8 1/2 Month Old Waking up at Least Twice a Night

By now the truth of the matter is that he's not waking up because he is really hungry but because he has programed himself to wake up and want to eat. Try giving him plain old water in those two bottle for a couple of nights. He'll decide rather quickly that it's not worth getting up for. And you won't have to let him cry and you can rest knowing that his belly isn't empty. We did it with both of my kids and it really only took them two or three nights before they gave up. Good luck.

Try enteringhis room and not picking him up but instead pat his back and hum and see if he falls back to sleep.Do that a couple of times and then go into the room but don't touch him just hum and he should fall back to sleep if that doesn't work he may still need that night time feeding.

Hi A.,

When my son was waking up for bottles at 9 months, our pediatrician said that he probably wasn't hungry since he was getting a lot of solid food. She suggested that we gradually reduce the amount of formula in the nightime bottles until he dropped the nightime feeding 'habit'.

I can't say that it helped him sleep better, because he is 16 months old now and still wakes up most nights, but not for a bottle. I think he is just a bad sleeper. :(

Making the decision to let him cry is tough....it is very hard to listen to, especially in the middle of the night. You could try waiting a minute or two before you go in his room when he wakes up, and then gradually increase the amount of time between visits.

Now, when my son wakes up, either me or my husband will give him a pacifier once. He usually goes right back to sleep but not always...In those cases we will let him cry.

Good Luck......

Babies go through growth spurts where they require a bit more food or they wake up and just want attention. Day care probably doesn't offer a whole lot of contact-like a mother would carry their child around constantly attached at the hip. 8 1/2 months my kids were drinking full 8 oz bottles and somtimes wanted another. I could see why, my daughter is 17 and is 5'11". Your schedule is probably a bit tiresome for a little body if you have to drive an hour to work. I assume you take him to daycare??? What time does he wake up in the morning?? So he gets tired at daycare thus the naps and then wiped at home and gets just enough rest to feel awake when he wakes in the middle of the night. Have you tried to keep him up just a tad longer??? Knowing myself I couldn't let my kids cry until at least they were a year old. That's when the guilt for me wore off-they could understand it was just simply time for bed. I'm a sucker for crying. No backbone. Maybe they could try to shorten his naps a bit or possibly get him on a different nap schedule, that might change his internal clock a bit. But alas babies are babies and they pretty much do what their body tells them to do. Wish you luck...

Your son is waking up when his sleep cycle is interupted. Which is normally every 3-4 hrs. You need to establish a go back to sleep routine. Right now he is used to the bottle. Unless he isnt gaining weight, he really doesnt need a bottle after going down for 3 hours. I would go in his room pick him up and hug him and tell him that its time to sleep and then put him down. I would leave the room and wait five mins and go back in. The first week its going to take a long time to get him to go back down. But eventually he will get it. We have had MAJOR sleep issues. My son is 14 months and whenever he cuts teeth I go back to nurseing him every three hours when he wakes, and then I have to repeat this process. I would just let ur kiddo cry it out, that doesnt establish a sense of warmth and comfort with sleeping. Always go to him, but leave quickly and be really calm. "I love you baby, but its time to sleep, see you in the morning". My son goes a 8 hr stretch and then nurses. I know he could go longer but that works for us. Also, you mention that he is totally tired by 7:30 children who go to sleep with extra adreniline have more interupted sleep cycles. Maybe set a bedtime of 7ish?? Good luck.

My first advice is to speak to your pediatrician. They have more insight on if he needs to be fed those two additional times during the night or if he does it just out of habit. My son would get up every night as well wanting a bottle and at 15 months, I was WAY tired of this routine. So many people said, just don't give him the bottle and let him cry it out for a few nights. Sure enough, I did and he no longer woke up. For our next child I won't wait as long. As I mentioned though, my son was 15 months, not 8, so I don't want to mislead you in saying something wrong. Good luck.

My pediatrician said by 12 weeks, babies are getting enough calories during the day to sleep through the night. Your son is waking up because he knows he will be getting a bottle. My son was waking up, at the same age, to come into our bed. You have to let him cry. Let him cry for 5 minute intervals, go in, rub his back for 2 minutes, then leave. This should only take a couple of nights. You shouldn't worry about starving him, you said yourself how well he eats during the day. Good luck

Hi, check with the pediatrician, but I think he should be sleeping through the night at this point. Try FERBERIZING. You can go on-line to read about it, but basically you let him cry, go in and assure him, don't pick him up or talk to him. Let him cry, go in, every five minutes or so. You are trying to teach him to self sooth. It has worked with both of my babies. My youngest is 7 months and it took 2 1/2 hours one night. Each night the crying ends a little quicker until it stops. Ugh. It's terrible and you feel guilty, but it works.
Best wishes.

