Baby Not Sleeping Through the Night anymore...Please Help.

Give her back her bottle. My granddaughter is 13 mo. And didn't sleep thru the night until last week. When she stayed with me i would give her her bottle and let her play a little while and she would go back to sleep without any problem. I think some babies just don't sleep all night. My son didn't sleep all night until he was over a year old. My daughter slept all night when she was 2 weeks old. Good luck and hang in there.

She's hungry and she's not sleeping because it's uncomfortable. The doctor isn's always right. All babies are different. Go back to feeding her. She's not ready to give up the middle of the night feeding yet.

My 7 month old hasn't slept through the night ever. I asked the doctor about it and he said it was normal. He said some kids just don't sleep through the night until 12 months, and some still need night feedings because of higher metabolisms, ect. I think if you just try feeding her, she'll do better.

Hi R.,
How long has this been going on? I remember that "crying it out " experience with my daughter when she was 6 months old. Does your daughter have a cold or anything that could be causing her not to rest well. Typically some babies go through a phase but it shouldn't last long. I'm sure you are adding cereal to her bedtime bottle. Tryin adding a little more to see if that will hold her longer. Also, what time does she go to bed? If she is going to bed at 8 and wants a bottle at 4, well that's not really the middle of the night and it has been 8 hours.

Dear R., try feeding her a little bit later before final bedtime and add some cereal to her milk for night time feeding, it will fill her little belly up so she will sleep better. Also try keeping her up a little later than usual, she is probably getting to much rest during the day therefore she is not tired in the evening. A binkie will help with the sucking sensation she desires at night as well. Good luck

My little boy did the same thing for awhile and finally grew out of it. He is 11mths old and really just now sleeping solid through the night. I did however start feeding him his dinner earlier so that right before bed he will take a full 8oz bottle and that seemed to make a difference. I think that some babies are just not natural sleepers and that it's a waiting game.........

Hi!!
I let my little girl cry it out...doing like you did, checking on her every 10-15 minutes to soothe her and then put her back down. Sometimes, when children hit or get close to hitting a new developmental milestone, they tend to wake up more often during the night. Another thought, yes, by 6 months, she should be sleeping through the night...but make sure that she is getting enough during the day. AND, you know your daughter better than anyone...is she cutting teeth, in pain for some reason, sick? If you get everything checked out and know that nothing is physically wrong, then she may just be testing you to see what it's gonna take for you to give in to her! Let her cry. Go in to let her know that you are there, like you've been doing, and then put her back down and learn how to put herself back to sleep. It may be hard now, but it would be even harder the longer you wait.
Good Luck and God Bless!

She is only 6 months old correct. With the last bottle of the night put a spoonful of rice cereal in it and feed it to her right before you put her to bed. This will keep her tummy full through the night. You should always follow this with a bottle of water. Never put a baby in bed with a bottle of anything but water. If you do, you will be premoting teeth rot. You may have to take a knife to the nipple of the bottle to keep the nipple open, just cut a X into it. Make sure you hold her when you are feeding her. This is good for you and her, that bonding can never be repeated ever again. And if you would like to talk to me Just email me ____@____.com

I would first just check with her doctor to make sure there are no physical/mental causes to this not sleeping. Then I would suggest you leave her in there without going in when she cries. It could take 2 nights or so before she stops waking up to cry and the crying could last a little while (or you could be lucky and it may not take much time at all). Kids go through different phases like that so it could be nothing, but if you want her to sleep you'll have to ignore the constant crying since she's probably just wanting you to come in there. And obviously there are ways to make sure she's okay without her knowing you're checking up on her. You could pay attention to the monitor to make sure she's not throwing up when she cries, you could smell through the crack in the door for poop, and once she goes to sleep each time you could go in to double check her if you're really worried (as long as you don't think that'll wake her up). And check for poop up close if you think there's a chance she pooped and fell asleep but it's not a super stinky one.

I had to let both my kids cry it out at some point and now they sleep very well. Good luck.

