8 Month Old Who Won't Sleep Through the Night

Instead of giving her a bottle try a bowl of infant cereal just before bed time. Make it a little on the thick side. This should fill her up.

There's no real evidence that putting cereal in a bottle works. My doctor told us not to do it. Also, it's likely that she's going through a growth spurt or that this has become habit. I'd give her a little water at night, and give more food during the day. Good luck!

EDIT: *****Someone suggested pediasure for your infant. The website warns against giving this product to a baby under one year old. I would NOT give a baby this--especially when the product and the academy of pediatrics tells you not to****

Could it be habit instead of real hunger? Just a thought?

Hi N.,

I was in your boat about 5-6 months ago. My son would wake up once, sometimes twice a night and would CHOW down an 8 oz. bottle each time (I was pregnant with #4, so this night time waking was especially tiring). At my son's 9 month appt, my doctor told me 'YOU need to stop feeding him - he's NOT hungry - he's eating because it's comforting and it's available, he is fully capable of sleeping through the night by now. it was hard break him... he could not soothe himself to sleep either. i started small... we first taught him to get himself to sleep with his naps by doing a bit of a cry-it-out method. i modified the harshness by taking baby steps, a few minutes at a time, i would go in, lay him back down, tell him 'it's nap time honey, mommy loves you' then leave. the first day it took a LONG time for him to nap, but he eventually got the hang of it and within a few days he was going down for his nap and going to sleep on his own. we stepped it up to night time, and he is now a pro. he did not actually start sleeping thru the night consistently until after his 1st birthday, and when he would wake, i would go in, lay him back down and say 'it's sleepy time, mommy loves you' and walk out.

now, he doesn't even need me when he wakes at night, he chatters for a few minutes and goes back to sleep by himself.

I have also found that since we have mastered this he is better able to play with his toys on his own. he used to not want me more than 2 feet away.. he was very clingy as a baby (even before it was 'typical' for his age). i really believe it has given him a sense of independence that leaves us both feeling more sane.

good luck to you.

even though she is eating solids try givingher cereal with her bottle if she is on it and this will keep her full longer and should help with the hunger and sleep problem.

I'm not sure if you are feeding breastmilk or not. My son is just shy of 8 months and was 20 pounds at his 6 month appointment. He was sleeping through the night at about 10 weeks. Then, about 6 weeks ago he got his first cold that turned into an ear infection. He was awake and miserable and I was still nursing him. So, I'd go into his room and nurse him. I think he got used to it. He needed the comfort while he was sick and I think he got used to being up and eating in the middle of the night. Since then, he has been waking up to eat. He won't actually nurse anymore but he takes a bottle of breastmilk. We've started mixing the breastmilk with water so that he will eat more during the day. Three days ago we also started supplementing with formula for his last bottle of the night (50/50). Since then, he's slept through the night (until 5-6am). I don't know if it's just a coincidence or what. But, I can tell you that my older son didn't sleep through the night until we started giving him some formula at 6 months. We found this out by accident as my supply was dropping.

So, that's my story. If you are already giving her formula, then maybe she's at a growth spurt or maybe you can try to get one more feeding in during the day.

Good luck.

Sleeping through the night by book definition is anything over 4 hours.

Hi there,
I am a single mother of a 10 year old girl. To date, I would say she has slept through the night maybe 60 times. I believe I read in another post - all children are not the same. They all have different body clocks, and no matter how much you wish you could change them - you can't. My daughter has been an early riser since birth, and finally at 10, I am lucky when she sleeps past 7! It's just like personalities, they're all different. That's what we sign up for when we become parents :) Perhaps you can try to lower your expectations and who knows what'll happen. As soon as I think I've got my kid figured out, she goes and changes things up - that's what they're supposed to do.

You might want to try feeding her Pediasure right before putting her to bed ... it really fills them up and my daughter started sleeping for longer stretches once we added that to her diet. All three of my kids were pretty old before they started sleeping through the night (#1 was 10 mos, #2 was 9 mos, and #3 was 14 mos)... I could never stand the crying, plus, I knew that if I just went in and nursed or fed them, they would go right back to sleep. Most people will disagree with me, but I'm a firm believer in not making bedtime/sleeping a negative experience by letting babies cry. Even though those first years with the kids were tiring from having to get up with them, we have absolutely no bedtime issues now. No one ever cries when it's time to go to bed and they all fall asleep on their own within minutes. I think they associate sleeping with feeling peaceful and relaxed and therefore don't fight it.
Good luck, and just remember, eventually she'll sleep through the night!

My 6 month old still doesn't sleep through the night too. He usually eats dinner around 6:30-7pm, and in bed by 8pm. He wakes at 11pm to eat, and then again around 3. I haven't had a good night's sleep in 8 months. My body has adjusted to waking 2-3 times/night, but I am worn out. My son is not eating solids yet, so I hope once he starts with that, he will stretch his sleep to 6 hours. My daughter didn't sleep thru the night until 8 months.

I'm a big believer in feeding babies just before you put them down for the night. You can either do a small snack or a full meal. This becomes even more effective if you're breast feeding because breast milk gets digested and processed much quicker.

Either way, giving her solids just before going down should help her feel full longer and get her to where she doesn't wake up.

Good Luck!

I would try feeding her alittle later. I've noticed when I give our daughters a later meal they will sleep completely through the night. If she's used to going to bed at 8pm I'd try to feed her closer to 7pm and see if that helps.

My 9 month old does not sleep through the night either. My son didn't until he was almost one, but he was breastfed. I thought it would be better with her taking formula. She eats a good dinner of solids around 6:00 and goes to bed at 8:00 as well. Anyway, my md suggested adding less and less formula to the same amount of water, but that just caused her to urinate so much that she would wake and need to be changed, keeping her up longer. I also tried to slowly decrease the total amount of formula I was giving her. She just started waking more often and unable to go back to sleep without having a bottle. I believe she is truly hungry and that it is not just a habit. When she is not hungry and wakes up she can get herself back to sleep within a few minutes. She is also able to get to sleep on her own at nap and bed times. So, now the first time she wakes up and can't get back to sleep within a few minutes (between 12 and 12:30) I give her as much bottle as she wants. She then sleeps the rest of the night. One time is better than 2 or 3 times. Good luck and let us know what works for you.

Do you put cereal in it? My daughter was the same way so I would feed her cereal before bed and but her to bed very late kepping her up if I had too. I found the cereal worked the best.

S.

try giving some cereal with bottle right before bed (even if a smaller bottle 4oz. ) my daughter is 8 months and we have alway use soft music to help her self soothe as well. possibly something she eats at dinner is upsetting her stomach? try blander foods, more veggies & cereal less fruits which may produce gas. Hope these suggestions help.

All babies are different, dont' compare to the first. She's hungry. Feed her more right before bed time, banana's are good or some sort of snack. I think the 2 hours between dinner and bedtime is too long for her.