Why Is My 6 Month Old Baby Whimpering in the Middle of the Night.

Updated on August 22, 2008
T.W. asks from Palos Hills, IL
11 answers

Help! I know that I have got lucky so far. My baby has slept from 9:30p.m. to 9:30 a.m. without waking up in between from about 3 months on. She is in a pack n play next to my bed. Well, for the last several nights, several times a night she will softly start to cry. When I hear this I put the Paci in her mouth and she will go right back to sleep. This happens like four to five times a night.I have tried to see what happens if I don't do anything, and is just gets worse to the point that now she is wide awake and full blown crying. This would not be a big deal, but I am going back to work in two weeks after being off since February. I want to start putting her in her crib, but I will have to get up and go to her room and put the paci back in every time I hear her start to stir on the monitor. The other problem is, if I keep her near me in the pack n play, I can just lean over and put it back in, but my alarm will wake her up at 5:30a.m. Any suggestions?

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

My baby is 8 1/2 mos old and she does something similar. We put her down at around 9:30 pm and she sleeps through until 8am. Periodically through the night she will have the wimpering and putting the paci in subdues it. It will happen at around 2 am, then again at 5 am. She's been in her crib since she was 3 weeks old and I just get up out of bed and walk downt the hall to her room, and give her a little pat. I've never had to physically take her out of the crib to soothe her so I didn't think it was a big deal. It seems like teething to me. She doesn't have any teeth yet. Could be dreams too.

No advice really, but I would put the baby in a crib ASAP.

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S.B.

answers from Chicago on

Hi T.,
I hate to say this, but you may be creating a monster! I have two sets of twins, now 14 (girls) and 8 (girl/boy). I remember with the first set being so tired myself that I let them cry to sleep. They are my best sleepers to this day since they learned how to cope themselves! With my second set, I got up more with them, consoled them, etc. They do not sleep well even now at age 8. My advice is to let her cry it out, esp. with you going back to work. Turn off the monitor. She'll be fine. Be sure you get her back in her crib and out of your room! It sounds like she's older now and soon she can be finding that paci herself. Good luck!
Shelly

1 mom found this helpful
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P.D.

answers from Chicago on

H T., it sounds like your little sweetie is feeling the sensation of teething. When the teeth are working their way up, it is a very uncomfortable feeling for babies. If you are looking for a natural remedy, you could either buy Hylands natural teething tablets(dissolve in babies mouth), or rub a little baking soda on her gums before she goes to sleep.

Good Luck

Ms P.

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H.Q.

answers from Chicago on

She might be teething. My daughter started that around the same age!

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A.D.

answers from Chicago on

Has she learned something new in the last week? I found that with both of my kids their sleep gets interrupted when they learn how to sit up, crawl, walk, etc... It usually lasts for about a week and then goes back to normal. I would say keep doing what you are doing and hopefully it will pass in the next couple of days.

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L.A.

answers from Chicago on

Hi T.,

I agree with some of the other moms that it might be teething. We used Baby Oragel and tylenol in combination to soothe my daughter on those nights. The Baby Oragel relief is immediate and short lived, while the tylenol will provide pain relief for several hours but takes a while to kick in. Another suggestion about the paci, when she gets a little older and if she is still using it, you can try putting multiple paci's in the bed with her and hopefully she will find one before you are disturbed. Last you might be safe to keep her in the bedroom for a little while longer w/o causing long term sleep issues. I kept my girl in our room until she was about 8 months and had no problems getting her to sleep in her own room but I wouldn't wait much longer than that.

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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

Have you tried putting a few pacifiers in the crib and letting her find it on her own?

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J.R.

answers from Chicago on

Hi T.,

Have you checked her mouth to see if she's teething? That's a strong possibility & she's probably in pain, especially because your mouth is much drier at night than in the day. I also agree w/ the other woman. My son also started doing that when he would learn something new. The doctor said that it is because they subconsciously just wanna be up to "master" whatever it is. OR, do you think it's possible that you may need to up her intake of formula at night? She just may not be getting enough to pacify her through the whole evening anymore.

If I were you (and this is just MY opinion), I would put her in the crib starting TODAY! If you have to go back to work in a couple of weeks, the longer you wait, the harder it will be on both of you. Even kids that young need time to adjust to new situations. It's going to be an adjustment for you too! I know the first time I put my son in the crib instead of the bassinet - I cried! But it wound up being the best for everyone involved. And it only took him a few days to get used to it.

Best of luck to you & your daughter!

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M.P.

answers from Chicago on

If you want your daughter in your room, keep her there. I don't know why everyone is in such a hurry to get babies in their cribs. Enjoy her as much as possible. If all she needs in the middle of the night is a pacifier, then I think you're doing pretty good. There is nothing wrong with her being in your room. She's a baby and needs her mommy. Keep your alarm low and she'll probably just get used to it going off and start sleeping through it.

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J.G.

answers from Chicago on

If you do decide to keep her in your room you may want to consider a new alarm clock...mine has a nature sounds function so I wake up to the sound of the ocean. It never wakes up my spouse who is a very light sleeper and I find it's a nicer way to wake up. I think the clock was from KMart!

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K.S.

answers from Chicago on

I guess that is what being a Mom is all about the getting up in the night and all. It doesn't stop with age you just build a tollerance for it.
She is getting old enough to have her own space and be able to stretch out some. If you give her a little bottle of juice or milk at the time she is waking she might just sleep through the rest of the night.
She is sleeping a long time without nurishment. She may just need a little something to soothe her tummy.
I know it is tough to get up in the night and meet her needs but it really is all about the baby and her needs.
Hope that helps have been through two and you just get used to the ups and downs.

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