How many times does your baby wake up during night sleep?

Michelle - posted on 08/05/2009

my son is nearly 7 months. when he was just over a month old, we had him sleeping, from 10 pm till about 8 in the morning. up until he was 4 months old. now he wakes every couple of hours. He will only have a little feed, and sometimes its just a nappy change. But i totally understand the breastfeeding thing. Nice to know theres other babies like mine.!!

Shona - posted on 08/04/2009

My son does exactly the same...slept through for ages but now wakes about two -three times per night. Dr told me off when we had our immunisations and told me I should get him out of the habit ...but I put it to the other Mums's at Mothers Group and they said do what you feel best. I have tried putting him to sleep later, earler, increased solids etc but I figure if he needs me I will get up to him...it's only a quick feed (which may well mean it is a pacifying need) but I don't mind! I actually purcahsed Save our Sleep by Tizzie Hall which is great if it really bothers you and you are looking for a way to stop it. Sure it will take time to wean him off the feeds....but you are his Mum and you know what is best...never forget your instincts! I figure if you are lucky enough to still be at home and not have to go to work on broken sleep...don't stress...it can't last forever!!! :)

Rose - posted on 08/03/2009

I have exactly the same problem as you. My daughter used to sleep all night when she was about 2 months but now wakes up all the time, and the only way to get her back to sleep is breastfeeding. Its nice to know Im not the only one. If you have any success let me know, and Il do the same.

Aurelia - posted on 08/02/2009

Hi all! thanks for your input.. I found that putting him to sleep earlier and feeding him are a bit effective. Still, in the next two nights, he woke up around 4 times (which was a progress :)). And what I found is that he wakes up because of bad dreams (i guess) or because he bumps me and husband while rolling over, hahaha.. We sleep together because his crib is really too small for his sleeping style.
Anyway, thank you so much for sharing with me.. :)

Leah - posted on 08/01/2009

My son sleeps the whole night (roughly 10/11 hours). We feed him his dinner of baby food, then after thirty or more minutes his bath, then his last bottle (4 ounces) followed by a couple swigs of water, and then we put him in his crib. Usually he's already asleep, but sometimes he cries for a couple minutes. Our doctor told us at our sixth month appt. that at this age he needs to think that night/dark means parents don't exist and let him/her cry for 15 minutes. If they can't go back to sleep at this point it means they really do need you, maybe hungry or dirty, and it's okay to go in to them. Still try to keep the room dark and quite though. Hope this helps!

Alyssa - posted on 08/01/2009

my daughter usually goes to sleep around 10-11 and she will wake up around 8-9 and get milk or juice and she wont wake up untill about 10-12...she is 6months old now and she has been doing it sence about 2 1/2 months old

Becca - posted on 08/01/2009

my daughter is 6 months old as well and she has slept through the night since she was 2 months old or so but maybe try giving him cereal before bed to fill him up that might help.

Shannon - posted on 08/01/2009

Since you are breastfeeding, try having someone else check on him every other time your son wakes up during the night. He may not be hungry, but when you hold him he smells your milk and then wants to feed. Sometimes they just want to suck, not necessarily eat. Have someone give him a paci and see how that works. Or, he may just be going through a growth spurt. My baby girl just went through this last week. The paci did not cut it, so I did feed her when she woke up. Now it is back to normal. Good luck!

Vicky - posted on 08/01/2009

i agree with norma i myself havent had to deal with many sleepless nights as my son was sleeping threw from 4 weeks old and only woke threw the night when he was sick or his tooth was cutting. However when he was sick last time he completely went out of routine and i was stuck on how to get him back. give your baby a bath just before bed and a feed and maybe a dummy afterwards. i found with my sisters baby because she kept feeding threw the night he woke up loads until he hit about 1 year old but she started stopping the feeds and giving him a dummy and now he sleeps right threw. good luck anyway

Amanda - posted on 07/29/2009

My daughter Haylie is almost 7 months old and I ve found that feeding her at night before she goes to bed, helps but then somedays she would wake up in the middle of the night for a pacifier and that worked for a while til she got her first two teeth now she just doesnt want it anymore! I read off baby center.com maybe you mommies should check it out, it says for babies after 6 months it doesnt hurt to let them cry it out but for ONLY 15 mins, if your baby keeps crying afterwards then he or she wants attention. So it wont happen over night. Its hard bc I have another son that is 4, and he stays with me for 2 weeks then stays with his dad for another 2 weeks until school starts he stays with me.. When I try to let Haylie cry it out for 15 mins, he wakes up. So I do it in the 2 weeks that he is not with me but then that confuses Haylie! Just deal with it because it was easy to make love, now we mommies have to struggle through some stages! Hope this help!!

Lisa - posted on 07/29/2009

My daughter feeds once a night still but before she does i gently put my hand on her cheek and sometimes she nods back off. As she sleeps beside me in cot or in bed with me i get her on the first whimper before she wakes (or me lol) and just the reassurance is usually enough. During growthspurts she gets a bit fussy and will only be soothed with breast which is up to 3 times a night but usually only last for few nights and i make sure shes in with me those nights so we all sleep well.

Norma - posted on 07/29/2009

i read somewhere that at this age if babies wake up it's not because they are hungry- especially if you have introduced solids

now, with solids- maybe it's gas? a tip would be to feed gassy foods in the morning/lunch and not at dinner

maybe they just need to suck- does the baby eat at these times or is he just using you as a pacifier- maybe he just needs a paci at night

sometimes they wake up because they're scared- separation anxiety kicking in? this is tougher- do you have a night light in the room? here you may just have to go in and pat their back- but not necessarily pick them up. he might scream but it should only last a few days

make sure you have a good sleep routine during the day/night. supposedly the better they sleep during the day, the better they sleep at night. also, fresh air helps so go for walks or sit outside a bit

sometimes even putting them to bed earlier might work.

not sure how you feel about tough love- but you can go in there put the paci in their mouth without smiling/talking etc. and leave, keep doing that until they get it (i guess this is like crying it out- i'm not sure how this would work since we've never done this!)

hope this helps! keep trying different things and eventually something will work and they'll catch on that night time is for sleeping!

Jessica - posted on 07/29/2009

I am in the same boat as you. Abbigail wakes up every 2 hours if not every hour some nights. It is exshausting and I have no idea how to help her sleep better. I would love some suggestions too.

Marcia - posted on 07/28/2009

One ot two times depending on if he's hungry or had a bad dream for Aaron. He's never slept through the night, because of his breathing difficulties since birth. The most he's ever slept in one go is 5 hours.

Amy - posted on 07/26/2009

He may be going through a growth spurt. My daughter does the same thing every so often where all she wants to do is eat. It seems to last for a few days to a week, then everything goes back to normal. I just do what makes her happy (she likes the breastfeedings too) and we get through it. try some cereal before bed (from a spoon not the bottle) it can help fill him up before bed maybe you will get a little more sleep. Hope this helps!