Sleep Advice for Infant

I didn't have that problem with my own son but i know what you are talking about. My Niece was the same way and what they did was they did as you with the bedroom routine and then they put some music on while she was going to bed and she would sleep through the night and if she woke up in the middle of the night they put the music back on. they used a portable radio and played baby lullaby. it worked like a charm.

good luck
kimmy

I would say either: start co-sleeping (this is the only way I have made it this far! I honestly don't know how people don't do it! It is amazing, I get a full night's sleep most every night) OR try Elizabeth Pantley's book "The No-Cry Sleep Solution"

I went through the same thing when my 5year old now was that age. Please don't thank I'm crazy but someone told use to pass her under the table. I thought they were crazy. Well one night she had us up all night, so we did it, IT WORKED!! We just did it under the coffee table in the living-room. Hey, if you don't beleave me just try it.

Hi R.,
I feel for you. I had the same problem with my twins, although shhh don't tell anyone but mine did not sleep through the night until 9 months of age. i kept the same routine but did not work UNTIL i started rubbing their back. they would be in the crib, nighttime, and i would stand there and just rub the back softly (i did pay for this later because i had to do this until 2 years old at which time i said either you cry it out or i will :) now they cry for a few minutes and then they fall asleep.
also one more thing, one of my girls did not like to be alone in the dark so i put one of those tiny lamps very lite light and seemed to help. she still has the nightlight on. i don't like it but she does.
so just do the same thing you're doing. i hope it gets better. oh i remember those nights when 2 m i would be putting the coffee pot on and wondering whether i will every sleep again. now i do :) you will too.
V.

I just signed up for this service and had to respond to you because I had the same problem with my son who is now 12 months old. He now takes a nice long nap during the day and sleeps from 8pm to 6am. The answer for my son was food. I started with oatmeal in the formula at night and proceeded from there. I would talk to your doctor and see if you can start feeding him.

I am a firm believer in traing good sleep habits during the day. My daughter went through about 2 weeks of this behavior when she was 2 months old. I would do whatever it took at night to keep her happy, then I started in the day time to make her take naps. Put him down when he starts acting grumpy and let him cry for 15 minutes, regardless of how hard he cries. After 15 minutes go get him, sooth him, and try the cereal in the bottle idea. Use about 1 tbsp per 7-8 oz bottle. (I recommednd Gerber rice ceral, it is cut the smallest and produces the least clogs) Once you've soothed and fed him, put him down again for 15 minutes. Mind you, do this at the times of day you want him to nap! My daughter is 6 month and her schdule is:
8am wake up, awake until 1030-11, naps until 1230-1, awake till about 3, sleep until 6-630, awake until about 8, down for the night.
If you can get his daytime schedule down it will drastically help his night time schedule! Plus, during the day you have more time and energy to work on things then at night when you're trying to sleep! This worked for be after 2 days. Everyone who has tried it says it worked within 5 days. I know it rips your heart out to let them cry, but go outside with a timer and enjoy some sunshine for 15 minutes, if nothing else you'll feel refreshed from the outdoors and it'll give you better energy! Also, I know the peds say children should avoid sun, if it's mild there, take that kid outside! put a hat on him and get him out where he's gotta sweat a little, 10 to 1 says he'll take a longer nap! You sleep better when you've been outside, so will he!

have u ever tried sleeping with your baby? I know a lot of so called medical authorities will tell u not to but which is more important- making other people happy or getting some much neede sleep? Try it you might be surprised. Look for books written about co-sleeping by Dr. Sears. He is an expert pediatrician -he and his wife have had 8 children of their own and they know what works. If your bed is a queen size or king size- you;ll have no problems with room. however you could try putting the crib right next to the bed on your side also. Its the crying part that is so hard- if baby is right next to you you can snuggle and hopefully get back to sleep easily. and don't worry it won't spoil the baby! We have been co-sleeping w/ our baby on and off- and it can be the sweetest experience. I wish u luck! of course be careful! Bed rails are available at Walmart if you want the extra security.

It could be a combination of things. To start with, if you are away from him when you're working, he will likely miss you and want more attention from you when you're home, which of course is at night. You can ease his need to be near you by keeping him close to you at night, either by following safe co-sleeping guidelines or by keeping his crib right next to your bed. This will make it easier for you to nurse at night too since you will not have to wake fully to bring him to you. You may een find yourself dozing off while nursing in bed. Then you can keep him with you or move him back to his own space after he's done. There is no reason for you to have to stay awake just because your 7 month old is nursing. Just be safe with no blankets or pillows near his head and make sure he's not over-dressed where he can get too hot, and make sure he cna't fall off the bed or get rolled on by a sould sleeper (dad's tend to be heavier sleepers than breastfeeding others).

Second, he may be hungry. Some babies nurse a lot more at night so they don't need to take as much from the bottle during the daytime. This actually can benefit you by requiring less pumping. But if it is not working out well, try nursing more frequently during the evening. Naturally, you'd want to follow your baby's cues for hunger, but you can offer to feed him before he's really asking for it. Some babies will be able to fill up enough in the evening to be able to sleep a few hours longer at night.

And if nothing works, rest assured that this is temporary. My older 2 nursed through the night just past a year. My third baby will be a year old next week and she nurses 2-3 times per night, but it's slowing down. Soon enough she'll be sleeping without me just like the older 2. Good luck to you and your baby!

Hi, my daughter was the same way. She grew out of it. By 12 months she started to take a longer nap (they were about 15-17 minutes x 2 a day). Try teething tablets, gas drops, tylenol if it is teeth and ped says ok. Also, you can try letting him sleep in a swing. Or you may want to try an Amby bed. It's like a hammock and it sways/swings. Babies love it. Often you can find one at a resale shop or on Craigslist.org. Good luck. It really *does* get better.