Maybe, as with all children, your daughter doesn't fit into the "Doctors Mold". If she isn't sleeping and waking up hungry what is the problem with giving her something? I'm sure she is eating foods - my mother always had a small bowl of cereal or maybe a cup of ice cream for my grandchild just before bedtime....seemed to do the trick for helping her sleep through the night better.
B.

Since your doctor had you "push" your daughter to drop her 4am feeding, she may not have adjusted her daytime feedings to accommodate it yet.

Basically babies drop feedings because they are able to take in larger amounts of nutrition at each meal until they no longer need the feeding they are dropping. For ex. if a baby is eating 30 oz of milk/formula a day, that might be done in 5 feedings of 6 oz, or 6 feedings of 5 oz (or any other combination). As the baby begins to consistently take 6 oz per feeding, the 6th feeding becomes unnecessary. If you continue to give her a 6th feeding, she may not take much, but it becomes a habit to wake for the feeding.

If she didn't compensate in her remaining meals for her 4am feeding, she very well may be hungry.

1. I would look at each feeding she's now getting, and see if she will take more during them.

2. If she's not on solids, start!

3. If she is on solids, (and you haven't already) make sure her solids follow her milk/formula. The milk/formula will remain her primary source of nutrition for a few more months, until she can take in enough solids, that is. This period of eating solids is to "learn" how to do that. It's also for simple pleasure of tastes and textures, as well as developing motor coordination (Cheerios!). At the same time, if your family eats the traditional 3 meals a day, then you need to transition and train her also.

4. Although the timing suggests hunger issues, you could also be dealing with teething. Our kids rarely fussed during the day, but would be up consistently at night when they had teeth coming in. You have several options Hyland's Teething tablets (homeopathic), Calms Forte 4 Kids (homeopathic), Tylenon (pain), and ibuprofen (pain and gum inflammation).

Hope it helps! Feel free to email me if I can help in any other way.

Purchase a sound machine. They are relatively inexpensive and very soothing. The white noise or ocean waves selection works well. In addition YOU know your child better than anyone. I have kids ranging in age from 18 years to 18 months and each were different and had different feeding needs. Perhaps your baby is not ready to make it through the night without a feeding. The pediatrician doesn't live at your house nor does he/she have to walk the floor or spend a night up with an unhappy baby.

R.
The doctor is not the one not sleeping it is not going to hurt her if you give her that bottle at 4am so that you can get some sleep yourself, and if she is hungry she will drink the bottle. If she drinks the bottle the next night the last bottle before bed time put so baby cereal in the bottle and see what happens at 4am. Hope it helps.

I have two children of my own. I recently visited a friend with twins. She was having issues with them sleeping through the night as well. Try to schedule her lastest feeding as last as possible and make sure she gets as much as she wants. Also, check with your pediatrician to see if you can start her on cereal. Things have changed a lot since my two were babies, but it seems like we started to add a little cereal to their bottles somewhere between 3 and 6 months because they just weren't getting enough. It seems pretty apparent that she is hungry during the night. Hope this helps! God bless!

Your child and you have a bond and a connection. When she's crying it has to be for a reason. She's hungry. I know how it feels to be a single parent having to wke up in the middle of the night for feeding. But pray to the lord for extra strenghth and guidness. Because doctor's these days don't know what advice to give to parents any more.just look your daughter in the eyes when she's crying and believe it or not you'll understand what exactly she's trying to tell u.

I have a 2 1/2 year old son. When he was a small baby, I weaned him off the night time bottle by just standing by his bed and rubbing his tummy so he'd know I was there. Now, I had to do that sometimes for an hour or more while he cried, but it only took one or two nights of it before he learned to put himself to sleep. You might just want to try that. She'll know you're there and that you love her and that you're not going to feed her right then.

I say feed her. I nursed my daughter til she was 13 months old and she always woke up for a feeding about 4 or 5 then would go back to sleep til about 7. Since she no longer nurses she sleeps right through til 7 or 8. Even if you have to get up at 4 to feed her thats better than at 2 and continuing to get up after that.

