8 Month Old Waking EVERY HOUR

Updated on June 04, 2009
V.L. asks from Santa Rita, GU
29 answers

My daughter is almost 8 months and since the second she turned 6 months old she has been waking almost EVERY HOUR at night. She sleeps incredibly restlessly, tossing and turning, whining all night and she wakes every hour to either nurse, have her pacifier again or I have to try and soothe her back to sleep somehow. This has been going on for 2 months now and I am so freaking exhausted I can barely function. I thought it was a growth spurt but it is 2 months now, I thought it was teething but it is EVERY night. This started the same time she started refusing to sleep until midnight and waking up at 10am, which she is still doing. I don't care so much about that because my husband works nights.

She sleeps in our bed, she is EBF, I wear her or hold her as much as I can during the day, I try to keep a consistent and calming evening routine, I have a white noise machine in the room, she is not on any solids and she won't eat any, she is allergic to cows milk but I don't ingest any because I am lactose intolerant anyway, she doesn't appear to have a fever, she had a very slight cold but it has only been the past 3 days not 2 months, and I have no idea what else to do....

Please can anyone give me any advice? Tips? I have ordered the No-Cry Sleep Solution but I live overseas and it takes a while to get here. I will NOT CIO, there has to be another solution.

PLEASE HELP A SLEEP DEPRIVED MOTHER!!

2 moms found this helpful

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So What Happened?

Thank to everyone who replied to my post!
I have determined it is definitely slow teething and growth spurt. I did try moving her to her crib for a few nights and nursing her if she woke up, and put her back in the crib again. But she was still up every hour, so it's not the close proximity to me that is causing her to wake. I also have noticed after how much she is eating at night she has barely any poopy diapers (she has enough for it to be normal) compared to her usual. So she obviously needs to be eating that much, plus she is a skinny little thing and is incredibly mobile now and if I stopped the night feedings I am positive she would lose weight. As far as solids go, I have been trying her with solids for 2 months and she will not eat anything. She gags, chokes and throws up so she obivously isn't ready and i'm not going to force her. I will keep trying once a week with them to see if she is ready.
So, I am increasingly glad I didn't 'CIO'. Thanks to those who suggested, but as I said I will not CIO, I do not believe in sleep training, and I am surely glad I didn't try it. We are all very happy with our decisions so far and will get through the next few weeks together.

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R.L.

answers from San Diego on

You have to sleep train. It's the only way. It's only going to get worse and get much harder to fix. Find a method that works foryou and be consistant

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C.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi V.,
Is she able to put her pacifier in her own mouth? The reason I ask is that I have a number of friends who put multiple pacifiers in their child's crib at night. It is hard for children to find their pacifier in the dark, so if you lay 4-5 of them around their crib, they can feel around for one to pop in their mouth.

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K.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

Unfortunately I went through this with my son - now four and half years old and a champ sleeper, and all that worked was patience! I went through it a couple of months ago with my daughter - now 11 months - and then she started sleeping for chunks of several hours... again, it just took patience :( Sorry there seems to be no quick fix to this one - it's one of the challenges of being a co-sleeping/BF mommy... in fact, I was up every hour sometimes more, with my 11 month old last night - but I can see the tooth about to poke through so I know we're almost through this rough patch. I'm guessing your baby is probably growing, teething, getting ready to learn to crawl (or just learned to crawl), going through seperation anxiety (even if she's just seperated long enough for you to go the laundry), and getting stranger awareness all at the same time.... this is a particularly hard age for sleeping because of all these things. Hang in there, nap EVERY chance you get, and in a few short months you'll be through it wondering how you survived that first year!

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

I EBF'd too with both my kids until they self-weaned.

What I would do, is UP her intake... cluster feed her...she is seeming to need it... and her intake has not yet kept pace with her growing needs and the typical 6 month old growth spurt...so she may still, even at 2 months later... "still" be not ahead in her intake amounts and she is still trying to get more intake...
Cluster feeding is a NORMAL thing, whereby the baby needs to feed frequently, even every single hour. Yes, its tiring, but it's normal... both my kids did that too periodically. They NEED it and it is their way to tell you they need more intake and are growing.
At this age, and for the 1st year of life... a baby needs to be fed on-demand 24/7... so even if it's hard, this is what I did. This is per our Pediatrician.
Breastmilk digests much quicker than say formula...so they get hungrier more often.

