Need Advice on Sleeping Our 8 Month Old

I would stop the dreamfeed at 11:00. I did that and amazingly my son started sleeping through the night!! Good luck!

Well, she sounds like a perfectly normal baby. The good news is that around 8-10 months, they usually change their sleep behavior to a more mature sleep pattern and sleep through the night if they weren't already. She will probably start eating a lot more, which will help too. But with both the food and sleep, you can't force it, you need to just offer opportunities for food and sleep. She will have to set the tone.

With that in mind, try to switch things up a bit. Put her down before she looks sleepy (up two hours at a time may be plenty) and try putting her to bed a little earlier. It is counterintuitive, but often they sleep better if they aren't overtired, and although you don't suggest she is tired, this might still help.

I might try to put her down by 7 at night - this was always my infants' bedtime. As for 6:00am, undfortunately this may be a fact of life. My babues both rose around 5:30-6:30 with regularity, and while that stablized closer to 7:00 after age 1, I think it is just a fact of life that kids are early risers - they eat healthier, sleep more, exercise more, are less stressed than adults - it's no wonder their internal clocks are stronger. You may just have to adjust to that schedule (my oldest is now 5, and she still gets up at 6:45 like clockwork - but at least she can read a clock and I can tell her to stay out until 7:00!!)

Have you looked into joining a moms club in your area - even if you work they can be very welcoming and a good source of support to a new mom, especially if you don't have local family support.

My kids were "great sleepers" - generally from 7-6 at night starting around 4 months and two naps of 2-3 hours until at least 15 months. But that is not to say we didn't have our own issues. Routine is soooo important. Right when you think you have everyting figured out, they change again. Just try to establish and tweak your routine and stick with it. Good luck! Sounds like she is perfect!

I totally disagree with Rachel. She should NOT be eating 8 oz in one sitting. Her little tummy is the size of her fist!!!! 8 oz in one sitting constantly will stretch her tummy a lot. Breastmilk digests much faster than formula ( approx. 80% is digested within 90 minutes), so of course a breastfed baby is going to nurse more often. That's not a bad thing. Also, 3 solid meals at this age, especially for a breastfed baby, is quite a bit. Many experts recommend only 1 solid meal per day at this point.

Second, 4-5 oz of milk every 3.5 hours is good. Like I said, her tummy is the size of her fist. A breastfed baby takes in an average of 19-30 oz of breastmilk per day split up across the number of feedings per day.

Third, your baby is SSTN. SSTN for a baby is defined as 5 or more hours of sleep straight. If she's sleeping from 7:30 to 2, she's sleeping 6.5 hours straight. If you're having difficulty with your own lack of sleep, I suggest co-sleeping, which we do with our DD. We all sleep much better that way. It may not be what some people like, but we find it works for us, at least until she weans.

Fourth, I would encourage you not to deny your baby a feeding when she wakes up at night. For one, she does need it, whether it be for hunger, thirst, or just comfort. It also helps your milk supply.

My DD is a short napper, and still wakes during the night, and she's 13 months old. Some babies are just like that.

I highly recommend you visit kellymom.com. You will find a great amount of resources about breastfeeding.

ETA: I also second the recommendation to get fenugreek. It really helps milk supply, as does oatmeal.

BY this age your baby should sleep through the night and have 2 naps during the day. If she is a 6:00 riser I would lay her down between 9-10 she should sleep from 45min to 2 hours. There could be many reasons why she dosent stay asleep long. One could be she dosent but her self to sleep. Meaning you still rock her. If thats the case I suggest letting her put her self to sleep. It's a long hard process but I would start with nap and once she has that down move on to the next nap and then bed. Normally once a baby knows that they are less likely to wake up at night. If she is anything like my son was still getting up I would stuff (food) her before bed so you dont feel like she is getting up. She might just be use to it by now and you have to do the weaning. I had sleeping issues with my son and to tell you the truth it wasnt until I was absolutly tierd of and I let him cry. It only took 2 or 3 nights but it's worth it. Hope this worked for you!