Please feed that baby not only is she probably hungry, that is her security, it calms her and makes her feel comfortable. You might also try to give her a bottle with some apple sauce in it, maybe a feeding bottle. that will satisfy her in 2 ways she gets the bottle and her tummy is full. Just remember you can't spoil her I don't know any teenagers or adults still on the bottle!!!!

Good luck and god bless

Hi R.! Well, the answer is the same as what you did before unfortunately. Sometimes babies get off kilter if they've been sick and it changes their schedule or sometimes at different times they just go through these things. As long as she isn't sick, I would (have done many times as the mother of 4) just let her cry, get up about every 15 minutes, quite her down and tell her to go night night or what ever you say! And leave the room. I wouldn't pick her up each time, but simply go in and gently lay her back down (if she's hanging on the edge of her crib) It may take a few nights, but she will come around. This probably won't be the last round of this type of behavior- its quite normal- just one of the things we have to do! in a year you won't even remember it... bless you.

I started to have the same problem and my aunt suggested cereal and mashed potatoes...are you putting cereal in the last bottle of the night? If so, maybe it is time for more food and less bottle...

I am a first time mother too, so first of all, I know how you feel. My 6 1/2 month old has always slept good & only wakes up 1 time (around 5-6 AM) to be fed & goes back to sleep. He did get off schedule for 1-2 weeks b/c of a double ear infection due to teething. Anyway - here is my suggestion & what works for me - I feed my son every 3 hours during the day & make his last feeding around 9-9:30PM (even if he's asleep already, I just feed him & put him back down). He usually sleeps until 5-6 AM & I give him a bottle b/c he is hungry ( I hear his tummy growling!)& then I put him back to sleep until he wakes up for the day (around 8AM). If he wakes up anytime before 4AM, I do not feed him, I just let him work it out (usually takes 10 mins, of course I check on him & make sure he has his paci). I personally think your baby is waking up like this b/c she is hungry (she could also be teething though or have an ear infection-both of these make them wake during the night). Good luck & do what you think is best. You know your baby better than anyone.

I was wondering why your doctor was so sure that you needed to stop feeding a 6 month old in the middle of the night? Some babies do start sleeping through the night at that point, but it sounds like your little one was doing pretty well if she only woke up at 4am for a feeding. I am on baby number three. Each of my children has gotten into a pretty good sleep routine by about 12 weeks, however, they were all still waking up sometime in the early morning hours (usually around 5am) for a feeding until they were almost 1 year olds. My youngest is almost five months old and still has nights where he wakes up every 2-3 hours. I have several other friends whose babies were still waking up around 4am for a feeding when they were well past 6 months. I guess my advice would be that if the 4am feeding was giving you a good 6-7 hour stretch of sleep, why mess with it? It certainly isn't going to hurt your baby and it seems that you have traded a good nights sleep, which is probably better for you and for your baby. I hope you can get your little one back on the good routine you had. Remember that you know what is best for your baby.

I don't bottle feed so I am not sure why you can't still feed your baby at night. It could be teething and it could be that your child is going through one of those annoying phases where you are completly comfortable with the routine and then they will all of a sudden vary it and get you all upset. This too shall pass. I think I would still feed her or at least give her a big meal right before bed to fill her up. She will get back on track and then a month or so down the road it will change for a little while. That is what makes being a parent such an adventure!

If it aint broke, don't fix it!

My son woke in the night to eat until he was 1! I think 6 mths is very young to expected to not eat during the night and to let just cry it out. I am not a big fan of the cry it out method, and would be concerned to have a dr. recommend that when the baby is only 6 mths. She could be going through a growth spurt and truly need the extra food. I know everyone does things differently, but if it was me, I would continue getting up with her. She will sleep eventually! My son went through the same thing when he was about 6 mths old and after a while, he quit waking up so much at night. Another suggestion is to have your partner go to her instead of you... see if that helps her to sleep, knowing that she doesn't get you!

