Help! My 7 Month Old Won't Sleep at Night!

My daughter didn't sleep through the night until she was 14 months old. I tried it all, yet nothing worked. She is and was totally healthy. Sometimes the only solution is time...

I am a first time mom and my daughter is only 9 months. One of the first things that I learned after odd sleeping habits, is that if you feed into, example, feeding a bottle in the middle of the night just because the baby wakes at 3 or 4, you start creating that habit of food at that time. I also had to swaddle my girl up until recently because she moved so crazy, and the reason I stopped that was because I knew that at some point she would have to sleep unswaddled. But it sounds like you are trying all the "home remidies" So my next piece of advice would be to see the doctor and this is why. My brother (almost 8 years younger) had a sleeping problem also very young (although I cant be exact) his tonsils were constricting his breathing so terriablly that he was only getting 25%. Therefore creating "sleep apneia" So if you have tired home remidies, I would strongly consider a Doctor visit. I will never forget my brother having those issues and was a healthy boy, otherwise.

Do you have a swing on batteries? When my son starts doing this, I put him in a swing and just rest on the floor while he is being rocked to sleep. After a while he gets used to sleeping for longer periods + you can rest while he is awake.

I agree with the women who have commented that he might not being getting enough sleep during the day. Babies who are over tired cannot sooth themselves back to sleep when they wake during the night. When my twins were this age, they had a super eary bedtime - 7 pm. On extra cranky days, it was 6:30. They would sometimes wake in the wee hours for a feeding but they would go back to sleep until 6 or 7 am. During the day they should get consistent naps. Two or three naps is normal for this age. Mine took three and slept for an hour or more each time. The naps were at 9 am, sometime after lunch (12 or 1) and then again around 4 for a catnap. I never let them sleep past 5 pm because that would mess with the early bedtime. We dropped the third nap closer to their first birthday. This schedule can be hard to stick to because you have to be a slave to their naptime, but in our case, it produced well rested, happy babies who still, at 2 1/2 years old sleep very well. I believe strongly in sleep training and in the neccessity of parents also getting the sleep and time off that they deserve. I did have to let them cry for a bit in the early stages of sleep training, but they, and I are well adjusted, emotionally stable, and well rested people. My sleep bible was Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. Good luck to you.

W.

Hi! My son did the exact same thing around the same age. It was a phase that took him a little while to grow out of. This was around the time his eating habits were changing, he was growing a lot, and he was cutting his first teeth. We put him to bed no later than 8pm. We rubbed his gums with teething tablets and fed him a cereal bottle and then put him to bed. Having a little heavier food in his tummy seemed to help him rest longer since it seemed he was waking up hungry. The Tylenol/Motrin idea also works. We also have a Fisher Price soothing sounds projector that hangs on the side of his crib that we still use! If he wakes up and makes any noise it automatically turns on soothing lullabies. I hope some of this advice works. Good luck and hang on to your sanity!

My baby boy is also 7 months old and we put him down around 6 or 6:30 and he sleeps until at least 3, then I nurse him and he sleeps until 7ish. One thing is at this age they're starting to be aware of the world around so they are aware when they wake up. They need to know how to put themselves to sleep when they wake up. Our baby wakes many times at night and goes back to sleep on his own without any crying at all. We used the book No Cry Sleep Solution and I swear by it. Last night he slept 11 hours straight without a peep, but he still manages to completely turn himself around in his crib so I know he wakes up and knows how to put himself back to sleep.

Deep breath in! Hold it! Let it out slowly. Repeat. Repeat some more. :)

Okay, I've been there. OH how I've been there. Often, sleep pattern changes happen during major developmental periods. My daughter used to stop sleeping for a week or three, crash for one night, and then start using a bunch of new words. My youngest son didn't sleep for about two months when he was learning to crawl, and then it was about 3 months while he was learning to walk. It's AGONY, I know, but it does pass.

Even now, my oldest, who is 9, is restless and cranky and has a hard time sleeping, when he's learning something new in school. The week that multiplication finally sank in, he was just a BEAR!

