My 5 Month Old Used to Sleep Through the Night, Now She Is Not

Wow my 2 never slept through the night till they were 14-16 months old, so you guys had it good:)Sorry I do not have any advice.Ours were huge and hungry all the time, so I got up and fed them. When teething we used those gum tablets and rocked. Some nights when nothing worked we just let them cry. The best part it's a stage it too shall pass. Just know if you will choose to bring her to bed(we did when our oldest climbed out of the crib at almost 2....so we went backwards) they will stay there long time:)(I do not mind though.....in the country I am from we slept with our parents till we were teenagers due to the lack of space,and I do not have any issues neither do millions others )Our 17 months old likes sleeping by himself in his own room in the big boy bed. Do whatever works for your family:)

1 mom found this helpful

Most likely it has something to do with a milestone, whether it be teething, sitting up, crawling, rolling, etc. All three of my children have always been excellent sleepers and they too woke during these times. It prob. is teething. Try some baby nighttime ambesol, there's also a homeopathic teething tablet you could try. It should pass soon. On the other hand, your baby is going to get used to sleeping in your bed, so if that's not somehting you and your husband would like to continue having, I'd try to get the baby back to sleep in her bedroom. Hope she sleeps soon.

Have you started her on cereal. Not in the bottle but as a meal? If she is waking up hungry I would feed her cereal before bed. Teething can start pretty early, You could also try giving her tylenol before bed if you think it is from teething. If it is her teeth then she would be chewing on things when she wakes up and grabbing her gums.

She is at the perfect age to be teething. I can ALWAYS tell when my youngest is getting a new tooth (10 months now) because he always wakes up more and is fussier at night when a new one is coming. The first ones are the worst.

I had a friend who used to get frustrated at her twins going through this and she later told me she used to let them just cry. Once she realized they had new teeth it hit hurt they were crying because they were hurting and she felt horrible about it.

Honestly I don't know what the big deal is about bringing a baby to bed with you. Not directing that at you but at people who give parents a hard time for doing it. We have done it with all three of our children and yet our two oldest have been sleeping in their own beds for as long as I can remember. Even our 10 month old sleeps in his bed. We've never had a problem with it and just wonderful memories of extra cuddle time. In 18 years they will most likely leave our homes and I can guarantee the cuddle time will end WAY before that so I just don't get why parents have such a problem with it. Sometimes people act like it's too much trouble to have a child or the child gets in the way of the way they want things. Again, general statement here. I just don't understand why some people have children if it seems such a burden. Again, not directed at you but some of the advice you've gotten.

Try giving her some Tylenol. Check the dose with the doctor if you aren't sure.

Hugs,
L.

GloWorm helped my son fall back to sleep once he learned how to push the belly and turn it back on, but I don't remember how old he was. If you get a crib soother I suggest one with a remote so you can turn it on without your daughter seeing you. Fisher price makes an aquarium mobile that projects onto the ceiling and my son still likes his light show at 22 months old. You can set it on a table or attach it to the crib so you can bring it with you if you travel.

If it is teething there are teething tablets also that are homeopathic, made by Hylands (i think) that dissolve in the mouth and really work. Little Rememdies make them too, but they do not dissolve well. I've see them in Babies R Us and the natural section of my supermarket. That is if your doctor says no to Tylenol or if you don't want to use it. (I have no problem with medicine/Tylenol, I just liked the tablets because I could give them to him whenever and I didn't want to give him Tylenol around the clock when he was teething.)

I use to give my son de-caf peppermint tea and that would put him right to sleep. Soft music was also an option and a little night light. You should also take him to the pediatrician to see if he is teething.

Hi, S.. I have three boys and have been through that as well. What I have learned is that maybe she is hungry. If you're breastfeeding, maybe she needs cereal to help her sleep through the night. Maybe it's teething and give her Teething tablets or Teething gel which are better than other things. These are homeopathic meaning healthier and safer to give to your daughter. Maybe it's the combination of both. Maybe she has gas that needs to be rubbed or burped out. I know there were times that I picked my baby up and he burped and then he went back to sleep. Ha,ha,ha. You haveto try her out and learn about her as she is learning about you and your husband. What I have done, gave teething first and then cereal, then nursed and now he takes bottle because I lost my milk, put him asleep and slept through the night.The crying out thing I have done with my first two and sometimes with my third one because I know what they are crying about. My htird I nursed much longer and he needed some comfort. I ususally let him cry out during the day if I know that is the time he naps or he wants someone to hold him and I can't because I am a stay at home mom with a 3 1/2 yo, almost 2 1/2 yo, and few days will be 9 mo old. Try not to be frustrated because her crying is her way of communicating and doesn't know how else to let you know what she is feeling. Cherish her ways and cherish her because they grow so fast and you'll miss times when she was little and take pictures of her too and things she does and even videotape her as well to cherish. I'll pray for God's wisdom to you and your husband.

Sounds like a growth spurt. She could be teething but you'd see the teeth under the edge of her gums if that were it. It will pass.

