my 10-month old wakes up every single hour!!!!!!

ESTHER - posted on 04/29/2009

In my honest opinion you have your son in a bad cycle that will now be very hard to break. As hard as it is going to be, you will have to ween him off of nursing every hour gradually, and gradually make him sleep in his own bed. Otherwise he is getting exactly what he wants, so why would he begin to change? I had a similar problem with my baby when he was approx. 5 months old. My doctor helped me cope with slowing weening him into appropriate behavior. Of course if he wakes up and something is truly wrong, fix it. But after you have done all you can do, (I promise you your baby doesn't need to eat every hour.. :) My baby would eat all day if he could! But they enjoy the closeness of nursing...it is up to you and your will power to conquer this. Best wishes and best of luck! This is something that is definitely not easy to do. But remember that you have needs as well as your baby, and you getting some sufficient sleep is just as important. Hang in there.

Ashley - posted on 04/28/2009

What time do you put him to bed? I would suggest a bedtime routine, if you don't already have one, consisting of baby food, bath, bottle/breast, then bed within the 6pm hour. If he's nursing all night long he's using it as a soothing tool to help him go back to sleep. It's your choice whether you want to continue that or let him soothe himself. My sister-in-law did that with my niece (she'll be 2 years old this weekend), she co-slept with her daughter and her daughter needed to nurse all night long and my sister-in-law was ready to stop nursing her at 18 months. But she didn't start a bedtime routine with her until around 8pm after the baby was totally overtired. I would suggest definitely an early bedtime of around 6pm, it should minimize his night time wakings. Make sure his nap(s) is at least an hour long for good quality sleep and to ensure he is not overtired come bedtime. Good luck, he's a cutie!

Candice - posted on 04/17/2009

baby sleep cycles are approx. 1 hour long. if there's something bothering them, they will wake up in between when they are coming out and back into deep sleep. waking hourly is usually a sign that something is wrong. my daughter goes through periods where she does this. when new foods are introduced that cause gas pains or when she's teething, etc. the secret is figuring out what the issue is...and god, i am no better at it than anyone. maybe I should get that book too :)

Sarah - posted on 04/17/2009

Sorry to hear that you're having troubles. My son, Lucas, was like that. He's never been a good sleeper - would always fall asleep in your arms but once you try to put him down - instant wakeup..and just being an overall fussy sleeper and not wanting to nap period.



Being at my wits end, we picked up this book @ the bookstore called "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Panley (I belive that's her name). That thing has been a GODSEND. My son naps at least once, sometimes twice a day now..and sleeps from 10-11 hours at night. My words of wisdom -- pick up the book. It has so many suggestions and tips..ideas that actually work..from crib sleepers to co-sleepers to bottle feeders and breastfeeders, It completely changed everything for me and him.



Good luck!