7 Month Old Stopped Sleeping Through the Night

My thought would be teething, is he drooling a lot? have you changed his diet? maybe gas? My son did that too, and what actually helped him was an earlier bed time. I used to put him to bed at 8:30, and when I moved it up to 7:45-8 he now sleeps therw the night. It could just be a phase.

Hi E.,
I'm a mom of 4 (1 boy, 3 girls). It's common for babies to go through these cycles. All of my children were, for the most part, great "sleepers".They'd go to bed and sleep for 11-12 hours straight. But every few months they'd start to wake and cry in the middle of the night (it seemed to happen mostly at 6-7 months of age, 9-10 months,and then then every 4-6 months after that. It would last 3-7 days, typically.
The best explanation I could offer is that these cycles may be caused by what Dr. T. Barry Brazelton refers to as "Touchpoints" in a child's life. Often before a developmental milestone occurs (rolling over, crawling, walking, etc.) there will be a disruption of sorts (crying, waking at night....), as the baby prepares for the next milestone. This explanation certainly seemed to fit with the pattern of my babies' behavior (plus it made me feel better!)
So, once you've ruled out other obvious reasons for the baby waking at night---ear infection, fever, teething, too hot, too cold, etc., you can consider that he's about to experience a developmental burst, and relax. I recommend checking on him, and after you've ruled out the obvious, minimize the time in his room. In other words, a few word of comfort, then a pat on the back and "night-night". I did not offer a bottle or spend a lot of time rocking because I didn't want to reinforce a pattern of wakefulness. I found that after a couple of nights I might hear my baby fuss a bit, but he'd usually be able to soothe himself (or herself)quickly back to sleep.
He will go back to sleeping through the night--mine all did!
Hope this helps, V. S.

I was in a very similar situation. My daughter was always a good sleeper...12-14hrs a night. She went through a phase at 8 or 9 months, where she would wake up in the middle of the night a lot. Or would go to bed at 8 and wake up at 4. I couldn't figure out what was going wrong with her. She would wake up so upset, I truly thought she was in pain. Her gums were so red and swollen, I thought it was teething. I tried giving her a little baby tylenol, but that was not enough. My friend turned me on to a wellness company that had all non-toxic products. I tried rubbing T36-C5 mixed with olive oil on her gums and that made a huge difference. It took me two or three days to get her back on schedule, but it worked! I was amazed!! If you would like more information, please visit www.livetotalwellness.com/wyn. Good Luck!!

Babies sleep habits can change alot for the first 1-2 years. As they become more mobile, teething, any number of things can change it. Try tylenol/ibuprophen just before laying him down and see if that helps. Hylands teething tablets, can help a lot also.

Stay as consitant as you can with his bedtime and nightime routine, so that when this passes he will still no what to expect.

Hi E.,
My daughter did the same thing. She slept through the night from 6 weeks to 6 months until the teething started. Then, unfortunately, it was awhile before she slept through the night consistently again. Teething rings in the freezer and Oragel are what I used regularly. It was so exciting to see those first teeth though...worth the wait! Good Luck.
M.

E. -
I haven't had this happen to me (yet), but I know my sister-in-law went through something similar when her son was about 6 months old. Her doctor recommended putting him on his stomach to go to sleep. She said he slept fine from then on out. Maybe it's something else in your case, but you might as well give it a try.

Do you know how fortunate you are to have had a 12 hour sleeper at his age??? :)
It could be a number of things, however I think you are worrying needlessy at this point and should feel blessed! :)
He will change his sleep patterns a bunch, due to teething, growth spurts, seperation anxiety, bad dreams.
I wouldn't worry, try some motrin if you see signs of teething and see if that helps.
Reflux is painful through naps and any laying down position.

Hi E.,
If it is teething, your pediatrician will be able to tell you. If it is reflux, I think you would know at this point. My 7 month old has had reflux since about 5 weeks. If your son is spitting up quite a bit and seems uncomfortable before, during, and after a feeding and there is projectile vomiting.. then it could be reflux. Did he go through a 6 month growth spurt? If not, then maybe he is going through one now. You might try feeding him at one of the times he wakes up and sees how hungry he is. If he doesn't seem interested then you know it is something else.