My Seven Month Old Sleeping Schedule

Skip the 5:30 nap and put him to bed at 6:00pm. It sounds like he might be an over tired child and usually an early bedtime will fix that.

I had the same problem with my son. We did away with the late afternoon nap which helped a little, but we also had to let him cry himself back to sleep for a couple of nights. It was so hard but his doc. recommended it so he could comfort himself to sleep. Hope this helps.

E. if you get a response will you let me know as well. My 5 1/2 month old does the same thing. He takes a couple of drinks off the bottle and he is out, but if I let him cry a little he is wide awake. I too am a stay at home mom for now and I am 24.

A.

Seems to me he might sleep too often. How long do his naps last? Is there anyway he can stay up from his 5:30 nap?

different kids learn to sleep through the night at different
ages.I have 4 kids and my oldest is 24 and she didn't sleep through the night till I took her bottle away at 15 months, then the second one sleep through the night at 7 months. So, its nobodys fault. See if you have more then one kid you will find that they all grow up differently. Hope this help.

My seth drifts back to sleep at those late night, morning feedings.. i tap, gently shake and do what i can to wake him back up to feed. he doesnt do this every night. i do lose some sleep on these nights, but its worth it to get him to eat at least half his bottle. Hes waking up because hes hungry- obviously. AND NO ITS NOT YOUR FAULT! :) Mothers can be your BEST and WORST advice. It;s not your fault. Babies are pretty much on their own times. You can do things to try and help, but nothing is fail-safe. Try doing what you can to get him to eat at nights/mornings so your lil one can sleep through..

Well I have 4 kids and I can tell you none of them started sleeping thru the night at the same ages. I have an 8wk old and she sleeps all night basically(10:30-6). She naps when she naps even as late as 7:30. Your child naps because they are tired. I dont think that keeping them up more will help because then they may be cranky and still not sleep well. Being overtired can tend to make a baby sleep fitfully. Just remember babies are all different and do things at different ages. My 4 yr old didnt sleep thru the night til around 1 and the doctors said that was normal. Now if the baby wakes and doesnt cry out and can go back to sleep let them because then they learn to get back to sleep on their own and will eventually not wake thru the night. Just be patient! Good luck.

First, at your sons age...he should only be taking two naps, a morning and an afternoon. His 5:30pm nap is too late. Also, at your son's age he should be getting enough nutrition during the day that he shouldn't be getting up in the middle of the night. So, now that being said, the question I would ask is...does your son know how to put himself to sleep without the help of you or nursing? It may sound difficult but you should not be going in to nurse him during the night. You need to tuck him back in and try and let him learn how to put himself back to sleep. Yes, I'm suggesting you try a cry it out method. And, yes, it's hard...very hard. I couldn't do it on my own. I had to have my husband help because I wanted to run in and rescue my daughter everytime I heard her cry. But believe me, it works!! I read a book, On Becoming Babywise, and followed it. It teaches you to follow a cycle with your baby, wake, eat, play, sleep, and when it is time to sleep you put them in their bed while still being awake. That way, they can teach themselves to put themselves to sleep. I would say that your child wakes up in the middle of the night and doesn't know how to put himself back to sleep, so he cries knowing that you will run in and give him a bottle so that he can go back to sleep. The quicker you get rid of this crutch, the quicker you can get a full nights sleep. Again, this works...we started my daughter on this when she was just a few weeks and by 2 months she was sleeping through the night. She is now 5 1/2 months and goes to sleep at 6:30pm and sleeps until about 7:00am. (She only takes 2 naps during the day)

If you have any questions...please message me!
Good Luck!
C. B

Hi,
First of all it's not your fault!! All babies are different. 7 months old is still really young. Don't worry about it now. I know you are probably exhausted but it does go by so fast. My daughter still wakes up in the night and comes to sleep on the floor in my room and she's 3!
I slept with her in bed til about 9 months and then put her in a crib/play pen. Had to let her cry it out some but she's always woken up no matter where she was sleeping. Maybe when your baby gets a little older you can transition them to another bed and to 2 naps a day instead of 3. But 7 months is still young. good luck and don't blame yourself

I think i would try to get get he to two naps one around 10 or 11 and then another at around 2 or 3. I think 5:30 is a little too late in the evening. I had all my kids on this schedule but the youngest is the hardest to get to sleep. She is 2 y/o and didn't sleep thru the night until she was 1 1/2 IT WAS HARD. But I believe all children are different. I had friends and family tell me well my baby was sleeping thru the night at 2 months I said more power to you.
YOU are the only person who knows your little one anf don't let other people tell you what to do. I have always learn to listen to the advice given but use only what I think will work with my kids. And your mom is only giving her opinion, do what I do with my mom just listen and try not to agrue with them, they believe THEY ARE ALWAYS RIGHT.
Just have fun with with your son.
Leti

I might take out that 1:30 nap. How long are his naps lasting?

