My baby will not sleep... at all!

Laura - posted on 01/11/2010

...one more thing... I keep an air purifier in her room set to low... the white noise helps babies block out other noises throughout the night.

Laura - posted on 01/11/2010

I started a bedtime routine for my daughter at six-months while my husband was on a business trip. She would cry at night and daddy would be the one to race to her rescue or tell mommy that Peanut is crying.
Around the same time every evening, I give her her last bottle for the night. (NOTE: I started her on a feeding schedule of 7am, 11am, 3pm, 6:30pm) Then about 30 minutes later, I tell her it's bath time and then time to sleep. I made up a little song to signal to her when bath time is coming. I have a dimmer switch on the light switch in her bedroom. I set the lights low as I get her ready for her bath. After her bath, I rub on J&J Bedtime lotion on her and get her jammies on. Once dressed, I tell her "lights out" and turn out the lights. Then we rock in a rocking chair for one lullably and then I tell her "ok, mommy's putting you in your bed now." She's groggy (well, relaxed) but not asleep. Then she falls to sleep on her own in about 10 minutes. She sleeps all night from 7:30pm until 6:00am. Sometimes she'll wake up, but if she only whimpers, I let her soothe herself back to sleep. If she starts crying, I'll check on her.. wet diaper, teething pain, and address the issue. Then I whisper to her it's time to go back to bed and put her in her bed. It's been working like a charm. Even when we were out of town for two weeks and her sleep routine was disrupted, as soon as we got back home... I started the routine again and in three nights she was back to sleeping all night. Good luck.
p.s. she's a cat napper most days about 2-3 30 minute naps

Kelly - posted on 01/11/2010

hi, my lil one is 8 months now. he doesnt wake for milk, but he wakes up and just screams (well i say wakes up, but he doesnt seem to actually wake up and move and open his eyes) does he have night scares? but as soon as im near him he settles down. is this part of his seperation anxiety thing at the moment. he is terrible in the day when i leave the room.

Delia - posted on 01/10/2010

Some babies need help falling asleep. My son will stay up sometimes when I am busy running around and won't sleep until I get home. But I've learn to encourage a nap even if he's not showing any signs of being sleepy.

You can help him by making the room dark and singing, rocking, bouncing on a ball, or just walking back and forth. This way he’ll have no distractions, just you to comfort him.

Just, remember that if your son is going to bed at 5 pm. a nap during the day will push that time later.

As long as he doesn't seem disturbed or fussy he's probably just fine, but check with your son doctor for tips.

Sheri - posted on 01/10/2010

hello! this is our solution to getting our 8 month to sleep! letting her have 1 nap for 1/2hr.....or putting her down for one even though she isnt tired....and her last bottle with pablem in it, fills them up....
Kerri if your little guy is staying awake through the day you have to put him down for a nap even if it means he cries, SOME babies just dont want to miss anything lol.....trust me it will work!! my daughter finally has a routine and is sleeping by 8;30pm!! and wakes up at 7am

Nancy - posted on 01/06/2010

Hi Kerri, my daughter now 8 months use to wake a few times a night to feed, naps were 30-45 minutes and I was exhausted, then I saw another forum with reviews for the book The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems (by Teaching You How to Ask the Right Questions): Sleeping, Feeding, and Behavior--Beyond the Basics from Infancy Through Toddlerhood by Tracy Hogg. If you're like me and can't handle letting your baby cry it out all alone then you'll like this book. I thinks it's awesome, it helps you read your baby's signs (hungry/tired/bored) gets them on a routine (not schedule-doesnt' go by a clock) and gets them sleeping thru the night and taking two 1.5-2 hour naps during the day not to mention you get YOU time which is sooo important. .I'm not going to lie and say it was easy, the first two days/nights of trying her Pick up Put Down method were REALLY Hard but now Sadie's last feed is at 7:30-8 and she sleeps thru the night until 6:30-7 when I feed her again. I'm including Amazons link to it and you can read the reviews for yourself. I wish you the very best. Take care. Warm wishes, Nancy
http://www.amazon.com/Whisperer-Solves-P...