Hi A.....
I think sleep deprivation is the HARDEST thing about parenting when they are young and at 81/2 months you would think that would be better by now....
You need to get the book 'Solve your child's sleep problems'...By Dr. Richard(I think) Ferber..it's the 'Ferber method'....it is NOT EASY to do...and it could take 1-2 weeks...but it WORKS!
I will warn you that you feel like you are being mean to your child, but you have to teach them to be able to get themselves back to sleep when they wake up at night or they will forever depend on you to do it!
My children are now 5 1/2 and almost 3 1/2 years old....I am a stay at home mom who works from home and it is the best thing I've ever done...the hardest thing I've ever done, but the best thing....when they are able to sleep through the night you will feel like a person again!
I have a cousin who swears by the book 'The Baby Whisperer'...I haven't read that one myself but she had success for sleep with that one!
Good luck!!
C. D

My sister in law went thru this with most of her kids. The doctors instructed her to add cereal in their bottle before bed. She tried it and sure enough they started sleeping thru the night. I would try that and then if it doesn't work, talk to your pediatrician. He/she may have more options for you. I actually had a great experience with my son when he was born. He started sleeping thru the night at about a month old.
I hope this helps you.

my daughter is 10mos and we sometimes still have to give her cereal at night..she has a 4oz bottle then goes to bed. she wakes up maybe an hr or so i would say 9-10pm and we give her juice and cereal. that usually does the trick and she sleeps thru thr night

well A. my daughter did the same thing. I found that if I gave her cereal at night she slept alot longer. I know all kids are different but maybe I can be something you can try. She aint solids for dinner and a snack before bed, then i gave her cereal with and without the bottle and then she started sleeping at night...ALL NIGHT. I was so happy but maybe it is something you can try. Hope this helps.

A.,

It may be time to change to one nap in the afternoon. My son was the same way. He's almost a year and it won't hurt him any. Also what are you feeding him, breast milk or formula? Formula keeps them fuller longer. Adding cereal 2-3 times a day will also help to keep him full and content. Just check with your doctor to make sure he/she agrees!

~Liz

have you tried giving him maybe 8-9 oz of formula when he wakes up instead of trying to do 2 4oz bottles. my son is 6 months old and he wakes up somtimes 2 times a night usually lloking for his binky but is awake enough that he wants to play so i give him a botttle but don't want him getting used to this. it could be the teeth that are bothering him. have you tried motrin before bed or tylenol or rubbing baby oragel on his gums. hope some of this helps

Hi, my suggestion would be to try and cut out one of the naps slowly and try to keep your son up a little longer before his first nap. When he wakes at first try to just rock him back to sleep rather than giving ther bottle to him if you feel that he is not hungry because he will loose the sensation of needing the bottle if he he not getting it. Usually once they realize that they are not going to get the bottle, they will slowly start to sleep throught the night. i worked for a daycare ith a child who was doing the same thing and this is what the parents were trying to do. I knoe we had to go by what the parents said for their child so if you instruct the daycare to do this then they are supposed to follow. I know it did work for the child I had but it was a long slow process, but I can't think of anything quicker for you. Also I was told to let the child cry for about 5 mins or so before going in because sometimes theuy will just go back to sleep. I hope this helps you

A., I have a 10 month old (on March 5th) and I have had a lot of dietary issues with her so I watch everything closely- I was told that at that age they should be getting about 26-30 oz per day. Do you know how much he gets? Maybe adding a 4oz before bed would help cut the night feedings down to only one or eliminating them all together. That is great that he takes two good naps during the day! I am lucky if my daughter takes a nap for an hour. She is not a sleeper! Infact she was backwards for the first 6 months- Up all night, sleeep most of the day. We are better now. Hope this helps. God Bless.

did you try having your husband go in without bottle? He may be having attachment issues with you.. OR, try giving him a bigger snack at night before bed.. those puff things don't fill you up. You can try the cry it out method, but modify it so he doesn't get to the point of getting sick. Can you cut out one nap in the day?? IT takes about a week for them to adjust to that, so they get really cranky for a while. He could be teething, try some ambesol(sp?). When he gets up, don't look him in the eye, don't talk to him, just rub his back and see if he'll settle back down. sit in the room for a few minutes but don't engage him (yes I watch Supernanny!), but I've done it and it does work. Try putting a night light in his room.. maybe if he feels more secure, he'll go back to sleep.. think about it, if you wake up at 3am, it's almost breakfast time and you'll feel hungry, so he's feeling that since he's waking up. a nightlight makes him realize his surroundings better. Good luck...

