Any advice to get a baby to sleep at night?

Nicole - posted on 09/22/2009

I've given my little girl a little bit of baby oatmeal mixed with apple juice and formula along with her bottle right before bed. It seems to help her sleep thru the night. She's 4 months old and everyone might tell you its bad for them but some babies just don't get as full off formula alone.

Jessica - posted on 09/22/2009

i agree jayne with ya, thats what i do with my son, not ignore him as such but avoid eye contact and make sure his had his feed and been changed, it usually works once iv put him down in the dark room and say goodnight, if he doesnt want his dummy ill repeat it three times and also try rubbing their forehead and eyes like to shut them so he knows its bedtime and relax. with mine i stand over his cot put the mobile on and rub his eyes and forehead (in the dark) with his dummy in it really helps to rub their eyes. ur not pickin him up but still having contact

Jayne - posted on 09/22/2009

put him down n ignore him, my little lad had our eyes out til he was 1n we did the ignorin him bit, we did it wiv our baby girl from day 1 n she 9month n neva wakes ups, from birth she has a bottle at 7 n sleeps til 6 so wish we'd done it wiv my son lost a yrs sleep lol good luck hun x x

Elizabeth - posted on 09/22/2009

i let my daught have more ounces wen she went to bed & it was the only time i added cereal to her bottle..it takes longer for babies 2 digest the cereal so he should sleep longer

Brooke - posted on 09/20/2009

Is he on some what of a routine when it comes to his daytime feedings? If not that could be your problem. If you feed him, for example, every three hours his body will naturally start wanting to eat at those times. I would also recommend the Baby Wise books! I swear by them! They answer every question I could possibly have about babies and toddlers! Good luck! =)

Nora - posted on 09/20/2009

I have been told that sleep promotes more sleep in babies and at that age they should only be up during the day for an hour max. So when you see any tired signs ( clenched fist/ jerking body movements/ grizzling) then you put them to sleep. I would say though that it sounds like it could be a growth spurts... its hard to say though as babies tend to change there sleeping habits quite a bit in the first 6/7 months. Best of luck. Hope your baby goes back to sleeping through... : )

LaKeisha - posted on 09/20/2009

My daughter did the same thing. She started sleeping through the night at six weeks and when she got to 3 months recently she started waking up to eat. They say not to give a baby cereal becasue it is a choking hazard and they are too young. I grew up on cereal (my mother started giving it to me at 6 weeks) I give her a warm bath at 8 using the chamomile and lavender bath wash. I use the nightime baby powder with lavender and chamomile and the Aveeno Calming lotion with Lavender and Vanilla. 15 minutes b4 its her bedtime I make her a warm 6 ounce bottle and i put 2 tablespoons of rice cereal in. it holds her better believe it or not and she sleeps from 10 til 7 am once again..>hopefully it works for you

Zoe - posted on 09/20/2009

i done baby massage with my son who is now three and i've not had a bad night yet! my daughter is 11wks old and i've just started baby massage with her and she loves it its good for colic an all sorts but make sure a professional shows you how its done as you may harm your baby. its a lovely way to bond also enjoy!

Faith - posted on 09/20/2009

mine has the same behaviour too especially when am not working at night and am i sleep at home.He'll wake up atleast thrice and wont even want that bottle of milk or the pacifier coz he cant stand it.

Aleisha - posted on 09/20/2009

White noise also helps....the sound of a fan or one of those noise boxes that kind of sound like static on tv or even ocean sounds. It sometimes can help them sleep at least a little longer through the night if not all the way through. I have the same problem with my son. He's 8 months and eats like a machine so at around 1-3am he's up and ready to eat. Sometimes I try the letting him cry till he falls asleep again method but that only works every once in a while. Good luck!

Mary - posted on 09/19/2009

oh and also, what is the feeding routine? If you feed them at say 9am 1pm 5pm 9pm.. try making 5 feedings out of the day this way the night time are closer together. try 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm and 9pm. (less food at each feeding of course)

Mary - posted on 09/19/2009

I would feed them right before bed... Also, dont let them sleep past 6 o'clock.. and have them go to bed between 9 and 10. This way when bed time comes, theyre very tired. It'll be tough at first if they like to take a nap around 6, but try try try your hardest not to let them. Theyll soon be on the routine no naps after 6 and bedtime at 9 or 10. My daughter has been sleeping through the night since 3 months old (she just turned 2, and STILL on the SAME routine).. from 9pm - 9am. Now its 10pm - 9am, but thats fine with me, she also naps from 2-4 in the afternoon. Its all about routine and never breaking them.

Amy - posted on 09/19/2009

It could be possibly that maybe he's not exactly waking to be fed, but just waking up and then needing help to fall asleep. My daughter is 5 months old and litterally JUST started sleeping through the night a few nights ago. I tried everything. Baths and lotion with the calming aromas didn't help, trying to let her soothe herself to sleep didn't help, I've always fed her right before bed, so that didn't help. I'd keep the room nice and dark and quiet, yet that didn't help either.