Well, it sounds like we were in the same boat. My daughter didn't sleep through the night until she was 9 months old at which point I decided that I couldn't take it any longer and let her cry. She cried 2 nights for about an hour and then she slept through the night. Now I put her down at 7pm and she wakes up at 6am. From day 1 she was never a napper she has always taken 2 naps 30 minutes long on the DOT! (She's a year old now) So, I know it's awful letting them cry it out and I swore that I would never do it, but it really did work! I will never go through that lack of sleep with my next one that's for sure! I hope you get some rest soon!

does he stay at child care where he has a schedule

Hi R.,

Check out the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Mark Weissbluth. It drastically changed how my daughter sleeps. She was doing the same as yours, taking teeny little naps, then up all night. After reading some of the book and about a week of getting her into the new schedule, we had her sleeping through the night and napping 3-4 hours during the day! When you first read it, it sounds like a cry-it-out book (which I'm totally against), but keep reading. The reasoning behind what he says makes so much sense. We tried co-sleeping as a last ditch effort before I found this book; I couldn't sleep with her in the bed either. She would sleep fine, but I was so worried about myself or my hubby squishing her that I would sleep very light and wake up everytime she moved. I work full time too and also have to have my sleep! I hope you get it figured out soon!! Feel free to email me!

B.

Do you sleep with him? You might see a better sleep pattern if he's sleeping with you because he can smell you and know that you're there. And if you're nursing then all you have to do is roll over, latch on, and go back to sleep. We slept with both of ours until 2 and 3 years old. I always lay down and nurse mine to sleep for night or nap times in our bed. We all get better sleep that way.
J.

Have you tried using classical music as a calming signal for sleepy time? And it is ok for a baby to learn to "self-soothe" himself to sleep. I also find a "lovey" or a soft snuggly toy or blanket that has your fragrance to make him feel even safer when he's trying to sleep. You sound like your doing a great job and don't give up. Just keep the faith and trust your instincts.

Good luck!

T.

Sounds like you are doing what you can, you are keeping a routine for your little one. I had this problem with my daughter she was not only preemie but she was also very colic. she wouldnt nap and up every hour. i breastfed my daughter and when she would wake up it was hard because i was sooo exhausted. i tried putting her in bed with me but because she was so small we were scared. I was at the end of my rope ( lol) what i tried to do was give her alittle formula, i thought maybe she wasnt getting enough food, i tried rocking her , i tried everything. sometimes my doc said babies just dont sleep, but as she gets older it will get better.

give him a little rice before bedtime mixed w/ his fomula , if you bottle feed.. or if you dont try giving a couple spoons mixed w/ b-milk.. it works for my 4mos old

Well, I can tell you that he is not sleeping at nights because he doesnt take naps... the same thing happened to me with my now 1 year old!!!! I recommend : "the baby whisperer" Is a no cry sleep solution but it is a lot of work!!! It'll take you about a week or two to train him to sleep through the night, and you might want to take some time off from work so you can work with him day and night!!! the most important thing is to get him to take naps. If you can achieve that, night sleep will come easily!!!! I feel your pain, I was there myself, but now my baby goes to sleep easily without me having to do anything at all!!!! hope this helps

my son was also waking up numerous times throughout the night. we always used to say that he was just a VERY restless sleeper. after a scare of his two cousins having seizures and him having one on easter of this past year his doctor recomended he go have a sleep deprived eeg done, and to visit a neurologist. come to find out our son is waking up numerous time throughout the night because he has night terrors and suffers from sleepwalking.

if you would like to know more please let me know. good luck

Just keep at it...it sounds like you are doing a good job! Try to attach your little one to a stuffed animal or blanket...this may make it easier for your little one to go back to sleep without you. This worked for me...my son loves his blanket and puppy and they are soothing to him like mommy!

Hi R.,
I have 7 month old twins and they do the same thing! I too am a walking zombie and work full time. They need a bottle to get back to sleep, not for the food, but it soothes them. I started to separate them and keep one with me and the one with me usually does better. I know people have very strong opinions about co-sleeping but it might be something you want to try, especially if you are still nursing. I can't let them cry either so I completely understand where you are coming from. I am hoping they will grow out of if like people say. Sorry I can't offer more advice, if you find something that works please let me know! Good luck.

One sleepy mommy to another,
S.

Have you tried teething tablets? He may be waking due to teething pain...Or gas drops? gas pain perhaps???

He may also have you well trained. He knows that if he is upset, you will pick him up...and yes, at this age, they do know how to do that. Since you dont want him to cry at all, I really only have that advice for you...Im sorry I dont have more.

I personally used the cry it out method...just five minutes, go in..soothe...and go from there...Its hard to do, but my son was sleeping thru the night at about 3-4 months old...I wish you all the luck in the world!

Have you read "The No-Cry Sleep Solution"? Or tried swaddling him? Yes, even 7 month old sometimes can benefit from swaddling. What about co-sleeping, especially if you're breastfeeding, you can nurse and never have to really wake up!!

My first guess is hunger! Babies sleep if they are full. Try some food or formula or cereal and if that works then you know it was right.

Deb

Hello R.,

I had a simular situation, I was BF my son and at night he was waking up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours to eat. Someone suggusted that I feed him formula or add a little cereal to his milk / breast milk at night. I tried it and was finally able to sleep. Is your son teething? You may want to give him teething tablets or orajel or even a cold pacifier (if he takes one) at night when he wakes up. Good Luck, Jen