i dont see anything wrong with your babies schedual. she goes to sleep at 730 (which i think is too early) then wakes at 2. thats 6.5 hours right there. many adults are fine with that amount of sleep at night. then goes back to sleep giving her and you at least three more hours of rest bringing her total sleep to 9.5 hours. if this is really a bother for you getting up the one time at night then have hubby feed her one night and you the next with a bottle of formula or breastmilk. to get your milk back in full swing go to the vitamine shop and get fenugreek. i hear it works great. basically you need to sleep when baby does. putting her in your bed if she isnt already there might help her sleep longer and better. but i really think she is sleeping long enough it's you that needs to try to go to sleep when she does. have ou tried tylenols simply sleep or asked your dr for something to help you fall asleep that you can take while breastfeeding? what i wold do is find out what time you will have to get her up in the mornings when ou go back to work and count 6.5 hours back and have that be her bed time. then those other 3 hours that she sleeps in the morning will be a nap throughout the day and she isnt waking you up early in the morning. by the way it's said that an 8 month old needs about 14 hours of sleep total a day. count up all her sleep time and see how much she gets. problem i if shes happy all day and not tired shes getting enough and you cant make her fall asleep if shes wide awake.

I think your daughter is doing fine. I think you should focus on your insomnia that is causing you not to get to sleep early enough. When you start back to work, you probably won't be able to sleep past 6:30 anyway, and I discovered with my son that 1 nighttime feeding didn't ruin me for work if I got to bed early enough.

Have you considered getting rid of her dream feed? You could try for bed earlier if you didn't have to wait up to give her the 11:00 feeding. And if she's not even asking for it, you should be able to easily cut that one out. If she still wakes up at 2, so be it, at least you got to bed before 11 and had more than 3 hours of sleep before having to get up and feed her.

Also consider that she may not be hungry when she wakes up at 2. My son never took a pacifier and would wake up in the middle of the night to nurse - basically using me as a pacifier, not because he was hungry. This may not be the case with your daughter, but it could be that she just doesn't have another way of getting back to sleep when she wakes up.

Good luck with everything. It may not be much of a consolation, but even if you do nothing, she'll probably just start sleeping through the night on her own in the next few months.

Your baby doesn't need to eat more. she is just a person that likes to be awake and active. Some people don't need as much sleep as others. All their life they are that way. I had two children. One was a sleeper. The other was very alert and up and running all day. I breastfed both. Try taking a 20 minute power nap in the day when she naps. It really helps AF

hey E.- sleeping is such a touchy subject you're really going to get a lot of different responses. There really isn't a right or wrong way at this point- your daughter will tell you what she needs, and as her mom, you listen. however, that being said there are limits and "restrictions" so to speak you can begin to enforce at this age. Check with her pediatrician, but at 8 months she probably is ready to drop the night feedings. My daughter was 7 months when we stopped those- she was breastfed as well. Try feeding her more in the evening - milk plus food plus a little milk right before bed. Establish a solid bedtime routine if you don't have one- dinner than bath then milk then book then bed for example. It'll help teach her that it's night time, and she'll know what to expect. 7:30 might be a little late for her. Maybe try 7pm instead. Overtired babies tend not to sleep as well- it seems odd, but the earlier my daughter goes to bed, the later she sleeps in the morning.
6 am wake up really isn't that abnormal, sadly. If my daughter (now 22 months) makes it to 7am i'm thrilled!
For naps- 30 min as you know prob isn't enough. do you put her down at the same time during the day? Keep a little diary and jot down what times she seems tired, and after a few days pay attention to her and start putting her down for a nap BEFORE those times- at the first yawn or eye rub. She needs to be awake to fall asleep on her own.
As to the amount to feed her- babies tell you when they are hungry and when they are full. my daughter does eat dinner right before bed so she'll a little more full for bedtime, but i don't push EXTRA food on her- just play with the times.
FInally.... to break her of the middle of the night feeding habit. It's a choice you have to make how you want to handle it. I was losing my mind completely after 7 months of zero sleep (my daughter woke about 3 or 4 times a night begging for food) and after talking to the pediatrician, she convinced me that my daughter was thriving, healthy, and old enough to be taught to sleep. So.. i did the hard thing and let her cry. After ten min of crying (usually just prior to the hysterical crying) i'd go in and soothe her but not pick her up and not feed her. I was stern about it. "Mommy loves you, kisses, time for bed". It took like a week, but finally she got it. I did not abandon her or anything like that- she never was left to cry more than about 10 min, but at 8 months, they are old enough to figure out what bedtime means. then when it is morning, i make a big, happy deal of it. HEY BABY GIRL TIME TO GET UP! lots of light, smiles, hugs, etc- to really contrast the difference between sleepy time and daytime. I did it with naps too. Let me know if you want more info- but like i said a lot of moms have trouble with this, and it's a personal decision. But you have to do what's best for you and your family. If you're so tired you are losing your mind, it's within your rights to do soemthing! :) you're not a bad mom if you start to set limits- you're the parent! If she's eaten enough and she's healthy and her weight is good, etc, then it's bedtime!:) good luck