If he won't take a nuk, try getting him to find a different way to soothe himself back to sleep. Even try offering different kinds of nuks and maybe he'll find one that he likes. Try just getting up with him and rocking him and playing some soothing music, Otherwise, I guess the only other advice would be to just get up and feed him. Eventually he'll stop waking up at night again. Good luck!!

Sandi - posted on 09/19/2009

If your child is waking up in the middle of the night try feeding him an ounce or two more than his usual bottles during the day and feed him right before putting him down for the night.

Monet - posted on 09/19/2009

Buy a sound thing. I had one since she was born & every nap time & bed time i'd put on the ocean & she would never fuss. when she was a baby, i'd put on the "Womb" sound & it wirked wonders. She still goes down without a fuss & shes 3. Good Luck!

Chrissy - posted on 09/19/2009

i have the same problem with my son he goes to bed at 9 or 10pm and wakes up every 4 hours wanting juice or milk... hes almost 1...i started giving him cows milk before bed and he slept all night from 10pm to 10am but hes starting to wake up again..I think hes teething....so im kinda in the same boat as you plus my baby sleeps in the same room as me and my b/f so i dont get any sleep...how old is ur son??

Tia - posted on 09/19/2009

I started adding some infant rice/oatmeal ceral to my childrens bottles right before bedtime and they always slept through the night. You have to cut the nipple of the bottle a little so that the thicker substance can pass through,but I just added a couple of tablespoons of rice ceral and then added formula like a normal bottle and shock it up(make sure its warm) and feed it to him as his last bottle before bed. Also, purchase a classical (my chilsren like Irish Celtic) CD and play it every night and also at nap time. This is called conditioning (controlled response), everytime he sleeps he will hear the same music and pretty soon he will fall asleep because of the music. A psychologist named Pavlov discovered this type of therapy. It worked and still works for all three of my children. I hope that this helps, I am a mother of three boys and my degrees are in child development/psychiology and child education. Feel free to ask me anything else.

Tracy - posted on 09/18/2009

thanks every one ... well its really not a problem getting him to sleep but him staying asleep like he use to ... yea he is teething that started about 2 months ago which is the same time he started not to sleep all night ... i really didnt put 2 & 2 together ... thanks every one for yall's help ...

Marika - posted on 09/18/2009

hey i have 2 kids i have never had trouble wit any of them sleepin mainly because i remember me time unless they r poorly i always put them 2 bed at 7pm as they got older they did try to stay awake in the hope id keep them up etc but i just perserveered and didnt giv in just kept goin in to their rooms to shush them calmly and they soon learnt again that it was bed time x just try the cry down motion u know let them cry a lil go in ,they cry abit more ,go in .it takes time and energy but its worth it in the end.

April - posted on 09/17/2009

Might also want to consider if he has started teething or not. Look for extra drooling. My Dallas started teething really early and now that they are starting to break through she isn't sleeping that well at night. All I can say is hang in there!

April - posted on 09/17/2009

You can always adding a little cereal to his milk. I was having to give my daughter at 3 months cereal in her milk in order to get her to sleep all night. Otherwise I was getting up every two hours.

Sarah - posted on 09/17/2009

My daughter would constantly want to eat ever since I brought her home. It was about 2 months when I was finally tired of getting up one sometimes two times a night. I would feed her at like 11pm she would be up 4 hours later ready to eat again. I kept giving her more milk but it didn't seem to fill her. I started giving her cereal before bed. The first night I did that I kept waking up cause I was nervous she wasn't waking up. She was fine and slept 12 hours plus took a nap during the day. Even now she is 3 and she sleeps 10 hours which she just recently started doing.

Melissa - posted on 09/17/2009

Its all about a routine... your son might have gotten used to waking up and getting a bottle. Try just rocking him for a few minutes instead of a bottle and see if that gets him back to sleep. My doctor says that babies after 6 months old get enough food during the day to last them all night, so if a child cries just let them know you are there but don't pick them up. If you can do that than KUDOS to you! I can't do it, but thankfully my baby sleeps through the night now! Good luck and best wishes...

Tiffany - posted on 09/17/2009

try changing the temp in thier room (either by having him wear more or less clothes, more or less blankets, or more or less heat) too cold or too hot can make them wake up



(since maybe its NOT an issue of being hungry... I had this same issue when my girl was 6 months old. turned out her room was too warm, but I thougjt she was just extra hungry.)

Tracy - posted on 09/17/2009

yea when he wakes if he dont put him self to sleep he eats then he is pasted out he has no problem going back to sleep he just wont stay alseep all night like before ... he takes one 3 hr nap during the day and maybe two 30 min or less. he has a very good rutine and did all him self. i tried the bed time bath and it dont seem to do much or make a diffrence ... but im going to try some new things that i learned today from yall THANKS ... o i also found a great web site where i found "baby sleep from a-z" http://www.parents.com/baby/sleep/basics... ... Yall can pass it on for help to other mothers some of the things helped me get him to sleep on the nights where he wanted to fight his sleep ... but most nights he is good about going to sleep after his 9 pm bottle ... AGAIN THANKS EVERY ONE

Tracy - posted on 09/17/2009

i want to think every one for the advice most of it i've tried ... at first he would only stay asleep if he was wrapped but then he got to big (even just a 4 months i got a chunky baby lol) & didnt help any more. yea i do give him the rice cereal and that dont help much. i try giving him more during the day he is at 7-8 oz at 5 months ... and then also instead of his normal every 3 hrs i feed him at 7 then again at 9 (his bed time) and he eats every last drop ...

