9 Month Old Having Trouble Staying Asleep

Updated on September 07, 2007
S.J. asks from Modesto, CA
4 answers

I have a problem keeping my 9 month old asleep. This is a new problem for her. Lately she goes to sleep at night and then wakes up after about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours. Then I can't get her back to sleep for a couple hours after that. I am breast feeding and that is the only way I have ever got her to sleep. It gets so late at night by then that I end up putting her in bed with me and either nurse her or give her a bottle and she eventually falls asleep. She has never been the best napper either, but before this I never minded because she would usually sleep about 11 hours at night. Now her nights are all broken up and she doesn't nap that much. I keep hearing to give then a bedtime bath, I usually give her a bath in the afternoon and she kicks and splashed and I think it just wakes her up. I use a fan in her room for white noise and have made it as dark as possible. Any suggestions?

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H.H.

answers from Sacramento on

My son went through this at around 9 months and didn't let up until he was about a year old. Depending on the physical and mental milestones your daughter has achieved, this can be quite a busy time for a 9 month old. My son didn't crawl until about 9 1/2 months and his sleep was greatly affected. He only wanted to nurse or bottle down to sleep and he wouldn't let us put him down in his crib. He would wake up every time. It was very challenging, but it does get better. I think 9 months is also the time when many babies develop terrible separation anxiety. Your daughter may be going through this right now, too. If your staying home with your daughter, try taking naps with her, even if that just means nursing naps so you can rest a little. I felt so tired from the time my little guy was about 9 months until he was one.

At one my son started sleeping through the night and recently at 13 1/2 months, he started waking up again several times at night and, again, wouldn't let us put him back down to sleep in his crib. About a week after this started he learned to walk and started teething his molars. As soon as he figured out walking, he was back to sleeping through the night. Good luck to you. It will get better.

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M.Z.

answers from Reno on

Is she teething? That is when my youngest can't seem to sleep. My middle boy though wakes up if he is hungry. Check the teething, then maybe try giving your daughter a small snack before her bedtime bottle. Maybe her stomach is thinking it needs some more. Good luck!

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K.V.

answers from San Francisco on

I agree w/the other moms...she may be teething. Sometimes, hittng or just about to hit a milestone or growth spurts can also cause changes in sleeping patterns. What you & your husband need to decide is if you will continue to wake up w/her or try to get her to sleep thru the night. At 9 months, she really doesn't need to nurse or have a bottle out of hunger, it's probably more about comfort. She also needs to learn how to self-soothe as well as put her self back to sleep so this could be the right age & opportunity to help her learn that. You can do this in steps, sort of. For the first few nights, try limiting the amount of liquid you give her. The next few nights, sooth her w/o that, maybe rocking her or turning on soft music. Then the next few nights, soothe her w/o picking her up by rubbing or patting her on the back. All the while, let her cry a bit longer before you go in. Or you could go straight for 'cry-it-out'theory. Either way there will be a few loud, frustating nights but the key is to stay consistent. My nephews are now 7.5 years old & have only been totally sleeping thru the night for about 6 months. All cuz my sister & her huband gave in. The boys would cry & then get a lot of attnetion from their parents. Once they were out of cribs, it became musical beds meaning most nights, one boy was in their bed w/a parent while the other boy was in their room w/the other parent. Hope this helps! Good luck!

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A.C.

answers from Sacramento on

Does she have any teeth yet? If she is teething, then that could be causing her sleep pattern to be off. My son got his first tooth at 9 months, and it changed his whole pattern!

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