Is it also possible that your milk output has changed or lessened, that you know of? I would check that as well. Some babies react that way when their milk supply is waning...

Other possible reasons could be:
(1) she could be teething now.... so it can be a "combination" of things. For teething, you can use Motrin or Tylenol for "infants." Or Hyland's teething tabs, or let her chomp on a dampened frozen wash cloth. But check with your Doctor first if she is teething.
(2) she has gas
(3) she is perhaps ill or her ears are bothering her or perhaps an under the radar kind of ear infection?

OH! Is it possible that something in your diet changed during this time-line of events you described... or something that has caffeine in it??? This can possibly affect the breastmilk and your baby...
Even something like your taking your vitamins at night, versus during the daytime... sometimes this can tweak things too because anything taken in, then affects the breastmilk and baby. Just a thought.

These are the suggestions I have off the top of my head, and having exclusively breastfed my kids and the cycles and developmental changes they both went through....which also includes quirks in sleep patterns or discomforts.

Oh- as for the pacifier... you can try and put many in her crib... then at this age or older, she can 'find' one and grab it and put it in her mouth at will. That is what we used to do with our son.

Take care,
Susan

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A.N.

answers from Las Vegas on

My almost 9 month old did something similar between 4 months and 7 months, except it was only every 2 hours. We were cosleeping and he nursed to sleep every time, and it was killing me because I was waking up every time too. Anyway, I had tried putting him in his crib a few times, and he would normally cry so he would always end up back in our bed (I don't believe in CIO either, but I think a little whining and crying is ok, as long as they aren't getting to the point where they are really upset). I kept trying that every couple of weeks or so, and he finally got to the point, at 7 months, that he was ready to begin sleeping on his own. He went to sleep on his own in his crib, with a little crying and whining, but he didn't get really upset. I think he was ready to move out on his own, once he did, he started sleeping 8 to 10 hours almost immediately. Maybe your son needs his own space. I thought the three months of waking up every 2 hours would never end, it finally did, and now he's going through new stuff and wakes up every 3 hours. It never ends :)

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C.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

Your daughter needs to learn to soothe herself to sleep- you are doing this for her. We (Babies, children, people) wake up multiple times a night naturally and turn over or soothe ourselves to sleep... she does not do this for herself and until she does you will be her expectation for that... it does not usually get easier as they get older. I can't tell you how many parents I have worked with with 4 year-olds who wake during the night, get in bed with mom, and only then will go back to sleep.

How is she going to learn this? Probably, as much as you don't like the idea by crying it out. Why? Because you can't be a part of her learning how to do this and because you have been she is going to complain in the only way she knows how- by crying. How are you going to make it through this? You are going to realize how important sleep is to you and your daughter and that she needs to learn this skill. Also, it is only going to take a few nights- which is worth it for a life long good sleeper. You can try extinction but it will still result in crying.

Other thoughts to limit crying:
-put her in her own room
-make sure she is not overtired- she should be taking two naps a day at 7 months- one around 9am and one around 1ish. And she should go to bed around 7/7:30 and sleep until 7 or so int he morning.
-develop a consistent bedtime routine- bath, teeth, pjs, book, bed
-sounds like you have a good sleep environment- white noise/sound spa, dark room?
-Also, make sure she is taking two good naps- 1.5-2.5 hours or so- if this isn't happening while you are wearing her have her sleep in her own bed.

You can do it! It is worth it for everyone!

Post to check out:

http://www.lullabyluna.com/2008/12/happy-new-year.html

C., mother of 3, sleep consultant, sleep blog writer www.lullabyluna.com

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E.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

Have you tried taking her to the potty? My sons can be very restless if they need to pee or are wet - waking every hour or so.
www.ez-ec.com
BTW, I refuse to sleep train or CIO - my almost 3 yr old (didn't start solids for almost 11 months) sleeps through the night with no trouble and will often tell me when he is tired and that he wants to go to bed. So I think he has healthy sleep habits. My 5 month old sleeps for longer periods than my older son ever did, and we have done the same (co-sleeping, baby wearing, EBF on demand, no CIO). Stay true to what feels right to you. Good luck!!!

