4 Month Old Waking Middle of Night : (

My daughter is now 2, but up until probably 8 months she would go through phases of waking up at night. usually it wouldn't last more than a week, then she'd go back to sleeping through the night as usual. it may have something to do with teething, or she may be growing which causes her to be more hungry. i would say try feeding her a little bit, and if that doesn't work, try using orajel or giving her something to chew on while she falls back asleep

I agree with the lower posts. She's young, and she's crying because that is her way to communicate with you. When you ignore her, and she stops crying, she is actually learning to shut down as a way to cope. If a baby cries, I feel strongly that a parent should pick her up, make sure she is dry, feed her, and remember this will not last forever and it is okay if a baby doesn't sleep through the night-babies usually don't. By caring for your baby 24/7 and responding to their needs you form a bond and a trust that will last a lifetime.

Sounds like teething. Try some teething tablets and see if that helps. Normally takes about 20 mins to start to work. They disolve easily in their mouth or you can put them in a bottle with water or formula. And if you are nursing, your nipples make a nice teether for them too!! Babies know what to do to make something feel better!!

Also, has she started any new milestones recently like rolling over?? For some resaon babies think it's more fun to practice a new skill in the middle of the night. And then have a hard time falling back to sleep and need some help.

Last thought would be a growth spurt. Is she sucking down the bottle like she hasn't had a meal since afternoon?? IF so, then yes, growth spurt or just a general increase in appatite. You could also try to increse her bed time bottle by 2oz and see if that helps. If you are nursing, then try to get her to nurse longer before bed.

Good luck!! It should all start to pass in a few days!!
S.

With a baby this young, we always fed them when they awakened. The sooner you feed, the sooner your little girl will happily fall back asleep. If it's teething that's waking her, a sleepy feeding (esp if you're nursing) should do the trick. If not, try freezing a soft cotton wash cloth (dampen it first) and bring that in for her to chew on. The worst thing to do is let her cry and fuss; it'll just fully waken her and she'll have a much harder time falling back asleeep (and so will you, probably). Take a look at a great site for babies, tips, and sleep issues: www.askdrsears.com Good luck!

My daughter is 91/2 months now and has been sleeping through the night since she was 3 months old. She will get up every so often and I will hear her playing with toys I keep in her bed, but she doesn't get a bottle in the middle of the night anymore. Her last bottle is usually between 8 and 9 and then shes in bed before 10. She sleeps until 10 the next morning. She will only catnap during the day, but she gets at least 12 hours of sleep at night. The only times she wakes up crying are when her diaper is really wet or she has poo-poo. I change it, put her back down, and shes out again. It could be teething, mine has been teething since she was 3 months old and still no teeth! Its jsut a phase it'll pass, just keep working with her!

I have 4 kids and I have found that when they are babies they go through growth spurts every few months. So, sometimes a baby that has slept through the night for many weeks will begin waking up to nurse again. I try to let the night time feeding be all about business. I change the diaper, nurse, and put them right back to bed. Within a week they are back to sleeping through the night.

Obviously, we all come from our experience, so I will just go my direction even though I sound like a broken record sometimes. If she is being fully vaccinated or even partially, you may want to be sure her immune system is not struggling and ending in digestive issues. You could try some simple interventions like cod liver oil (tsp a day) and proibotics (search online for lots of education material). If she has been on antibiodics for an ear infection, you can be sure you need to provide her support. If this is not applicable, I hope the other posts are more helpful.

My son and daughter slept fine at first, then regressed at what appeared to be hunger, but later discovered they were using the milk and suckling to calm their pain.

J

first throw babywise in the trash and feed her on demand.
remember her little tummy is only as big as her fist. So she is still going to be hungry in the middle of the night. It is VERY rare for a baby to sleep through the night earlier than a year, which is the average. Babies on the babywise program often come up with a Failure to thrive from the ped. The AAP does not recomend following this book . "Parents shouldn't try to put their healthy infants on feeding schedules," says Susan Baker, M.D., chairwoman of the Committee on Nutrition for the AAP and an associate professor at the Medical University of South Carolina. "Babies' feeding needs are extremely variable. You should nurse your baby when she's hungry or shows signs of being hungry, no matter when she last ate." http://nospank.net/granju2.htm

Please parent with your insticts not by this book.
further information conserning this book can be found here.
http://www.ezzo.info/Aney/forministry.pdf
http://www.ezzo.info/Aney/aneyaap.htm
Both of these articles are written by Drs with the AAP ( American Academey of Pediatrics). If you want a book pick up the no cry sleep solution by elizabeth pantley.

Now for teething motrin is better for mouth pain than tylenol is, and get some hyland's teething tablets they are homeopathic can be found at walmart, or gumomile oil by herbs for kids can be found at a health food store. the oil works better than the tablets. you can also take a clean washcloth and wet it put it in a baggy and put it in the freezer when it's frozen take it out of the bag and give it to her to chew on. signs of teething are grumpiness, excess druleing and chewing on things.

good luck , thoughts and prayers with you,
B.,
Mom of 2

Consider yourself LUCKY. My starving little 7 month old is waking up 4-5 times a night after having slept through the night when he was 4 months old. I figure he is going through a growth spurt, and instead of being upset about it, I treasure the moments. I am TOTALLY exhausted, but it to shall pass.... they won't be babies forever. I know it is hunger waking him, because when I had a sitter at the house he took over 12 ounces in a 3 hour window after going to bed. (I am breastfeeding so could not have gauged this otherwise). It is probably not teething, but hunger! Consider yourself lucky if that is the only time she wakes up!

Well, she cries to tell you she needs something. My niece at 18 having her first child thought the baby just wanted her atten0tion...yes she did and does, sometimes they need to eat also many times it's because they are not just growing but teething before you see teeth they have some discomfort. That many be an idea...there's also a a language babies really have may I suggest going on line and looking up "The Secret Language of Babies" by Priscilla Dunstan she's of course been on Oprah if you go on her website you can even see that part of the show and maybe see what your baby is trying to tell you.
Best of luck I know you will find out what your little one needs with some of our ideas and suggestions....

ITA with Beth, it's actually not natural for babies to sleep through the night. This is a modern concept that babies must be independent.

I also recommend reading Elizabeth Pantley's No Cry Sleep Solution. If for anything, then for a better understanding of how babies sleep. Infants typically sleep in four hour intervals. Also, Meredith Small's Our Babies, Ourselves is also a great read.