it is so hard on you when your baby isn't a straight-line sleeper, but honestly, E., she sounds pretty much in the bounds of where she ought to be. i'm a little surprised at her having 3 solid meals a day already, though, it just strikes me a little soon for that.
i would not deny her the 2am feeding either, but you can try to gently phase that one out. try keeping the lights low, your voice very low and hushed, give her a gentle massage, feed her as little as you can without her yelling, keep it very quiet and low-key.
adjusting to a baby's sleep schedule, especially with work looming, can be a very daunting proposition. i sure do sympathize.
khairete
S.

You need to stop feeding her at night she should be over that she's not doing it because she needs it she's doing it because she likes it. Right now she's full of energy but you will notice a decline in energy or maybe not you will just start noticing her getting frustrated near the end of the day from lack of sleep. Because soon she will stop being so easy at night. She will start making the getting up last longer. She will realize she is the one going back to sleep and she can choose not to. When she realizes that she will start not wanting to go back to sleep.
Since someone else brought it up. 7:30pm is the perfect time for bedtime. My daughter and every child in my family has gone to bed at 7:30 in my entire family. The normal time to wake up is about 6:30 give or take a half hour. It makes it great for school my daughter wakes up on her own for school right on time EVERY day now that she's in kindergarten.
As far as naps and eating during the day it sounds like you are feeding her too often. Make her wait. At this point she should be able to eat 8oz. in one setting. What is going on is she's not allowing her self to get empty. As soon as she starts getting less than full she's wanting more. (this could be why she wants to wake up at night and why you should stop it) Offer her an 8oz. bottle at each feeding if she doesn't eat it don't offer her another bottle until the next feeding. (extend the time between them so she has time to get hungry, apparently show you she's hungry isn't going to work since she's going to show you she's hungry right away) After a while of extending the time between meals and not offering her another one right away should bring up the amount she eats. Don't let her have a bottle at night that will help her get a full bottle in the morning. If you give in your def. the purpose. This will effect her sleeping during the day because she will wake up to eat during the day also. Don't feed her until bottle time. Good luck

Try consolidating her naps by keeping her active past the time she would normally take her first nap and see if you can't get her to take one or two longer naps. It sounds like she's not really experiencing a lot of deep sleep which would keep her asleep a lot better than lighter sleep patterns. Also, when she wakes up at night have your husband go in a soothe her. If breastfeeding isn't on the table so to speak, she will have to learn to cope with other soothing mechanisms to get back to sleep. It'll take a couple of weeks and will make both you and hubby short on sleep, but eventually she'll get used to it and start sleeping through the night.

Wow. Your baby is so normal. It is so normal at 8 months not to sleep through the night. And some babies just need less sleep than others and it sounds like yours is one of those babies. The sooner you just accept her for the way she is, the better your life will be. Try to just nap with her sometimes (I know you can't do it all the time) and if you need to get stuff done, let her be cloes to you playing. She can play with tupperware when you are cooking in the kitchen. You can leave one cabinet non baby proofed with safe stuff for her to play with in the kitchen. And she can always sit next to you with toys when you are doing laundry and folding laundry. It's not easy. I have my 2nd baby now and am still trying to figure stuff out but don't let anyone tell you that it's not normal for an 8 months old to not sleep through the night.