My six month old daughter has been a great nighttime sleeper since about 8 weeks old (doing 10-12 hours straight). For the last month, however, she has been waking up every night around 3-4am. The onset of this night waking occured during 6 weeks when we were travelling a ton (almost every weekend). During this time, I have had to nurse her back to sleep so as not to wake everyone in the hotel/houses where we were staying. We're through with travelling and I'd like to now get her back on her schedule of 10-12 hours at night. I've been reading that this is the time to let her cry it out to break her of this night waking habit we've created, but of course I worry that maybe she does really need to eat at that time and I'm starving her by not going to her and feeding her when she wakes up. I guess I'm just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and has any advice. Do you think she really needs to eat or is she just used to waking up and getting fed/held at that time?
I do not think she needs to be fed at night at 6 months old. My daughters ped told me that at 8 week old babies no longer need the night feedings so at that point if my daughter woke up at night I would go in and give her a pacifer and she would fall back to sleep. I guess she soon realized I wasn't going to hold/play with her in the middle of the night and stopped waking after about a week or so.
Best Wishes!
She's right on time. My son did the same thing. It's totally normal. When our babies are going through physical changes like learning to roll over or crawl or walk, their sleep habits change. My pediatrician confirmed this. My son was sleeping through the night at 3 months so we thought we were in for a smooth ride! Since he had already been sleeping solidly through 10 hours, we did not feed him at night. We simply let him cry it out for 5 minutes, then 10, then 15 until he was able to get back to sleep on his own. It took a few months for him to adjust to his new lifestyle. There always seems to be something going on in that little mind of his! I hope this helps.
it is not likely that she needs to eat at this time. she just got into a habit of it when you needed to use the nursing to keep her from bothering others in close quarters. I would suggest that you try to use the pacifer to put her back to sleep. it will give her the sucking sensation that she now wants, but not the milk. you can do it as a process. Pick her up and hold her as you would to nurse but give her the paci. then the next night just give it to her but don't settle into the nursing position.. then you could probably just give it to her in her crib.. she should need less and less time sucking each time as she gets used to the fact that she will not be waking to eat. eventually and probably quickly.. she will stop waking at all. See "secrets of the baby whisperer" by Tracy Hogg. Good luck
I have had this happen with my daughter and I'm telling you she's not hungry.
What happened is she didn't know where she was and woke while sleeping (prob. just like adults didn't sleep well when she wasn't at home) When she woke you fed her. So the next night she woke as well because of the reaction she got the previous night she liked it. So the next night you did it as well. So she formed a habit. It wasn't the food she wanted for the most part i mean she might have liked the food, having not had any at that hour in a long time. But what I'm saying is she doesn't NEED the food just likes it. Well now that your home you need to break the habit. These kinds of habits aren't easy to break mostly because they are heart breaking. The child likes to wake up and get the attention, her body has become used to getting food (even though she doesn't need it) Also her body is used to waking up. (just like adults who wake up for work at 5am over the years and when they retire and don't need to still do) It's not they want to it's they do.... So you need to let her wake up toss and turn and I would try rubbing her back for a while but NO MATTER WHAT DON'T FEED HER. let her cry. If it gets too loud i would pick her up to calm her down and then when she's calm lay her back down. But only pick her up if she's getting really crazy. Because no matter what she can't go to sleep if she's toooo crazy... But don't feed her or keep her out after she's calmed down. Don't turn on any lights, don't walk her around the house. Don't give her any thing to attach too like more attention... Make it a very bland encounter... Not mean just bland, After a few nights it might take a week she will stop becuase she's getting nothing out of waking up any more
Good luck
You are not going to starve her as she was sleeping thru the night just fine before you started traveling. They are able to go longer w/ out food at night the older they get. So yes!, now she is waking to get fed. And soothed back to sleep. The feeding is making YOU feel better. Skip it. Try patting her back to sleep instead. Dont talk to her, just pat. She may fuss, cry, put up a fight. But be strong and persistent and consistant. IT might take a few nights, but she will get back into her schedule hopefully soon. Otherwise you could be setting yourself up for future and more night time sleeping problems.