Hang in there. Instead of picking him up when he cries, pat him. Take him into your bed, if you have to. I'm a firm believer that the proper place for a baby to sleep is where everyone gets to sleep peacefully :)

What works well for us is having my son's toddler bed wedged between my bed and the wall. It makes a shallow sort of "crib" where he's close enough for me to put my hand or arm on without waking up, but far enough away to let me rest well. Now, when he does wake up in the night (hungry from a growth spurt or with aching teeth from the SIX that are coming in at once ACK!), I'll lift him up to nurse or comfort him, then, when he's done, he crawls back down. Or he scoots to the edge of my mattress and flops off, landing on his bed, which always gives me a heart attack, but he seems quite calm about it.

My mother likes to say that, with children, everything is an age and a stage. She also says, "Remember, it came to pass. Thank goodness it didn't come to stay!"

Hang in there. He'll find a new sleep pattern soon, and then you'll be able to catch up a bit. Good luck!

I suggest taking him to the doctor and having his ears checked and he good also be teething. My 15 month old still wakes up at least 3 times a week around 2 in the morning and then again around 5:30. As long as I give her a little watered down juice she'll go right back to sleep. I hate having to give her something and I am like you. I try to let her cry it out but sometimes it doesn't work. I think its a lot of more habit for her. She will do really well for a couple of weeks and then we go back to the norm. I wish you luck!!

I went through the same thing with my daughter at 6 months. It turns out that she cut her first two bottom teeth 3 weeks after she started waking up every 2 hours at night. Hopefully it is just teething and will resolve itself. If not, try Elizabeth Pantely's book "The no-cry sleep solution" It helped me out a lot. I learned lots of new "techniques" to keep my daughter from waking up so many times. Good Luck!

Is he still spitting up a lot? After six months more than once or twice a week is considered a lot. If so it might be acid reflux. My daughter had HORRIBLE acid reflux at that age and until we got it diagnosed and treated she did not sleep more than two hours at a time.

I have had the same situation with my son. he will be in a great routine for weeks and then all of a sudden it changes. I would let this play out a little while longer. My son's changes usually only last a few days. But as a mom it is your right to take yoru child to the doctor whenever you feel it is necessary. If you think something more is up follow your instinct.

This is common at this age. He could be teething or have an ear infection, so get that checked out. 9:00 is too late for his bedtime. I know this is counterintuitive, because if he isn't sleeping well when you put him to bed later, how could he sleep well being put to bed earlier? He may need a 7:00 to 8:00 bedtime, so try that. Did you have any food changes when this started? Sometimes kids can be allergic to wheat products or milk products.

Also, try getting your 3-year-old to take a nap when the baby does. Perhaps you could lay down with your 3-year-old and get a nap in the middle of the day to help restore you. I know there is work to do then, but you may have to put that off for awhile. Even a 15 minute power nap should help you. This stage, like all stages, won't last forever! There is sleep in your future, just hang in there!

Maybe he is cutting teeth? When my oldest daughter suddenly started waking in the middle of the night at 6 months or so, it was b/c of teething. I would give her Tylenol before bed and then I'd rub baby orajel on her gums when she would wake up during the night. Or maybe he is about to learn to do something new. I've read in parenting magazines that when a baby is about to master something new like crawling, walking, etc, that their sleep patterns may change. Maybe you could try playing a lullaby CD or one with ocean sounds to help soothe him when he goes to bed or to help him get back to sleep when he wakes up during the night. Hope this helps!

Try reading Dr. Marc Weissbluth's "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". He's a sleep researcher who also provides advice to overtired parents and children in his practice. He says a well-rested family is the goal, not just a well-rested baby. My husband and I used his suggestions with our son and he usually sleeps very well and very long.

