7 1/2 Month Old Still Not Sleeping Regularly

First I would read "healthy sleep habits, happy baby" by dr. mark weisblut. Then I would stop interrupting his sleep. You wouldn't deprive a child of food, don't deprive him of his sleep. All the errands can be done at another time or even not at all. This is not a permanent state, it is for the first few years.
For night time, if he wakes in the night, let him fall back to sleep on his own. A few days of that and he will sleep through the night fine. Sleep begets sleep, so make sure he gets as many naps as he needs during the day. At his age, he likely needs at least two naps during the day and if he needs 3, that is fine too. Don't let him get overtired where he will then melt down. The moment he has signs of tiredness, put him down to fall asleep. In my parenting class, our teacher always tells us something that is very useful "this isn't forever, it is for now" Also the book "Smart Love" by martha heineman pieper and william pieper is very good. It helps but things in perspective and gets us to realize that children shouldn't have to squeeze into our schedules and be crumpy accessories, they have profound needs as little ones, and we will all do better if their needs are met.

3 moms found this helpful

At that age, he still needs 2 naps. Have you tried putting him down 2-3 hours from the time he wakes up? Everything I read says 2 naps a day until they outgrow one around an average of 15 months.
I know you can become a slave to their nap schedule, but everything I have read on brain development, etc depends a lot on proper sleep.
Good luck.

I have a 7 month old and I would love if she slept that great at night. Don't worry so much about it. He's doing great. I am not sure why you think he's so off 'schedule' all the time. From the sounds of it he is doing very well for his young age.

Try not to worry about it too much, it's not abnormal for a baby your age not to have a sleep schedule yet, although it sounds like he is settling into something. Just try to give him the opportunity to sleep when you know he needs it. You can also try The Sleep Book by Dr. Sears and I wouldn't worry about patting him to sleep. We didn't stop rocking our oldest until he wa 13 months, we have to remember they're babies and they won't be that way for long, enjoy it, soon enough he won't want it anymore!!

I also recommend Healthy Sleep Habits,Happy Child by Dr Weissbluth. I had a very difficult napper as well and this book helped my husband and I out a lot. Your son may still actually need 3 naps a day, not just 2. You do not want him to get overtired! If he takes that short nap in the early morning, put him down again later in the morning, about 2 hrs after he wakes up. And then put him down again in the afternoon. It is never too late to start a sleep schedule, but the longer you go w/out it, the harder it will become.
As far as night sleeping goes, babies may need to eat at least once a night until they are around 8 mths or so. Both of my kids woke up until about 10 mths. If he is waking and not eating, then you should try to let him put himself back to sleep. Easier said than done, but it will make your life easier in the long run by not having to deal w/ an overtired child! Good luck.

I also recommend reading Dr. Weissbluth's book. (Though it's choppy and not that well organized - the informations is essential.) I am a teacher too. Last summer I was still on maternity leave with a 5 month old. I was scared to let her cry it out. What I did was read the book and also take notes about her sleeping everyday. By taking such careful notes, I could begin to see a pattern. She definitely fell into the patterns described in the book. She is now 15 months. She goes to bed at 6:30 and wakes up around 6 everyday. She naps from about 9 - 10 in the morning and then again at 1pm. That nap is at a minimum 1 hour. She sometimes sleeps even longer. When she misses her morning nap for some reason, her afternoon nap is shorter. Dr. Weissbluth says that sleep begets sleep. I think it's true. The more my daughter sleeps, the more she sleeps and the happier she is.

This takes a major commitment. I do not run errands when she should be sleeping. I don't let her fall asleep in her stroller or in the car because I only go out right after she's woken up. She needs to sleep in her crib even for naps. It's kind of a pain, but I can see she's a different little person when I've made sure she's getting enough sleep.

Keeping notes was very helpful for me. I could see that patterns were forming. I also checked the clock a lot. When I put her in her crib and let her cry a bit, I wrote down the time. Two minutes can seem like an eternity. The clock isn't emotional though, and when I saw that she only cried for a minute or two, I knew that she was really tired and just needed to sleep.

Good luck. Get the book but be warned it's a little hard to just look something up to get a quick answer. You kind of have to read it from the beginning.

Good luck and enjoy the summer with your baby!

My child is almost 5 months old and we are having the same troubles - except he sleeps and wakes every 3-4 hours on a good night! I am also a teacher with the summer off and I tend to run around a lot making a schedule really difficult. What is the EASY plan? If you get any advice, please send my way. I was convinced he was sick or had an ear infection - but the doctor says he is just not on a schedule and therefore knows if he screams at night I will be there to hold him...