ok.. where do I begin. My son will be 7 months on the 12th. For a VERY brief period of time he slept through the night. He no longer does. I have tried every thing that I can think of. Shorter naps...long naps...no naps in the afternoon...a scheduled nap/bed time without routine... with routine...tried feeding him right before sleeping... tried playing right before sleeping and feeding after. I resorted to the CIO method and it did not work either. He cried, no let me rephrase that, screamed to the point of vomitting even though I did what the book/program recommended.
What's left???? Anyone have any suggestions that you think I haven't tried that might be good? He is up about every 3 hours. I feed him at each of those times. He's underweight and I'm afraid not to feed him. The times that i have tried to skip it he just woke up every one else in the house and cried until I gave in about an hour later. I have tried earlier bed times, which just results in me being up at 3 or 4 am in the morning since he can't sleep any longer, and later bed times.
Help!!!!!!!!
If your son is under weight there isn't much you can do. My son didn't sleep all the way through the night until he was 8 months. My pedi says they have to weigh at least 15 lbs before they start sleeping through the night. Don't be so hard on your self. They have their own agendas. We have to just survive through it.
Hi J.,
First, I have to congratulate you for losing 105 lbs. Wow! I lost 35 a few years ago and even that was a mammoth task, so good for you!
Now, I will assume you are breastfeeding. If you're not, then disregard this note. My son is now almost 17 months old, but was similar. He never slept through the night and when he woke up I would feed him back to sleep. Unfortunately (and I realize this is not encouraging news) he did not sleep through the night until I stopped breastfeeding last month and then like magic, within a couple of days he started sleeping straight through. I think once he wasn't getting the milky cuddle, waking up was just less appealing.
All this said, I would never recommend stopping breastfeeding before you're both ready. What I can recommend is something I read, unfortunately only about 2 weeks before I decided to wean my son.
The issue may be that he is waking up genuinely hungry. Don't let people tell you that after a certain age they don't need night time feeding, because if he is eating every 3 hours throughout the night, he will be getting a good number of his daily calories during those feeds, making him less hungry during the day and therefore not eating the amount of solids he needs, which could ultimately sustain him through the night. You say he's underweight and this might be part of the reason. After 6 months, babies need solid food to give them the calories to bulk up and it sounds like your little one is getting far too many of his calories from milk.
The advice I was given was to make the nighttime feeds as short as possible. Take him off the breast as soon as he's finished. If he will take a bottle, maybe offer him some water or well diluted juice at one of the night feeds. I found that my son would take a bottle better from my husband.
The other thing is to fill him full of as many solid calories as possible during the day. That means: no juice or milk, only water and only a small amount at the end of the meal so that he doesn't fill up on it. The exception to this is if you can get him to take some well diluted juice at his afternoon feed that would be great. That way he will be hungrier and eat more solids at dinner and hopefully that will sustain him better through the night. Also, and I'm sure you do this, but make sure that the food he is eating is hearty: meat, pulses, potatoes, fruit and veg. Absolutely no empty calories: cookies, etc
I got all of this information from Gina Ford's 'Contented Little Sleep Guide' if you want to read it from the horses mouth.
Take care and good luck, D.
i'm thinking he needs more to eat, perhaps warm baby cereal at night before you put him to bed. if he is already underweight, you might want to consider taking him into to a nutrition specialist for babies. Not meaning to frighten you: something else may be going on- he may be experiencing some kind of physical discomfort he cannot tell you about, something low-level that wakes him up. He may also be an "Ultra Sensitive Person", and the energies he is sensing may be disturbing him.
I for one dont believe in leaving babies to scream even though many people do think this is a good idea. babies are helpless and leaving them to scream and scream can cause psychological issues as well as a festering anger that stays with them through out their childhood.
I would start with the diet and proceed from there. sometimes all that is needed is a heavier meal before bedtime. Good Luck!
I agree with the ladies who talked about food as a possible issue, but something else seems to be calling my attention. You've talked about trying all these different methods and I am wondering how long you stuck with one before trying another. Consistency creates security and allows for a rhythm to develop as well as help everyone to relax. It also seems like (I'm just throwing a dart) that he's not fitting your expectations so there must be something you are doing wrong. You're doing great!! Let go of trying so hard.
My daughters didn't sleep through the night until they were 1 year old, which is pretty normal. My eldest one dropped naps when she was 2 of her own accord and my youngest loved to nap right up though kindergarten! I found the best way to work with any baby is to use all intelligences to understand their needs (intuition, body signals, intellect, etc...) and do your best to fulfill them. They know what they need, we just have to figure it out without using words.
I am also thinking some form of relaxation (for both of you) could be helpful. Massage is a wonderful way to help little ones sleep better.
Good luck. I know it is hard to think straight when you are sleep deprived. It doesn't last forever, thank goodness!
Hi. Only feed in him the night when you truly think he is hungry. The other time(s) he wakes, just pick him up and say "nite. nite, back to slepp" Or whatever and put him down and walk away. Be consistant. Dont give in after so long because he learns to cry for that amount of time, knowing you'll come in. Example, if he goes down at 7, feed him at 12 ish . If he wakes again at 2 or 3am, no way, just go in so he knows your there, but no food. Etc.. The same if he wakes a couple hours after just going down. (10 ish)
I just did this with my 11 month old and it worked well. She is not at all under weight though.. This could make a difference. Also, she was so used to get a lot of milk throughout the night, so prior to this, I gave her less b. milk each time so her stomach got used to it. hope this makes sense, Im having to write with her in my arms and my 3 year old buzzing around asking questions...... Also, Do not skip naps etc.. or play/stimulate him before bed. 30 min. before bed should be calm, down time. Do you have a solid bdtime routine? If not, start one. Once he is doing a lot better at night, you wont have to stick ridgidly to it.
