7 Mo. Old Waking up Same Time Every Night, Cries for Almost an Hour???

Updated on July 08, 2008
S.M. asks from Elgin, IL
19 answers

The last 2 weeks my almost 7 mo. old has been waking up at 3-3:30 am every night, I've let her cry it out for almost an hour, then I cave and give her a bottle. I know I shouldn't but not sure what to do. She was sleeping thru the night prior. HELP !! S.

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So What Happened?

So last night my daughter ate just about 3 little bowls of oatmeal before bed and drink almost 8 oz. of formula. She slept all night until 6 a.m. This could be a coincidence, however, I'll take it!! We will see how tonight goes. Thanks for all the suggestions!!

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D.B.

answers from Decatur on

She's probably teething. That seems to be the only thing that waked my dd up in the middle of the night. When she wakes up I would give her some tylenol or something and maybe some teething tablets or numbing gel. Comfort her and try to rock her back to sleep. If she needs a bottle to get back to sleep I think that is fine. She is probably in pain and that is why she is waking up...please don't let her cry.

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R.A.

answers from Chicago on

it could be night terrors, especially if she has been crying every night for the last 2 weeks with no change. it could also be that she really needs the bottle due to a growth spurt or something else. either way, leaving her alone in the dark while she cries is not the answer, which is why you keep "caving". listen to your daughter and to your heart. it is NOT normal for a baby/toddler to sleep through the night, and those who do are the exception not the rule.

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J.E.

answers from Chicago on

It is ok to feed your baby though the night. If she is having agrowth spurt why would you deny your child of growing. Do not worry it will not become a habit once she is full and able to sustain though the night. She also could have reflux and the bottle helps soothe the burn. Hang in there if it is longer than a month call the dr.
good luck
J.

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C.B.

answers from Chicago on

She may be going through a growth spurt and needing to eat! She's needing something (whether it's food or comfort) especially if she had been sleeping through the night before. I can't imagine this being a manipulation on her part - she can't make herself wake from a sound sleep just to get your attention!

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L.K.

answers from Chicago on

My little one went through the same time. He was teething, so maybe she is teething or going through a growing spurt.

Good luck, she will start to sleep again.

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C.H.

answers from Chicago on

My son had the same thing when he was about 7 or 8 months and when he woke up in the middle of the night, he was hungry. Plain and simple. Maybe your baby is growing and needs the extra food. I know it's not pleasant getting up in the middle of the night after she's already been sleeping through, but with my son it was a phase that passed and things went back to normal. Good luck.

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S.C.

answers from Chicago on

Mine used to do this when there was a noise at that same time every night. For example, we had a distant train that would sound off every night about 3:30. We never heard it as the train was so distant, but the baby did because the house was absolutely quiet. She'd get up and realize she was hungry, then fuss for an hour just like yours.

We have allergies also, so I got her a small HEPA air cleaner (must be titled a "TRUE HEPA" or it's not recommended by the allergists)which makes a "white noise" all night. She'd sleep all night no problem.

Having said that - it'd be a great idea to try - I have several children. One of them is now a 7 year old who did not sleep through the night until she was four years old. And I'm not joking. I tried everything and rarely fed her or gave her milk in middle of the night. She stopped taking naps at age one and then never, ever slept through the night. It was torture. Finally, the doctor said I should give up and just realize that some babies NEVER sleep through the night and we should learn to deal with it. We did.

That same 7 year old now requires 11 to 12 solid hours of sleep every night or is a horrible beast. So there is no predicting children. They sometimes sleep to their own rhythm.

I'd try the HEPA filter. Besides the white noise you also have the benefit of having less dust mites and allergens in the babies room. It worked for one of my kids really well.

Take care,

S.

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L.F.

answers from Chicago on

It's my opinion that babies cry for a reason and if they can't depend on thier parents then who can they depend on. I would only take my daughters out of thier cribs as a last resort but I'd always went to them so that they didn't feel alone - I think by leaving them crying you are breaking your bond. Try rubbing her belly or back to see if it will sooth her. There is a good chance that she may have some teeth coming in. I would rub numbing ointment on thier gums and if that didn't work then I tried other things. She may also just be hungry. Depending on when she goes to bed, if her last feeing was at 7pm and it's 3am, it's been 8 hours since she last ate and is probably hungry. She could be going through a growing phase and that is why she is suddenly waking up to eat.

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C.R.

answers from Chicago on

My daughter 12 months old is going through the same thing right now. In the past when she done this it's when she gone through a growth spurt and not eating enough food during the day and wakes through the night hungry.
Yesterday I offered her more food at each meal and milk and last night she slept all the way through.

