6 Month Old Wont Sleep! Help!

I am dealing with the same thing right now with my 7 month old and it has been going on for 2 months. The past few nights have been better, the two things I can contribute it to is a very warm room 76 degrees... I know they say 66-70 degrees for babies but my son likes it warmer, and the other thing is a full belly....I started giving him 3 oz of formula mixed with 1/3 of a cup of baby oatmeal along with his normal breastfeeding amount at bedtime. I don't know if those are the keys, but I feel for you, I am so sleep deprived I sometimes think I'm going insane.
Please know I'll be thinking of you at 3am..and wishing you well...

If you could keep him awake and not let him take the naps, he might sleep longer at night. Its a tough thing to do, but it should work, if you can manage it.

So sorry for such a hard time! I know how frustrating it can be! The most important thing you can do is get your baby on a good nap schedule, then the nighttime schedule will fall into place. Read Babywise or The Baby Whisperer. These are both WONDERFUL resources to help teach your baby the skill of sleeping well. I say "skill" because I beleive not every child is born a good sleeper. Neither of my children were born sleepers. I had to work really hard at training them. Part of it was leaving them alone. Letting them fuss some of the time. If if was nap time, then they had to be in their crib, wether they were asleep or awake. Don't get me wrong, it was VERY difficult, but it was WELL worth it in the end. Especially when they start sleeping throught the night!

Good luck.

If a white noise machine, etc. doesn't work. Talk to your pediatrician, not sleeping is a sign of heartburn (silent reflux). Google reflux and see a list of symptoms. My son and daughter did the same things when they were not treated as if they had reflux (they also needed medication on top of everything else). But talk to your dr.

Six month of age is a major growth spurt time. What happens if you keep him near you at night so you can nurse him without having to wake up all the way? This has saved my sanity until the night-waking settled down a bit. Some moms find their babies like to cluster feed, and nurse often for a couple hours to "tank up" on calories before they have a long stretch of sleep.
What happens if you take the kids for a drive in the afternoon? When I had two little ones at the same time, I was tired and frustrated trying to get them to nap at the same time. I often took them on a little drive after lunch and they would both pass out in the car. Then I'd park near the park or library and have a little doze myself, or look at a book or just chill out. So worthwhile for me. It was much easier for me to work with my babies' development rather than trying to "train" them out of it--I value my rest and I am really snappy if I'm too tired so I sympathize.
If he seems miserable, it could be worthwhile to consult with your pediatrician to rule our reflux or allergies, but my hunch is he's normal and growing.
I loved the books "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley and also "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp. Nursing frequently will keep your supply up and also help soothe reflux and indigestion, if that's part of the trouble.
Hang in there!

Wow, it sounds like you are having a hard time. Well what worked good for my daughter was a sound machine. Although it sounds like you have already tried that. Does he sleep good in his car seat? You might try putting him in there and putting him on top of the dryer. I have heard that the noise and motion is like being in the car and helps babies sleep. I have also heard to put them in the bathroom and turn on the shower. It might make you have a high water bill but hey if it works it would be worth it right? Some babies just love to be held while they are sleeping. I know you need a break but maybe letting him nurse and sleep with you at night for a while will help. Good luck.

Have you ever tried Baby Wise? I don't agree with everything mentioned in these books but it's scheduling system based on getting babies/children the much needed sleep they (and you!) need. The basic steps: Feed/Wake/Sleep and get on a 3-4 hour feeding schedule depending upon how much food baby needs. During the daytime feedings, keep baby awake 10-15 minutes after feeding and keep awake during feeding. As a nursing mom this means I feed both sides, burping between then we play together for a bit and then put him in his crib. This also keeps from 'nursing to sleep' and tiptoeing around the house to avoid waking baby. This also makes sure he can put himself to sleep. There is no need for 'crying to sleep'. You also know if there is something else that might be wrong. Second step, try to get on a 3-4 hour feeding schedule. This is easy if you're giving full feedings. Third step: Nightime feedings, including that last one of the day when it's time for baby to go to sleep, feed baby and put right to bed. They begin to develop a schedule and before you know it they have night and day all figured out! We have been using this system for our 9.5-month old and he was sleeping five hours a night at 2 months. Now he sleeps from 10 at night to 7 in the morning give or take a half hour each way. And he is such an alert, happy guy during the day!! We get lots of comments about what a content, happy little man we have. We have also never had a 'cry to sleep' session. I know there's lots of controversy about this book but we followed the basic idea in the book and certainly didn't use it as a 'religion'. The scheduling idea has been a dream for us and our baby was 3 weeks premature. We also had a month and a half of nightmarish breastfeeding problems. I wish you all some sleep soon!