Becky - posted on 01/05/2010

Getting them on a schedule is very important to get them to sleep. If they are overly tired they won't sleep and it is even harder to get them to stay asleep once they are asleep. The best thing I can think of is try to keep him awake past 5 pm, even if you start a little at a time. Keep him up until 5:30, then 6:00, etc. Make sure he eats before going to bed, so he has full belly. And at the same time everyday put them down for the nap even if they just cry, go in and comfort him after maybe 10minutes, but don't pick him up. Or rock him a while before laying him down so he can calm down and try to keep the lights low especially at night. For my son at first at about an hour before his bedtime I would turn all the lights off in the living room and just hold him and rock. He would whine the whole time, but just stay relaxed and hopefully he will mimick your mood. Wait until he is half asleep or all asleep and lay him down. And if he wakes up in the night wanting a bottle there are two things you can do, give him the bottle the first time he wakes up and then the second time let him cry. If your not a fan of letting him cry it out, you can try gradually replace their formula/breastmilk with water. Their body becomes accustomed to eating at certain times and if you slowly replace the food with water eventually they won't be hungry at that time anymore. Also don't interact or play with him when you get up with him, it's hard since they are so cute, but then they wake you up just to play. My pediatrician suggested this to me when my son would not let go of his middle of the night feeding. It worked! When I finally got him to the point where the bottle was mostly water I just stopped and he cried for 20 minutes the first night I stopped, then 10 minutes the next night, then he didn't wake up at all. He has slept through the night ever since. Its hard to be patient when you hardly get any sleep, but that's the best things and at this point he's going to have to cry a little to get him on a schedule. Also he is old enough to start trying solids if you haven't already, that should keep him full enough he doesn't need to eat during the night. My son is on stage two foods three times a day, with his formula and he is 7 months. If you haven't started him already, start with rice cereal, the oatmeal cereal, then stage one fruits and veggies, but only give him one fruit or veggie at a time and give him that same one for 3 days to check for allergies.Once he's had all the stage 1 foods with no problems, he can start stage two. Good luck!

Carmen - posted on 01/05/2010

The Best Sleep Book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NO CRY SLEEP SOLUTIONS, BY ELIZABETH PANTLEY
My Baby started sleeping in just a week.
Hope this helps.

Erin - posted on 01/05/2010

The Ferber Method works extremely well. We took away my 7 month old son's pacifier and now he knows how to self sooth so he doesn't wake up at all! He sleeps from 7 pm to 6:45 am and takes two naps a day, about 30 min-1.5 hours each. With the sleep method though, you have to follow it exactly. If you go in and cave, picking him up, you've just shown him that eventually he will get what he wants when he cries long enough. It only took two nights to make the method work. You are also supposed to put them to bed AWAKE, so they learn to fall asleep on their own. If not, they will wake up and when mom isn't there, they will start crying.

Rebecca - posted on 01/05/2010

Quoting Rebekah:

Sounds like he's absolutely exhausted too!! Overly tired children will have a MUCH harder time both falling asleep and staying asleep. I really think he needs to learn some self-soothing skills before his inability to fall asleep on his own starts causing him learning and attention problems too. Sleep is super important. You can check out ANY books on sleep for good advice, but I really like "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child."

