to help erratic 7 month sleep through night.....please!!!

toby2111

We've a 7 and half month(32 weeks old today) who can't seem to sleep through the night.He has done 11 hours a few times but lately he's very erratic.His routine during the day is fine,gets about 2-3 naps for between 2-3 hours,eats well,plays well etc.Has his bath about 6.30pm,pyjamas on,bottle at about 7pm and he's fast asleep every night by 7.30pm........then he trouble begins!

He will waken once,twice,three times from 12am to 5am.A lot of it could be our fault as we used to give him a 3 or 4 oz bottle when he awoke which used to put him back to sleep.But lately we've just been giving him water,he'll only take a few sips or maybe 2 oz.

We've also tried weaning him off the water,letting him cry it out,picking him up,shushing him etc.Last night for example,he woke at 3am,not really crying,moreso whinging.So I let him whinge for a bit,went in,shushed him but when I left the room he just got noisier and more upset.Left him for another bit,went in,picked him up,rocked him horizontally,shushed him,put him back down which again,got him more upset.This continued until 4am when I gave in and gave him water,only took a few sips.Whinging/crying continued.At this stage,he was more or less awake as he cried himself awake.This continued until 4.30am when I gave him Bonjella and more water,he took over 1oz.Eventually,at 4.50,he fell asleep and woke at 6.30am when I gave him his morning bottle of 7oz which he devoured.

So,he's here beside me in his jumperoo,full of the joys....while Mam and Dad are getting more and more frustrated.We went to a paediatrician a few weeks ago for a few issues,mentioned the sleeping thing and she dismissed it with the usual response-"ah sure ,he'll go through the night eventually".Now that may be true,but I'm sure other first time parents would like a bit more advice on how they get their wee ones to sleep through the night.I'm so jealous of others who say "oh my baby has been sleeping through from 8 weeks".

Its got to the stage were we are actually thinking of giving him 3 or 4oz bottle when he wales up at night because at least then,he would drink it and go straight back to sleep.We can't be spending nearly 2 hours a night battling with him to go to sleep.Sorry about the long winded explanation,but some posters might see similarities to their kid/kids and be able to advise us.So,any tips greatly appreciated.

Moonbeam

Have you tried putting him down later?
I have a 7 month old and I give him a yogurt and a 240ml bottle before bed which is usually about 9:30 and he does not wake until about 7:30/8.

gravid

i dont see the problem with giving some food at night, but then i breastfeed which may be more on demand rather than schedule? i would think that if what helps him go back asleep is a bottle, then maybe he is waking because he is hungry?

i can also be jealous of people with babies that sleep through, but far from all babies do. my 7 and a half month old has gone from only waking one time/night for a feed, to 3-4 (sometimes 5 or 6!) times per night. im hoping its a phase ;-)

.red.

My 14 month old is the same. She slept thru for a couple of weeks but started teething and that was the end of peaceful nights.
We normally give her a bottle going to bed at 1930 and she could wake 3/4/5 times a night till she gets up at 7/730. We only give her about 2-3 oz when she wakes and that's enough to send her off again if we get it to her before she wakes properly. She point blank refuses water so its milk she gets.
We tried to wean her off the night bottles a few times but she screams and doesnt stop till she gets one. We also have a 4yo son who gets woken by her and then wed have him in awake too so figured giving her the bottle was the easier option, maybe not the best idea as its a bad habit but we figured it was the lesser of 2 evils. We both do shift work work and could be up at 4am so a baby screaming for an hour or more isn't an option for us.

Id say give them the bottle if it works, it could be teething thats causing her to wake and any comfort for that can only be a good thing imo.

good luck.

toby2111

Moonbeam wrote: »

Have you tried putting him down later?

Yeh,we thought of that but the poor fella is exhausted by 7-7.30pm each day.We did string him out until 8.30 before but he still wakes up.

We would like not to give him any bottle as the paediatrician said he's in the 99 percentile weight wise,which has us both worried.He's a hungry baby and loves his food&bottle and we don't give him any rubbish whatsoever,all good pureed,homemade stuff.He's also quite long and he's clearly thriving.So,do we go back to giving him 3-4oz when he wakes during the night and hope that his weight will regulate when he begins to toddle around?Its the easier option for us but his health comes first.

elaney

My first born was exactly the same way as your lo. We tried so many different things but nothing worked. He was a big boy and very hungry. The only thing that worked for us was the minute we changed him to cows milk at one he slept through. I now realise that the formula wasn't enough for him he needed something more. If you can try giving him a yogurt before bed that helps. My man was in the top percentile as well and as soon as he started walking it all fell off. I wouldn't worry too much about weight yet.

toby2111

What age can they go onto cows milk?Is it 1?He takes normal milk in his porridge every morning and sometimes eats half a Glenlisk yoghurt after his dinner at 5.30pm.

Think I'll just give him water tonight,don't fancy another 2 hour sleep battle!If that fails,I'll put formula in.

elaney

They can take cows milk from the age of one. I would give him a bottle and the yoghurt just before he goes to bed this should fill him up for longer. Good luck Op .

Moonbeam

toby2111 wrote: »

Yeh,we thought of that but the poor fella is exhausted by 7-7.30pm each day.We did string him out until 8.30 before but he still wakes up.

We would like not to give him any bottle as the paediatrician said he's in the 99 percentile weight wise,which has us both worried.He's a hungry baby and loves his food&bottle and we don't give him any rubbish whatsoever,all good pureed,homemade stuff.He's also quite long and he's clearly thriving.So,do we go back to giving him 3-4oz when he wakes during the night and hope that his weight will regulate when he begins to toddle around?Its the easier option for us but his health comes first.

Do not worry about that yet.
Mine is in the 99% for height but not for weight but is a starving little thing too.

toby2111

Same routine every night,bath,into pyjamas and sleeping bag and gets bottle around 7am.By time he drinks it,he's exhausted,goes down straight away.He's fast asleep now and will prob stay that way until 3 or 4am when the battle resumes!!
Personally,I don't like the cry it out method,don't agree that baby should be left alone to cry itself back to sleep.That cant be healthy.Theres some sort of "pick up,put down" method I read on the net but tried that last night and he just gets more upset and it just wakes him up.May have to stick with water(which he mostly only takes a few gulps off).If that fails,I'll pop some formula in.Anyone out there who has great wee sleepers,you are so so lucky!!Roll on his 1st birthday when we can give cows milk!

Mink

I wouldn't worry about the weight percentile thing, particularly if he is long. Also sometimes babies can pack on a bit of weight just before they go mobile (crawling/cruising etc).

He may be ready to go to two naps a day? If he's having 3 x 2-3hr naps a day, he wouldn't need to sleep as much at night. You could always try it one day and see if it helps.

I used to always give the wee fella a bit of supper maybe 1/2hr before his bedtime bottle. I know this is gross but I used to mix up a small bowl of scrambled egg and ready brek. Nice and filling. Anyway, maybe a bit extra to eat in the evening.

Don't pay any mind to people who say their baby slept through from 8wks, they are extremely lucky and the exception to the rule.

If my son (now 13mths) woke in the night and wouldn't settle, I'd give him a bottle. He's a savage when it comes to bottles and food and there is no point in me denying him! He is tall for his age though, but not heavy.

Maybe try some of these (depending on what feels right to you) and if still not resolved, you could try that pick up/put down method - think it's the Baby Whisperer. It takes a few weeks to implement but is gradual. I've not tried it myself.