My oldest son (now 22) slept through the night almost from day one. He always woke up at 4 am, I'd give him a bottle & he'd go back to sleep. My alarm wentn off at 4:30 am so this worked out great. At about 6 months he started waking in the middle of the night. I put a small amount of oatmeal or rice cereal in his last bottle before bed & he started sleeping through the night again.

My youngest son (now 18) was the same, except once he woke up he would not go back to sleep for an hour or so. Even when I started putting the cereal in his bottle.

You might have to make the hole a little bigger in the nipple for the cereal to pass through. I can't remember which grandma suggested putting some cereal in the bottle but it worked. The cereal will be really watery.

TRUST your instincts!! She's your gift and you know her better than anybody!! Good luck and enjoy being a mom.

First of all, what kind of doctor will tell you not to feed your daughter when she cries....YOU NEED TO FIND A NEW DOCTOR, seriously!!!!! The baby is just 7 months old. So, what she's not sleeping through the night, if she wakes up, feed her. You know, I learned something at a conference..children are not able to soothe themselves to go back to sleep until they are two years old. So, she went to sleep because you let her cry for a long time (an hour and a half to be exact), and got tired and exhausted from that. So, you didn't break her, her body just automatically shut down for crying so much. Let me say something, that is straddling the fence of being neglectful to your child. If she's crying, she's crying for a reason (wet, bm, hungry, or just wants her mother). I am a social worker and an instructor and a mother of 4. One of the subjects I teach is human behavior. All babies development at their own speed, please do not try to judge your baby to another baby and say that she should be sleeping all night since she is 7 months. And only wakes up once...that's good. Some parents which their small babies only woke up once a night. NOw that she's waking up every couple of hours, before she goes to bed make sure she has a good bath, have down time before putting her to bed maybe read a book or sing to her, feed her (bottle with cereal)so that she is full and maybe she'll sleep for a longer period of time even if it's not all night. My two month old sleeps better if she's under me and my husband and once she goes to sleep put her in her crib. May God bless you and I will pray for you that it will get better. Email me at ____@____.com

It sounds to me that she is not getting enough to eat or she has a bad gas problem. My son is 5 months old and he wakes in the middle of the night with bad gas. Could that be it? We had to put him on a different formula because he was so uncomfortable. My doctor has said that babies will act hungry when their stomach hurts. Just a suggestion. Good luck.

R., I have been in your shoes I have three daghters the first and second where the same way. I started by going in to there room at night when they woke uo and rubbing there back for a few minutes if I picked them up they would only wake up when I layed them back down. my two oldest girls are now six and three the oldest wasn't much of a problem after she figured out I would not pick her up andy more. my three year old still wakes inthe night and will sneek in my bed. it is getting better. I realize that I have caused this problem and I am slowly teaching my middle daughter that she needs to stay in her bed. stay firm dont take the baby to your bed and dont take the baby out of there bed at night that is what I have done with my third daughter and she is the dream child at 18 months old she will lay down at bed time even if she is not tired at the time and she will sleep throught he night. She has been since she was nine monthes old. Good luck it is a matter of retraining your baby.

Are you feeding her early in the evening? It sounds like she is not getting full before she goes to bed. My baby when he was 7 m/o would cry alot at night. I gave him a warm bath and a bottle before bed( it was later in the evening) This helped. I dont see anything wrong with giving a baby a bottle in the night.You and the baby both will rest better. Your the mom, you do what you feel is right for your baby.If she is hungry,give her a bottle. She may need more to eat for supper to fill her up Good Luck

I think when babies are going through growth spurts they need to eat more and maybe even more often. My youngest is the only one who slept through the night (10-12 hrs.), all the time, for several months. Then suddenly he was waking up every 2-3 hours. I went ahead and gave him a bottle. He went right back to sleep and was content. I just figured he needed it.

Also, I always fed him a snack before bed. Usually Rice cereal and fruit or veggies mixed in. Then a bottle. After about a month he went back to his regular schedule and usually sleeps through the night.

when my son was 7months i added some rice cereal to his bottle for the last bottle of the night and he would sleep all night till morning.