Baby Not Sleeping

Your baby may be going through a growth spurt. Try feeding him a little more, or even adding an extra snack or bottle in during the day or right before bedtime. He could also be teething - that's the age my daughter cut her first tooth. Check for him tugging at his ears as well; my daughter would always get an ear infection when she cut teeth as a baby. Hope this helps!

They also make a bear that has the sound of a mothers heartbeat. I used that with my children. It worked really well for them. I also used to spray one little squirt of my perfume on their blanket about an hour before they went to bed and that way they had my scent with them all night long. I hope things get better for you. Enjoy them while they are little because they grow up way too fast.

My first son did the same thing and it lasted about 6 weeks. I have heard that it can be some sort of developmental phase, but I really don't know. We just put ours in bed with us which is the only way we could get sleep, but I know that isn't for everyone, so I would do whatever I could until this phase is over. Good luck and maybe mention it to his ped.

he probablt is teething. try a few teething tablets. you're going to need them anyway and if that's not it they won't hurt him.

if he's not fussy during the day maybe he just needs a step up in food

Have you had him checked for an ear infection?

You know I had the same problem, my little girl slept in her bassinet for about 2 months and then all the sudden wouldn't sleep anymore. Everytime I laid her down she would cry, unless she was in her swing. So we moved her swing into the bedroom and she slept there until she was 4 months old and she moved into her own room in to her baby bed. I would let the swing rock her for a while and then turn it off when I went to bed. They say nothing is wrong, it is just the swing gives them a more secure feeling because it cuddles them more than there bed. At least we got some sleep that way, and so did she. Hope that helps. S.

Has he had any fever or acting differently throughout the day? Eating differently? It might be an earache, which would hurt a lot if lying down. My kids got earaches without fever every time, and I would sense something wasn't right, because they had such a hard time sleeping.

I hope things turn out better soon! Poor little guy.

I would bet it is an ear ache!! They can be hard to detect..you may need to take him to a doctor.
When laying down the fluid accumulates and causes pressure in the eustachian tubes. When you put him in the swing,upright,the pressure is allievated.
Best to see the Docotr I think.

--M. (____@____.com)

Hi Dear A., I have a girl who is 9 months old and the following has work with us, first you must know your baby and if he cries no stop is maybe cause his first tooth is coming out and teething hurts so there is a couple of things you can do massage his gums with the index finger very clean before put it in his mouth and use a little bit of orajel, second if this doesn't work then ask your pediatrician if you can give him some tylenol to calm his pain, and last and effective one, massage him before go to bed if you are not expert, you can get a little book called massage for baby, and if you can not get it just go along his all body with a gentle touch while looking his eyes and trowing him kiss do it for around 10 minutes his complete body and for massage you can use edible almond oil u other fruit flavor like grape oil or just a body cream special for baby but be sure that doesn't have mineral oil on it :). I hope this works dear A. and if it works let me know.
Att: Mony (massage therapist)

Do not pick him up, once you do that they never want to go back down. I would check on him, lay him down pat him for just a minuet (do not pat to sleep, just enought to comfort) and then leave. All 3 of my kids have done that and you just have to give it time. I let them cry it out after I have done the above, but I realize not every mom is comfortable doing that. If you do let him cry it out, it should only last a few more nights. Also, do you have a night light on? If he is waking up scared it may be because it is to dark in the room. I always make sure that there is just enough light for them to see that they are in a safe place, but not enough that they think it is morning if they wake up.

As for the swing, that can be very dangerous because I am assuming you are going back to sleep also. I would encourage you not to do that for the safety of your baby.

Hi A.,
I have two children and I know that when both my girls were younger, they would have trouble sleeping. As you mentioned, it could possibly be that your son is about to cut teeth. It could also be that he has gas, or colic. My girls experienced this. I reccomend a weak bottle of chammomile tea sweetened with a tiny bit of sugar. Not honey. Either way, chammomile will help settle an upset tummy and it also has anti-inflammatory effect on the gums and teeth. It is also a mild sedative. Plain Chammomile tea can be found at most local grocery stores, even WAL_MART. You can even fill the bottle with hot or warm water, place 1 teabag in it and let it steep for a few minutes. The point is not to make it too strong, even though it is a gentle herb. As with any herb, there is a possibility of allergic reaction so start out with very weak infusion. I do NOT recommend other blends of herbs along with the chamomile such as Celestial Seasonings "Sleepy Time Tea", because these and similar teas contain herbs that could be too potent for a little guy.
A warm bath right before bed with baby wash that has lavender or lotion that has lavender massaged into baby's skin, before bed, can also help immensely. 'Johnson's' brand baby body wash is what I used.
Well good luck, and I hope some of my advice helped. God Bless!!

