Awake Every Hour at Night... WHATS UP?????

Are her sinuses impacted? Maybe you could tell she is breating loudly or through her mouth. My daughter did the same thing for a little while. She got over it. The main thing is dont bring her to bed with you and dont stimulate her at all when you go to see about her.... It'll just become a habit then. If she's not teething, then she probably is just going through a phase. hang in there!

H.,

Okay so let's start with the cold...it takes up to two weeks for a cold/infection to leave the body entirely. So, even if she isn't still showing signs of the cold, her body is still in recovery mode. I'd give her another week before she's in top form.

Waking can be caused by lots of stuff...is she gassy? My son used to wake from gas bubbles and this would disrupt a whole night and did for a few days until I figured it out.

Teething is tough. I used Mortin because you dose less and for my son it worked better. Clove oil products are also IMO better for handling extreme teething than just plain old gels...I used 'Gum-omile' that I found at Whole Foods. It's a great numbing agent and keeps pain at bay for longer.

Another thing she may be battling with is growth spurts. For weeks at a time my son would wake out of discomfort from growing pains. If this is what it is, it will subside and she will only benefit from love and comfort and consistency of routine.

Also, developmental milestones are constantly being reached and passed in the first year. It could be mild seperation anxiety or just recognition of her surroundings and becoming more aware of what is happening. In this case, let her settle herself when she can and otherwise offer the comfort of the paci or whatever she needs, but keep it consistent.

The next four months will be tough...she's going through so many new things and learning how to handle her body and being aware of the world being bigger than the few inches in front of her face. Just be patient and this too shall pass.

Good Luck!!!

**Adding this as I just remembered: My friend, had a baby that would cry so much at night. She took her baby the Doctor. He looked her over from head to toe very carefully. It was found, that a blond hair was tangled and wrapped around one of her toes, and getting tighter cutting into her skin. Because the hair was blond, it was almost invisible to the eye. The Doctor removed the hair from her toe. Then, her baby was all better. For her, this was the "problem."
This may be an untypical situation... but a baby crying, especially when so young, they usually have a reason. Even if it is just for comfort.
As for the pacifier, once she gets older and has more control over her motor skills, she will be able to "put back" her pacifier, herself.

DITTO Deanna Leigh.

How do you know she is not hungry?
A Growth-Spurt occurs every 3 months. ie: at 6 months, which has passed by already. A baby's intake needs AND appetite, naturally increases... they don't eat the same way they did 3 months ago. They eat more, and it is for developmental reasons too.

Growing pains... normal. It WILL happen even if you leave her in a cave all by herself. It is not pleasant for the baby. Then, it is not pleasant for the Parent... but, we are the parent. So we ride through it.

To me, well, in light of my 2 kids as babies... what your baby is doing it not that bad. It will pass. BUT keep in mind that other sleep phases will occur too. So, you sorta just have to bear with it.

Next, she was sick.... and after a child feels better... if OFTEN alters their usual routine, for a bit, or longer. It takes MUCH patience and effort, to get them readjusted again. AND MANY times, a child/baby is hungry after they recover... and because they are making up for the lost nutrition/calories/intake when they were sick. Being sick, takes a lot of energy out of a baby, much less an adult.

1 week of more wakings, to me is not that bad. She is very young... and ALL babies have sleep patterns that changes. It will change again... as she hits other developmental milestones or appetite/growth spurts, and gross-motor changes.

She may also be on the brink of hitting some changes in gross motor development and cognition. When this happens, keep in mind, that this will affect their sleep.... waking more. It is a NORMAL instinct in them... they will sit-up, roll over, stand up, pull up, bounce up and down, "walk" even in the crib. BUT, they DO NOT YET know "how" to go from standing and then back down to sitting, then back down to lying down... all by themselves. So you will need to wake too, and help them. Just as an example.

Anyway, it will be fine.

All the best,
Susan

Your baby may have an ear infection since he/she is just had a cold. My son always wakes up crying at night when he has an ear infection. I would take your baby just to check the ears just in case.

My 5 month old son does this when he's been overly stimulated during the day & hasnt had enough sleep during daytime naps. As soon as his naps are restored, his nighttime sleeping is as well.

Your baby is becoming more aware and it´s making it hard for her to ¨self sooth¨and put herself back to sleep. Even if she used to sleep all those hours before, the book ¨Sleeping Through the Night¨ says that around 6 or 7 months the baby becomes more aware and will possibly start to have troubles putting herself back to sleep when she wakes during the night (as all babies and adults do). This happened with my 1st child and I had to let her ¨cry it out¨ and within 3 days eh was sleeping 10-12 hours a night (and still is at age 4). I put her down and she goes to sleep. Also, make sure that you´re not putting her to bed by feeding her. Feed her and then wait awhile before putting her to sleep. (During the day for naps also.) She doesn´t need food anymore at night, she just needs to learn how to self soothe. When I did it, I would tell myself, ¨Ok, if she cries more than 5 minutes, I´ll go in and reassure her that mommy and daddy are near and she is fine¨. Then I would leave again and let her cry another 5 minutes. The more infrequently you go in, the better. It sounds cruel, but it really teaches them some independance quick and you will have the best sleeper on the block. Get the book ¨Sleeping Through the Night¨. It helped me so much.
With my 2nd child (boy), I did the cry out method at 4 months. My doctor assured me he was getting enough food during the day so I could stop feeding him at night. It was SO much easier to do at that age and within 2 days he was sleeping all night long, every night. At 2.5 now he just lays down and goes to sleep. I feel it was a gift I could teach them to soothe themselves. They are both great sleepers!!

Hi,

It's wonderful that your precious little one is on a good routine most of the time. Colds can really mess that up at times, that is for sure.

There are a couple of things that come to mind. Is it possible that her cold went into her ears? It seems that she would be crying more steadily if this were the case, but it still may be worth considering.

The other thought I had was that she may be letting you know that she is moving towards dropping a naptime. Usually little ones do this closer to the 9 month mark, but it is possible, as we are all unique.

Still another option may be that she is needing a little extra food at her last feeding. For instance, just adding a little baby cereal or something with a little "bulk" to it may settle her in a bit more solidly for sleep.

Some suggestions. I hope you are able to find the right answer quickly so you and your little one are resting soundly again soon!

T.

I don't have any advice for you, but my son did the EXACT same thing, starting the day he turned 7 months. I still have not found a solution but, fwiw, I am not as exhausted getting up with him anymore...my body just retrained itself to operate with this amount of sleep. I really don't feel sleep deprived anymore (but I thought I was going to DIE when he first started waking up again).

I honestly think sometimes there just isn't a reason or a solution -- their little bodies just change and grow so fast they have different, unique needs at any given time, you know?

Sorry this isn't helpful - just wanted you to know you're not alone!

Good Luck!!

Hi H.,

very quickly... I totally agree with the first poster!

And please please please don't sleep train her (let her cry it out) if she has been such a great sleeper up to this point. If it's in her nature to sleep well, then there is something else going on that is causing this. As the first poster said, the first year is filled with changes and milestones that disrupt sleep. She will be back to her "old" self when these things have passed.

At around 9-10 months, a lot of babies struggle with a new bout of awareness and separation anxiety as well. Many start protesting when it's time for bed. It becomes scary to them to let go and relax into sleep because you aren't there when they are asleep all night. I think through this stage as well, they need reassurance that they are safe and that you are tending to their needs.