Advice on How to Get 6 Month Old to Sleep Through the Night

Her bedtime should be earlier at 7:00-8:00 and that means in her bed asleep. And at that age she should only be taking two naps. One starting around 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours after she wakes up in the morning and then the second starting around 12:30-1:00. I used a sleep book for our two kids and it worked great. You daughter doesn't know how to self soothe herself so after about 45 minutes she has a partial wakening and doesn't know how to get back to sleep. we used the sleep lady shuffle. Make sure she doesn't fall completely asleep from the last nursing. You want to put her down drowsy but awake. So she can finish it on her own. Have a chair by her bed and when she wakes go in and sit in the chair. You can saying soothing things here and there but don't pick her up. Stay there till she falls asleep. Do that each time she wakes up. But don't due too many soothing sounds because you don't want her to get dependent on that. Every three nights move the chair further and further from the crib until you are out the door. It took only about three nights of this for our daughter to get it. Trust me it works like a charm. The book we used was Good Night, Sleep Tight, by Kim West. Hope that helps.

Is she teething? Do you generally put her down to go to sleep on her own?

My 7 month old just went through a "wake in the middle of the night" period, starting just after he hit 6 months old. A few nights it was teething, a week later it was a growth spurt, and some nights it is gas (their digestive tracts generally mature about 6 months, that may take some getting used to, as well). Some early mornings he's just hungry because he didn't eat well enough the day before because of teething pain.

I also moved him to 2 naps a day (3 if he decides 5am is a good time to get up) and that seems to help, some times. He does go down between 7 and 8. Whether he sleeps all night depends on many things - getting enough to eat during the day (he doesn't when he's really teething), getting enough sleep during the day (he gets too much when he's growing), and a million other little factors.

::sigh:: I don't think there is an easy answer, unfortunately. I agree with working her toward only 2 naps a day instead of 3. That might help.

If she's teething, though...all bets might be off until those darn things break through. We're on #7 so the only thing consistent about baby's sleep is that it's inconsistent and oft interrupted by teething pain.

first of all, this is completely normal, and it will happen again over and over during the first year and even later. my son only slept through the night 3 times before turning 15 months old. some nights he would sleep until 4 or 5, some nights it would be 2 or 3, other nights it would be twice or three times.

especially when there is teething, or after baby has learned something new, like crawling, standing up, and walking, there will be sleep interruptions.

check out www.askdrsears.com. i trust dr william sears with ANYTHING. his advice and information has been VERY important and helpful to me. i have several of his books, and for vaccinations, his son robert has a new book on vaccinations, includes everything that you would ever need to know about them!
anwyay, check them out, and as long as you can keep being responsive to your baby's needs, she will get back to sleep, but dont be surprised if she stops sleeping through the night again in the future. kids take 2 steps forward and one step back. as long as we can be supportive during that one step back, we can be sure our kids will grow and develop with confidence and love :D

I am by no means an expert on this, as my little one is only 21weeks old and we are going through some of the same stuff, but I'll offer what I've learned! My ped. suggested making sure baby eats enough during they day as this can help w/longer periods of night time sleep. For us that means eating every 3-4hrs and not going longer then 5hrs between feedings. My baby started sleeping through the night in early July but struggled during the last month. I think it was due to having a cold, not eating regulary and enough at daycare. So we are trying very hard to get her back on a better eating schedule and over the last 3 days it has made a difference and she's slept all night the last 2 nights. If she wakes up we go in and say soothing words to her, pat her back, turn on noise machine/water sounds, or maybe give her pacifier to her, and this way we try to let her soothe herslef. We try not to pick her up unless it has been going on for over 1/2 hr or so. Good luck!

My baby (now 9 months) sleeps (AT LAST) through the night best w/a blue-light night light or none at all. We went for a long strecth of waking 2-3 times a night. She still needs some swaddling or else her rolling around wakes her up. ALSO, if she's putting her legs up in the air, it could be acid reflux, which would explain why picking her up helps. You can talk to your Dr. and do some research on AR and try some meds for 2 weeks and see if you notice a difference. It helped us. So did switching to formula, she was finally full! I hadn't noticed that my milk supply was dwindling and that helped her. Finally, patience wins out in the end. I couldn't let my baby cry it out, she got way too out of control. I just went to her and held her when she needed it. I realized suddenly in the last month that she's growing fast and decided to (sleepily, I might add) embrace this baby-time since it's so short lived! Best wishes.