It can be frustrating. CHeck with your pediatrician about her teething. It could be starting now. SOme of the signs are drooling, gums that look inflammed. He can offer suggestions for you to help it, including medication to relieve the pain, and topical relief, to help her sleep through the nite. She also could be going through a growth spurt, or feels uncomfortable in some way. If you go in and pat her, massage her had a bit, talk softly, after letting her cry 5-10 minutes, that might help. Sometimes they get up during the nite, cry a bit, and self soothe themselves back to sleep. They go through all phases, and they are crying for a reason. Unless you feel they are sick, it is better to try to let them cry and go back to sleep. It is not easy for a Mom to hear that though. This will pass!!

Both my kids did this - I took it as a sign that they needed to start on solid food. I know some people advise waiting til they are 6 months, but I found starting on the baby cereal etc at 5 months helped with the sleeping.

5 months is still too young to let her cry it out, don't let anyone tell you different.

It could be teething, I'm actually having this probelm with our 1 year old, I think her molars are giving her trouble...

Just think of it as extra snuggle time...I know it's hard, I've had 3 babies in 4 years) but the stages do go by quickly. Oh - keep her out of your bed - you'll be glad you did!!!

Best wishes, and some sleep!!
J.

She's got you trained. She knows you will put her in bed with you if it goes on too long.

My 2 year old used to do the same thing. I never put her in bed with me tough. When she gets up at 11pm, I would sit up and watch an hour of TV with her then put her back to bed. She just wanted alone time with mommy. She doesn't do it every night anymore...just when I've had a crazy day and didn't give her "enough" attention during the day.

Nanc

Hi S., I'm so sorry your baby is giving you a hard time. I know how tough it is... My first never slept through the night untl she was 2.5y! My second slept like a dream until he hit 4mos. Between the age of 4mos and 7-8mos, he was awful! On a good stretch, he'd sleep 2.5-3hrs, but normal for him was squawking at least once every hour. I tried tylenol, white noise, feedings, climate control... nothing worked but time.

I am not a fan of crying it out, but I did try it once out of desperation. I'll never do it agan, poor baby took 90mins to finally exhaust himself and fall asleep. In my experience, time was the only thing that helped. He's 10mos old now and will sleep 4-6hrs straight. That's fine with me!

Make sure she doesn't have an ear infection (Signs include loss of appetite, pulling or swatting at ears, and crying when laying down because it hurts their ears to lay flat.) And the teething will be going on for the next 2 yrs, unfortunately. You can freeze a wet washcloth and let her chew on it for relief.

Good luck with your little one.
J.

All of my children's sleep habits changed at 5 months.. I think they're becoming more aware at that point. I'm only going to tell you what I did, not what you should do. You should only do what works for you. I brought my babies in bed with me. It was the only way I could get sleep and not let them cry. I'm on baby #3 and it works just fine for us. :-)

Is she drooling alot and chewing on her hands/fingers? It probably is teething. Teething starts anytime now and even though teeth may not have broken through yet, it can still hurt/irritate the baby.

You can try giving her some infant Tylenol before bed. Follow the instructions on the dropper. Even if its not teething, you won't hurt her by giving her a dosage. Infant Tylenol was the best thing I found when my daughter was teething. I didn't use the Baby Orajel because I heard that can make the baby's tongue/throat numb.

If its not teething, it could be separation anxiety. Instead of bringing her in to bed with you, try to soothe her and put her back down--or don't even pick her up. Do you have a light-up crib toy? Fisherprice makes them (there's an aquarium and a rainforest version). Here's a link to the aquarium version: http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=2011&e=detail&... The crib toy is the best thing and has really helped my daughters learn to fall asleep on their own. It was the best $30 I spent on a baby item and I buy the crib toy as shower gifts too!

Whenever both of my daughter's woke up in the middle of the night, and I was sure they were ok, I would turn on the crib toy and usually they'd watch it, zone out, and fall back to sleep on their own. 9 times out of 10 the crib toy worked. Now my 23 mos old daughter turns it on herself when she wakes up. If you keep bringing her into your room & bed, you are creating a habit that you'll eventually have to break. And the longer you go, the harder it will be to break that habit for her.

Good luck & I hope I could help!

Sounds like teething. It usually starts around this time. Ask your doctor if it is ok to give her a dose of tylenol before bed. If it is not teething, then it is because she is aware of her surroundings now. Don't go to her right away and don't take her out of the crib. If she is still crying after 5 minutes or so go in and pat her or speak soothingly to her. Don't pick her up or turn on the lights. The more you interfere, the more you encourage this behavior. Try getting her attached to a lovie of some kind and put it in the corner of her crib so she can see it there with her.

Its possible she is teething, but even more possible she is HUNGRY. Not all kids sleep through the night, or if they do continue to do so. She is growing in leaps and bounds and probably needs an extra feeding to get her through the night. Most babies dont sleep through the night consistantly until they are 1+ and putting baby in bed with you is NOT a good idea. I did it with mine, so I feel hypocritical saying that, but we WILL NOT do it with our soon to be born son. Its not safe and too many bad things can happen. I would try cereal before bed -- to help her go longer without food -- and a feeding during the night might be in order. Good Luck.