Not Sleeping Through the Night?

I agree that NO baby should ever have to cry themselves to sleep. I am very anti CIO. I have a 10 month old who still has not slept through the night. She wakes anywhere from 3 to 5 times a night. Some babies are just not good sleepers. I am tired all the time too, but I tell myself that this will not last forever. This will pass. Good luck and hang in there mama!

Letting my 3rd and last cry it out was tough. We, at 11 1/2 months let her cry it out and now she sleeps through the night. It took 2 weeks but was totally worth it. (she's now 13 months).

Hi, I am in the boat with you! My 3 month old will go about 4 hours before eating during the night. We have a system that seems to work ok if you have someone willing to help, my husband gives him the 11:00pm bottle and I sleep from 9-3am. At 3am I try to just pick him up, feed him, and get him right back down to sleep as quickly as possible (I don't change his diaper unless it's overflowing). Anyway, that's really all I have to offer, you'll get through this somehow so hang in there!

You are certainly going to get ALOT of differing advice on this one. So, just my 2 cents. I agree with Jamie, I don't believe in CIO and there is no need for any child to cry themselves to sleep. We are parents 24/7 and if your child is crying in the middle of the night, it's because they need something, even if it's just a hug. Good for you for listening to your gut and your son.
Neither one of my kids slept more than 4-5 hours at a stretch until they were over a year. For my son, it was 14-15 months. For my daughter, it was almost 2 years. One thing that I remember reading was to not do any more stimulation than absolutely necessary. No lights (or as little as possible), no talking, no diaper changes (although, 5 months might be too early for this). No diaper, because if he were sleeping all night, you wouldn't wake him to change him. But, obviously, if he is soaked, change him. I think that I started this kind of routine around 10 or so months with mine.
Again, Jaime is right, it really doesn't last forever. Even if sometimes it feels like it. lol And, yes again, on the sleep when he sleeps. Good luck

Unfortunately for us sleep deprived Mamas, I think time is the only "cure"! I am a Mom to 5 and all of them did it differently. My first sleep 6-7 hours a night from 6 weeks of age, now our youngest (twin girls) are 20 months and we still get up!
I like the "tag team" suggestion you got.....my husband and I also did that to let each of us get more than 2 or 3 hours at a time.
You are doing all the right stuff. YOu are right not to overfeed....that can create different issues.
This too shall pass. My mantra for the last year and a half has been from a sign hanging in a pediatricians office "SLEEP DEPRIVATION IS NOT FATAL" (although it feels as if it could be!)
Good Luck to you.

Hey M.,

I have a 7 month old who eats like a little piggy. He has been sleeping through the night (most of them anyway) since he was able to roll over and back so I let him sleep on his belly (always putting him on his back to sleep first). That started at about 3 ½ months. For his evening routine, my sons eats 6-8 oz. at about 4 o’clock, then at about 6 o’clock he takes 2-3 jars of fruits and veggies, then about 8 o’clock, he takes another 6-8 oz. And down for the night. Could you be feeding him too much at dinner (bottle, cereal, and fruits/veggies)? Maybe spread it out a bit so he has time to digest. When he takes the food see if he wants more. Ask your pediatrician, they may tell you to feed him until he doesn’t want any. He will tell you. He needs to cry a bit. Of course, he will always eat if you offer it to him. Try to just pick him up and quite him and then put him down without feeding. It may work. He is getting to the age where your pediatrician may tell you he can make it through the night without eating. Good luck!

When I started cereal, I noticed my son slept less at night than before the cereal. The difference was, I think, that his tummy got so full, that when it emptied, he noticed it sooner. Think about your self. If you eat a very light meal and have for several days, your tummy is not near as empty feeling as it is after you have digested a large meal. The day after Thanksgiving, when I have gorged myself all day, I am starved all day. I think the same can happen for baby. So maybe, all that food before all the formula he needs to take is stretching his tummy too much. Remember, he should get most of his nutrition from the formula, not the food.
Just my 2 cents.
R.

I would check guidelines w/your doctor...seems like he may be drinking too much bottle? Also how are his naps? Sleep begates sleep...good naps = good nite sleeps. I would give a bottle and cereal b/4 bed as well. just ideas.

G.

My son got up every 3-4 hours at night until he was about 10 months old. How much he ate during the day never made a different, and crying it out just made things worse. Now he is 18 months old and sleeping 12 hours straight at night. Nothing we tried helped get us to this point, he just worked it out himself. Just give your son time, and keep telling yourself that he doesn't have to do things the same way so-and-so's kid did.

Hi M.,

I am sorry to say my daughter was the same way. She didn't sleep more than 3 hours at a time until she was about 10 months old. I didn't think I was going to make it I was so tired all of the time. But then it was strange, once she decided to sleep, she slept. She went from only 3 hours at a time to sleeping from 8 to 8. She also started walking at this time. I tend to think it had to do with this, but I don't know. She has always been a high maintenance baby. She is 15 months now and still needs a lot more attention than her brother ever needed. He is 3. He slept through the night at 6 weeks and is a very laid back kid. I can't believe how different they are. Good Luck. You can do it. My daughter was also a great eater so I understand if you think your child is hungry at night.

