10-Month Old - Night Sleep Distressed?

My 10 month old was waking up 2-3 times a night again just a few weeks ago. Now she is back to sleeping through the night. I am assuming it was due to teething or it was just a phase because I handled it the same way you did and it worked. Hang in there!!

Keeping this short, but perhaps your baby is going through a "growth-spurt" and is simply hungry and NEEDS to be fed, and yes, even at night whenever she wakes.

At this age....they need to be fed ON DEMAND. For the 1st year of life, a baby has to be fed on demand...and this is their PRIMARY source of nutrition.

Give her the bottle. Wake at night and feed her.
ALL babies wake at night for various reasons, hunger being one of them. If a baby is hungry, they must be fed.
Never mind about it being "this is a bad habit" sort of thing... a baby is a baby only for a short time.. .and they need what they need. Most of the time, a parent can be too pre-occupied with "not wanting to create a bad habit", and thus, they don't coddle or comfort a baby because it is looked down on and they "detach" the child from everything. But phooey with that... if a baby needs comfort, then comfort, even if you need to give her her bottle at times of need, anytime. She has a WHOLE childhood to learn about yet.. and this is just one small snippet of them being a "baby."

A baby naturally needs more intake as they grow... if not, they will not be happy, will be starving, and will not be able to sleep well, and will cry more.

Feed her on demand, 24/7. This is the best advice I can give. Or, rule out any illness or if she is catching a cold.
Or, take her to the Doctor.

Take care,
Susan

We had the same issue with our younger son, and it turned out he was sensitive to milk. Not allergic, just sensitive. He's 2-1/2 and any time he doesn't sleep well if we think through his day we'll find a time where he had some milk. He didn't sleep through the night until 15 months old (when we figured this out). Once we figured it out though, he slept through the night consistently if he didn't have milk.

Our older son went through a similar thing and it turned out to be ear infections. So a visit to the doctor would be a good place to start.

Dear J.,
I want to give you efficient advice but I need to know a little more of your situation. Are you breast feeding bella or just giving her the bottle? Or both? And do you have a crib for her or does she sleep with you? How long before the move has this been going on? Or has it just been the past two weeks like you mentioned? I would love to help, so feel free to write back, if not GOD BLESS U BOTH!
R. Romero
____@____.com

I would think that there could be several reasons for the sleeplessness. My little one seems to have a hard time when she is teething. It could be a growth spurt or the change in environment too. I know it is hard to go on when you are sleep deprived but hang in there it will eventually get better.

First off, take a deep breath and give yourself a break.

I have been here, where you are...in a tough spot and worried about everything. I am a single Mom, and I live with my parents.

Our kids, feel EVERYTHING we FEEL. If you are unsure that your move was the best, then your daughter will feel it too. Kids have this great way of taking on OUR stress and exhibiting it in ways like disruption of sleep. Was the move necessary? Not that it's a bad thing, but transition and change can be tough on little one's and this time is when they need reassurance that it's going to be okay.

It's more than likely you started feeling stressed out about the move, and she felt that then. I went through this when I had to go back to work, and my son stayed home with my Mom. I was SO stressed about leaving him that he started waking at night more and more. When I finally relaxed, and calmed down about the change he went back to sleeping for longer chunks of time.

It is okay to feed on demand, I did so with my son for the first year and then started tapper off as he began to move away from needing the night feedings. If she needs it, feed her, if not then don't.

My son also, is not a sound sleeper and will sometimes move and wake, but then put himself back to sleep without needing a bottle. But, there is a distinct difference between the need for food, and the waking. If she is crying then give her the comfort she needs.

I know being sleep deprived is the worst during the day when you have a job to do. What helps me is I talk to my son, I tell him that we are a team and Mommy needs his help getting through this tough time. We're in it together, and we have to help each other...it helps me get things off my chest and also comfort and reassure him too.

I hope you guys get through this rough patch, and don't worry this too shall pass.

Let me know if you ever need to talk...I know how hard it can be to be on your own and trying to do it ALL.

Best regards,
D..

You should take her to her pediatrician. My son did the same thing and it only got worse. I finally took him to the Dr. because I couldn't think of anything else. It turned out that he had ear infections in both ears! Poor thing couldn't lay down without his ears hurting. He was put on antibiotics and it cleared up enough within 24 hrs for him (and me) to sleep. Your daughter may also be teething, but it's nest to get her checked out to be on the safe side.

hello J.,
Have you taken Bella to the Dr. for this problem? It is hard to say why this has suddenly occured. Does Bella sleep with you? Has she always slept with you? Besides the move and your friend moving in with you have their ben any other changes in her your life with her? Children sometimes have a very hard time with new adjustments in their life but in time they do adjust. But before anthing else she needs to be seen by a Dr. to make sure it is nothing health wise to be concerned about! Please let me know how things work out for you and Bella! I know how hard it is to be a single mom...My daughter is a single mom to a 14 year old and daughter and an 8 year old son who had a near drowning and is severly disabled since his accident. His website is www.prayforseth.com Jill knows sleep deprived better than most single mom's! Your story touched my heart because it is hard enough being a single moom but to also have a child who is having problems you can not fix is very difficult for a parent, as we love our children so much and not being able to fix a problem can be heartbreaking!

