6 Mo Old Keeps Waking Up

Hello J.,
I am a mother of two boys ages 3 and 13 months. One thing I have noticed nobody has mentioned is, have you tried the bedtime lotion made by johnson and johnson. But some on his body after his bath and also put it on his shirt so that once it wears off of his body he will still inhale it from his short. My oldest was the same way, we would feed him some rice or oatmeal cereal with applesauce mixed in while he was in the tub, then lotioned him up and it really helped. It could also be that he is teething. I have learned with my 13 month old that the teething tablets work well at times but the orajel does not. Take a q-tip and dip it in vanilla extract and lightly rub it on his gums and it will sooth the pain that he has by numbing them. My oldest started teething at 4 months but his first tooth did not come in until he was almost 8 months old.
Another thing that helped was I got one of the toys that attaches to the side of the crib that he can push the button and it has a light and plays music. It is made by fisher price and he would lay in bed and play for awhile and then lay back down and go back to sleep.

Good Luck

I would eliminate the dream feed. He is old enough that he really does not need it and may be waking because he has this heavy feed on his tummy. It doesn't sound like a feeding issue as much as a comfort issue. He needs to learn to soothe himself back to sleep.

He may be teething.

Have you started adding any cereal to his diet yet? The same thing happened to my son and as soon as I started feeding him cereals, he slept through the night again. You can also introduce mild fruits at this point. There is also a completely natural product called gripe water. Sometimes it helps if they are beginning to teeth. The binky may help because he has something to chew on. Teething tablets might also be something to look into. Hope this helps!

My daughter did the same thing. She was a really easy baby who slept through the night at 9 weeks. At about 6 months she started fussing and waking up in the night. It was teething. By 7 months she got her first tooth and her sleep regulated again. Good luck!

Hi, J.. Do you think it is because of his teething problems? Does he look uncomfortable after he wakes up during the night? My child used to wake up so frequently while I was nursing, and I read a book entitled 'The no cry sleep solution.' In a book, it says that you need to restrict any amusing activities to make your baby excited, at least one hour ahead of his/her sleep. Also it advises to shut down any light in the bedroom, because it could harm the baby's sleeping cycle. Personally, I tried almost all its techniques, and it worked sometimes. My boy, who is now 31 months old, finally stopped waking up during the night when I finished breastfeeding when he turned 26 months. I'd also like to tell the example of my sister's daughter who just turned two this year. She stopped breastfeeding when she turned one last year, but she still keeps waking up more than several times every night. My sister tries to make her tired during the day to sleep well at night, but nothing can work. Recently, I read the article that you can stop breastfeeding if your child keeps waking up after he turns 7 or 8 months old. If a mother gets too tired, her milk could taste bad and contain bad chemicals, and which lead to baby's sleep disorder and sometimes bad temper.

my daughter is doing the same thing it just started about three weeks ago she slept all night from six weeks now she gets up like six times a night it is almost not worth going to sleep i have tried gripe water and other things its not getting any better she is almost nine months she will crawl around in her sleep and everything but she doesn't have any teeth yet good luck

I wonder if he's still doing two naps-- maybe he's ready for a single nap during the day?

I'm now a grandma of a 20 month old who was breastfed until 13 months and is a good sleeper. So was her mother. Allowing your son to learn to soothe himself is a good idea. You can allow him to fuss and to cry unless he becomes really distraught at which time you will need to intervene. Every baby is an individual- some need "white" noise or a nightlight. Some are so used to silence that the slightest noise will wake them. For some, they need a dark room. By trial and error, determine what his needs are. He was in a light sleep cycle, woke and has now trained you to come to his call! If a binky helps to soothe him back to sleep, then that's your big clue. Give him his binky, pat or rub his back gently and walk away.

Supplementing with formula is probably not necessary and could induce just enough gas to disturb his sleep. The proteins in formula are harder to digest and unless you've been supplementing all along, to add it now just to make him full is, in my opinion, a really bad idea.

You don't say how long this has been going on. It could also be related to your own stress regarding your move to Kiev. Babies are sensitive to emotional upheaval.

Same deal for us with our daughter she is now 7 months and it hasn't changed. I can't figure unless she is allergic to a solid food we have introduced or become intolerant of her formula-I am about ready to change types to the expensive pre-digested formula. I am sorry I don't have advice since I am in the same boat, just lettin you know you're not alone and what we are ready to try next. Pediatrician is no help-just says she sees alot of this...

I feel for you! My daughter did the same thing. I asked my doctor about it and she suggested letting them cry to sleep. It sounds mean and I couldn't do it at first but I eventually did and it really does work. They need to learn to fall back asleep on their own and the best way to do that is to let them. The first night was the worst for me. It took an hour of crying. Of course I would go in their to see if she was alright several times but I never picked her up. That was probably the hardest part. It took three nights of this and ever since she has been sleeping through the night. It sounds mean (at least that is what I thought at first) but I realized it is just crying and it won't hurt them. Just a suggestion. It worked for me! Good luck with whatever you decide!