I would suggest the same during the day make sure she eating more and then her last feeding before bed I would increase that also that she goes to bed on full tummy.
Have you started her on solids yet if not maybe she's ready.
I hope this is helpful.
C.

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M.P.

answers from Chicago on

Maybe she needs to eat. My 7 month old still gets up once a night to eat.

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R.B.

answers from Chicago on

Hi S.,

These ages go thru various stages. They sleep thru for a few nights and then start waking up again. Nothing is consistant yet! It never hurts to let them cry for a little while. I think an hour is too long though. They still need mother's touch and caress and attention at such a young age. I am so happy you have been blessed. Just go with your instinct and shower all the attention you want.

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M.S.

answers from Chicago on

Hi! hopefully your daughter is just teething or something. Kids do get used to you coming to their rescue, mostly if a treat is involved! Maybe next time just cuddle her and rock her then put her back in bed? Hopefully it is just a phase, and she will be sleeping peacefully once again!

Good luck!

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J.C.

answers from Rockford on

My son went through this at about the same age. I figured out that he was very hungry. He was having a growth spurt. Once I realized this, I just got up and fed him quick and he was back to bed. He grew out of it once his growth spurt stopped and preferred to sleep instead.

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J.

answers from Chicago on

My daughter went through phases similar to this (she's now 18 months). I also didn't want to 'cave' and nurse/bottle in the middle of the night since she had been sleeping well all night, but I usually noticed a pattern with the waking. She would do it whenever something major was going on, such as a growth spurt or teething. It would last for a few days to a week, and I would just give her a little something in the dark and lay her right back down. So it did stop and she went back to sleeping fine. When we know she's teething for sure, we'll often give her a little Motrin right before bed and that will help her get through the night. If she seemed extra hungry I would just give her more food during the day and that would help her get through the night. It'll pass!
Hope that helps,
Jen

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C.F.

answers from Chicago on

Hi

First I really don't consider it "caving" when you're taking care of your little one. If she is eating the bottle completely, or almost completely, I woudl think she is waking because she is truly hungry. Maybe because of a growth spurt?

Best of luck - Sleep habits are challenging!

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A.B.

answers from Chicago on

Your dtr is probably legitimately hungry, or possibly teething, but probably hungry. Babies can wake for hunger reasons until at least 8 mths. Both of my kids did this too. I would give your baby a bottle and she will probably fall right back to sleep until morning. It will probably not last too long.

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D.L.

answers from Chicago on

She's to young to let her cry it out. They need to be 12 months before you do that. She is probably going through a growth spurt & is hungry.

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K.E.

answers from Chicago on

An hour is a LONG time. Realize, that when people talk about "crying it out", they usually are talking about letting them cry it out for about 15-40 minutes. When I finally realized that, it made me mad since my son would never cry himself back to sleep after 15 minutes!

You are not "caving in" by going in after an hour. I would recommend going in after maybe 20-30 minutes to start. Comforting by rubbing back (or similar) and shushing or quitely telling her to go back to sleep once you're in until she goes back down or whatever time you decide is enough (5 min? 10 min? 20?). Don't give a bottle since that's something she won't be able to replicate if you're not there. You want to teach her how to calm herself down if she gets startled. Once she wakes again (or didn't go down to begin with), let her cry for a little longer (25-35 minutes); repeating the pattern until she cries for 40 minutes if she goes that long. After that, just come in and comfort.

It will diminish. Don't give into the fear that she'll get into the "habit" of you coming in to get her back to sleep. It's all about trust. They're realizing that they're a separate being from mama and that's scary. She needs to know that you will be there if she needs you. By waiting for an hour or more, all that proves to her is that you won't be there when she needs you. What's more, I've heard more horror stories about babies' limbs being caught in the crib rails after parents let them CIO than about kids waking every hour so that mama could rock them to sleep.

Check out the No Cry Sleep Solution for more ideas.

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M.A.

answers from Chicago on

There is nothing wrong with meeting your daughter's needs. There is the crazy idea out there that once your child sleeps through the night, they should sleep through the night forever. Babies just don't work like that. Their sleeping patterns continuously shift based on how they feel, growth spurts, illness, teething, how much they had to eat, learning something huge developmentally like pulling up or walking. Whatever your baby is doing, don't get to upset by or attached to it. It's going to change. All you can do as a parent is meet your daughter's need. We'll sleep when they're in college. Maybe.

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