My 6 1/2 Month Old Wakes up Every 2 Hours at Night

I just read "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" and found some very helpful things in it. Also, the author, Elizabeth Pantley, has a website. I can't remember what it is, but if you google her name you should be able to find it. There's some good stuff on the website about napping. Even if you don't do everything she suggests in the book, many of the ideas could help. Good luck from a fellow sleep-deprived Mom.

Six months is teething time and everything he has been doing goes haywire. Try tylenol, and find something that numbs his gums. The also have wonderful toys that are good for him to suck on.

You might try eliminating or consolidating one of his naps.

Good luck with the teething.

Hi Y.,

First of all...to me, it sounds like you doing just fine. Your son has a need and you are responding to it. That said, it might be worth investigating what his need is. Short bouts of sleep and needing to nurse--is he starting to have some movement in his mouth with his teeth? Are you seeing any extra drool?

My son is 23 months and getting his two-year molars...only they haven't arrived yet! But he constantly wants to nurse and wakes up more frequently at night to do just that, to soothe his mouth. We have chosen to continue cosleeping because his room is on a separate floor, and it's still working for us. He and I both enjoy our nursing time, and frankly, it's been a fantastic barometer to gauge how much his mouth is sore and whether he needs motrin or not.

Something else that could be happening at this age is that he is starting to physically need more food. Many of my girlfriends' kids started to wake at night around this age because they were hungry. You didn't mention if you had started solids, but this could be an indicator that he's needing more food. Avoid rice cereals before dinner, which have a high glycemic index and don't stay with the child as long; instead, opt for iron-rich foods like the yellow baby foods--sqaush, carrots, sweet potato and the like. These have been shown to be most beneficial at this age of development. Conventional pediatrics generally recommends rice cereal because it is extremely well-tolerated and not usually an allergen, but as for nutrition, there are better things out there!

Above all, keep being responsive and don't worry about what you "should" be doing, etc. Your son will still learn how to sleep without nursing when both of you are ready. You need to take care of YOU, too, and if nursing at night buys you a little extra sleep (unless your husband wants to stay up with your son at night/stay home so you can nap to make up on missed sleep!), try not to feel bad about it. You are caring for your son and working from home...doing at least two jobs! That's pretty commendable! My best wishes to you, including good nights of sleep.:)

Hi Y.,
You should read the following 8 infant sleep facts every parent should know http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070200.asp
They are written by Dr. William Sears.
My husband and I co-sleep with our 13 month old and we have since he was born. Some nights he sleeps better than others (and so do we). We stopped night nursing when he was 11 months. It took one night of holding him and explaining that we only nurse during the day. The next night he slept fine. I love waking up with my baby snuggled next to me - it is one of the most glorious feelings I've experience since becoming a parent. That being said, however, parenting is about what feels right to you. If co-sleeping no longer works for you, than it is time to find another option that does.

I think he's still too young to cry it out, but you have to do something. First of all, make sure he's getting enough to eat during the day. Since he's over six months, you can start him on some solid foods like cereal and vegetables, which are more filling than just breast milk. My little girl forgot about eating at just about this time because she began to explore the big, wide world, so I had to plan meals and nursings to make sure she ate enough. You might also consider moving him a little farther away from you, like to a bassinet or a side sleeper so that he can't smell your milk. It will take a couple of nights to reassure him about his new bed, but once he figures out that you're still there, he might sleep better.

God bless.