Take this from a mother who knows: I have a 2 and 3yr old who still wake at night and now sleep in my room on the floor. We have tried everything to get them back in their beds, short of locking them in their room and letting them scream. Its hopeless and I give up this year long battle.
Better luck to you.
My son did the same thing starting at 5 mo. He finally outgrew it at 10 mo. Maybe I should have let him cry it out beacause I don't think he really needed to nurse, but we were living with my mom looking for a house and his crib was in our room and I didn't want to wake everyone up with his crying. For some reason he was inconsolable in the middle of the night if I didn't feed him which was strange because he is very laid back. It was easier just to get him up. When we moved in our house last month, I started not getting him up and now he doesn't wake up at all. I dont really know what to tell you, Its a phase,an exhausting, hard to figure out phase, but If I had been in our own house then I would have tried to let him cry it out.
unless she cries nonstop for more than an hour, let her cry it out. This comming from a mom who did not believe int he cry it out thing at first. When I say crying for an hour I mean relaly crying mad and upset, not cry then stop a minute or two and cry some more. She is possibly teething or just thinks she can get mommy in the room by cying, I know my little ones must have thought that at first. They will be fine and they will not starve themselves. If you are really worried about how much they don't eat, you could try formula but I just think you ned to let then cry it out-it is HARD! when I would do it wiht my girls it took3-7 days for them to get used to it but now, for the most part, at 3 and 19 months, theya re fine
My daughter who is now 17 months old started waking in the middle of the night around 8 or 9 months old. I did the same thing that you did-I would wake up and feed her because my mother was living with us at the time and I didn't want to disturb her sleep. I spoke to her pediatrician about it and she said that my daughter did not need this middle of the night feeding and it was just more of a comfort thing for her. So as hard as it was I just let her cry it out for a few nights and that solved the problem. After about four or five nights she no longer woke up and slept through the night.
I had the same experience with my 5 month old son. He got used to waking up and eating after we went on a trip to visit family but he used to sleep 12 hours before. I broke the habit and let him cry it out. It wasn't that bad he cried for about 5- 10 minutes then fell back asleep. It took a couple nights of this for him to get used to it. If your daughter slept fine before without eating all night then she isn't starving. She will be fine, and you can get your sleep back. I hope this helps.
In my experience with my first son, somewhere in 5-6 months, they start to become more aware of their surroundings and presence. Now it is time to cry to see you come as well as help get them back to sleep. The ferber method did wonders for us... and it wasn't as painful as it seems. My older son became a mega sleep champion and so much easier to put to sleep. I really don't think she needs to eat just needs to break the habit. Good luck
K.,
It is not usual for a baby to sleep that long of a stretch at such a young age. Even when they fit into a nice "schedule," something will change, i.e, teething, traveling, illness. Many things can wake a baby at night. It is not really normal even for adults to not wake up at least once at night. By nursing your baby back to sleep, you are providing her the nutrition she needs and the comfort and security. She knows that she can trust you to be there for her. You are not spoiling your baby. I suggest reading Night Time Parenting by William Sears MD and Martha Sears RN.
G. T.
If she use to go 10-12 hours without waking to eat, then she's probably not waking up b/c she's hungry. She's just gotten into the routine of waking up at 3-4am. You're going to have to let her cry it out. It will be a hard few nights, but she'll get back to her normal sleeping. If you really think she may be hungry and you haven't started feeding her cereal yet, you may want to start giving her some about an hour to hour and a half before bedtime. That way you can rest assured she's not waking b/c she's hungry! My first daughter went through a similiar situation and really the only thing that got her back on track was letting her figure it out on her own by crying it out! Good Luck!