My daughter went through a couple weeks of only taking 30 minute naps before I started allowing her to put herself back to sleep on her own. Now if she wakes after an hour she may fuss a few minutes, but always goes back to sleep for another hour. I'm not a huge fan of "crying-it-out," but sounds like he is desperately asking for some sleep training.

sounds like great advice that i need to try!  my 7 1/2 month old has Never slept good.  even as a newborn, when everyone assured me all he would do is sleep & eat for a month or two, he would sleep 1-3 hrs at night & mostly power nap during the day.  i have tried the cry it out method a couple times but he doesnt give up.  he will scream & cry until he is hyperventaliting & about to pass out.  he will literally be shaking & gasping for breath for several minutes after we give up & pick him up.  recently he started to slam his face & head into things if we are not responding to him quickly enough.  i am on the verge of total exhaustion & to top it all off he is extremely needed, so even during the day (i am a stay at home mom) i cant get a break.  he thinks he has to sleep on me for his nap & if i put him down he will only sleep a couple minutes.  i know these are terrible habits & will only get worse but im not sure how to fix it.  its completely our fault, we were told several times its impossible to spoil a new baby & since he is our first & we had waited 8 years before Finally getting pregnant we just loved to cuddle & kiss on him & held him all the time the first few days in the hospital & by the time we got home 3 days after he was born he was already our little "cuddle monster".  but what was once so cute is hard to appreciate through the sleep deprived fog we live in...any suggestion???? please................

Trinity - posted on 01/04/2010

we just started to sleep train our 7mo old daughter last night. we are using the ferber method. it was hard to hear her cry, but it worked for my 2 year old and we waited til she was a year old to do it. i am glad to be starting now with the baby. we all need our sleep and i need down time at night. she would sleep most of the night but only when attached to me. I have heard that sometimes babies do not sleep as well if they are too full. that their bodies have to work at digesting all the food and makes it more difficult for them to sleep. I would advise against putting cereal in the bottle unless it was per Dr.s orders. I put my daughter down for a nap this morning at 10:15 and she was asleep by 10:40. she did not cry the whole time, she started to cry 15 min after I put her down, i checked on her a few times and then... she was asleep. i do know from my 2yr old that a schedule is key. in the book i read it said that for babies who dont nap (there is a section in the book just about naps) to put them down for their nap at the time you think they should, and check on them periodically. after 1/2 an hour if they are not asleep get them up and forgo that nap. try the same thing again at the next "scheduled" nap time, doing the same thing. they also said that you very well may have to cut back the time they sleep at night to get this to work. by putting them to bed later and or getting them up earlier. this book says 6 mo olds need a total of 12 1/2 hrs sleep. a little over 9 at night and 2-3 naps during the day that add up to 3+ hrs. However, all babies are different. I highly recomend this book! (Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems, by Richard Ferber, M.D.
PS. She slept alone in her crib last night for the FIRST TIME EVER! from 10pm - 7:30am (we had to set an alarm clock to feed her at 3 because with her disorder she can not fast for more than 5 hours.)
i know this was long.. i hope some of it helps! good luck

Monique - posted on 01/04/2010

Hi Kerri lucky for you, my 8 month old daughter wakes up at 5am sometimes 6am and stays awake the whole day except for 5-10 minute naps once or twice on a good day, on a bad day she doenst nap at all, nevertheless she knocks out anywhere from after 10pm to after 11 at night and repeats the whole routine the next day, so I could definetly feel your frustration. I'd say we need to develop a strict routine.

Kacelyn - posted on 12/30/2009

Try bathing him right before bed, it wears him out, I also give my son who is 7 months old 10 minutes to cry himself to sleep which also tires him out and is good for his lungs! Also, maybe you should up his food. Talk to his doctor about giving him more cereal before bed or something to keep him full. Music also helps soothe my son, get a small cd player with classical music or soothing sounds and play it on low.

Jennifer - posted on 12/30/2009

Try the Sleep Easy Solution. We just did it, starting about a week before Christmas, with our son (about the same age as yours) and he was sleeping from 7:30p-6:30a without nursing or waking up and crying within about 5 days. There is also a section on naps, which take a little longer to sort out. We are still working on them but he does nap for about 2.5-3 hours during the day or more over three naps. Got the book at Borders and we picked it because it isn't just let him cry it out, and I have heard that the "no cry" sleep solution just takes forever and in the long run, they cry longer.



He is so much happier now and even though he is only awake for about 10-11 hours a day, we enjoy the time he is awake sooo much more.

