6 month baby sleeping problem

Jody - posted on 01/07/2009

Quoting Christina:

6 month baby sleeping problem

about a month ago my son was sleeping from like 7 to 5.30 in the morning, well now he is getting up at 2.30, then the next night 3.30 and last night he woke up at 11.30 and i know he is teething and all but it doesnt seem like that is why he is waking up??? anyone else have this problem or know what to do??? It just seems like i finally go him in a schedule and now its all messed up and i dont know if i should just let it go and deal with it or if there is something i can do. Like if he cries should i just let him cry and go back to sleep! Help please!!

My son went from waking up once in 12 hours for a bottle to waking up constantly at night. He started doing this when he was 4 months old and he's now 5 months and back on track. I was extremely sleep deprived so I call his ped. doctor and she gave me a book that saved my sanity. It's called Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Richard Ferber, M.D.  This book has every scenario as to why your child may not be sleeping at night and how to fix it. My son is very quick tempered and this book helped the first day. I highly reccommend it for any mom having problems with their infant or older child who's having sleeping problems.

Karen - posted on 01/07/2009

I've been very gentle with my two girls. The older one is soon three and has been sleeping in her own bed throug the night for over a year, but she slept between my husband and I when she was a baby, so she could breast feed when she needed. Our second daughter is now 7 months. The first 5 months she slept in the crib, but she started waking up every hour, so I let her sleep in our bed and she started sleeping well. I myself don't like letting them cry, 'cause they don't go back to sleep easily if they get too stressed. Many of you are probably horrified that the baby sleeps in the same bed, but it's quite natural for us here in Finland.

Beth - posted on 01/06/2009

at 3 months old I went out of town and all the traveling made my daughter wake up every 3 hours again throughout the night..  I just let her cry for 10 minutes or so to let her get herself back to sleep.  When that didn't work, I would try to comfort her by the side of the crib, but not getting her out so she would learn to sleep in the crib.  That seemed to work.  I only fed her as a last resort if she wouldn't go back to sleep.  My sisters that have kids have told me that most babies go through a phase like that and they need to learn how to get themselves back to sleep by themselves.  good luck!

Ldoo - posted on 01/06/2009

Yes, at 4 months their sleep changes. I found that my wonderful sleeper started waking up constantly at 4 months as part of her normal sleep pattern. But because she went to sleep with a paci, when she woke up, she'd want it again to soothe her. I had to take it away and do some tough love cry-it-outs (or just go in, pat her belly, then walk out). She quickly learned to soothe herself and not wake up so much.

Now at almost 6 months, she has started waking up a few times a night to scream. She's not teething (that I can tell), so I don't really know what the deal is. The only thing that has helped is not going in there unless she is just inconsolable for more than like 15 minutes (depends on if she's just fussing versus all-out screaming). I'm trying to gradually not go in as much or if I do, just give her her blanky and walk out. If I feel like I should pick her up, I try to do it for a short period of time then put her back down when she's calm but still awake. The key is to be consistent with whatever you choose.

I might have rambled a bit. Sorry.

My BIGGEST advice, though, is to go to this Web site: www.picknicksbrain.com. I was so desperate that I paid $20 to the lady who runs the site to e-mail back and forth with her with ALL my questions. She laid out step by step for me what to do, and it has helped SO much. Totally worth every penny.

Vanessa - posted on 01/06/2009

My son did the exact same thing at that age! He was finally on a good schedule, then out of the blue he started waking at odd times. I just helped him back to sleep by either rubbing his head or a quick gentle rock. Sometimes when that didn't work, I gave him a little water in a bottle, that worked sometimes too. He's now 8 months and he is sleeping the whole night through. Though when there is a tooth coming in he often wakes up at least once a night. I know that babies often change sleeping patterns during the first year or so. Hopefully he'll start sleeping again for you!

Dede - posted on 01/05/2009

I'm going through the same thing. Please....someone help us!!!!

Shanna - posted on 01/04/2009

ME TOO! My daughter is 5.5 months old and is now waking every 2 hours to eat! She used to sleep from 9pm-5am, eat then back to sleep until 8am everyday. So this is something I'm not used to! If you figure anything out let me know!

Sarah - posted on 01/02/2009

I am in the same boat!!! My daughter is 4 months and was only waking twice a night for quick 8 min feeds, and then all of a sudden she started waking up 3, 4 , 5, even 6 times a night! I did read ( which helped me feel a lot better) that from birth to 2 months is like the honeymoon period and that around 4 months their sleep patterns reconfigure a bit ( what an understatement) So I am not sure what the answer is, but wanted to let you know that I am going through the same thing! If you find anything that works please let me know :) Good luck!