7 Month Old Who Stopped Sleeping Through the Night

Sounds like the teething sort of started it all, and I gave my daughter a pacifyer when she first started to cry, as I didn't think she was hungry, and she would go back to sleep. You may have to hold it a second and pat him, but hopefully soon the habit of waking up will stop. You also may try putting him to bed 30 minutes later, and feed him rice cereal in his last feeding. This also did the trick for my daughter. She then slept until 5:30 or so. I know you'd love for him to sleep until 7, but if he doen't wake up in the middle of the night anymore, it still seems like all night when they go to bed that early. My daughter didn't go to sleep at night that early, but they are all so different. Hope the cereal and pacifyer helps you. I only ussed the pacifyer, when I thought she wasn't really hungry and her diaper was dry, I wasn't one for just sticking it in their mouth and it being a fixture. Hope this helps.

I agree with Jodi D. This is completely normal, and has happened with all three of my kids at some point between 6 and 9 months (my youngest is also 7 months & is doing this same thing). Babies develop bad habits quickly. They get sick or are teething, which causes night wakings-- mom goes in to comfort for several nights in a row, and before you know it- a bad habit developed! I would start with going in soon after you hear him (before he's screaming/full-out crying), soothe or rock him back to sleep before he's too awake. This way he'll go back to sleep without a feeding, so you can cut out that habit. If he still consistently wakes after a few nights of doing this, then you'll have to wean him off the habit of night waking- which in my opinion, in more difficult. This is why the cry-it-out method ultimately works, because each time you go in to comfort baby- baby learns 'if I cry, mom will come to comfort me'. He will not learn to comfort himself back to sleep, because mom always comes to do it for him. It's a difficult/trying time- one that you will have to decide when and if you utilize. Good luck!

K.,
it doesn't sound normal to me....it sounds like maybe he's developed a habit that you'll have to break. maybe he was teething and started waking up at that time? but now he's hooked on the feeding? you could try increasing the amount you give him during the day...even the solid food feedings...i guess he's getting several bottles, plus 3 meals a day? you could see if he would eat more baby foods...
crying it out is really hard, but definately doesn't scar them...i've done it with my boys, and its not easy, but definately worth it. i would try to cut the bottle...ultimately he's your son, and you are the one to decide what's best for your family, but it is possible to break that so you can get some sleep! :)

It has become a habit. My daughter did this at 7 months also. My doctor told me by 7 months, it's no longer a need when they cry at night. It's manipulation of their situation to see how much they control.

I swore I wouldn't ever do the cry it out method. She's my only and it took me 10 years to bring her into this world, so to hear her cry made my heart fall. After a few weeks of sleeping on the couch with her and waking up with a crick in my neck thoroughly exhausted, I finally let her cry it out. I sat outside her door and cried myself. It took 4 days. It was the hardest thing I ever did, but I can put her in her bed now and she will go to sleep in a few minutes without crying.

Start by going in and checking on him. Do not give a bottle. They don't need the extra feeding in the middle of the night. Just make sure he is dry and safe, tell him it is bedtime, and lay him back down. This is what I did, and my daughter is an excellent sleeper now.

GL!

It really depends on his weight. I know that my babies were always chunky so a bottle in the middle of the night by 6 months was not needed. However, I have a friend who has a baby that started walking by 9 months and extremely active as well. Because of all of this activity it has been hard for to keep his weight up; so the pedi said it was fine to feed a bottle in the middle of the night. He is almost one and she still breastfeeds him 1x in the middle of the night. I think you should discuss with your pedi b/c every child is different. Good luck!