Basically, children need more sleep than we tend to give them. An overtired child has a harder time falling asleep, so skipping naps will make it harder for the child to fall asleep, not easier. Children also have routine times they get tired at, and hunger doesn't necessarily play into that. There are times our son has a full tummy and doesn't want to sleep, and other times when he's tired and he takes a long nap despite not eating for a while. If a usually regular child stops sleeping through the night, it could be teething (the catch-all), or illness; but sometimes kids get "untrained" during an "off" time and they don't want to go back to sleeping through the night because it's so fun to have their parents with them.

I would have his ears checked. Two of my three kids had either fluid in their ears or chronic ear infections. They both had tubes at 10 months. Within two weeks of the surgery, they were both sleeping through the night. It is impossible for even older children to sleep through the night when they have either fluid and/or infections.(even if they are not in pain) My first child slept 9 hours every night by the time she was 6 weeks old. I didn't understand sleep deprivation until the second child came along. This may not be your problem, but it is worth ruling out.

It is probably one of three things:

1. he is dealing with some developmental milestones, which, while exciting, can at a deeper level be anxiety-producing for babies. This anxiety, like any form of stress, shows up at night. Crawling/cruising, stepping away from that supporting furniture, etc. Crying it out only makes this situation worse (crying it out usually does).

2. there is some other stress in his environment (this is why the cry-it-out method only sometimes works...and when it does, it is at a cost - to child's and parents' emotional health, and their relationship). Maybe he had a nightmare. But in any case, if it's not reason #3, sleep has become a frightening state for him.

3. he's really just hungrier - but needs a particular type of extra food during the day. He's using more calories now, and with the introduction of solids, he might not be getting enough *protein*. Did you start him on solids about a month and a half ago? Most solids are in the form of vegetables, and some grains. Make sure that you're only adding solids to his daily menu, not replacing his formula or breastmilk with solids - they don't have what he needs. Right now, solids are just introductory, not really nutritional. But at 7 months, you can safely introduce a little more protein. Try some kidney beans, drained and rinsed. Right out of the can is great. They love 'em.

(oh, and 4. he's getting too much sugar or too many other stimulants during the day.)

In case #1 or #2, the first thing to do is to give him lots of extra love and cuddling during the daytime. If you don't use a sling or other carrier, try one (learn how to get him used to it, like walking around immediately after putting him in). Hold him a lot during the day, and lay down with him for naps (you probably need those naps, too, right now!!). Consider welcoming him into your bed for a little while. When you feel he is ready to return to his own sleeping arrangement, take it slowly. You could try putting his mattress at the foot of your bed, and laying down with him while he drifts off. You could put his crib in your bedroom. Then gradually move either one closer to the door, then right outside the door. Go at his pace. This includes the bed-time ritual. You might want to give him an extra bedtime story or give him some chamomile tea in the evening (hold the sugar!) to help him feel more relaxed. But mostly, what he needs, is the security of you and dad. Your loving presence.

If it isn't hunger, then his night waking is a signal that he is feeling insecure. He's probably a little too old for swaddling (best in the "4th trimester," the first 3 months after birth, because it reminds them of the womb...by now, that connection is probably gone and he might only feel restrained and confined by it, instead). The cry-it-out method is exactly opposite of what this little boy needs (it's exactly the opposite of what any family needs, if you ask me, and I've done my research - lots of it. When people say "but it worked for me," I tell them, well, getting AIDS or taking heroine works for losing weight. It works, but achieving the end result is not the only thing you need to consider! You need to look at the whole picture, and in the case of parenting, that picture includes the long-term emotional well-being of the child.)

Check out the Sears book, Nighttime Parenting. The Baby Book is really good, too.

But the first thing you should do is, right now, go pick up your baby and give him a big, long, warm hug!

L.

I was having the same problem with my boy not long ago. He is 13 months old now. I put a humidifier in his room and now he sleeps through the night. Also, try and give him a bottle of milk a little warm when you put him down. Now my son sleeps from 8 til about 6:30 to 7:30. He might be growing or teething which will interupt there normal sleep pattern. Good luck!

