Getting 7 Month Old to Sleep Through the Night

I haven't read through the responses to see what others have suggested, but I just read "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" and would highly recommend it. You can find cheap used books on Half.com (part of eBay.com - if you have an eBay account you don't need to set up a new account on Half.com). I love it so much that I just bought a copy for my sister. It was $1.39 plus $3.49 shipping!

Weissbluth Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child is a great book! Discusses everything. I believe it is still considered normal for a 7 mo. Old to wake up for feedings at night.

Hello L., an infant who weighs between 12 and 14 lbs can easily sleep through the night. Their stomach is big enough to eat the amount of food/milk they need during the walking hours. Sleep training will usually take about 4-6 nights. All family members need to be on board. Cereal in the milk will just add a carbohydrate that is digested sooner than protein (milk). So bottom line, give cereal with a spoon, not in the bottle. You are doing a wonderful job of sontinuing to nurse and the baby will adjust to feeding more frequently during the day when not nursing at night.

I am not sure if you use a pacifier but that was how I got my children to break night feedings. I would go in as soon as I heard them wake up give them the pacifier and rub their back until they went back to sleep. It took a few nights but eventually they stopped waking all together. If you do not use a pacifier, have you tried going in as soon as you hear him rub his back without picking him up and see if you can get him back to sleep without feeding him. I didn't nurse so I know if can be different for breastfed babies. Sometimes they really are hungry and need that night feeding still. I knew that wasn't the case with my children. I knew their tummies were full and they didn't need to eat. One more suggestion is if you do use formula at all, is to make the last feeding of the night formula because it is a little heavier and may stay with him a little longer. I do not have much experience with nursing, Sorry. To be honest with teething coming soon most babies will get the occasional waking during the night anyway so once a night really isn't that bad. It's great that he goes right back to sleep.

I would try shortening the late night feedings five minutes a night then start offering a binky instead of feeding. It will be a tough week, on both of you, but should be sleeping through the night in no time. I've got 23 month b/g twins that I nursed and they have been sleeping through the night since 3 1/2 months. Best of luck!

He is still young to be sleeping through the night- he's waking up because he is hungry so please don't let him cry at this age just nurse him.

In a couple months you'll be able to safely start him on solids and that little bit more may get him through the night. But now he is waking because he's hungry and honestly one wake up is REALLY good for an infant this age.

He'll sleep through- eventually they all do. Try reading "The No Cry Sleep Solution" it's a great book for gentle transition.

give him cereal mixed with milk thin mix though. I did it with both of my kids younger than what docs suggest. It is a god send to defy docs once in a while. My youngest was a flat pig feeding him cereal with every bottle still up every 2-3 hrs hungry again but the growth spurts were huge. he was in a 4t at 12 months old.

Since you can't really expect more than 5 to 7 hours of sleep at night from a 7 month old, I decided I'd rather wake mine at 11:30 or 12:00 and feed them since that was easier on me than 3am! I would always wake them during the day if they went more than about 3-3.5 hours at a time, making their last feeding between 11:30 and midnight. If you do this you can expect him to start sleeping through until 6am-7am. Make sure the midnight feed is dark and quiet, and only change him if he's poopy, otherwise eat and back in bed. :o) By about 12 months you should be able to start moving him to a 4hr. daytime routine and step him back to a last feed at 10ish and still expect him to sleep until 6-7am.

Good luck on your continuing adventure in parenting!

Waking up to eat is normal until around 12 months old. Some babies even wake after that. He's only 7 months old. His tummy is very small, about the size of his fist. He will go through phases of sleeping and not sleeping. only waking once is pretty good for a 7 month old. Sleeping through the night for an infant is 5-6 hrs at a time not a full night like we know.
Check out " The No Cry Sleep Solution" By Elizabeth Pantley.
http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/books/0071381392.php

Just get the SleepEasy Solution by sleepyplanet.com. I wouldn't and never did do a pacifier, thank god. At 4 months little ones should sleep at 11 hrs a night. Sounds like you need to wean him of the night feedings and then help him learn to soothe himself to sleep. My husband and I work full time and by the time our little guy was 5-6 months we were so sleep deprieved. With my research I came across this book, tried it, stuck with it for a few nights, and everyone was sleeping thru the night after a few days. Those first few nights were heartbreaking but it was for the best for everyone. Sounds like you're doing good with the naps and getting him to bed by 8:30, which is the latest babies/kids should go to bed. Just get the book and/or DVD. If you can't find it or don't have the time let me know and I'll try to talk you thru it or borrow mine.

My Dr. told me @ 6 months-the baby can sleep thru the night without eating however you need to train him to do so. It will take about 3 to 5 nights of not going to him-it's really hard-but SO worth it for everyone in the house-it worked for my daughter & by the 5th night she slept thru the night & I have not gone to her in the middle of the night since-she is 20 months now....unless she was sick &/or no more than a 2-5 minute hold & check in on rougher nights...The Dr. also said other things to make sure of to help keep her asleep-the room is pitch dark, 68 degrees, a fan on to circulate the air & decrease 85% of sids chances & some background nosie-we used to use a white noise machine & the bathroom next to her-the fan on to help keep the noise from the house out. Now we put a 60minute music cd on & still the bathroom fan & she still sleeps thru the night. Don't get me wrong babies wake constantly thru the night but that does not mean we need to go to them-it takes some time for them to learn to get back to sleep on their own but once they do-it is a habit that as long as you don't interupt-they will maintain. Good luck-it is hard to hear them cry it out at first but promise you-it is SO worth it for the healthy sleep habits of everyone. I have pregnant w. my 2nd baby & plan on making this happen a lot sooner than I did w. my daughter-I waited to about 7 1/2 months till I was ready to make it happen...
Good luck & enjoy that age-it is fun & it only gets better ;)

Waking up at night to nurse is the norm for breastfed babies and your little guy is still very young. My 18 month old still wakes about 2 times, but he is half asleep when he seeks out the boob. He nurses quick and falls back to sleep.

This is why the vast majority of breastfeeding moms co-sleep. You just roll over and nurse nad they go right back to sleep.

I like Beth's answer!

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My Dr told me the same thing that Jessica J said!

Hi L.,

Our daughter is 10 months old and occasionally still wakes once at night to eat depending on how much she took in during the day. We've found that if we offer her a bottle when we go to bed (usually 2-3 hours later than she does) she will often drink then and not need another until she awakes 8-10 hours later. Also, as another poster said, sleeping thru the night is defined as 5-6 hours for a baby and not the 7-8 that many adults sleep.
Good luck,
K.

Sounds totally normal and on schedule as far as how long he can go before his tummy tells him he's hungry. It's not fair to let him cry if he's hungry--feed him so he feels okay and you can both go back to bed. I know you're tired...I've been there twice. Before you know it he'll mature and won't need these feedings. Mine both did it on their own around a year, and I felt good in the end knowing I listened to them and respected that they might really be hungry--and once I got to get a full nights sleep! You're doing great and he's simply a growing boy! Good luck!

This is pretty normal for a 7 month old. It's not really until 9 months when they are erally physically able to sleep through the night without feeding. Our daughter was this way. At 9 months, instead of me going in at night, I sent in Dad. He would rub her belly or sing (no pick-ups though). Pretty soon she got the clue that there would be no more eathing at night...she's been sleeping though from 7-6:30 pretty much since then. The key is consistancy. I never nurse at night, so matter what or how much "easier" it would make her go back to sleep if she occasionally woke up. Babies are VERY fast learners, either for good...or not so good.