I have a beautiful happy (during the day) little girl Zoey. She is 6 1/2 months old and has decided that she does not want to sleep. Zoey slept through the night, minnimum of 8 hrs when she was 2 months old...it was great :) then it stopped. She has gone back and forth for the past 4 months. One weeks she will put herself to sleep and stay asleep all night long then out of no where it stops and she is up, won't put herself to sleep, wakes up as soon as you set her down..I am exhausted :(. I will confess to holding her all night or allowing her to lay next to me on the couch out of my own desperation for a glimpse of rest. I have tried the cry it out method and I have to say that our daughter has surpassed the "30 minute limit" by atleast 3 times, last night she cried for over an hour straight.I know that she is teething and I have given her tylenol along with oragel but neither seem to keep her all night. Also, she eats baby food mixed with rice cereal at about 6:30 then a bottle after her bath..I thought this routine would work. I never thought that I would be begging for advice but I am so please give me what you've got.
First off...THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR RESPONDING TO MY DESPERATE SOS :)Last night my fiance and I went to Babies R Us and got the teething tablets and also some gas drops. Instead of feeding Zoey at 6:30 I waited and fed her from 7:45-8:00 then gave her a bath and got her ready for bed...so that left us ready for a bottle at around 8:30. I made Zoey 7 ounces of formula with 3 of the teething tablets disolved in her bottle along with one drop of the gas drops. Zoey fell asleep feeding herself and I put her in her crib at 9:00. Now she did wake up at 11:30 so I gave her one more tablet and she went right back to sleep...for 5 hours!!! YEAH!!!!
SOOOOO THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR RESPONDING ....I HAVE TO SAY AS A NEW MOM HAVING A SUPPORT SYSTEM OF OTHER MOMS IS GREAT!!
Hi K.-
You said she eats at 6:30 and then has one bottle after bath, is that all for the night or are you feeding her when she wakes up? If you're not already, I would feed her when she wakes up as it sounds like she might be hungry. If she has hit a growth spurt she will need more food than she was needing before when she was sleeping through the night.
Good luck,
K.
Have you tried the teething tablets before? I tried Oragel before and they wouldn't work on my kids, but the teething tablets are safe and they worked great. They disolve in their mouths so you don't really have to worry about them being able to swallow. Also, I would feed the heavier bottle, or the cereal about 30 minutes before bed time and maybe that will help. I don't think I ever put my children to be at 6:30 just because I wanted to sleep during my sleep schedule, so I always did about 8:30. Maybe if you keep her up a little later she will tire herself out. Could be that she's getting a little older, and maybe she's ready for a little later bed time, or one less nap during the day. I understand what you are going through. It's tough having no sleep. We all had to go through this at one point or another, so you are not alone. All the parents out there are with you completely!! Hope you get some rest soon!
Sometimes ibuprofen works a little better and longer than Tylenol. She can have that now that she's 6 months.
I know it can be difficult being up all night (and day) but do what works for you and Zoey. For me, co sleeping worked best. There is nothing more soothing for your little one then mama's warmth. My husband and I decided that it was the best for all of us to get sleep. When it was time to move her out of our bed (at 9 mths), we did so without any problems despite all the comments and advice from others. One book that I still use to help is THE BABY BOOK written by Dr. Sears, a pediatrician and father of 6, and his wife.
As far as the "cry it out" method, I never tried it. I was afraid she would feel abandoned or get too worked up that I would not be able to calm her down. I would just tend to her quickly and get her to sleep before she fully woke up. Good luck!
Hi Kathyrn,
I agree with the others, she might be hungry and need more substance, try to stay away from milk before bed it might be causing gas. Has she been running a fever? Look back and see what was then and what might has changed in sleeping patterns, such as a different room, change of laundry soap, room changed such as the bed is in a different location in the same room. Do you have pet now that you didn't have then. Sometime change in our enviroment can cause change in places we never thought could happen. If only change has happened in her growing and teething,then maybe staying up a little later, feeding more solids, and chewing tablets are great. I wish you the best and I will be praying for your rest to come soon! Good luck!
Hi K.
I am a mom of 2 a 4yr boy and a 7 month girl (Arin). I have the same issues for some reason she will not sleep. Myadvice is to ask your childcare provider what they do to get her to sleep. I also recently purchase a 3:1 gentle soother i am still not sure if it works yet. Arin does the same sleep pattern and scream pattern. I have purchase all kinds of sleep books and they say keep a routine. All I can say is I understand and am going with it with you. They will outgrow this phase soon. :)
E.
Hi K.,
She could be teething- or usually when this occurs they are just a little hungry. Try feeding her a little more at nite or a little later- it sounds like you could be putting her to bed a little too early- try keeping her up a little later. Crying more than 5 minutes is not good for them. They are tired, but more than that they are emotionally drained. be sure they are not letting her sleep too long at baby school- if she takes too long of naps there (for their convience) that would explain why she is not sleepy at nite. and I would also be sure she is eating good at baby school.
good luck and blessings