He might be teething. My son is 6 months old and has been sleeping all the way through the night (9:00 pm- 6:00a.m.) since he was 9 weeks, but lately has been getting up at 4:30, and very fussy. After 2 teething tablets he calms down A LOT...about 30 minutes later he'll act like he's hungry, but i won't give hima full meal, only enough to help him back to sleep....so you migt want to try the teething tab;ets r some kind of gel. you can get them at Wal-mart

my son is 6 months and still gets up twice a night. no matter what he has for dinner, how long his naps are, what time he goes down, bath and massage or not. his doctor says if he is eating, then he needs it and suck it up. he takes two 8 oz bottles with cereal around 12:30 and then around 4:00am......after his stage two food and an 8 oz bottle to put him down. i am pleased that it is only twice a night b/c for the longest time it was every two hours. he started teething early and i feel that his teething also contributes to him not sleeping through the night. i can't help with getting sleep, but just want you to know you are not alone! maybe you and your husband can come up with a schedule that allows y'all both to get some sleep. i am a single mom with a full time job therefore i have not slept since i was about 7 months pregnant! ha! good luck!

You will need to go to the dr. to rule out any possibilities for this ..., ear/nose or throat drainage (allergies are already kicking up again with the fall changes coming), reflux/heartburn. I would call the dr. today.

My boy went through that at that age too. My pediatrician suggested it was teething and told us to try a dose of ibuprofen before bed for five nights in a row. If he woke up during the night, use a little Oragel and put him back to sleep. I used Hylands teething tablets instead since the Oragel was messy and never seemed to work well for us.

Keeping him up during the day is not the solution. He is not getting enough sleep. He also goes to bed too late. If you start putting him to bed earlier and letting him nap he will sleep better during the night. Also, you should take him to the doctor because he could have an ear infection.

One thing that I tried that helped soooo much with my son was white noise. I had heard of people using a vacuum cleaner to soothe their child and thought it was hillarious. One night when my son was crying and I was crying because I was soooo exhausted I just happened to have my vacuum cleaner in the hall. I took it into his room and turned it on. I watched him melt back into his crib and go to sleep. I made a tape of it immediately and played it at every nap time and bedtime. It's worth a try. :)

D.,
I feel for you! Does your son have acid refulx, and if not, could he? Sounds like one of the symptoms a lot of parents express when their child is diagnosed. Things to try... put a wedge under the mattress to raise the head up a little. I know you said you've tried feeding more, but what? Is he on a good regimine of cereal now, or babyfood. Gosh, it's been so long for me.. LOL But, it does sound like something could be wrong physically. Google acid refulx and see what other parents are doing for their kids that is working. He may not be in a lot of pain with it, but it can definately make them irritable. If you've already thought of this, excuse the advice. *smile* It's just the first thing that came to my mind when I read your post.

Hugs and Good luck!
Kimberly
Mom to 5, 3 in my arms and 2 in His!

My 2 year old son did the same thing at about 6-7 months. From what several people told me and from what I've read, this happens a lot at that age. He could be going through a growth spurt and/or just more aware of his surroundings. Do make sure you let him nap during the day and give him an earlier bedtime. This stage won't last forever!

My kids would wake up every 2 hours until I started feeding them cereal and a half of bottle, after that they started sleep all night long and would sleep from 8pm to 7am and it was wonderful.Plus maybe he is teething if that is the problem try giving him something for it before he goes to sleep. But try the cereal. Hope you get some sleep :)

I feel your pain! I am a single mom(by choice) and my son is 14 monrhs old and I had similar problems and the one thing I found that was FANTASTIC is the "miracle blanket". I would swaddle my son and he would always work his arms free so when a friend brought me this blanket to try I was desperate and willing to try anything(although I was skepticle) it worked the first time I used it and now I try to tell everyone about it. The unique thing about it is the inside has fabric that you put around their arms to
HOLD them in place. Kinda hard to explain you will just have to google it to see for yourself. I hope you give it a try because you need your rest before...teething time! that is where I am now(awake atleast once a night)
Good Luck
~M.