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T.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi V.,
I read the "The No Cry Sleep Solution" and it helped me tremendously. Also, she might be over-tired because she is going to bed so late. That is the first thing the book talks about. Even though she is sleeping in later she is probably so over tired that she can't sleep well. The book will help you get her on a schedule and will ask you to fill out a chart to see what her naps are and how many hours she sleeps in all; including her naptimes. That book saved my life because I am not a CIO mom either. It helped with both my son who is now 4 years old and my 2 year old daughter and both sleep through the night!! Good luck!!

A.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

Have you tried sleep training? It might be hard for you as she sleeps in your bed but I highly recommend Dr. Weissbluth's book Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. My 7 month old has been sleeping through the nigt since 6 weeks but when she got off schedule I started this & she is a happy well rested baby again.
good luck!

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J.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

How about moving your lil one to her own crib? What about starting some solids? I waited until my son was 6 months to start solids of any sort with my son. I tried googling EBF and I can't find anything so I have no idea what it is. I don't do the CIO method either, I think it's cruel, and my son has learned to fall asleep on his own without it. My son also woke up multiple times during the night, but I did find that he started sleeping better once he was in his own room in his own crib. He wasn't being woken up by sounds that me and my fiance would make nor were we woken up by his noises. Yes, it was harder to have to get up at night and go to his room, but he did wake up and want to nurse less. You're at an advantage because you say that your lil girl takes a pacifier, whereas my son didn't. Sometimes they just want something to suck on. If your daughter is "chubby" or high on the percentages as far as weight to height ratio then more than likely she is not needing to nurse at night, but if she is like my son and very slim then it would not surprise me that she needs to eat in the middle of the night.
Just remember that every baby is totally different and no one, not another mother nor a pediatrician, can tell you what is best for your baby. We as mothers have abandoned our maternal instincts for "scientific" research and comparison. Trust your instincts and yourself. I think that you will pull out of this just fine. You may have to put your work on hold or work some funky hours while you nap during the day as well until this smoothes out.
OH by the way... I did try all of the sleep methods out there... NONE of them worked for my son, but bathing him in Epsom salts and using some lavendar scented products did... good luck! :)

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M.S.

answers from Las Vegas on

Dear V.:

First of all, I'm in agreement with what S H says below. My only original idea was to ask you, is the weather in Guam pretty consistent or has it recently gotten hotter (as it has here...whew!)? It's just that babies really sleep better in coolness and I was wondering if climate change had affected her.

Now, you said your baby sleeps with you. Have you considered sleeping topless so she can just help herself and not wake you up? That's what I used to do and it worked for the 18 months I slept with each child. I must say, though, that my son also went through a "thrashing" period like you're describing above. He'd plug in and unplug, plug in and unplug...it drove me crazy. So, I'd just place my hand behind his head to encourage him to finish nursing all the way, hopefully, to the hind milk. He'd fight me sometimes but when he accepted it, it seemed to help. Then, I'd flip over so he had my back to him and he'd settle down.

Susan is right. Sometimes you just have to get over difficult times like that by plodding through. Have you considered napping more frequently with her in your bed or on a sheet on the floor during the day? Continue to nurse her all day and see if she doesn't outgrow this stage sooner.

Best wishes,

M.

J.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hang in there, V.! You're doing a great job!

Have you tried Hyland's teething tablets? This homeopathic remedy is great for teething but I find it also calms my baby down enough so that he will sleep. It's gentle and may calm your little one enough to sleep. You may also want to see if the baby has an ear infection as well.

Good luck!

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K.[.

answers from Los Angeles on

she is probably hungry. once i started giving my son solids, he was not as fussy.

L.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi V.,
You poor thing!! I hear your tiredness straight from your post. I, too, would really start working on the solids at this point. We nursed and introduced solids at 6 months. Our daughter didn't like the cereals at first, either, but you've just got to keep pushing them and trying different versions. I wish you lots of luck and patience, too!