I know you say you don't have the time to read a book about this or anything but i would recommend the "No Cry Sleep Solution" it worked for me. If you don't have the time then don't complain.

Check out Mary Sheedy Kurcinka's book, "Sleepless in America." She also has a website www.parentchildhelp.com and she teaches classes in St. Paul. She is a wonderful resource. Good luck.

Hi S.,

Sounds like your little one has just gotten into a bad habit...they are so smart, it doesn't take them long to figure out that when they cry you are going to pick them up. My suggestion is that if you know she is okay, don't pick her up, let her fuss it out...this usually only takes a few days. You have to be consistent, and you can't give in, or it will be like starting all over. They soon learn that it is much easier just to go back to sleep. It makes them a much happier baby, and you and your husband much happier parents.

C.

Ugh, how frustrating! So...my son is almost 6 months old and has been sttn since he was 2 months old...with a few hiccups along the way. At 4 months he stopped and it was insane. He was up constantly...turned out to be ear infection. Then, after he was better, he was used to us running to his beckoned call so this went on until he was 5 months old. Finally, my pedi suggested that, if I was okay with it, to try a little cry it out with him. We weren't opposed so she said to let him cry up to 20 mins. The first night, it took 17 mins. Now, it takes none. He consistently sleeps from 7:30p until 6:30a every day. The routine that you're doing will help, too... So, that is my advice, but again - only if you're comfortable with it :) And of course, what works for one may not work for another. Good luck!

I lived for the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". It was SO helpful in getting my kids sllep trained. Basically, you would probably learn that you need to put her down earlier. If you wait until she gets cranky, you are probably missing the "window" where she will go to sleep most easily. I highly recommend the book. (I own three copies of it to loan out to friends...) Good luck!

I can absolutely relate to sleepless nights. My son is 28 months and he has yet to sleep through the night. I co-sleep with my son and I am still breastfeeding. Now he only seems to wake up one to two times during the night, usually for comfort. Now at 6 months he woke up more frequently. Part of it was teething. I ended up giving him IBprofen when he would not sleep and was restless and that did the trick. It did not last forever, but felt that way. I have yet to have a full nights sleep, but it is just part of the sacrifices we mothers make when we have children. I heard sleep is never the same again. I believe it! Well I hope this helps some. Good Luck:)

I just wanted to second the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child"...it has worked well for myself and several friends. It's flexible, offering several methods for dealing with sleep issues, and it's broken up by age, so you don't have to read the whole book first to get a few solutions to try! I know you'll find it helpful!

well maybe she is hungry. breast milk is thin and maybe she needs to be started on solids. Myone daughter had to be fed rice cereal before bed or she would get up a lot during the night. Also maybe she wants to be swaddled if you swaddle them tight enough that it doesn't just fall apart that might help. they also have things where it will vibrate the crib and that soothes babies good luck

wears you out doesnt it!! I have a daughter who is now 2. she did the same thing at about 7 months. slept through the night then decided she wouldn't sleep in her crib would wake everytime i would lay her down. my pediatrician told me to do a routine bedtime and once she was drowsy NOT asleep to lay her down and when she would of course start to cry let her cry for five minutes then walk in and check on her and console her for a minute without picking her up and then leave. wait 10 minutes do the same and then 20 minutes the next time. just make sure they don't poop or throw up in the crib. it was hard to let her cry it out at first. my pediatrician said it lasted for 3 hours the first night with his child, luckily it didn't take that long for our daughter the first night. after about three nights of doing this she goes to sleep on her own now when i put her to bed. once you get through the hard part it becomes a nice routine plus she can now comfort herself to go to sleep. when people stay at our house they are amazed at how easy my daughter now goes to bed. good luck!!