I have a six month old. My pediatrican told me that at six months I should not give him a bottle if he wakes up. I am not sure that I beleive this. My son is not on a schedule at all. I have tried my hardest but he just wont do it. He normally only takes on nap a day and he usually sleeps throughout the night. Now when I say that I mean we put him in his bed to begin with but he wakes up at some point when he realizes he is in his bed ALONE. He fusses to get into the bed with us then falls right back asleep. However if he is still fussing I will give him a bottle. If I were you maybe I would try to keep him awake more during the day. Maybe he is getting too much sleep! I could only imagine how hard it is for you to get up three or four times a night still! Good Luck!

Babies have their own schedule. I have a 20 month old who just quit waking during the night about a month ago. I also have a 4 month old who has been sleeping through the night since he was 2 months old. My 8 year old slept through the night from the first night. They're all different. All you can do is love them. :)

It sounds like your son just needs a little gentle tweaking. My thought is to try to keep him up a bit later in the afternoon (may until 2-2:30), then he may not need the 5:30 nap. I think that one may be your culprit. It is common for babies his age to still awaken at night. One of the best books on the market that may help with this is called "The No Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley.

Hope that helps. Hang in there, as a mom of kids 18, 16, 11, and 9, I know this phase passes! :-)

I have a 8th month old little girl that was doing the same thing...but around 4-5 months. You're going to have to play a little tough love with him and let him cry it out. The first night will definitely be the hardest, but each night will get easier and after about 3-5 nights he will sleep. It sounds like he has you trained if he's only awake for a few minutes for a "quick drink". I would also try to cut out the 5:30 naptime depending on what time he goes to sleep. It sounds like you're doing great with the routine...that will make your life so much easier.

Good Luck!
A.

I feel for you! I have a 3-year-old daughter who didn't sleep through the night until she was 16 months old. She got up at LEAST 4 times a night until that time.We made some mistakes, but I feel very strongly that much of her problem was related to her temperament. We finally found a book with a system we felt we could follow---"Sleeping Through the Night", by Jodi Mindell, Ph.D.. It worked wonderfully.

We now have a little boy who is 6 1/2 months old. He has reflux, and he's really big (above the 97th percentile for both length and weight), so he has to "refill" his tummy pretty frequently! He's up at least twice a night---usually 3 or 4 times. We've begun using the "Sleeping Through the Night" training system with him, but he may not sleep well until he gets over the reflux.

I'm sure you've checked to make sure that your little one doesn't have any medical issues that might be causing him to wake up. If not, I would suggest a visit to the pediatrician, just in case. Also, make sure to set up a pretty strict bedtime routine (bath, book, song, etc.) that you do every night at about the same time. That's part of the system I mentioned earlier, and it really helps.

This is a long-winded response, I know, but sleep issues have been the most difficult part of motherhood for me, and I have a LOT of sympathy for other mommies who are experiencing it. Hang in there. It WILL get better, and one of these days, these difficult nights will be a distant memory!

Hi E.,

I suggest 'closing the kitchen' after his last feeding. My 7 month old daughter began sleeping throuth the night around 4 months old. She then got in the habit of waking up at night and I would feed her a couple of ounces to get her back to bed. That lasted about a couple of weeks until I said enough. Now I go in, pop her pacifier in, 'shh' her, and leave. It was hell for about a week, but she learned to soothe herslef down and go back to sleep. I also asked her MD about it and she said that she is old enough to go through the night without a feed and that she needs to learn to soothe herself without a bottle.

Hello E.!

You've gotten a lot of advice on this issue. Maybe even too much! haha! I just wanted to say one thing... I didn't read what everyone had written, but I did read a few things that irritated me.

A lot of moms used the word "should" as in your son SHOULD not be napping at 5:30 or you SHOULD not be doing this or that... I just wanted to say not to let that language get you down! As a mother... there is no right or wrong way to do something and there is definitely no specific way something SHOULD be done. You know your son better than any of us.

I do agree with the women who say that he just needs to learn how to get himself back to sleep. I found that putting my son to bed earlier helped him sleep more soundly.. I did let him stay up until about 10:30-11:30 at night when he was just so exhausted that he wouldn't sleep well. Now-he goes to bed at 8:00 and sleeps better than ever! And I get some mommy time too!!

Good luck to you!

J.