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A.N.

answers from Los Angeles on

If you'd like to take a look at a book I have, I can email it to you immediately. It's about setting boundaries and limits and doing what you, as a parent, know it's best for your child. It's about slowly teaching your baby how to self sooth to sleep. It involves some crying (because it's natural when you try to change a habit), but a lot of the things we know are best for our children are received with resistance, aren't they? Seven month is a great age to teach a good lifelong habit. Don't hesitate, both you and your daughter will enjoy each other so much better after a good night sleep.

PS: Most of the people that are against the "Ferber - CIO" method haven't even read his book. They base their opinion on what they've heard from friends. I think Ferber's (who started the so called CIO method) is a great book, and there's a lot to be learned from it even if you don't need to apply his method. But it's not the pdf book I have. I offered the pdf so it will get to you the fastest. Panley's book (The No Cry Out) is kind of weak and at the end of I can't remember what chapter she contradicts herself - she says if you're at the end of your rope, go ahead and CIO!

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C.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

I am in the EXACT same boat!! I have the No Cry Sleep Solution and have read it back to back twice. Has not helped so far. I have tried everything except CIO - sleep wedge, white noise, even Tylenol (per the pediatrician on call), PrevAcid, gas drops, homeopathic teething drops, swinging, nighttime ritual (still do). We are breastfeeding and she will eat avocado, cereal and fruits. I heard from my Mother in law that my husband was the same and nothing she did helped. I have posted on every "mama" board I can find. How is your baby's weight? Mine's is on the low end of the normal range.

Well, I know I was no help but want you to know you're not alone!!!!!!!!!!

To others: EBF= exclusively breast fed, CIO= cry it out, WAHM = working at home mom

Also: I did stack feeding and solids 3x a day including rice cereal, fruit, avocado and it did not affect her sleeping whatsoever. This week I've been pumping a 5 oz bottle to give her at midnight but she only eats 2 oz before falling asleep. Some advised me to try supplementing with formula but she won't eat it AND my milk production is very good. The only things I haven't tried are gluten free diet for me, cranio sacral massage & occupational therapy.

Good luck and keep us updated if anything changes (or doesn't!)
PS Does your baby nap during the day? Mine didn't used to but now she does 3x a day. They are anywhere from 20-70 mins. Seemed to help her a little with her night sleeping.

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J.R.

answers from San Diego on

Hi V.,

I really don't have any advice from personal experience because we are pretty much in the same boat. My dd is 9 months old and still wakes up all throughout the night. I feel your pain!!

A friend of mine did this and it seemed to work for her: she first started cutting out the night feedings by just refusing the breast and would then feed her dd around 4 or 5 am; this took a few weeks then she enlisted her husband to be the bedtime lovey. He started laying down with their dd in bed and the first night mom went in to comfort but not nurse and then after that it took a few nights of crying with daddy to learn to fall asleep without mommy. Now she goes down in her crib without a problem.

I haven't tried all of these steps but maybe they will work for you:)

If you want to talk email me ____@____.com

Smiles,
J.

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N.F.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi V.- I really feel for you, but I have to be honest and tell you that if you are serious and you really are desperate to get some consistent sleep then there is NOT another solution for you other than letting her CRY IT OUT. By no means does that imply that you have to let her suffer or scream for ridiculous amounts of time. It is TOTALLY reasonable to allow her to cry for 5 minutes, go back in and soothe her, then wait 10 minutes before you go back in and soothe her and then wait 15 minutes and so on. You can be totally loving and tough at the same time and I PROMISE you, you will be helping her and yourself in the long run. I would also strongly suggest that you let her sleep in her own room now that she's 7 months. It will only get harder for you if she's in your bed. Please know that I respect your decision to choose the attachment parenting style, but you have to understand that this particular method comes with a steep price and you're paying it right now. The fact that you have her in a consistent bed time routine is fantastic and once you train her to soothe herself it really will all fall into place and she'll stop waking so often.
Just consider the CIO method in moderation. Adapt it to your own comfort level. I think you'll be shocked at how quickly they learn how to get to sleep and more importantly stay asleep on their own.
Good luck!