The same thing happened to me when my baby was about 5 months old. I was co-sleeping and nursing him back to sleep. We tried several things such as infant Tylenol drops when it seemed like he was having teething pain. My husband and I decided to move him to his crib since it didn't seem to be working for either of us anymore and I was afraid to move for fear of waking the baby up and my husband was still sleeping in the family room. The first few nights were sort of tough, but my husband slept in the nursery w/ him (we have a bed in there too) and would get up and soothe him rather than my nursing him back to sleep - unless it was over 6 hours. This was really nice of him considering he works full time! I also nursed him more in the daytime and offered both breasts every time, which I wasn't doing before and my pedi suggested it since he was eating more at night than during the day. We also started him on cereal at night which may or may not have helped. For the most part he has started sleeping through the night getting up just once or twice. I do think it was teething and co-sleeping. I didn't think the crib would work at all, but was pleasantly surprised. We're currently having trouble getting him to go to sleep at night because he just cut 2 teeth and I think he's working on another. Some nights are better than others but I was getting seriously sleep-deprived after 6 weeks of his constantly waking up and needed help. Good luck!

Our son never woke that frequently, but he did sleep much better--naps, too--once we got him out of our bed and into his crib, at around 5mo. He slept through the night (12 hours) within two weeks of moving him to his own room.

We don't realize how disruptive our own sleep noises and movements are to little ones. I have many friends who have found their babies sleep better in their own rooms. Of course, you can't just roll over and nurse anymore, but when baby's sleeping better and you're only up a couple of times a night, instead of every couple hours, it's not such a big deal. Just put a comfy chair and nightlight in the nursery.

We need to remember that sleep begets sleep with kids. He may nap poorly due to being overtired. It's counterintuitive, but an overtired child will often will not sleep well, and this continues into naps.

I recommend "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth MD. Even if you don't do CIO (and I think many parents say this until they're so tired themselves they can't stand it anymore), it's a great resource for understanding pediatric sleep, and offers good tips for parents.

Between 3 and 4months my baby was exactly as yours, waking every 1 to 2hrs, slept with us, slept if I BF her back to sleep. The problem was she got used to waking up because I BF her, and not really hungry. Also giving her a pacifier was the problem, every time it fell out, she'd wake up. We gave alot of excuses to why she was waking up. At 4months, we did the CIO and after 2hrs of crying, go back to sleep and than waking up and crying again..it was rough on me. Next night we tried it again, and I couldn't do it and went to her. I heard it takes 3 to 4days to train on the CIO. At 5mo, I was exhausted, my husband gave me earplugs and told me to shut all doors and he'll take care if her. We finaly took everything away (pacifier, me) put her in her own crib and room. Let her CIO, after 30min, she slept through the night. She napped well during the day there after. Best thing I ever did for her and me.
I know other moms may not like CIO, but it may be the best thing for your baby and you in the long run if they are waking every 2hrs. Read" Healthy sleep habits happy baby". If you are fortunate that your baby learn to sleep on their own, then you may not need the CIO. But sounds like your baby can benefit with CIO. You should leave the house and stay with someone else if you can't tolerate it. It will only get harder as she gets older. Also read previsous posts on this.

Y., I also want to encourage you as others have that this phase will pass. We co-sleep and I nurse at night with our 10-month old who was sleeping well until around 7 months, when he started wailing every couple hours all night long, as well as taking short naps and having fussy tired afternoons. I continued nursing him back to sleep at night and letting him nap whenever he needed it, wondering if I was doing the right thing, and feeling very tired every day for awhile. I am glad I stuck with my gut and continued the co-sleeping and night-nursing, because he finally started to settle back down about a month ago and now is sleeping very well again. I feel confident that I was able to meet his needs in a very natural way, and it did not end up contributing to any "sleep problems." And continuing the night-nursing has had the added benefit of keeping up my milk supply very well, when I have had friends whose babies slept separately having trouble with their supply. Do what is best for you and your baby, and listen to your instincts!

Hi Y.,
I went through the same thing with my daughter. We were told by our doc that it was time to get her not only out of our bed, but out of her room. Baby can smell you and you are the main food source so that may be why baby isn't sleeping well. We established a consistant bedtime routine and stuck with it. If baby has a comfort item, slip it in with him. I also found the book Sleep Solution a great help. Unfortunately I can't remember the author. The first few nights are a bit rough but remember this. If you and Daddy are not getting the best sleep you can the you may not be giving the best care you can. Try to find someone you can call any time of the day or night to be your support system so you don't go pick him up. That was another piece of advice given to us. Our daughter is now 16 months old and has been sleeping through the night and a good nap taker since she was 5 months old. You can do it. Good luck!

