Hi all:
My son who just turned six months has suddenly started waking once or twice a night. He used to sleep 11-12 hours straight. He's not sick, teething, or having a developmental leap as far as I can tell. He wants to feed and I let him bc I'd rather sooth him not knowing what's wrong than ignore him. (We sleep trained him about a month ago.) What has happened? Has anyone else encountered this?
So all of the sudden, ds has started to go all night without waking. My pediatrician said that in the 5 to 6 month age, babies go through a sleep cycle change and will often wake once a night while adjusting. So far so good-- until the next thing! Thank you to everyone who has graciously helped me out. All your advice was greatly appreciated!
I sleep trained my two boys too and it worked great. My younger one would still wake up sometimes in the middle of the night after sleeping well for a while, but I just did the sleep training soothing stuff, never fed him. He's almost 3 now and is a great sleeper. I think that feeding him will give you more sleep problems down the road.
Your story sounds just like mine a month ago. My son slept 11-12 hours since he was 3 months old, then it just stopped. Sure, in the middle of the night, he'd get up and nurse, and I actually thought maybe he was hungry. Then it got worse, it went from waking up at 3AM to waking up at 12AM and 3AM. My husband and I tried crying it out, going in there and soothing him, just walking around the house with him. We began to only average about three hours of sleep.
Finally, my husband and I tried something new - a very, very strict routine. My DS does his last nursing around 6:30, bath at 7:00. Next, I read him the same story in the rocking chair each night. Then, I sing the same lullaby each night. Finally, I put him in bed and say the same words each night. The secret is to be extremely consistent and do the same thing each night.
Since the first day I tried this, he's back to sleeping 11-12 hours at night. He'll wake up and cry occasionally, but not for longer than 2 minutes.
I hope this might work for you!
Check if he his room is warm at night, My son is also 6 months and was having the same issue a few weeks ago. He had always sleep thru the night, and I just didn't understand what was going on, there was slight wind coming in thru the window cracks and now that its get closer to winter he was waking up at all crazy times. My girlfriend said to put him in our bed, but I didn't want to start that since I have friends that still sleep with their 6-year olds. Try putting a hat to sleep, since the cold enters thru their head and feet. We actually cover the whole window with plastic, never had an issues since then.
Dear R.,
You didn't mention if he is eating solids yet or if he is exclusively nursing. If he is hungry he may need to start some solids and fill up his little tummy for the night. I am not sure how you can tell he is not teething, just because you cannot feel anything in there does not mean he is not teething. You should never ignore your baby, but if he is just nursing to soothe then I would try to let him cry it out. I did it with both of my kids and it worked wonders. If he began waking up again then I would venture to say he is hungry. Crying it out is a very individual decision it is the hardest thing I had to do. Some parents co sleep, some feed on demand, to each his own. You have to do what is right for your family there is no wrong or right way. Just remember each baby is different so you can't always go by the book, you have to rely on good old common sense, and trial and error. What works for one does not work for others. Good luck!!
My daughter did the same thing around that age. We tried the Ferber method, which worked but only for about 2 weeks and then she started waking up crying again. We tried again but it really didn't work. Maybe I wasn't consistent enough with it but I was never 100% comfortable with letting her cry it out. So we stopped. We ended up putting her to bed and if she wakes up early in the night one of us will go up and rock her back to sleep. Once we are asleep if she wakes up we just bring her in with us and she sleeps the rest of the night without waking. This tells me that when she is waking up alone she's either frightened or lonely because as soon as she's with us there's not a peep out of her. This isn't an option that every parent wants to explore. I've had people tell me that "You'll be sorry", or that it is going to ruin my marriage! But we do what works for us, and this is the best way for all of us to get a good night's sleep. There will come a day when she wouldn't think of sleeping with her parents, so we are enjoying the bonding and cuddling while we can! Good luck to you and your little one, what ever you decide!
Hi R., If your baby is waking up he is either hungry or he will start showing signs of teething. I have raised 5 and know nothing about sleep training. I only know that baby's habits change from day to day, week to week and mommy is there to fill the need. You are very lucky he was sleeping so well and he may go back to that. Yes, hug and comfort him back to sleep. My best, Grandma Mary
He might be going through a growth spurt and is just hungry? Is he eating solids yet?
This is so normal! He very well might be teething (even the buds can hurt), getting ready for a milestone, or just becoming more aware and wanting to be around you. Be careful about the night feedings- it can become a habit he looooves! :)
My son did this too. I made sure to wait, when he fussed. I only went and got him when he really started crying. At least half the time, he would go back to sleep on his own. And then one day- he started sleeping through the night again! Until a couple of months later...when we repeated the cycle...and then again a couple of months later...
He could be thirsty.. did you turn on your heat recently? If so try using a humidifier in the room.. it should help....
