I wanted to get any advice/help from those who can help me keep my 6 month little girl down for the whole night! She wakes up 3-4 times through the night to either be patted back to sleep, wanting her pacifier, or just having a tantrum in her sleep, and to eat. She used to sleep throughout the night till 4 months. HELP!!!!
I'v ben giving her cereal in her bottle at night since she was 4 months, and it seems like that only keeps her down 3-4 hours! She BARELY takes naps! I would be lucky if she slept for 30 mins. SHe takes about two 30 min. naps, unless she is in a bouncer and I have to bounce her and she'll go to sleep. But I feel like I have to constently be with her to stay asleep and get nothing done at home! Me and my husband have aslo tried to tire her out by playing with her, My dr. had mentioned the growth spurt thing, but I'm not sure if that's what it is anymore. She's also eating solid food now during the day. So I feel like I've tried what I can to help her stay asleep.
Hi Anita
I have a 6 month old also and she has those same issues, what I will do sometimes is add about 2 teaspoons of cereal to her bottle and it will make her sleep longer through the night. I only do this with her nighttime bottle because it will make the babies put on the weight fast, lol. Sometimes she does just want to play with Mommy because she knows I a still up, lol.
She could be hitting a growth spurt. Try giving her a bigger bottle (more oz) or nursing her longer right before bed and see if that helps. If she is only fussing (not crying in distress), leave her be. Don't even go in the room. There is no point bothering her if she is only fussing. And you'll teach her that every whimper she makes you'll come running in there even when she doesn't really need you.
Also, you didn't say but did you mover her room around or move her to a different room totally? Sometimes they can sense the difference even though they are in their own bed. If that is case, just give her time to get adjusted to the new surroundings.
Good luck!!
~S.
Like Janel and Tonya, we co-sleep. And while I still wake at least twice a night to feed my baby, I find it much easier to fall back to sleep. I agree that she's probably teething or having a growth spurt.
Anita, I had to start putting cereal in my son's bottles when he was just a month or two old. If you are not already doing this, it may help keep your baby girl to sleep through the night better. Also, make sure that you do not have her taking naps too late in the evening. I good schedule always helps too.
I hope that you get some relief. My son always had a problem going to sleep at night and still does. Unfortunately it seems he has inherited my insomnia in a way.
Does she take long naps during the day? If so, you may want to try shortening her naps. When my daughter was a baby, I could not let her sleep for more than 2 hours or she would wake up in the middle of the night. You might also try keeping her busy with activites during the day that will wear her out and maybe that we make her sleep more at night. Good Luck.
If she is still breastfeeding, she may be hungry because breastmilk is light. As long as she is being fed a lot during the day, she needs to be trained that nighttime is sleeptime. Take longer periods of time to respond to her and she will start learning to comfort herself. It takes time but it is worth it in the end.
Kudos to Janel!!We received so many comments aout co-sleeping and how bad we were and blah blah blah..... We co-slept with all three of our children and it made a much more relaxed environment--not to mention a more restful one!!!
Kids sometime regress in their sleeping habits when they are going through a growth spurt---I have worked with children for over 10 years. My SIL has worked with them for over 15. Each child is an individual that needs to be looked as as so. Each child develops differently and at times needs more support and contact with you than at others.
People suggest all sorts of things for you to try---such as the link listed in one of the comments. You have to make a decision based on how you feel. I am not saying that the advice given was wrong. Please don't think that I am trying to be hateful or belittling to anyone. Just try and see what works for you. Modify suggestions to fit your life and your little one's personality.
Take care and good luck!
Greetings Anita,
Like the others have said each child is different. We can only give general suggestions that may or may not work. My babies had colic. Some times they just have gas and that will cause them to wake in the middle of the night. I was told by a pharmacist to try chamomille tea. two quarts of water - remove from heat - steep 1 tea bag for 3 minutes and let cool to room temp. add a sprinkle of sugar NO HONEY. give the baby two to three oz and a warm bath. That always worked for me. The other thing is to make sure that they have had sufficiant amount to eat 1 hr before bed. My children are much older now and I am a great aunt many times over. I have been taking care of kids since I was 8years old. Just a few tips I have learned over the years.
My daughter did the same thing. She was 9 months before I cried out to her pediatrian for help. She told me to let her cry. It was the hardest thing I ever did, but within 3 days she was sleeping all night!!! It costed me 2.5 nights of lost sleep, but I have been sleeping peacefully ever since.
http://www.babycenter.com/0_the-ferber-method-demystified...
we had great success with both of our kids using the modified ferber method. the website above can give you a run-down. I know it's not for everyone. Co-sleeping just didn't work for us past the first couple of months. good luck!
Hi Anita,
There's not one right answer. Everyone of these ladies has good ideas. I do know that sleeping habits will change and morph well into their 12th year, lol, yes YEAR....Growth spurts, eating habits, things that..
Six months is one of those times that kids go through a major growth spurt. She may just be waking up hungry. If she is hungry, she may be sleepiER and will fall back asleep which will lead to the next time she will wake up. If you are nursing, as a test, pump your milk once to see exactly how much she is getting each time she eats. I found I didn't have enough for my girls to make it through the night.
Hope this helped!
M.
Hi Anita!
I don't want to discourage you, but I have an 18 mo old and almost 3 yr old who still don't sleep through the night. I am glad when they each only get up 1x/night. It took a long time just for that too. Some things I have tried were: cry it out (worked for my youngest, not my oldest), feeding them cereal before bed to pad their belly, co-sleeping, putting a fan on in their room for white noise, giving them a stuff animal/favorite blanket.
I know babies will get up when they are going to developmental milestones...learning to crawl, pulling themselves up, etc. Also, teething. My oldest teethed for months before she cut her first tooth.
Anita, you will gets lots of advice - I love this mamasource. One thing you have to remember as a Mom is you need to feel comfortable with whatever decision/advice you choose to use. A wise friend of mine told me that you have to make decisions that are best for your family. She specifically was talking about co-sleeping because so many people told me with my oldest I was making a mistake, I would never get her out of our bed, I need to just let her cry it out till she falls asleep. I realized that was not best to let my oldest cry it out because she would not fall asleep and the only way any of us got sleep was letting her sleep with us...ahh, we were finally getting sleep. I was breastfeeding her, and it make it so easy. She slept much better, hubby and I slept much better. When she turned a year old, we tried her crib and she did not have a problem. All babies and their parents are different and what works for one won't always work for another. Good Luck. Hope you get some sleep!
