R.R. asks from Shakopee, MN on April 16, 2009
Crying 4 Month Old
My daughter is 4 months and has always been a really good sleeper and eater. She is a breastfed baby and is a good one. For some unknown reason she has been waking up crying and easlity awoke especially at night and not napping very well going on the 5th day. The only thing to calm her is usually giving her the breast. I am not sure if this is only a growth spurt that she will soon grow out of or what I should do. I dont like to use any medications unless it is neccasary and also want to make sure she is fed good and can get a good night sleep. I am puzzled and not sure how to handle this issue. Any advice or experience would be really helpful.
Thank you in advance
Featured Answers
M.W. answers from St. Cloud on April 17, 2009
Take her to the chiropractor. That ALWAYS helped my babies. As soon as they quit sleeping I would get them adjusted and you could tell the difference the 1st night!!!
More Answers
T.L. answers from Rochester on April 17, 2009
My four month old just went through this too - I let the night feeding go on for two weeks (he hadn't eaten at night for over two months!) When it didn't stop, I finally decided that he was hungry - I've been giving him rice cereal, just at supper time for a week now and it has really helped with the night feedings. He hasn't woken up to eat for the past four nights, so I think it is helping! He is still nursing just as much too, so the addition of the cereal has not affected that.
M.W. answers from St. Cloud on April 17, 2009
Take her to the chiropractor. That ALWAYS helped my babies. As soon as they quit sleeping I would get them adjusted and you could tell the difference the 1st night!!!
S.B. answers from Des Moines on April 17, 2009
I went thru a similar situation with my daughter about a month ago. It turned out to be a milk protein intolerance. So I had to cut dairy out of my diet. It has been hard but worth it. She is back to being happy and sleeping thru the night. I have also found that she is sensitive to the normal foods such as onions and garlic. My best advice is to talk to her pediatrician.
Hope it helps.
S.
J.C. answers from Minneapolis on April 17, 2009
4 months is the peak of acid reflux, try having her sleep in her car seat or slightly elevated and see if it helps.
J.L. answers from Milwaukee on April 17, 2009
You could have her ears checked. She might have an ear infection. What you described usually meant my kids had one of these. One of my kids always gets a fever with her ear infections and my other one never does. Just a thought.
B.W. answers from Minneapolis on April 17, 2009
Welcome to the 4 month growth spurt! Its totally normal, and just feed her on demand. she is upping your milk supply, and her body is going through the biggest growth spurt in her 1st year.
I promise she will grow out of it, and the 4mo growht spurt is the longest... so it could be a week, or a month, but she WILL outgrow it, just continue nursing her on demand.
V.G. answers from Minneapolis on April 17, 2009
At four months, your baby might be working on a new skill, like rolling over, that is keeping her up at night. Babies work so hard to achieve their skills that it literally keeps them up at night! It happens when they are learning to roll over, crawl, pull up, and walk. It could also be a growth spurt. Like all things with babies, it will pass. When she's older, you'll realize the phases passed too quickly! Enjoy your time with her!
N.J. answers from Minneapolis on April 16, 2009
it does sound like a typical growth spurt. even if she doesn't want to eat ... I am out of the loop for a while now (my youngest being 3, one on the way but that doesn't help) but it may be possible she is starting to break her first tooth, with my second child, his teeth came out and went back in for quite a while before it decided to stay out...teething can make strange changes (crankiness and waking at abnormal hours) in infants...
Email