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A.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi V.,

You've gotten a lot of good responses, but I just wanted to let you know that my 8 month boy is going through the same thing. I feel your pain! The lack of sleep is torture! For the past three nights, he has woken up every hour. He is unusually fussy in that he doesn't calm down when I pick him up. Also, it's almost impossibe to get him back to sleep. I assumed it was because he was teething, but even the Highland's teething tablets didn't help. A friend suggested it could be an ear infection, so I am taking him to the doctor today. I don't know if your baby has ever had an ear infection, but it's something you really can't tell they have it unless the doctor checks their ears. You might want to see your doctor just to rule out that possibility. I hope things get better for you soon!

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J.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Her age is such that she is ready for solids. Personally, I would try pursuing more solids into her diet. Perhaps breastmilk isn't enough anymore. Giving her solids will keep her full longer.

Also, have you thought about putting her in a crib? She can still be in your room... All that thrashing around is normal. More than likely she isn't even awake when she's doing it. You never know, she may thrash around, find a new position and then fall asleep.

I personally have done the no-cry sleep solution method (Pantley). Be aware that although the title states "No Cry" there will be SOME crying. Crying is normal and a part of every baby's life. Her methods are to try to soothe while getting baby to sleep. There will be crying as you try to soothe. It's okay.

Good luck! This'll pass and you WILL get sleep!

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K.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

seems like he baby has your number. Being a mom of 4 I've experience it all, or so I like to think. If she is not teething or running a fever, she is fed and had a clean diaper. Give her a bit of baby tylenol feed her and put her down for her nap. She wakes up, let her cry for a bit--I know it's hard and it seems like she can cry forever! she will do it a few times but once she sees no one comes to her rescue it will slowly quiet her down. Took me a weekend to get my daughter to the point were she takes her bottle in her crib and falls asleep. She is now 10 months old.

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K.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi V.. I am a sleep Consultant and Parenting Coach. The No Cry Sleep Solution is a good book but it really is best for preventing problems from starting. I found that it really isn't helpful for getting kids to sleep once there is a problem. Unfortunetely, for the issues you're describing you are going to be hard pressed to find a solution that doesn't involve some amount of crying. Whenever you have to change what has become a habit, there is going to be resistance. The key is to have a plan so that you can minimize the crying as much as possible. Crying, in and of itself is not a bad thing. Parents are so afraid of it but it really is more damaging to your child to have months and months of terrible, interrupted sleep. Parenting is about setting boundaries and limits and about doing what is best for our children-they don't have to like it. Whether it is vaccines or eating their vegetables, kids don't always like what is best for them but it is up to you as the parent to make those choices. Good Luck to you,
K. Smith
www.theindependentchild.com

M.V.

answers from San Diego on

Hi V.,

Your little girl is changing and her need for sleep is less. So less sleep during the day and more play! By evening she will be ready for her relaxing routine of a warm bath then being held by mommy while having her evening "meal/bottle" and a soothing back rub to sleepy land! (yes, I used the "B" word)

I did the WAHM thing too, I'm not too sure if parenting is anything other than natural...;)

Before my first child was born I read and studied everything I could on what to expect from the child growing inside of me, you could say I did some research on the subject (ok, I'm a geek..with a degree and interest in human nature so naturally I did a lot of research before and after my baby was born and it really made a huge difference in how I handled the many changes that came)...

I am going to share with you what I found to be the key to overcomming the most difficult challenge we all face as parents....

**First rule...this IS the hard one...YOU have to make up the child's sleep routine! This means "you wake" the baby when she's alseep and "you lay her down" when she's "supposed" to sleep...when you shorten the time she naps she "is tired"...so she will sleep "when you let her"... Yikes! I know...it seems mean to wake a baby like that...not if you start by talking to her sweetly and rub her tummy and change her diaper...

Your not supposed to carry the baby all day it conditions her to expect this feeling "all" the time so that when she becomes conscious of not being held she gets upset so "mommy becomes the one being conditioned"!