Farica - posted on 12/30/2009

our son was sleeping through the night, then stopped. Just a suggestion to try. See if he sleeps better in the car seat...ours does. We start the night in the crib, when he gets up at around 11ish, we usually put him in the car seat to finish the night..otherwise he gets up 2 or 3 more times...if he's rolling, you'll want to strap him in once he's asleep so he doesn't roll out. Also, make sure the handle is down behind the back of the seat. You can also stick a boppy under the end to make sure he doesn't tip it..good luck..im assuming this is a stage and eventually he'll go back to sleeping through the night. BTW..i was a disbeliever until my friend told me to try this. Can't hurt. You may want to check with your doc, but i would assume they'll say it's fine.

Aarthi - posted on 12/29/2009

My 7-month old too! I give her bath in the evening, feed her at least 5 scoops of cereal so shes quite full at 8. She has 2 ounces of formula at 8.30 and is asleep by 9. But up at 12, 3, 5....

Rebekah - posted on 12/29/2009

As far as I know, the only real solution is to give your baby self-soothing skills. You may need to put him/her down after your bedtime routine, close the door, and allow them the opportunity to fall asleep on their own.

Whatever method you choose, you have to be consistent. We used the Ferber Method (3,5,8 minutes of crying-it-out). My daughter has learned that if she wakes after 30 minutes for a nap, I'll come to her, cover her back up, and then leave. Same with the middle of the night, she understands now that I will not feed her unless it's been 6-7 hours... any other time she'll get to see me cover her up, and that's it.

Your child should be able to predict what's going to happen when he cries at night and it doesn't have to be that he'll get a bottle every time (unless you don't mind waking every 2 hours).

Sheri - posted on 12/28/2009

My 8 month old is doing the same thing , she falls asleep on me and as soon as I put her in her crib she wakes up! when she finally does fall asleep its 3am and Im exhausted, she wakes up sometimes 2 to 4hrs later....she falls asleep during the day sometimes and awakes when i put her down. As of right now she is asleep in my arms and tonight when I put her to bed she will have to do some cry time because mommy and daddy are tired!! LOL

LaToya - posted on 12/28/2009

Ugh-I hear your frustration. My 7 month old daughter was the same way. I don't know if it'll be helpful to you but I started a routine where she does her thing until around 8:30pm or so and I give her a bath with the Johnson's night time stuff. Afterward, I rub her down with the Johnson's night time lotion and give her a bottle of formula mixed with rice cereal. The consistency is like a milkshake that has just begun to melt. I feed her in a quiet room in a rocking chair until she drifts off then she's in her crib. If she falls asleep between 9-10:30pm she'll sleep until around 7am. Before this she would sleep 3 to 4 hours at a time with two 30 minutes naps throughout the day. I'm a single mom working full time so it was brutal.

I hope this was helpful and that whatever method you use you get some relief soon.

Schmoopy - posted on 12/28/2009

Same problem here - naps only 30 mins at a time during the day - unless I lay down with him (then it's 1.5 hrs, and getting him to do that took SEVERAL tries). And at night it's every 2-3 hrs to nurse. UGH. I'm worn out!

I totally feel your pain.

Sorry to say that I learned with my first child that when you keep asking for a solution to a problem like this and no one has an answer it's because there isn't one! The consolation is that all this is temporary - keep telling yourself that you won't be doing this when your baby's in college. ;)

Marianna - posted on 12/28/2009

yes, the routine and also maybe walks outside helps, I heard many times,that that one hellped alot. Well, good luck.

Oh and another, if he drunk enough through the day, try not to give him a bottle, try other things, like tuck him back to sleep, or swing, or music...

Good luck and hope you get to solve this soon. Merry Christmas

oh and another thing, some babies likes to be swadled. Mine still does, otherwise he would have a problem to fall asleep. and of course some like more than others the night light. They say, all of them wakes up through out the night, the trick is to teach them to go back to sleep on their own and some just need to have some light on, sound.... and of course they always change...