I would try to cut out the 530 nap and perhaps make sure he has a full bottle prior to bedtime. Maybe with some cereal in it a couple scoops.
Thats what I do and my boy is 9.5 months and he has slept all night sense he was about 4 mo old.
Good Luck

Hi E.!

Chances are that that he may be napping too much. If you could keep him active during his normal 5.30 nap time, you may have some night time relief. Also, a light scent of lavendar around the nursery area will help him sleep longer during the night.

K.

My 6 1/2 month old sleeps through the night. She's not on a napping schedule during the day usually. But she only takes 1 to 2 naps a day. I think your son is just sleeping too much during the day. Usually 2 naps a day is good enough.. My pediatrian says as long as they are getting at least 14 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, then it's all good.

I would say try to cut out the 5:30 nap. I think most babies are down to two naps at this point. All three of mine were down to two naps at around 5 or 6 months old, I think. Keep in mind, though, that it won't necessarily eliminate the night time waking. My daughter (18mo) has been sleeping through the night since she was 4 months old. Both of my boys, however, still come running into my bed occasionally (okay, more like frequently!) and they are 7 and 4! I know that some people and the supposed 'experts' say to let them cry themselves back to sleep, but I just can't do it. I mean, in the scheme of things, these years fly by. Soon enough, the time will come when they don't want me to pick them up or cuddle with them. I'm taking it while I can get it!

My son took 2 naps until he was 9 months old. Now he just takes one long nap at noon, he is one. I would take out that 5:30 nap and put him to bed at 6:30 or 7. That's what we do and our son sleeps all night and wakes up in between 7 or 8 A.M. There where some bumps in the road when he was cutting four teeth at once, but it was just a phase and it passed. It seems like your son is on a good sced. and it will all work out.

My son didn't start consistently sleeping through the night until he was about 15 months old. I really think it is unrealistic to think that an infant can do without the comfort of their parents for such a long stretch. Just ignore people who tell you that your son should be sleeping through the night. It will happen. And yes, I definitely sympathize with you having to wake up. You might want to consider allowing your son to sleep with you, if he isn't already. Most babies really dislike being away from their parents all night.

My son woke up alot at night for a drink until he was over a year old. Some babies tummies and needs are different than others. My daughter slept through the nigh early on. My advice to you is to sneak in a nap yourself during one of his daytime naps if at all possible and make absolutely sure he is full before he goes to sleep at night, extra baby cereal or baby food?

Hey E.,
I went through this with my son, he is now 2. My advice may sound hard but it is what i tried and it worked. my son has always woken up before the sun. i had the exact some senario as u. i had to kept him going as long as i could all morning. make his nap time from noon to 2 and let him cry at night. i was about to pull my hair out by the end of the first 2 weeks but by the end of the month it had worked and he has slept all night since.yeah!! if u are going to try this though my advice is to start gradually, though he should catch on pretty quick cause he is 7 months. i would start most definetly taking out the late nap. and i gave my son a sip of water if he woke up for the first week or so.eventually my son got the idea that a sip of water wasnt worth waking up for. some nights my son cried for an hour or more( or so it seemed) and i would just go in his room every 10-20 minutes to assure him it was ok and momma was still around, i would lay him back down if he was standing up and tell him night-night.
this is hard and i thought at first i was being a meany and everynow and then chickened out but i got strong and it eventually happened .

hi you might want to try keeping him up a little longer and skipping the 5:30 nap because it is a little later in the day.and put him to bed at his regular time...even when it is cold out that fresh air will make them play more. and the sunshine would help your mood too you will feel like the world is sunshine and butterflies

no...don't let her make you feel bad. It sounds like you are doing just fine, and you just have a baby who wakes up every once in a while. My son is 13 months old and he JUST started sleeping through the night. The biggest thing I could suggest is to slowly start phasing out his 5:30 nap so that he isn't taking a nap so close to bed time and he will be more tired at bedtime. Other than that, it sounds like you are doing just fine.

E.- WOW! I see a lot of people have responded. My son is 7 months old too. We moved him to his own room this past weekend....and he slept all night. I think my husband's snoring was keeping him up. Our "routine" is a little different. Braden waked up at 7:00...has a bottle at 7:30, we go to daycare...they feed him cereal for breakfast, and a tub of stage one baby food for lunch. He has 4 bottles while at daycare. I pick him up at 4:30...we go home, eat another bottle. He plays, then naps around 7:30 or 8:30 (depending on how tired he is)...when he wakes up we eat another tub of stage one baby food, take a bath, then get his bedtime bottle...and he's out for the night. I dont know if my schedule would help...but it's certainly helped get this mommy some much needed sleep!!! GOOD LUCK!