I COMPLETELY understand your frustration. My son is 9 and a half mths. and I just went through the exact same thing with him. Unfortunately, your son is not waking up b/c he's hungry...it's become a habit for him to wake up at those hours b/c he knows he'll see you. My son did the EXACT same thing. What you have to do (and I know it's hard) is let him cry it out. I hesitated to do this, but am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad that I did. You have to teach your son how to put himself to sleep. He and my son rely on the mother to help them sleep. So, what I suggest (again this worked for me) is to start cold turkey with him. Give him his last bottle somewhere besides the bedroom, then when you're ready to put him down, rock him with a story and low lighting and soft music and then tell him it's time for night-night (or whatever words you all use). Kiss him , put him down, and turn off the light and close the door and do not go in until the next morning. It took my son 40 min. to stop wailing the first night. Meanwhile I cried myself and told myself what an awful mother I was. Then suddenly, he slept. He figured it out. He woke several times throughout the evening, but I did not go get him. He is now sleeping through the nights and no longer wails when I put him down. We do the same routine each night. It'll probably take your son a couple of nights to learn this unfortunate lesson. But he's torturing you and you should feel bad for yourself, not him. I was getting to the point of exhaustion myself, crying all the time. I came to realize that I had to teach him how to sleep. He hated it at first, but now he's a sleeper...and so am I. Thank goodness. Hope I helped a little bit. I know how hard it is to listen to your baby cry. But know that he is okay...you need to help him and yourself by teaching him how to sleep. Good luck.

I agree with the ferberizing. We did it when my daughter was around 6 months old(she's now almost a year) it breaks your heart to hear them crying but if you don't do it you'll be doing this for years. My doctor recomended it at her 6 month appt., gave me a paper about it and then told me that if she was still crying in 2 weeks to bring her in. She now sleeps right through the night and only wakes up when she's sick. I definitly recomend it. We let her cry for 5 min., went in and let her cry for 5 min. until it reached 20 min. and then went in every 10. Let him cry for an hour and then take him out. It was all in the paper her pediatrition gave to us. Maybe yours has something similar. Good luck!

Hi A., I have a couple of suggestions for you but, I have a few questions first. What time does your baby get up in the morning? How long is he awake before he goes down for the 1st nap? How long is he up and what is he doing before he takes the 2nd nap? Bedtime is 7:30-8:00? He could need a schedule change. I don't know what time of morning he gets up but, you could try 1 long nap right in the middle of the day and give him supper around 6:00-6:30, snack closer to 8:00, put him down around 8:30. He'll be tired by that time, and you may even have to reduce his nap from being 3 hours combined to maybe 2 1/2 at first, and adjust it the older he gets. They don't require as much sleep as they get older. Just something of interest-my youngest daughter adjusted herself to this type of schedule as a baby and, no longer napped by 15 months old. She was just fine, and she would go to bed around 7:30 at night, and sleep until 7:30-8:00 in the morning. A mom's dream. Sometimes, it's just that simple. Good luck and I'd be interested in knowing if any of this helped. L.

Hello,
With my son I give hime a yogurt ( the kids one like blues clues or dora) and then he goes right to sleep and sleeps through the night.. Hope this helps..

J.

In my opinion, your son is sleeping too much during the day. My son had this problem when he was 3 months old and I couldnt take it anymore. I had to alter his schedule to keep my sanity. At 8 1/2 months old he should probably only be taking 1 2 hour nap or 2 45 minute naps. 2 1 and half hour naps is too much. He has his own schedule of being awake for a few hours and sleeping for a few hours, back and forth. My son got used to this within 2 weeks, I know every child is different, but he really should be more active during the day at the daycare. Thats what they get paid for, not to watch them sleep. And yes he will be mad at you or the teachers at first but once he has to stay up during the day, he will sleep more sound at night. It seems to be if a babys mind is stimulated for most of the day they are more worn out, rather than physical exertion. He needs more things to keep his mind busy and he will want to rest at the same time you do.