My son was the same way and my pediatrician told me that when he woke up in the middle of the night to give him water instead of formula. So I did that the first night and he took an ounce or two and when back to bed. I did the same thing the next night and he did not want it he went back to bed and slept through the night from there on out.

Good luck.

First off, you're right to follow your gut. There is no reason to let him cry or to stuff him full right before bed. Doing so will only set him up for digestive problems (possibly for the rest of his life).

I don't have any advice on how to fix this other than to let it work itself out naturally and just know that it won't last forever. My first two (now 8 & 5) both slept through the night at 3 weeks. My third on the other hand, didn't sleep for more than 2-3 hours until she was about 8 months old. Even then, she still woke 1-2 times per night until about 10 months. That is when she started sleeping more consistantly through the night. She is now almost 13 months old and sleeps about 12 hours per night. She was simply waking because she was hungry and no matter how I changed her schedule or what I fed her, she just needed that/those extra meal(s).

Hang in there mama! Sleep will once again be your friend before you know it ;) I know its not always possible, but it really does help if you can nap once in a while while baby naps. Your older one should be mature enough to play a game or watch an hour of TV while you're in the same room (IE, the living room) snoozing on the couch.

Hello wow five months I think he is learning and will continue to learn but at five months I would just relax and wait for it to happen, it will. My granddaughter will be 3 next week and she still has trouble sleeping through the night. She will get up and down what seems like a million times a night, after awhile she will just lay and talk to herself and I suppose her imaginary friends, then she will sing to the top of her lungs and then she will fall asleep. In a way it is so comical to hear her and it is also frustrating for her parents, nearly wears them out. It just may take him longer than it did your daughter. Good luck.

My suggestion is to talk with your pediatrician.I would not feed him any more or any less than recommended by his Dr. One of my children had to have the formula changed several times until we found the right combination and amount of food and formula to meet his needs. I would follow the Drs advise but stay in touch regularly until you find your answer.

The book, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth (spelling could be wrong) is a must read for all parents dealing with sleep issues. I read it when my son was 4 mo. (he is almost 9 mo now) and it really helped us with night sleeping. The author does recommend some of the crying it out method and believe me I realize how hard that is, but it really does do the trick. If nothing else, pick up the book from the library or half.com and skim through it. You may find some of the advice helpful. I know I did and I am a rested mama because of it. Good luck!!

My first son slept through the night after 6 months, but the second was up every 1.5-2 hours until 9 months and is still up once a night a few times a week.
You're supposed to wait on solid until 6 months and it may be that his stomach is giving him some trouble.
He's too young for cry-it-out methods, you're right to feed him and more than 6-8 ounces seems like it would be too much. Hang in there and make daddy take every-other feeding, you aren't the only one who made him, you shouldn't be the only one getting up to feed him.
Just keep telling yourself "this, too, shall pass."

My baby is now 24 weeks. I BEGGED the doctor to tell me what to do at 4 months (16 weeks). The doctor said that that the baby's tummy is big enough that she does not need to eat every 3 hours. He told me I could start to sleep train her. I didnt have the heart to go 12 hours without feeding but I did manage to get 8 after the second night. I used the Ferber Method. I have since (at 5 months actually) Continued the Ferber Method and it took me (on and off) about 1 or 2 weeks to get her sleeping ALL 12 hours (its wonderful)
Day 1- when the baby cries -set your timer for 7 mins. Then go in to soothe the baby but do not pick the baby up. leave after 2 mins even if the baby is crying. Then set the time for 10 mins and do the same thing, then 15 and then 20.
Day 2 -start wherever you left off on day one as far as waiting before you go into the babys room to soothe (I had to wait 20 mins)
The first couple night will be HARD but it does not hurt the baby to cry for a little bit.
I was able to get about 8 hours out of my baby by night 3.
You really should get your rest and I know its hard but its worth it. You and your baby will be less cranky if your baby is getting the sleep he/she needs.
If you try this IT WILL WORK!!! If you want more in detail, let me know and I would be happy to tell you what we did for the whole week.
I will say that if you decide to do it, give it ONE FULL WEEK...dont give in after 2 days.

You don't mention how he eats the rest of the day, just right before bed and through the night. Is he eating every 3 hours all day long? Or is this just through the night? If he's not eating every 3 hours through the day then he coudl still have his night and days confused.
If he is eating every three hours through the day then he could really still be hungery. My son ate and ate. I don't really remember at 5 months how much we were eating, but I do remember at 6 months (that's when he started daycare and I was taking the food in for him to eat is the ONLY way I remember) he was eating Cereal and fruit (the sm. jar of food) for breakfast & 6-8once bottle, cereal and veggie (again sm. jar of food) and 6-8 ounce bottle, 2 other 6-8 ounce with afternoon nap and around dinner, and then cereal and different fruit (again sm. jar of food) or veggie at bedtime with 6-8 once bottle. It seemed like a lot but he often acted hungery even after the food was done.
My mom claims boys eat more than girls--at least her two boys out ate her two girls :)
Best of Luck!