Kelly - posted on 09/17/2009

I agree totally with Rebecca, do feed him if he wakes up once and is hungry, don't talk to him or play with him or anything, straight back to bed.

Rebecca - posted on 09/17/2009

No stimulation at night - dark/almost dark (even when you're up to him), no talking, definitely no eye contact. I usually kiss mine on the head - then I feel like I'm still being loving but not making eye contact!!!



But overall - he's still tiny, and most babies his age still wake for at least one feed. "Sleeping through" in the first year is classed by the experts as sleeping for 6 hours. Developmentally his digestive system is not yet ready for solids, and studies have supposedly shown extra food doesn't help, though I know heaps of people who say it does - but just not yet.



Separation anxiety kicks in about 4 months but may have started early for you and he just might want to know you are still there.



If he is only waking once I would just feed him, put him back off to bed with minimum fuss (no nappy change if it is just wet) and ride it out. I know it is tough, but he'll get back there!



Good luck!



Oh, and be careful depriving him of too much day sleep - if he is over-tired he will sleep worse. He should still be having 3 day sleeps at his age...

Shara - posted on 09/17/2009

Have you statrted giving him cereal? If not try starting him on that

Ashli Faye - posted on 09/17/2009

he is growing look you need a tight schdual the kind of schdual that danny tanner off of full house would keep i sugest no matter what play in the morrning nap after lunch 12pm- til no later than 5pm play play play dinner then here comes the 3 b's brest/bottle bath bed the end only let him take one nap between the times i told u and also he needs solid foods i have been brest feeding since mine was born and she is 9 months old and still is but she eats solids also i feed babyfood and solid food and brest at different times in the day that will keep her/him learning new textures so u dont have a dirt eater and keep his belly full some moms think if they brest feed thats all he/she needs but its not so go try what i suggest also try bath time with johsons bedtime bath soap and lotion will relax him but most important do the same thing ever day even when grandma keeps him

Lindsay - posted on 09/17/2009

I'm stil trying to get my little guy to sleep through the night, but a book I found in desperation is "The No-cry Sleep Solution".  We ar going through the phases right now and I have seen some improvement (but it takes time).  It's helped me as I can not stand to let him cry (as most people will tell you).

Quoting Tracy:

Any advice to get a baby to sleep at night?

My son started to sleep all night at 6 wks from 9pm to 6 am or so then about 3 months or so he started to wake up at night to eat. I've tried every thing from baths to feeding him more during the day ect ...

Katrina - posted on 09/17/2009

Have you tried wrapping baby?? nice and securely?? dont know if it would help but anything is worth a try. my daughter has been waking the last few nights, shes 6 mnths i just go in , dont talk to her, pick her up have a quick cuddle, then straight back down, i also turn her mobile on for her.

Tabitha - posted on 09/17/2009

Try the book "Good Night SLeep Tight" by Kim West. I read it during pregnancy and it's appropriate until age 5! Excellent read. My kids have been sleeping through the night since I weaned then from their midnight nursing!

K'Lynn - posted on 09/17/2009

try a music box of so sort. you can buy one that comes on when the baby cries the least little bit.I have A 5 mth lod who won't sleep without one going

Rochelle - posted on 09/17/2009

I'm not sure if your feeding him solids yet but one thing that has worked for me before was I started giving my daughter a little rice cereal about 30mins to an hour before bed. Then you still nurse or give a bottle like normal and the rice cereal helps keep them full longer! It worked for me so hopefully it will work for you too!!

Jaimie - posted on 09/17/2009

try keeping him awake as much as possible during the day. My son use to take 2 naps 1 morning and 1 in the afternoon but not after 4pm. he had to be awake by 4pm then he would sleep good at night! good luck

Carrie - posted on 09/17/2009

im goin thru the same thing wit my boy some nights he sleeps good and others he wont im tryin to keep him up more during the day to c if that helps sorry cant help much since im in the same boat i just wantd to post and say how much i feel ya on the lil one not sleepin well at night

Tracy - posted on 09/17/2009

thanks ... for the advice .... well bad thing is he cant stand a pacifier so he can sooth him self back to sleep ... i feed him right before bed & he still wakes up ... i'll try letting him play a little more and see if that helps b/c i've even tired cutting down his naps during the day ... thanks kelly

Kelly - posted on 09/17/2009

Mine did the same thing. It's probably a growth spurt, feeding her right before bed helps. I just put her in her bed, and she went to sleep, and when she woke up in the night I put her pacifier in her mouth, and just kept doing that. She started sleeping again. That and I never talked to her when I went in at night. Try letting him wear himself out before bed, let him play and be active til he's soo tired.