Cheresa - posted on 12/27/2009

My 5 yr old daughter was like that and unfortunately she still wakes up screaming at night. She has insomnia & takes melatonin for it since she was 4. I've never quite gotten to the bottom of it but they say that many "genius'" have sleep problems and she is incredibly smart so maybe something good will come of it. Its good to have someone to talk to cause I know you feel like you're going to go crazy sometimes! She would take one 20 min nap a day and wake up all night since birth. All the other babies were taking 3 hr long naps. I know your pain.

Kendra - posted on 12/27/2009

my son does the same thing! its so frustrating i have started water and a paci at night and its helped a little he wakes me up about every three now..

Jen - posted on 12/27/2009

My son just finally started to sleep well through the night. About a month ago, I asked his Dr and she said to start him on rice cereal to help him feel full (he would get up every 2 1/2 hours for a bottle). I then also started giving him a lovey (his is a little Tigger that has silky on it) at bedtime and naptime only. He knows when the silky rubs his face that it is sleepy time. He finally is sleeping about 6 hours at night before waking up to be soothed. For daytime naps-routine is most important. Try doing what you do when you put him to bed and have him sleep in the same place each time. You could take him for a car ride if you are desperate! I have done this before!! Good luck!

Kia - posted on 12/26/2009

i have a similar situation i have a 7 month old who likes to sleep a little then be up all day and night, and i dont have the energy ive got school, i usually use the swing and her lulabye cd, how r u doing?

Stephanie - posted on 12/24/2009

I asked my doctor about my sons sleep habits and she said there are babies that sleep only four hours a day and there's nothing wrong with them!!!

Rebekah - posted on 12/24/2009

Sounds like he's absolutely exhausted too!! Overly tired children will have a MUCH harder time both falling asleep and staying asleep. I really think he needs to learn some self-soothing skills before his inability to fall asleep on his own starts causing him learning and attention problems too. Sleep is super important. You can check out ANY books on sleep for good advice, but I really like "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child."

My daughter went through a couple weeks of only taking 30 minute naps before I started allowing her to put herself back to sleep on her own. Now if she wakes after an hour she may fuss a few minutes, but always goes back to sleep for another hour. I'm not a huge fan of "crying-it-out," but sounds like he is desperately asking for some sleep training.

Tegan - posted on 12/24/2009

My son is exactly the same.. he used to sleep 5 hrs at a time then on day he decided that he would only sleep for 2hrs at a time... i dont know what happened but its sooo exhausting. he also has never slept during the day for more than 30mins at a time and i have to use a bouncy chair to keep him asleep. good luck and if you find someting that works let me know please!

Tracy - posted on 12/22/2009

I am in the same situation as you. My daughter is 7 months and she just has a power nap or two for about 10 to 20 minutes at a time. She also wakes up every two or so hours to nurse through the night. She is the youngest of 5 and her 4 older brothers all had long naps when they were her age. My doctor assures me that all babies are different and require different routines and have different needs.
I just cherish the thought they are only this small once and I just go with it even though some days are so exhausting:) Just know that we aren't alone!

Jamie - posted on 12/22/2009

I'm so sorry. Sounds very frustrating. The only advice would be to stick to a VERY strict routine. Do the same thing every day at the same time. Usually they adapt to the schedual. It is hard for babies when they are always on the go and not on a routine. Even if it means he cries for 5 min. each time you put him in bed for naps or to sleep you should still put him down. I don't know what I would do if my baby didn't take her naps, it is my re-group and get my sanity time ...lol, I have 3 children and I did find that all of my kids love music when they go to sleep. I have the ocean wonders soother on both of my youngest childrens cribs. My middle child is 2 and he still wakes up in the night and turns his on to get back to sleep. At 7 months old is when they can reach and play with the buttons and that is when I have moved my children from my room to their crib. Sometimes they cry and I still go and comfort them, but still keep them in bed and they sleep. Good luck