With my son..whenever he changed his sleep habits at night it was from something that was bothering him..teeth, ear ache, upset stomach.. burp. Could it be something as simple as a tooth under the gum line starting to erupt? Babies like to sleep just like us so when they don't you have to think it's something different going on.
Lynelle

Hi Y.,

Well, I think your son may be going through something like teething or a growth spurt, and he needs comfort at night. Just think of what it must be like, a baby can't rationalize or reason, they just feel, physically and emotionally. So, imagine freaking out for some reason and screaming for help, and none comes. Or imagine freaking out, and someone comes and soothes you. Which do you think is more natural and helps a baby more? for a baby this young it is not good to let them cry. Their needs are too basic. Have compassion for your baby, don't torment him. If a child is crying because they're upset over not getting a toy they want or something, it is totally different. If you were at home, screaming and screaming because you had something wrong with you, and your husband and mother are ignoring you, is that good for you?

If Milo is teething, Motrin helps; you can try it and see, if he doesn't wake up that's the solution to the problem. If he's going through a growth spurt, your night-time milk has the highest fat content, and helps the most for growing and actually for sleeping too (longer to digest). I don't know who told you that you shouldn't feed your baby at night, but that is a baby-to-baby issue, different for different ones. Night wean later. And night weaning is not an instant process, you do it gradually over the course of a week or two. You are helping him learn how to sleep longer.

I think that for the most part, when babies are sleeping better not in the parents room, it is just that the parents are not hearing the baby wake up slightly. Babies sleep very lightly on their backs, and their sleep cycles almost wake them up, they make noises, and sometimes we think they are awake and pick them up, when they would have gone back to sleep on their own. But it sounds like Milo is having a full wake on his own, so I'd go ahead and soothe him back to sleep. If you can do it by stroking him, then he doesn't need to eat. But if he needs to eat, feed him!

I read two books that were very helpful, The No Cry Sleep Solution for sleep issues (all gradual and gentle, but effective methods for sleep training), and Our Babies, Our Selves, for understanding the biology of babies, and why they do what they do. Our Babies Our Selves (Meredith Small), is just a FASCINATING read for a new mother (well, any mother, but especially new). Also, when my son went to a crib, we used a sheepskin mattress pad, so it was cozier for him. We slept on it for a few nights so that it smelled like our bed, it was yummy feeling!

Best wishes, and follow your instincts with Milo! You're doing a great job.

Good for you that you won't let him cry, and that you sleep with him. He needs you at night, and nursing him back to sleep is absolutely fine. One thing to consider is whether you or your husband might be waking him up sometimes when you move around in your sleep, if the bed isn't big enough for all of you to stretch out and each have your own space. A bigger bed may be a good idea, or two mattresses on the floor next to each other, so that he can start out on "his" bed with his own separate blankets, and after nursing him to sleep there, you can roll back into your bed (eventually later in the night he will probably end up in your bed for the rest of the night). Also, he may sleep better on his side than on his back. I slept with both of mine for about four years each, nursing them to sleep, and they gradually slept longer stretches. My daughter actually woke up every 1-2 hours until she was about a year old, but I think it was because we slept on a waterbed and the wave motion would wake her up. I would say to just keep doing what you're doing, and know that he will sleep longer stretches. Feeding him more nutritious whole foods may help too, but just know that babies go through phases, and the best way to know what he needs is to listen and respond to him!