Hello J., I am married but it sure felt like I was singal during our first year!! Bella is still a baby, she needs to be feed when she asks for it. My daughter woke up 3-4 times a night and like you she wouldn't go back to sleep so easily. I work full time and it was very hard to be up and still work the next morning. The husband wasn't any help really!! I would just try to relax as much as I could. I needed too, cause like one of the other ladies said the stress is passed on to our kids. When I was stressed she would stay up longer. I just thank God she didn't get sick during the first year. It will get better really!! When she turns 1 she will start getting better at sleeping through the night. Just relax, don't worry about house work or anything ealse. When you get home if Bella is asleep take advantage of it and take a nap or watch a bit of TV. I am sure you are a great mommy and you will do good, just hang in there....God Bless!!!

Are you leaving her alone with your guy friend? I'm just curious to know if he or someone else might be unkind to her in some way. I would investigate that. Also, it is normal for sleep cycles to change. my 5 year old daughter just started waking again during the night. This will pass as it always has with all three of my children. Your baby could also be teething. I would also consult her doctor and see what he might have to say.

It is hard to be sleep deprived, but I guess something we mommies have to endure! Very difficult though.

Good luck to you.

Hi J., Unfortunately you will have to sleep train her all over again. Everytime my kids got sick or we traveled somewhere we would go through this. If they were sick, I would of course give them a bottle or rock and sing them back to sleep. After the third night, though, a new habit started and we would have to break it the old fashioned way. Go in and tell her "it's OK, just go back to sleep." Then let her cry it out. Within two nights she should be back to normal. You are right, giving her a bottle will just make her cry more the next night because she wants the bottle! But remember that at 10 months, she doesn't NEED a mid-night feeding. I know other moms have written that a baby needs to feed on demand, but I have a friend who is a pediatrician and two of my kids' doctors all said that if you feed on demand during the day then a child as young as two months can sleep through the night. Whatever nutrition they need they will make up for during the daytime.

The same goes for comfort. If they get all the hugs and kisses they need during the day, then crying it out at night won't hurt them at all. In fact, it teaches them that night time is not a scary place or time, but a time for quiet and sleep. All three of my boys cried it out at various stages. All three are VERY affectionate, not emotionally damaged in any way, and all three LOVE their beds and LOVE to sleep. I can take them to any relative's house and they can fall asleep by themselves without any fear. All of my friends who coddled their kids at bedtime had problems until the kids were 10 or so. They had to lay down with them until they fell sleep, even at grandma's! It was worse when they would travel to uncles, friends, hotels, etc. Do you daughter a favor and teach her to sleep on her own now. It only gets harder as she gets older. Good luck!

J.

Do yourself a HUGE FAVOR and get "silent nights" homeopathic sleep spray. The safest thing you could ever use on a baby. My kids go to sleep quickly when I use this and they wake up happy and rested. Go to Lifewave.com/kherihealth to get the spray and or sleep patches. Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck! K.

She could have colic.
I have four children, and my mom used to advise me to do the following, maybe you can try and see if it works for your baby. Give her a warm bath before bed in a warm area. Upon finishing dry her off and massage her gently with some baby oil. Dress her in some warm and cozy pjs and socks. Then put her in her in her bed with a warm blanket. Play some soft music for her (great music CDs for babies at babies r us, my boys liked the classical music ones. As soon as they hear the music they lay down even if it is not their nap time) Then just do the same routine every night and in about a week or two she will expect it and go to sleep. Hope this helps. Have a great day and I will pray you get some rest. ;)

My daughter has never slept through the night. The more I read about it, the more normal and even healthy I realize it is for them to wake and eat in the night. Their brains and bodies are developing at an incredible rate & they need food more or at least as much as they need sleep. I think you just have to re-calibrate and realize that sleep deprivation for you is just going to be the normal course of life for a while. Hang in there.

Your daughter is probably unused to the new environment. She will adjust with time.

My first instinct when I read your post was that maybe your daughter is picking up on bad energy, or worse from your friend. I was molested as a child by a man who my mother thought was safe because he pretended in front of my mother to be wonderful with me. Always keep your radar up for that... but of course, most men are safe & you obviously need help paying the bills and making ends meet.

More likely the new environment is strange to your daughter. Is there good ventilation in the room? You might try adding a fan for circulation and white noise. Is the room dark enough? My daughter is really light sensitive, and the tiniest crack of light seeping through the blinds will wake her. (Genetic I think because her father has this too.)

Finally, she might be teething or having growing pains. You can try Hyland's teething tablets for the teething. You might try massaging her for body aches.

Best of luck & hang in there... all new mommies are struggling with the same issues. We are in this together!

Hi J.- Hang in there! It is so hard to be sleep deprived and have to work and take care of your child. Just remember, you are not crazy, you are a great mom but it's hard to think straight and stay strong when you need sleep. You will get lots of different advice, do what's best for you. If she's not sick you can try letting her cry an see how long until she goes back to sleep. This is hard to listen to and you may want to try it on a weekend. It usually takes 3-4 days and the crying gets less. If you give her a bottle eveytime then she will set her internal clock to wake up at that time every night for a bottle.
Remember, if you are feeling that you are about to "lose" it (and we all feel that way) then don't pick her up, just leave her in her crib where you know she can't get into anything until you are able to calm down (i've had to do this many times), or call someone to help so that you can get a break. I even went to my friends house and took naps while she came to my house to watch my son.
Hang in there, it gets better, and keep asking for help! We all need help!
H.