Sleeping Through the Night - Milan, MI

I have a 5 year old and 1 year old. My 5 year old slept through the night at 6 weeks. My 1 year old started sleeping through the night at 9 months. I thought for the longest time it was something I was or wasn't doing, but then one night it was like a light bulb moment in his head and the switch went on. Hang in there! I definitely know how frustrating it can be!!

S.

My son would sometimes wake up at night just because he wanted me. So I had to let him cry it out. It was not fun. We closed his door and ours and turned off the monitor. But we could still hear him. One night he cried for 4 hours, the next night 3 hours, 15 minutes and now he never wakes up.

K.

Hi D.,

This is what came to my mind. First how many times is he waking up at night? Do you have a routine that you do with him each night? I am asking because I am sort of in the same boat with my 3 month old. I am trying to get her on a night time routine and have been reading upon it, because she is literally up all day, barley naps, and she is not going to bed for the night until 11 or 12 at night and only sleeping 3 hrs then getting up again etc.. it is wiping me out as well.

So I just started this with her, each night pick a time that is suitable for you, do the same few things with him so he will get in the habit of knowing that it is going to be bedtime, such as putting on jammies, rubbing nighttime lotion (they have nighttime soothing lotions) reading the same story so he will get familiar with it. I have been using the Ocean Wonders music box that you can attach to the crib or it stands upright, it plays soothing music and has a dim light and makes bubble noises, she loves laying there looking at it and watching the fishes in it. I lay her on my bed do all of the above while I have the Ocean Wonders sitting right next to her playing the music, although it has different "songs" i have been sticking to the same one every night so she will get use to it. I try to let her lay and fall asleep, but I have to rock her or pat her more to get her to fall asleep then i put the Ocean Wonder in the crib just in case I have to use it throughout the night. I just recently saw in a store ad that they have something similar to that for the crib but it has a remote control so if the baby wakes up instead of you running in there to turn it on (and they see u and end up waking up etc..) you can just push the remote to turn it on without disturbing them.
My results so far since this is new for me with her, she has been sleeping through the night and getting up 2-3 times to feed but eats and goes right back to sleep, there have been a few nights where she was up all night etc.. that will happen, so be as patient as you can.
Just try to keep a routine going and maybe he will find comfort in that. Being that he is 7 1/2 ms if he take a "binkie" leave one in the bed for him- the Ocean Wonders thing has a big button that they can tap themselves to turn it on, my sister has a 6mth old and she has one in her crib, and can activate it on her own.

Nothing against your doctors opinion, but I have NEVER heard of giving a baby a water bottle?? And since when is there a set age limit, especially with babies they are not robots. Doctors are all different and have their set opinion, just hear what they have to say, but go with your gut instinct, your the one that is with your baby all the time not them so don't take everything they say too seriously or feel pressured to do what they suggest.
Babies will do things on their own pace it does not sound like an eating issue, sounds more like a comforting one. He may just need to feel more secure on his own try to get him into a routine and see what happens.

Sorry for the long response, I hope my advise will have some use for you. Best of luck!

A.

Hello D.,

I gave my kids one teaspoon of rice cereal in there bottles at night and they would sleep all night.Or you could use 1 tablespoon in a six ounce bottle.You may have to make the nipple a little bigger but it is so worth it.My pediatrician told me to do this.Also to make the nipple hole bigger put a toothpick into the hole and boil it.This stretches the nipple.Don't take the toothpick out until the nipple is all the way cooled down..
But like all the other moms said some babies just will not sleep through the night.I have a friend who has a son that is 5 and he still gets up in the middle of the night..Just depends on the kid.But don't panic he will eventually sleep through the night when he is ready..I would definately try the cereal.It worked for all of my kids..
C.

My son is almost 15 months old and has yet to sleep through the night, he still nurses at least once. Your little guy may really be hungry in the night - their tummies are so small and he may need food.

Our OLD doctor told us that if I didn't let my son scream himself back to sleep, that he would never sleep on his own - now I just can't see my son going to college and still needing to nurse to sleep and back to sleep in the night! :)

Do your research - there are plenty of good books - I'd start with Dr. Sears - and make your own decisions about what works for you and your son. Doctors don't live with you, they don't know your son as well as you do!

Good Luck!

Peace,
G.

My daughter is 10 month old and still woke up twice a night to eat until I did this. I'm not sure if you already do this, but I saw this video from Dr. Ferber. It said it doesn't matter where they sleep, your bed or crib, but make sure they are awake when you put them down. Otherwise they can wake up and be startled they are somewhere other than where they fell asleep and alone. I alway let my daughter fall asleep holding her or in the living room and then I'd put her in the crib asleep. I tried this and it worked from the first night I tried it. It's been 2 weeks and she's slept completly through every night! It was like a miracle! :)

Try giving him baby cereal before bed, that always worked for me.

Hi D.:) My daughter didn't sleep through the night until she was 3, yes 3 years old. No rhyme or reason to it. My son started sleeping through the night at about 3 months old.

Easton may not be waking up because he's hungry, but waking up because it's a little alone time with mom, or because it's just a habit now.

I put my kids to bed with water, either bottle or sippy cup. That way they are able to get a little drink without my intervention.
Good luck!!

My daughter did not sleep through the night until she was over 8 months old. Ibreastfed her at 7 put her to bed.. then woke her up at 10 to nurse just before I went to bed.. and she would awaken at 4 - 5 am. Gradually she started sleeping longer and longer. Sleeping through the night is really a developmental milestone. The baby needs to be able to sooth himself back to sleep when he awakens. My daughter still wakes up in the night- and I hear her moving around- but she finds her pacifier and goes back to sleep without me getting up.

but every once in a while she will wake up and need rocked back to sleep. It has been over a month since she was rocked in themiddle of the night.

your son will grow out of ths in time.

I can't help you. My son is a bit over 8 months old, and still waking every two hours like clockwork. Sometimes he eats, and sometimes he just needs the breast for comfort. He cannot self-soothe at all. I just wanted to let you know you're not alone! Even though doctors say it's normal for babies to sleep through the night, a book that I have says 50% of babies don't even when they're a year old. Also, don't forget that "sleeping through the night" is a 5 hour stretch, usually from 12 am - 5 am. We haven't even done that once over here. I am a zombie!

My Jared didn't sleep through the night totally until he was 15 or 16 months old. I stopped the bottle completely at 13 months and he weened at 15 month.. I think all babies are different. Good luck and it'll get better. The sooner you can rid him of a bottle the better and yes don't leave a bottle of formula in bed with him. This will cause problems with his teeth.

My son to didnt sleep all night at six months i think he was 7 months when i finally just let him cry it out.. the doctor told me that him crying would not hurt him just get him to fall asleep on his own.. so i would lay him in bed awake with NO bottle and tell him good night he would cry and i would go in there after 5 minutes and check on him and let him know everything was ok then leave the doctor told me not to pick him up so the next time i waited 10 minutes then 15 minutes ect.until he fell asleep also do that when he wakes up in the middle of the night. i think it took a total of 3 nights for him to stay asleep and not wake up in the middle of the night anymore.. good luck and i know its hard and frustrating and you feel bad for letting him cry but in the end its worth it getting a full nights sleep of your own as well as him..