Hi K.,
Let her cry it out. I know it is hard, I had to leave the house when we were at this stage. My husband was stronger in this aspect. Your daughter has gotten used to and enjoyed the nursing back to sleep at night that started six weeks ago - afterall what infant wouldn't it :) If she was able to sleep 10 -12 hours a night before, she can do it again without feeding. How is her weight? Is she steadily gaining according to schedule? If she is physically fine, without any medical issues ie. GERD, there is no reason to nurse her on this new schedule. If you are still unsure, ask your pediatrian. My pediatrian said that babies are very skilled in manipulation and that letting them know that you won't run into their room every time they whimper is important. Don't let her pull at your heartstrings -you need your rest to be your best!
Good Luck!
Everyone has a different opinion on this topic. Go with what you think is best. Babies do hit growth spurts and need to nurse more, which is a completely normal reaction and necessary for their growth and development. This also depends on how much they nurse and eat throughout the day. Not all babies have the same metabolism, so to go by some artificial timeframe of when babies don't need the nighttime feeding may not be what is right for your child.
It looks like you've got some good advice. I agree with the first two posts and would like to add that at 6 months most babies go through a growth spurt. It may be that she does need the extra food, but try to increase her food intake during the day or maybe include a bedtime nursing if you don't already. Otherwise you can try to increase her intake just a little at each mealtime, especially now that she is probably starting solids if you haven't begun that yet. Everything I've read does agree with the statement that nighttime feedings are not a nutritional necessity at this age.
You're doing the right thing by trying to respect yours and your daughter's sleep - if everyone is rested, everyone can have a much better day! The hardest work with sleep can be these early months, but then the payoff lasts for years :)
Good Luck!
I would bet that she's having sensations or pain from teething. I would get up and check on her, maybe some orajel and leave her in bed - (she of course may cry). No, you are not starving her- at 6 months she does not need nutrition in the middle of the night- it's just a habit she's gotten into. She should go back to her old sleep patterns quickly.
Good luck!
Yes, I've had this same experience with both of my girls (the youngest in now 6 months, too). Both girls slept great through the night till they started teething - my oldest at 6 months and the youngest just a few weeks ago. I also nursed the oldest back to sleep because we were traveling at the same time just like y'all. My younger one seems to go back to sleep fairly easily with a pacifier most of the time, although I did end up nursing her back to sleep early this morning after I'd already gotten up 3 times!
In my opinion, you just pick when you want to fight the battle if the nursing to sleep becomes a habit. I ended up getting into the routine of nursing my oldest back to sleep and didn't get out of it until she was almost 11 months old. I never felt right about letting her cry it out if she was teething, had a cold, etc... But about 11 months I was tired of getting up at night so I let her cry a little and patted her back. It only took a couple of nights! Keeping it all in perspective (which is hard to do without a good night's sleep!) this period does not last very long. It seems to drag on when I'm frustrated, but in reality it is flying by!
Just choose what time is best for you and your daughter!
Blessings,
S.
4-6 months is a really common time for babies to increase their night waking. they are hitting many behavioral and intellectual milestones, teething, etc. you did not "create" this habit. often babies get busy in the day with all their learning and interacting and want to nurse more at night to catch up. in any case, i would never advocate "cry it out" (because it goes against both my mothering intuition and my professional opinion), however there are strategies you can introduce to reduce night-waking (check out the No Cry Sleep Solution). know though that MOST babies wake up a few times (at least) during the night. some are better at falling back to sleep than others. at six moths, your babe is still a baby, and crying out is her only way of communicating that she needs you.
K., I don't know what your take on crying it out is, but given that you are worrying that you are starving your 6-mo old in the middle of the night, I'll assume you're not a big fan. I, personally, would not recommend having a 6-month old cry it out. If you're interested, please check this book out at the library (Loudoun Co has it): "Good night, sleep tight : The Sleep Lady's gentle guide to helping your child go to sleep, stay asleep, and wake up happy" by Kim West. My son did the same thing right around 6 months and this book did my family a HUGE favor ... without any guilt trips! :) Good luck!
K. - check her gums, she may be teething. My little one is a decent sleeper but when she is teething all bets are off. No one gets any sleep. Baby Tylenol is great. If her gums are swollen and red she may be getting teeth. Your pediatrican should be able to help you determine if she is teething or not.
