DOES ANYONE HAVE SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO GET MY 9 1/2 MONTH OLD TO SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT?

Nicole - posted on 02/01/2009

I have  started putting a little cereal in that last nightly bottle as well as putting vaseline on his bottom when I put him in a fresh diaper at bedtime.  That seems to work for us.  At least it keeps him quiet til about 5:30am, which ironically is the time his older brother wakes up on his own. 

Michelle - posted on 02/01/2009

Have you tried giving a dream feed before you go to bed? I started giving my daughter a bottle at around midnight, while she was still asleep (she had been waking around the same time every night wanting to feed). With the dream feed, she'd take about 5 ounces and she would sleep straight through until about 8am. After a few weeks, I realised that the amount she was taking at the dream feed had decreased significantly, so I stopped giving it, and now she sleeps until about 7am without it. I play it by ear really - if she hasn't taken much at her bedtime feed, then I give her a few ounces while she's asleep;if she's had a good feed, i won't bother. It works for us.

Also, I have a cd of lullabys that I put on every time I put her down in her cot, and when she wakes at night I switch it on. I think she's started to associate that cd with sleep,and it'll often help her drift back off. She's also very attached to her muslin cloths, and always has one in her cot to help her sleep...sometimes she'll be inconsolable in the night, because she can't find it,and settles as soon as I put it back in her hand.

Hope this helps.

Carolyn - posted on 01/27/2009

My daughter has always slept with either white noise or soothing music throughout the night. 

Kathryn - posted on 01/26/2009

Trust me when I say I understand! I have 3 boys and none were good sleepers as babies, but my older 2 are good sleepers now. My baby is still waking 1-2 times a night, but once fed, he's right back to sleep. It is a milestone to reach, and sometimes feels like they'll never get there, but they will. Just be patient!

CHRISTINA - posted on 01/26/2009

PLZ Let me know as well. im going through the same situation. i have twin girls and they wake up 4 to 6 times and at different hours. So i'm getting no sleep and i am also getting very frustrated because my husband can't sleep either and he wakes up early.

Jessica - posted on 01/23/2009

When you figure it out, let me know! We're going through the same thing with ours and have tried different things with little success. I'm beginning to think I'll never sleep a full night again!

Amanda - posted on 01/23/2009

My son wakes up pretty much at the exact same time every morning as well.  I nurse him and he goes back to bed until 7:30-8:00.  My doctor said that it is normal for a baby under a year old to still get up to eat 1-2 times a night.  She also mentioned that feeding a baby right before he goes to bed DOES NOT make any difference in how long he sleeps.  I know that it may work for some people, but research shows that there it makes now difference.  On top of that, my son will not go back to sleep without being nursed when he does wake up.  I only nurse him 3 times a day now, so it's not like he eats every time he wakes up during the day,  I have tried everything in the middle of the night to get him to fall back asleep. but unless he eats... he is wide awake!  My pediatritian said that he will grow out of it.

Jennifer - posted on 01/22/2009

We went through the same thing with our son just a few weeks ago. He'd gotten in the habit of waking up sometime in the early morning hours and wanting a bottle to go back to bed.He wasn't hungry because he could sleep throught he night just fine without food and he never drank a full bottle anyways. It had become habit from the earlier months when he was going through a growth spurt and a cold. My husband had to go in, comfort him, and put him back to bed. There were a few rough nights for about a week and a half, but now he's back to sleeping from 8 pm to 7am just fine.  He held him for a few minutes, then put him back down . Some friends just talked to their kids, patted them, kissed them, but didn't pick them up. It's up to you what you feel you want to do. This has worked for us.  I also didn't change him unless he was poopy. So I guess the biggest thing for us that worked was my husband. I get to stay home, and he has to go to work, but it only took about two weeks, so it wasn't bad at all.Hope this helps :)

Sarah - posted on 01/21/2009

For one, what your baby is doing is normal. All babies are different-- some sleep through the night and others don't. Apparently sleeping through the night is a milestone to be reached-- some babies do it before others. But there are things you can do that can help them sleep through the night, or at least wake up less-- things that are other than "Crying it Out" or other variations on CIO ( like letting them cry, and checking every few minutes or so). So, if you can't / won't let your baby cry for extended lengths of time on there own, here are a couple of AWESOME links:

This is called NIGHT WEANING: 12 ALTERNATIVES TO THE ALL NIGHT NURSER:
www.askdrsears.com/html/7/t070800.asp

THIS IS 31 WAYS TO GET YOUR BABY TO SLEEP:
www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070300.asp

HERE IS 8 INFANT SLEEP FACTS EVERY PARENT SHOULD KNOW:
www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070200.asp

It is a lot of reading, but WELL worth it!! Please read this before you think of trying CIO or anything like it-- it is well worth trying other things, before trying CIO, which can have possible negative effects on your babies development, and you and your babies relationship.

Taryn - posted on 01/21/2009

It sounds like your little guy has trained himself to wake up at the same time each night.  It's a fairly easy pattern to change, just might take a week for it to happen.  If you are still giving into the bottle at night, you may want to consider taking that away entirely.  If he gets enough food before bed, and like Tara said below, maybe top him off with some rice cereal or something substantial so he's full through the night.  Not too much, as it can give him a tummy ache.  If he still wakes up, let him fuss a bit and see if he can settle down.  Even if he has a bit of a wet diaper, he should be okay to let go through the night.  I know it's largely full in the morning, but if you have good diapers, it shouldn't be too uncomfortable for him (we use Pamper's Cruisers and they pull the "wet" away).  Now if he poops, that's a different story - he may appreciate the change. :)

Anyway, as I have a 9 month old as my 2nd, I learned the 1st go round.  We "babied" our now 2.5 year old and she still has sleep issues.  But learning my sons cues and that he's not "crying" just talking or fussing a bit, it's fine to let them sort it out.  Especially if they are on a good eating/sleeping schedule during the day.  Get him to bed in good time too...as we often think the longer we keep them up, the longer they'll sleep.  Often times, not the case.

I hope this helps!  Best of luck to you.

Taryn

Tara - posted on 01/21/2009

What has helped me at times is that before i go to bed, even though she's sleeping, i sneak in and change her diaper.most times she sleeps through it, but if she does wake up it's easier to rock her back to sleep then. also maybe a little snack before bed, either a bottle or maybe a little food, to fill his belly.  i recently changed my daughters feeding schedule, it took her a few days to get used to, but is fine now.