Ignore your mom, if you don't live with her, tell her to piss off. At 7 months, babies are still making up their minds about sleeping. If you are concerned about it, try taking his evening nap out and see how that works for ya. Just know that its not all that unusual for infants to be up at different times at night. If he was a toddler or older I would say be a little more concerned but since hes still just a baby, don't worry too much about it.

E.,
I have ten month old daughter who was doing the same thing your little one is doing at the very same age. I then started giving her something more filling for dinner(mashed potatos for example) and she would sleep longer. She was just hungry. I became so tired from getting up so much in the middle of the night(especially having to work the next day). I fed her whatever I knew she could eat safely and was much more filling than those gerber baby foods(Step 1 and 2). In fact now, she won't even eat them and all she wants is mommy's food. As for her sleep habits, ever since she was 6 months old I have had her sleeping in her own room and own bed. At 7:00pm every night I have a bottle ready and her ready for bed. We sit in the rocking chair in her room with a dim light on and listen to sleepy time music(every night). She usually falls asleep by 7:30-8pm. You must have him on a set schedule, no matter what. Or you are going to become so exhausted living everyday to what he wants. He'll eventually get use to it. He may not like it, but he'll get use to it. Some people will say let your baby cry if they wake up(of course checking to make sure nothing is really wrong)...the faster you are able to get them to sleep the faster I'm able to get to sleep. I can't do the cry thing, some people can. My daughter is waking up again like your son and this time I think it's because she knows I'll come running in the middle of the night....I let her cry for about 10 minutes and if it doesn't stop I pick her up and she usually falls back asleep. Is it the dark that makes her cry when she wakes up or is it knowing that I will come to her in the middle of the night? Sometimes she is hungry. Either way, this is a habit that needs to break as well....I still keep her on her schedule but trying to figure this one out may take a couple of sleepless nights letting her go back to sleep on her own.

It sounds to me like he is probably sleeping to much during the day. By the time my son was seven months old he was sleeping through the night. Try cutting him back to two naps a day. Also you might want to try putting cereal into his last bottle of the day before he goes to bed. That might keep his stomach full longer and help him to sleep longer.

Hi E.

I am a 40 yr old mother of 3 grown children and am on the grandchildren now. It was my experience that if they get too much sleep during the day, they tend to wake up more at night. My suggestion would be to cut out the 5:30 nap. Also if he is just wanting a quick dring, that is probably just a habit of waking up. waking up once a night is not unheard of at his age, but 3 to 4 times is a little much. Remember babies are little people with habits just as adults have. Good luck.

I have a 20 month old and he STILL doesn't sleep at night.... if anyone gives you helpful hints that could help please pass on them on to me. I am a full time worker and full time mommy. I am in desperate need of some SLEEP.....

sleeping schedules can be hard to produce sometimes but if you can't get him to sleep all night then try to avoid the nap times being after say like 3pm. my daughter would never sleep all night if she napped after 3. the more naps they get in, in my experience, the less likely they are to sleep all through the night. That is my experience and findings, though. :)

My daughter is almost 3 so I may be a little off track but my advice would be to cut back the naps to two instead of three and space them out during the day. Maybe not letting him sleep until he wakes up would help. My daughter loved to sleep and didn't like to be woken up, but if she was sleeping for too long, I would make some noise in another part of the house to wake her up. I would "accidentally" drop a pan into the sink or shut a cabinet door a little too hard. It wasn't enough noise to startle her but she would wake up and not be cranky. I would also not let her sleep past 4:30 or, at the latest, 5:00 pm. Her bed time was about 8:00 or 8:30 so she didn't need to sleep that late. She would wake up around 6am, eat, then go back to sleep. Hope it helps.

When my son was that age and wasn't sleeping though the night it was because he was hungry. Try adding something with a little substance to his before bed-time meal. A full tummy with something sticking to his ribs solved all our midnight woes.

E.,
You know, I never listen to what 'others' say my child should be doing at what ages.... I'm a breastfeeding mom and my children never sleep through the night; until they are much older, that is. By the time they are 2 yrs old, they're sleeping through night easily.
As long as it doesn't bother you, don't worry about how often your baby wakes up.
My baby is 12 mths old right and quite frankly, I have no idea how often he wakes up... because he sleeps with me, I nurse him, and we go back to sleep... so, he never fully wakes nor do I.

I would talk to his doctor and get his/her advice. It does seem a little much that he is waking up that manytimes.

My daughter is 3 and still doesnt sleep through the night , she usually wakes up and wants something to drink then goes bk to sleep. I know its tiresome , but I dont think theres anything u can do differently. It just takes longer for some to start sleeping all night I guess.