Feeding becomes a routine as well, your baby is old enough that you dont have to do a feeding by demand. It sounds like she needs more than just breast milk, its not unusual for some babies to require more. Your not cheating her out of anything if you give her what she needs and baby's do grow out of the breast feeding..(the first 6 months is about what a baby needs from breast milk and then they need more)

You wont loose that wonderful bonding if you hold your baby and give her a bottle (never just prop a bottle in a baby's mouth for them to fall asleep with).

You can try breastfeeding first thing in the morning, then play with her instead of letting her go back to sleep. I think talking to my baby during that time and showing him simple brightly colored toys helped him talk sooner than most children...

When you decide its time for her to take a nap, hold her close and give her a bottle of formula, don't let her fall asleep until she has finished a small bottle. I always patted my baby to make sure his tummy was clear of air bubbles before laying him down....place your baby on your lap with her tummy face down and head gently turned to the side as you would in her bed and gently pat her bottom and middle of her back, you should get a little "reward" and then off to sleep she will be....carefully carry her to her bed and place her in the same position.

If you use the same routine at night when you "officially" lay her down for the evening, you will find she wont be waking up as often or may even sleep through the whole night. When my son started sleeping through the night I would go in and change his diaper so that he wouldnt wake up in discomfort and it keeps the diaper rash thing from happening...

As babies get older they have larger appetites and so we gradually give them things like the formula (soy for us) and then we add a little baby cereal to it to make it more filling and then we introduce the foods. The other thing that occurs is they dont sleep as much and their routines become more like ours, this is why its important to start conditioning by the 6th month...I found 6 months is an important developemental point and one of which your interaction and conditioning becomes more significant in a baby's level of awareness....

I hope this all makes sense, I wish you and your little princess the best! I have 3 teens now and thats a whole other chapter in my book!! lol! Good luck.

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T.

answers from Las Vegas on

V.,

I'd guess she's got some sort of a food allergy issue that is keeping her from sleeping. My now 2.5 year old is allergic to both dairy and soy proteins. Avoiding milk wouldn't have been nearly enough for him. The entire time I breastfed him I had to be entirely free of any sort of dairy including any dairy hidden in other foods (like bread made with any sort of milk product - butter, whey, milk, etc...) and all forms of soy protein (usually listed as soy protein isolate in other foods). Soybean oil and soy lecithin were okay because they are so highly processed there is no soy protein in them (some kids still react to them but mine doesn't). As long as my diet was clean (and now that he is older, his diet is clean) he sleeps like a champ. If he gets ANY dairy or soy in his diet, he'll be up endlessly at night. I'd really assume that your daughter has a belly ache. Cure the belly ache, cure the sleep problems. Also, my son has eczema and lots of allergic kids do. Eczema is miserable. It itches really badly and tends to wake kids up. Get the eczema under control and the sleeping will improve.

In my experience, a miserable, food allergic baby is a non-sleeping baby. A healthy, allergen free baby is a happy, sleeping baby.

Good luck,
T.

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J.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

Liquid calcim and magnesium - we use the ones for adults, but just a teaspoon or less each night. Also adding the hyland's homeopathic Calms Forte 4 Kids does wonders!

Calcium/mag is a natural muscle and nervous system relaxant and in a few days, the babies SLEEP so much better! The first growth spurts happen at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months, so if they are lacking calcium, their nervous systems can't calm down, then you have an exhusted baby AND parent.

Good for you on your parenting choices.

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L.M.

answers from San Diego on

When both of my girls went throught the same thing about the same age as yours our pediatrician felt they were hungry,not gettting enough nutrient from breastfeeding alone. Getting them on some amount of solids during the day helped incredibly. Most babies do go through a second round of wakefulness about this age anyway (not that it makes your sleep deprivation any easier - my 10 month old started the same thing at 7 months and is still doing it periodically, so I feel your pain). I would really focus on getting some solids into the diet since you're doing everything else already. You may want to take a look at a book called Super Baby Food - great ideas for introducing solids and for making baby food at home.