Hello A., I know how you feel we are doing the same thing right now with our son he's two. Have you tried not giving him a nap, or only giving him one nap a day. This might help, or when he wakes up the first time give him some cereal or some of those veggie puffs, maybe just the bottle is not enough for him. Try it out see how it works good luck :)

I have 9 month old twins and my boy sleeps through and my girl always wakes me up! They are both teething BUT you can see his bottom two breaking through and I swear he only maybe 2 or 3 times cried till 3am and that was over a month ago BUT her she has been almost everynight! I give infants ibprofen and nighttime orajel. Thank gawd she has been sleeping through this past week in her crib and all she does is make noises and i pat her on the back and she goes back. If she doesn't finish her 8oz bottle at bedtime she might want like 4oz and will go back. Give him those baby zwieback cookies too during the day mine love them! I give them cereal and fruit in the morning, chicken soup and a fruit at lunch, and a meat and veggie at night. In between they have cookies and maybe juice they are not that crazy about it. At nap times they get formula. They been going to sleep between 7-8 now and get up at 5! Before it used to be between 8-9 and get up between 6-7! Wish it was like that now! I get exhausted too! I would ask the doctor what he/she thinks cause unless it is the teething then he should be sleeping through! Good luck!

I have a 7mo old who was having the same problem until about three weeks ago. We discovered that if we could get in at least 24 ounces of formula before 10pm that she would sleep through the night. She has her last bottle at 7 or so and is usually asleep by 8. And then I started waking her at 10, well really just picking her up and giving her another 2-3 ounces. She usually just goes right back to sleep. That's worked for us. I also heard that if you slowly decrease the amount you offer at night or even offer water then they will lose interest and stop waking up.
Here is an article I just read from whattoexpect.com: If your little night owl is hooting for attention from dusk till dawn, chances are you're a tiny bit tired. Or more accurately, exhausted! At seven months, there's no real nutritional need for night feedings. All babies will wake throughout the night, and most will eventually learn to fall back asleep on their own. Every baby is different, but if your wee one is clamoring for comfort at 1 a.m., these strategies can help minimize those wake-up calls.

First, fill 'er up. Make sure she finishes her last feeding of the evening before dropping off to sleep, and that she's getting enough to eat throughout the day too. You might even try gently waking her just before you go to bed for an extra feeding. (Yes, you should let sleeping babies — and dogs — lie but drastic times call for drastic measures!) The idea is to maximize the number of calories she takes in during your waking hours, so she doesn't need to interrupt your sleep — and hers — for more food. If she continues waking, chances are at this stage, she's searching for comfort. So instead of offering the breast or bottle right away, attend to her in other loving ways: pat her, cuddle her, or — better yet — send Daddy in to soothe her to disassociate nighttime with mealtime altogether. Another disincentive to those night feedings: Make those undesired night feedings, well, undesirable, by shortening nursing sessions or cutting back (or diluting) the formula in her bottle.

Second, make it boring. Don't give your baby the idea that nighttime is playtime. Dim the lights (or turn them completely off where you can), and keep bubbly conversations and sing-songs to a minimum.(Soft lullabies are the exception!) And unless her diaper is especially dirty or sodden (or if she's prone to rashes), leave it on her until morning — eve a diaper change is just too much activity!

Third, determine how much crying you can take. You have a couple of choices: You could go cold turkey and let her wail through a waking. She might just give up and go back to sleep on her own after a few minutes. If she doesn't (or you feel uncomfortable with this method — many parents do), try a more gradual approach. Respond, but don't feed her. Try soothing her without picking her up from the crib. Leave the room and let her cry for a few minutes, gradually lengthening your absences. Remind yourself that you're not a meanie! You're just helping her learn how to soothe herself to sleep — a skill you'll both appreciate for many years to come. But if you don't feel the need to push the independent sleep agenda at this early age, that's okay, too. Many parents find co-sleeping to be a viable and peaceful alternative well into toddlerhood.

Whichever route you choose is a personal parenting decision. And rest assured that regardless, all kids eventually will learn to sleep on their own, and voluntarily (most often between the ages of one and three). So any way you slice it, this, too, shall pass.
Good luck

hello, I feel your pain! I am a mother of a 2.5 year old boy and a 9 1/2 year old boy. If he is waking up and drinking both bottles then you might want to increase his food in the daytime. My son has been waking up in the middle of the night lately and he seems to sleep better when he eats more in the daytime. He should be eating food three times a day at this point. Ideally the same time that you eat your three meals a day. You might want to increase his cereal or his fruit and veggies. Since you are already giving him fruit puffs you can start trying more table foods like yogurt (whole milk kind), bread, cheerios, pasta, anything that is easy to dissolve even if he doesn't have teeth yet. It could also be teeth coming or separation anxiety. Try decreasing slowly the amount at night so that he eats more in the daytime and gets off the schedule so he sleeps through the night. He might just be used to getting up now. Good Luck!