A.,

I know that when my boys wake up crying in the night it is usually because of an ear infection. The swing puts him at an incline and thus decreases the pressure on his ear drums which may explain why he is able to fall back to sleep. You may want to see the Dr. to rule out an ear infection. Hope this helps!

hd

My son did this about 8 mths of age, and it was partially teething and later on separation anxiety. If he's super dooper drooly during the day then it's probably teething.

Is he clingier than normal during the day--crying if you leave the room even for a second? Then it may be the latter. For the separation anxiety, it broke my heart but I had to let him cry it out and eventually after a few nights he slept peacefully through the night again.

He could possibly have gas. Try giving him gas drops and burping him and see what happens. Babies will get a lot of gas built up in their chest and will scream like the world is coming to an end.

One trick to finding out if they have 'a burp':
Hold your baby's stomach up to your ear and rock forward and backward, listening to his stomach. Several feet of movement is required. If you hear a sloshing sound the baby has gas. It may sound weird, but it works! Plus, the kids love it. ;) *Note- this trick only works if the baby has liquid in his stomach.

You may have already been told this, but ear infections are more painful when lying down due to pressure.

Teething can also cause infants to start waking in the middle of the night especially the forming or coming in of molars because it also causes the pressure symptoms in the ear.

The swing may be your best option at the moment,but you might also want to have your baby checked if it continues. The new theory from some pediatricians is to not treat ear infections with antibiotics, so that is why I didn't suggest going to the Dr. immediately. There are ear oils at health food stores if it is due to ears.

Hi A., my name is C. and i live in DeSoto, Texas. Is that where you are from? I'm sorry to hear that your baby is having a hard time. When did he get his last shots? Much of his problem is probably related to whatever vaccines he's had. The effects can last for months. I would strongly encourage you to not vaccinate and i don't expect you'll listen to that, so please at least do your homework before vaccinating again. Vaccines have ruined my son's life, so i've been researching them for about 3 years now. If you continue to vaccinate more damage could occur. If you live in DeSoto you should go to the health food store by Tom Thumb and talk to sprite. The first thing you should do is get him on some accidolpholus. This will neutralize the toxins from previous vaccines. They almost work like a slow working acid of sort. Please, if you continue to vacinate you can do more damage to your baby. Please contact me at ____@____.com if you would like to discuss this further.

A.,

check out http://www.askmoxie.org/sleep/index.html (and scroll down to the entry from 2008 Jan 31 about sleep regressions at different ages/stages).

Moxie is a self-proclaimed "Not an expert, just a mom. I help people troubleshoot their parenting problems." She writes a blog, the strength of which I believe is not just Moxie's experience on nearly-all things parenting, but that she encourages (and relies) on her readers to comment with their experiences, too! So you can usually get multiple suggestions on just about every topic. A great resource for your "Mommy toolbox" (it has been for mine!).

Hope this helps.

Congrats on your son and Hang In There (this too shall pass)!
N.

I also have a 14 month who has slept thru the night since she was born and recently starting waking up crying in the middle of the night. Her problem is she is trying to cut her bottom molars. Maybe you should put your finger in his mouth and see if his gums are swollen. This might be the cause. I have been giving mine some tylenol in the middle of the night and it soothes her for a little while.

The baby doesn't have to have a tooth to be cutting one. They swell in & out of the gums for days, weeks & you may never see them. I recommend baby oral gel anyway & maybe some tylenol. Also, he may be extra hungry. I would try a type of rice cereal or oatmeal right before bed to make sure it stays with him. Also, is he/she warm enough? These are all things that will make a little one uncomfortable. Hope these things help. J.

Could be teething, or many other things. I received some really good advice once and it has helped wonders.

When your baby wakes up at night, do NOT take him out of bed. Go to him in his room, pat him, even sit on the floor with you hand on him through the crib. But don't take him out of bed. You are still there to comfort him, but this way you are still telling him in a loving manner that it is bed time and he needs to stay in bed.

I was astonished how well this worked for me and my baby was back to sleep through the night in no time.

Best of Luck!

Hi I had the same problem with my daughter when she was about 7 months old. I also had to put her in her swing to get her to go back to sleep. I did start giving her some teething tablets and she started sleeping a little longer each night. Also I started rubbing her gums during the day. Within a couple of weeks her first tooth came in and she went back to sleeping. I don't know how much that will help but its all I got. Good Luck!!