How did you get your baby to start sleeping through the night?

Wyoming - posted on 01/17/2009

OK..I was apparently completly uninformed until I walked into my pediatrician's office about a week and a half ago. My daughter is almost 7 months old and we had the same problem. I haven't been very strict at all about a nap schedule and apparently was supposed to be feeding her solids consistently 2X a day. The doctor said what worked for her was doing bottles only before naps and bedtime and the solids being fed on a schedule. I tried it and it worked like a charm after about 2 days. She takes 2 naps a day at about the same time everyday...just put her in the crib with her little stuffed elephant and her lullaby music and eventually she winds herself down. I hope it works out for you! I think, in my case at least, I wasn't really aware of how helpful and important having a routine was...daytime and bedtime!

Qurina - posted on 01/17/2009

I always gave my kids a little bit of cereal right before bed, that seemed to help them sleep better.. Also try a Chamomille bath before you feed him.. I hope evrything works out good for you.. Good Luck!!

Ashley - posted on 01/17/2009

my son didnt sleep through the night until he was 9/10 months old, and all he wanted was a bottle, and most the time he didn't stay awake long enough to finsih it, but anyways...

What worked for me was....

leaving a sippy or bottle that didnt leak filled with water in his crib (water so it wouldnt sour or spoil)..... and i could hear him on the monitor when he'd wake up... he'd cry, find the bottle, take a couple sips and fall back asleep... and after a while i guess he knew it wasn't worth getting up for just water and if he did he had something right their so i didnt have to sooth every cry....

hope this helps......

Janel - posted on 01/17/2009

My routine is I feed my daughter about 15 minutes before her "bed time". If she wakes up in the night I put the paci in her mouth and let her get herself back to sleep. After the first few nights she didn't wake up at night anymore, or if she did she played alone for a little bit and fell back to sleep. At that age they don't need to eat at night. Their bodies are learning to adjust to eating fewer times during the day. If you set up a routine and stick to it, even if it's hard for a little while, he will eventually adjust.

Charmaine - posted on 01/16/2009

My daughter is almost a month old and she only wakes up once through the night and that's if I go to bed early...try giving a bath and then feed them that works very well for me as well as it did on my two god kids who are both 5yrs old now.

Also if you love music play music as you feed your child my daughter loves smooth r -n-b as I feed I hum the song to her and give her alot of eye contact and rub her back and head just give some contact to soothe. Hope this helps. Good Luck :)

Rebecca - posted on 01/15/2009

Many breastfed babies do still physiologically need to eat at least once, no more than twice, until 9 months old.  Most formula-fed babies do until at least 4 months.

The book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth is the best sleep resource book.  It does an amazing job of showing how much sleep your child really needs and when, and how to develop sleep habits.  He also explores the different methods of getting your child to sleep, and has tips for each so you have a resource for whatever method you are comfortable with.  It has so much information and actual data and scientific studies; I highly recommend it. 

I especially recommend it if you are gonig to try to "cry it out".  If you make sure he's getting plenty of sleep and is very well-rested, and put him down at the right time, he may not cry at all.  If he is going to bed too late he could cry for hours, which is highly stressful for both of you.  It makes a really big difference.  My 11.5 month old goes to bed between 6:30 and 7 each night!

If you are more interested in a "gentler" method, the No Cry Sleep Solution is very popular.  It really only works if you can really really commit to several nights of very little sleep, at the very least.  It takes a lot of time and patience to do, but you may find it worth it.

Good luck and happy sleeping!

Sarah - posted on 01/15/2009

i used to bath mine at 6/6.30 give them sum supper(porridge) & a bottle of milk or drinking choc then put them to bed about 7.30ish i never herd off any of them.

Audrey - posted on 01/15/2009

Yeah, I agree. After 6 weeks babies no longer have a physiological need to feed at night. Both my boys were sleeping through the night by 6 weeks. Just take the night time feedings away. I admit this is not really easy and the older they get the harder it is. He will wake up and start crying for his feeding... you just have to let him cry. I know how difficult this is (my first one cried for over an hour the first night, I sat in the living room and just sobbed the whole time. ) But he WILL stop. He will go back to sleep. Usually it only take 2 or 3 nights at the most. The first night is the worst. But this works.