Keep a white noise machine in his room. A fan they are saying helps tremendously with SIDS (circulates the air), my kids had a fan in their room since birth. When he lays down it has to be quiet time for your daughter or lay her down for a nap too.

He may be teething which really throws off the sleeping. Give him tylenol, motrin or teething tablets before bedtime and see if that helps him stay rested. Do not feed him just because he wakes up if he does it very frequently. He will start using that as a soother. If he just ate and wakes an hour later, just peek in and let him be for a few minutes. I never did crying it out until after 6 mos and had to rarely as if I left my kids to fuss a few minutes they put themselves back to sleep most of the time. They can go through growth spurts and eat more frequently at this age too, but if you are certain he isn't hungry, let him fuss a bit.

Just make sure he is full and dry and if during the day have your daughter play quietly and have quiet time too.
I taught my kids to sleep with noise by running the vacuum and making noise so they became immune eventually and are sound sleepers.

I would think it very well could be teething.

there have been times that my kids did this because they were still hungry or because they were choking in their sleep due to acid reflux. one of my kids would fall asleep too fast during nursing. so if he woke soon after i laid him down after nursing, i gave him a bottle and he'd stay asleep longer. i've had two babies with acid reflux and Prevacid did a lot for helping them sleep. they don't have to be on the meds forever. i think my oldest went off Prevacid around 8 months.
and until you find a good solution, i suggest you find someone to take care of both kids for a couple hours during the day for you to get a good nap at least once a week, preferably more.
good luck!

Hi M.,
Sounds like you have tried the classic things. Also try swaddling with a blanket that has been warmed in the dryer. If you want to try a natural technology that many people have found to be quite successful (including myself), please take a look at www.nikken.com/sleepcenter. However, for babies, there is a pet pad that is perfect for cribs. You can place it under your crib sheet. It has both the magnetics and infrared technologies in it. Happy to answer any questions.
Take care,
S.

I've read many sleep books & have 3 kids 5 yrs & under. I've tried it all - and now I have 3 great sleepers. What worked for me was a combination of one thing that was already mentioned...the sleep/eat/wake cycle in Babywise and then using the Ferber method in the book, "How to Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems" by Ferber. This book saved my life and is well worth reading - and 6 months of age is the PERFECT time to start implementing it. If you want just a quick outline of how it works, message me.

You are so not alone! I don't have sleepers either. I'm right there with ya, up at 2, 3, and 5 almost every morning. This is my second baby. The first one didn't sleep through the night til he was 5-then I had this guy. Here's some things you might want to try if you haven't already:
*no napping after 4 p.m.
*limiting day time naps to just one
*a very regular bedtime routine: same time every night!
*a hot bath or hot tub soak
*sleeping with baby
*trouble shooting health care issues (the acid reflux, possible allergies, eczema--itchy skin, stuffiness)that could be waking baby
*a very VERY busy day with lots of exercise and/or stimulation (maybe over a long weekend like this, just exhaust him during the day to encourage longer sleeping and see if he picks up on the pattern).
*driving to sleep (but they always seem to wake upon stopping)
*changing mattresses to harder, softer, etc.
*a snap together swaddler--I've found that if I can get restless arms or legs tied down for a significant period of time in something he can't kick off, he sleeps.
*the baby bag sleeper--sometimes the sleeper helps because he can't kick it off and get cold.
*Nursing back down

Of course, some of these are habit forming (the nursing, the sleeping with baby) and you'll have to break that habit later on. But, I've always felt it was a good trade: out with the no sleep habit, in with the Mom slept! We'll worry about the others later.

Best of luck!

My 8 year old slept through the night from about a week old, but my 11 year old didn't sleep through the night till she was 5. Kids are different. One thing I did find with her though is my pediatrician recommended to feed her baby cereal at night right before bedtime. It seemed to help a lot, she would sleep for 4 to 5 hours at a time and only wake up for a bottle. Talk to your doctor to see if he is ready for cereal, but mine started on it at 3 months. My younger one started much later, but sometimes it helps. I made the cereal with formula and put it in a cereal bottle and she would suck it right down.