Let me first sympathize with you, I had a troubled sleeper also (she still doesnt sleep well at 4 years old). She was in our room for 10 months and would wake up every couple hours! Could you imagine?! Ten months of this! And my husband and I both work full time! Oh the torture. The resolution for us was to finally move her to her own room (we hadnt done this before because the thought of going to her room every couple hours seemed rediculous). To our amazement she slept much better! She still got up once a night rarely twice, but we figured that our breathing, tossing, turning, snoring (what have you) was waking her up. Also, waking up a little is normal for babies, at even the slighted noise she made we would jump up, make a bottle, and do the whole rutine...she may have gone back to sleep on her own had we not reacted so quickly. Like I tell everyone, there is no perfect solution, but if you want sleep, I am sure you will try everything! Good luck!

The only thing that worked with my 3 children was cry it out. I agree with the other moms about moving him to his own room. Hopefully that will do the trick. But if it doesn't, life gets so much better for everyone once he learns to sleep on his own, and for my kids that meant cry it out. My husband was very against it, so for our first child together (my second child) I was up every couple of hours for 11 months. I finally got to the point where I couldn't even carry on a conversation because I was so sleep-deprived. Finally, I put my foot down, and after a few nights he was sleeping through the night. My daughter cried the longest when I went through it with her, at 6 months. After an hour and a half of her crying and my comforting her every 15 minutes, I gave her the shirt I was wearing because she kept grabbing it when I would comfort her. Three minutes later, she was asleep. Now, at 14 months, my old T-shirt is still her blankie. Good Luck - I know how hard it is when they don't sleep. We've all been there.

That age is a time of a lot of developmental changes, as well as teething, either or which can cause major sleep disturbances. If you suspect teething, you could try a medication to see if that helps. If not, it's most likely that he's working on something, crawling, etc. and once he masters it, his sleep will return to what it previously was until something else throws a wrench into it. Sleep is a roller coaster and not linear.

It's a myth that babies sleep better in their own beds or "should" be there. Some babies sleep better alone, some don't. It's a personal family decision. Do what's working for you.

My daughter is almost 10 months old. She was still waking up every 3-3 1/2 hours until I finally started giving her solids consistently (at 7-8 months). Now she usually sleeps for about 9 hours in one stretch. I know there is a lot of difference of opinion about whether you should cosleep or not. Personally, I think that both my daughter and I sleep better separately. I used the book Babywise as a guide, and I have never regretted it.

It sounds like he is starting to hit a development milestone. Granted the amount of sleep he is getting is choppy, there is a book called the No Cry Sleep Solution and goes over these developments and when. I cosleep with my 16 month old twins. CIO does not work for me or for them but the book allowed us to extend them sleeping on their own without me being right next to them. Good luck.

Mama

i had the same child! and all i can say is... when YOU are ready you will do it. when waking up every 1 to 2 hours no longer works for you, you will let him cry it out, and that is about all there is too it. you need to be ready to do the hard thing. (but do know... he is WORKING you!)and he will sleep as soon as you force the issue. good luck, and hang in there. c.

Is he teething? My daughter was an awesome sleeper unless she was teething...then it was much like your situation. Thankfully when the teething passed she went back to being a good sleeper. If it is that, try Baby Orajel or something along those lines and see if it helps at all.

I agree with your husband, but CIO does not mean letting him whale for an hour alone. I used cio and it worked great. I would put my boys in their bed (they only co slept for about 2 months)and would leave. I would set a timer for 5 minutes. If they were still crying I would go back in and comfort them without picking them up or feeding them, just rub their back?tummie, and sing or talk softly. Once they calmed down I would leave again and put another 5 minutes on the timer. I never had to go back more then once, I usually did not even have to go in once, they would cry the first 3 or 4 minutes and fall give it up and go to bed. I would do the same thing at night, if they woke up I would wait 5 before going in, most the time I did not have to go it, they would self comfort and go back to sleep. Since your child is a little older, it may take a little longer for him to stop fighting, especially since you have been nursing him back to sleep, but don't give in and go back to nursing or you will have to start all over and it will be even harder. You set the rules, he learns to follow, that is the way of parents and children.