselves (but it sounds like you already are!). But a few nights of interrupted sleep will be well worth it when she learns to put herself back to sleep on her own. Every baby wakes up 15-20 times a night, its just a matter of how well they can self soothe and put themselves back to sleep. Good luck!
If you are looking for a book, I recommend Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. It gives you the option of letting them cry it out or going in to "help" them go back to sleep without actually picking them up or stimulating them. Its a longer book, but worth it. Some chapters can be skipped as they pertain to sleep habits by age.
This book also says that babies tend to wake in the night if they are going to bed too late. If they go to bed too late, they have difficulty staying alseep b/c they have too much adrenaline from trying to stay awake. May sound crazy but i had the same problem and I started putting my baby to bed at an earlier time and the problem resolved itself.

The baby sounds normal to me also. Your daughter can talk to her ped. for some ideas also. I would not feed the baby water in the night though. The baby gets enough water with formula/breast milk, the extra water could actually make her very sick.

I'm sorry to hear your daughter is so worn out, is she sick? If she is - that's a whole other story but otherwise - welcome to motherhood. She needs to be tending to her baby. Six months is still quite young, tending to their needs is important and they're only this small for a short while. Mother's sacrifice - that's what we do. This is vital / special time in a baby's life. If she's only sleeping 8 hours at night, she could probably do better. Is she really up to stay from 4/5 am with only a 90 min. nap?? You could probably skip the "couple of cat naps" during the day. She should make up for that in real sleep that adults can enjoy by adding to the longer sleep periods. Her body requires it so it will add on. Stimulate that little mind and body during awake time (you and mom), get fresh air. Best wishes during this wonderful time of life and God bless.

Hi S.. I moved in with my parents with my son when he was 2 months. He's now 13 months, and yes, I also am tired. He still does not sleep through the night, but he doesn't eat at night either. We have to share a bedroom, so that may be part of it, he knows I'm just a few feet away. Also, he seems to have gas pains at night that wake him up, I'm still trying to figure that out. Anyway, it seems like it was around 6 months that I quit giving him a bottle at night. When he would wake up, I started just giving him 4 ounces instead of 6, and eventually I would only offer him water only if he wouldn't go back to sleep. So I gradually weaned him off it so it wasn't like going cold turkey and he was waking up hungry. She might also consider other issues such as acid reflux, which is common in babies. Tell her to comfort him at night, but slowly wean off the midnight feeding, because he's old enough he doesn't need it anymore. I never was a fan of the "cry it out" method. I know it's exhausting, but just like adults I think some babies just sleep better than others. I think when her son (as well as mine) is walking around and quite a bit more active, it will probably help the sleeping issues. Good luck, and if she needs someone to talk to, send me a reply...