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L.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

Uggh! that is so hard. I have gone through periods like that, but not for 2 months! First I think maybe enlisting some help so you can get a break would be great, but maybe that is not an option. Maybe you could plan something where on your husbands night off, he could be in charge of soothing the baby, rocking etc, and bring the baby to you on your side of the bed, so you dont have to get up..When you are cosleeping, my experience( I did it with my first, but my second was in a crib in the same room after around 5 months before that I kept her in a cosleeper, so it wasnt the same mattress) was that at some point your presence does stir the baby to eat more. However transitioning to a crib you do need a LOT of help, because the baby is used to touching you all night long, or at least feeling your warmth, smelling you. You will definitely need your husband if you choose to do that, but I think some distance (even 24 inches) may allow her to be less easily stirred.
Also you might be opposed to trying tylenol.. but I would suggest trying it just once to see if it really is teething. If you give a baby who is having horrible teething tylenol and they fall asleep about 30 min to 45 min later, then you know that it was probably the teething pain. If you are in Europe they also have paracetamol or perhaps a pharmacist can give you a homeopathic or more gentle pain reliever ifyou want to go that route.
If the baby is not waking up til 10 am also I would plan a few days when you are not busy(and more well rested)... and wake the baby at the desired time. 7:30? (maybe your husband could do this) Get her in the sunshine and get them used to being awake earlier. It is possible that she is just off and not able to get back on the schedule. This could also be because of light.. if the bedroom has a lot of light it maybe staying light later, and that could cause a lot of issues. I would get some black out curtains and conversely throw open those curtains at the desired wake time.

Sorry to go on and on.. Also there is a yahoo group for the 'no cry sleep solution' you could join that before you get the book, and read a lot of the posts.. It helped me a lot!

some things that worked for us... I will just refer to the first child? because he was the cosleeper:
No light in the room, sound machine..also be very Boring, no stories, just keep repeating one cue word, like its nighty night.. if even that
Gentle patting on the back.. also allowing him to sleep on his side or stomach(although totaly not recommended.. really helped)
Carbo loading before sleep.. this is also something if exclusively still breastfeeding? is it possible your milk supply has dropped? Or maybe to find a lactation consultant who specializes in transitioning to solids.. We always started with fruits or veges like pureed banana, or avocado, and you could pump and mix in some breastmilk or just add a little water..
Outdoor exercise, fresh air, throughout the day, but especially before sleep time
And last but not least.. a bed time routine, which the book can help you with... just create ritual.. a song, a book a bath what ever you want about 30 minutes of wind down.

Anyway sorry to go on and on!! I feel your pain!it is hell.. sleep is one of the hardest parts of being a parent..
one last thought: Also the book has a lot of info on how to gently night ween( and that could just mean for like 3 hours in the middle of the night at first) Hopefully it is helpful.. I know with my baby now, at some points when she has breastfed and is in the bed with me, I know there is no more milk, and she isjust sucking for comfort it helps to roll on to my stomach, so it is not even an option for her...she may fuss or cry a little, but then falls asleep. Also I think the book should help to distinguish a little fussiness versus screaming crying and how sometimes they are actually crying in a fussy way in order to kind of wind down. It is important to not think this is always a cue to breastfeed, I made that mistake with my first child and was breastfeeding every 2 hours in the night until he was about 16 months.. that was crazy..

good luck.. and sorry to be so long winded again!!
L.

update: just reread your post... is it possible.. that your daughter is changing her schedule to be able to see your husband? Not sure when he leaves, but I know sometimes kids are pretty intuitive about not wanting to 'miss out' on the good part of the day.

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M.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

There is a book called Becoming Baby wise. It helps you get her on a regular sleep pattern. I wonder what would do if you just let her fall asleep on her own. No soothing, feeding(because she isnt hungry if you just feed her an hour before right) just let her fall alseep on her own. She may need to cry it out but she will figure it out. Ummm I think you should stop letting her sleep in your bed now before it gets even harder to get her out of your bed. She needs to learn to soothe herself and fall alseep by herself when she is changed, fed, and nothing is wrong.
Get the book it will help alot!!!

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E.P.

answers from San Diego on

What is EBF, CIO, and WAHM?

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