Hi I had similar problems with both of my children. Im not sure if I can help but Ill try. With my daughter I tried to keep her up a little later than her normal to get her to really be tired and then give her the bottle and make sure she drank the whole thing so I knew she was hungry. Then put her right to bed. It worked for awhile. With my son he was just a hungry baby and his metabolism just made him want to eat and drink we had no control over it till he just leveled off himself. Some babies are just hungrier than others and they need it sometimes for comfort or just because their bodies feel like they need it. I would suggest trying to keep him up later to try that, then try giving him and extra ounce when he does get up to drink it the first time. Play it by ear to see whats the best for him. But for letting him cry we usually did 15 mins then sometimes got lucky and others not so lucky. Good Luck and Best wishes.

Hello A.! I'm not going to be much help because I am going through the same thing with my 10 month old. The books say it is because of their development. It is very trying on someone and I understand what you are going through...my daughter wakes up at 4:00ish every morning..I've tried to let her cry it out..one motning for 1 hour straight...since that morning I have been bringing her into our bed when she wakes up, giving her a bottle and she falls asleep until 7-7:30...that is the time when I can finally get to sleep. If you find an answer I would love to heaar it...but until then..do whatever you can to get some sleep..Good luck!

A.,
I was having the same trouble with my son. He is now 10 months old. Does your son take a pacifier? Mine does not and what I noticed with him is that he is really only looking for something to put in his mouth. So what I do is take an empty bottle and leave it in the crib or if he wakes up I bring it in to him. He puts it in his mouth and goes right back to sleep. Most babies at this age do not need the bottle in the middle of the night. So don't feel like you are starving him. I put myself through the same thing and made myself miserable getting up once or twice in the night to feed. But since you are on the routine of giving him the bottle in the night try to ween (sp?) him off. Go a little bit longer each night till it is just one bottle then ween him off of that. We did that after months of not knowing what to do. And he finally got the hang of it. Believe me it does take some work, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. My son has now been sleeping through the night (with the help of the empty bottle) for about a month now and I feel like I am living in a whole new world. I hope this helps. Also, I don't think that the naps have much to do with it. My son sleeps for about an hour in the morning and then about 2 hours in the afternoon. Yes he is very active at daycare, but babies need to have that sleep. I always found that when they don't rest appropriatly during the day that they are more apt to wake in the night from sheer exhaustion. If you have concerns about his sleeping I would say ask your pediatrician. I bet he will give you some good advice.

K.
Working mother of 5 yr old boy and 10 mth old boy.

A.,

What is the bottle of? I am thinking you need some oatmeal or rice cereal in there. The baby is not feeling full with feedings. Have you tried that? Have you talked to your peds about the issue?

I don't have muchadvice, just wanted to offer support. We are going through this with our 10 month old son. He is waking several (sometimes every 45 minutes) a night. He isn't hungry, he just needs us to ive him his pacifier and tuck him in again. At 8 months he shouldn't need a bottle during the night. It sounds more like a habit. Have you tried not giving him a bottle and just repeatedly laying him back down while you stnd next to his crib until he falls asleep? this is from the book "baby whisperer".

A.,
Here's a question for you- when he has a bottle before bed, is that what puts him to sleep? If so, then his night waking and bottle taking isn't for food, it's for comfort. My dd is 9 mo, and she still nurses a couple of times at night, and it's not really because she needs the calories, believe me! If you offer him water in the bottle, he will protest of course at first, but he may find that it's not worth it and simply sleep more. Dr. Sears' The Baby Book has great tips- even for those who don't share the family bed- for everyone getting more sleep. You need to sleep, and you need to do what works for your family. You could also go to askdrsears.com.

Putting cereal in a bottle is dangerous and could cause choking, and it's a myth that it helps them sleep anyway. He needs to eat his food, not drink it. And it's not likely that he's hungry due to his age and he eats all day. Keeping him up later could cause him to become overtired and over stimulated, which may make it harder to fall asleep at all. Keep your regular routine, but you could try laying him down still slightly awake and put a hand on him until he's asleep. Then leave, and when he wakes, give him a minute (he may make some noises then settle back to sleep...) and if he cries, then go in and put a hand on him for comfort. Reinforce a lovey so he has something there when you're not as well. Don't pick him up, simply let him know you're there for him- separation anxiety peaks around 8-10 mo- and lay him down gently. Of course it will get worse before it gets better. Ferber-izing him, if that's what you choose, will only work if you're ok with letting him cry. But I would recommend researching his updated recommendations first, because his original plan was sadly misunderstood. Good luck!

Hi A.,
Have you ever tried the crib ceiling projector? There are many kinds on the market and is a nice distraction after lights are turned off, even as they get older. Keep soft music playing in his room or white noise. Maybe cutting his afternoon nap to half the time he will sleep better in the evenings. Some people advise you continue to go into his room, lay them back down to sleep without picking him up or talking to them and leave the room, you may have to do this a few dozen times. It will get better, good luck!