Amanda - posted on 01/15/2009

The doctors told me this and it worked in 2 nights....Let him cry it out. Start out for 5 minutes, go in but don't pick him up, tell him it's ok. Then wait 10 more minutes, 15, and so on. It took about 2 hours of crying the first night, and 30 minutes the second, and has been fine since. I say this assuming he is healthy and has no medical reason to need to be fed at night. I hope this helps. It takes guts to listen to the crying, but I swear by it.

Heidi - posted on 01/15/2009

It might be your rountine, and thats what hes fallin into.  Id make sure he has a nice relaxing bath a bedtime snuggle and read of a book with you keep every thing calm and somber put him to bed.  when he wakes in the night go through and lay him back down (dont chat to him) get him snuggly, everytime he wakes just keep going in and putting him back down in his own bed.  Im afraid it might take a bit of time over the next few nights  (and there will be alot of crying (not just the baby) but persaveer) but he will get the message that night time is for sleep.  (Now, if you've feed him thorough the day and you know hes well feed, DONT THINK your being mean, your just setting the boundaries, youve looked after him real well through the day he doesnt need this night feed now)(NOTE: if you keep giving into this now its really gonna be hard to get out of the night feeds when he gets older)   (From a caring Mum of three  (6 yr old, 5 yr old and nearly 2 yr old), all of whom go to bed at 7pm and are up at 7am.  

Julie - posted on 01/15/2009

My mom did the water trick. She said that my brother (her first kid) was still waking up to eat at night when he was 11 months old, because she didn't know he didn't need it. Finally, some one told her to just give him water. It only took one time, and after that he didn't wake up anymore.

My son is 3 1/2 months, and he still wakes up usually once in the night. I don't even pick him up, just give him his pacifier and rub his back, and he will go back to sleep.

Sarah - posted on 01/15/2009

i've and 8 month old son too fristly we tried giving himj water rather than milk as its really not interesting for them so they should stop waking for it! although it didnt really work so i fed him up as much as possible at dinner time along with only offering water and this got him sorted.  possibly try making dinner time a bit later to keep him full and ensure he drinks a full bottle of milk before bed! "experts" always say let them cry but i personally couldn't do it,1 couldn't bear the crying and 2 he shares a room with my 3 year old daughter so everyone was disturbed by it! try the lots of dinner and water method! hope that helps!

Christine - posted on 01/15/2009

hi ive go a son 14 months old. i got him sleeping thru at about 4 months by startin to give him water in the nite he soon stopped wakin when he realised there was nothing to wake for!! he still wakes now and again tho but not very often. i also gave him sumthin bulky 2 eat before bed time aswell. usually some porridge or sumthin it kept him full till morning!! well i hope it goes well good luck XX

Melissa - posted on 01/15/2009

I took night time feedings away and made sure lots of snacks were offered in between meals!!

Danielle - posted on 01/15/2009

wow, that was a big challenge for me too with my little guy.  He is 9 months now, and within the past week/ week and a half hes been sleeping through the night.  before that he would wake up anywhere from 1-4 times a night!!  I was miserable!!  The more I researched and talked to doctors and physicians the best solution is to "let them cry!"  I have the book WHAT TO EPECT THE FIRST YEAR and it helped me a lot!!!  it tells u a lot about differednt methods and what works for different people.  I found though to let them cry... for 5 mins... go in there check on them (tell them u love them etc.) but dont feed them or pick them up!!!   extended each time u go in there by 5 mins.  its gonna be hard, and a few times u are going to fail and either pick them up or feed them lol.  a few nights i let him cry without going in there at all for like 10-15 mins.  he learned.  it was the only way i would get any sleep.  it took a while maybe even 2 weeks-a month before he started to sleep through the night, but now he does so....   but research it or google it and find what works for u!!!  hope i helped

Anna - posted on 01/15/2009

I recommend giving him cereal before bed. It helps fill there tummies and sleep better. My 6 week old is already sleeping through the night because of that!! Good Luck

Aimee - posted on 01/15/2009

I recommend what megan has said he is only waking up because of routine not because he is hungary after the first couple of nights it should get easier

Megan - posted on 01/15/2009

If you are comfortable with it, and he eats fine through out the day, you could try to take the night time feedings away. At that age it really isn't that necessary. If he wakes up then comfort him back to sleep. Eventually he should get the hint, and keep sleeping!