My 7 month old still wakes every 2-3 hours every night to nurse. How do I get him to sleep longer?

Question

I've tried giving him cereal, fruits, veggies, and he won't eat them. He eats every 2-3 hours during the day also. Naps are very difficult, will only go to sleep after nursing. If I don't nurse before bedtime feeding , he'll cry for over an hour, same with middle of the night feedings. I'm thinking of going to formula instead to get more sleep. I love nursing but can't cope with the exhaustion. Any help that can keep me nursing and get more sleep would be awesome!

Answer 1

He is hungry. It is difficult to teach a baby to eat solid food but you need to teach him to eat it. They have infant cereal feeders. They are like a bottle but you can put the cereal in them. The nipple has a larger hole in them and they can suck the food out of them. The problem with them is that you can overfeed a baby and cause them to become fat. We dont want that. The other problem is that they can suck too hard and choke. We dont want that either. So if you use one then only let him have a swallow and then take it away. Then let him have another swallow and take it away. That way he is swallowing it slowly. After he gets used to the food then between swallows introduce an infant spoon with cereal on it. He may spit it out but you are teaching him how a spoon feels. Be patient. You should not feed him more then 4 ounces of cereal at any one time. As he eats more food he will start weaning himself off your milk.

As far as formula is concerned. It is not always the best thing. Some babies are allergic to the formula and then you have a greater problem. If you can you should continue to breast feed.

Good luck

Answer 2

If he is not accepting anything other than nursing, try this- First thing in the morning let him nurse for a few minutes, just long enough so that he isn't fussy, but not enough to satisfy his hunger. Then offer him cereal. He will probably object at first, it is a new feeling in his mouth and a new taste. Be patient, it may take a couple of feedings. Once he readily accepts it, try a serving of cereal in the late evening.
Will he take a bottle at all? If so start by giving him water during the day in a bottle. When he wakes up at night give him water (you may have to have dad do this since he will be able to smell your milk). If he is only nursing then he probably is hungry every 2-3 hours, but at this age (unless he was a preemie) his digestive system should be ready for rice cereal. I admire you for sticking with nursing for 7 months. Just remember that this is the best you can give your baby and he deserves the best! Also, if you are not working outside the home make it a point to take a nap during the day when he is napping.
Another option would be to pump your milk and during the night you and dad take turns getting up with him. In just a few short months he should be sleeping through the night.

Answer 3

Please do not feed your baby cereal in a bottle it leads to tooth decay. Try sreching his inbetween feedings times a little more each day. If he waits for 3 hours during the day have him wait 3 hours and 10 minutes the first week. It wont take long and they will strech out. When you do feed him nurse untill he is very satisfied. Make sure that tummy is truly full. Even at this age he will still burp and air in the tummy can make them feel full.
Also start offering cereal that has been thinned down with formula on a spoon so he thinks it is only breast milk or formula. Try this a couple of times a day untill he eats it well and then thicken it just a touch. and keep thickening it little by little,
Remember that change has to be gradual for them. A sudden change can be stressfull and cause more problems in the long run.

Answer 4

A 7 month old shouldn't need to nurse every hour. It sounds to me like he's waking himself up and lacks the ability to put himself back to sleep. He's using your breast as a soother, because it's all he knows. Did you co-sleep for a long time? It's very common for babies to wake spontaneously throughout the night, even when they're not hungry. The difference is that babies who have learned to sleep independently can wake up, look around, suck their fingers for a second and go immediately back to sleep. Babies who sleep cradled into their mother's chest with her breast exposed never gained this ability. If co-sleeping isn't the problem, then it could be that he needs more calories. Is he on solids yet? It's also possible that he is feeling some teething discomfort, even if he's not showing you other signs yet. At 7 months, it would be surprising if there weren't some early teething-action going on.

Answer 5

My daughter is 9 mths and also breastfeeds every 2-3 hours and will only sleep after nursing or while nursing. I finally ended up having to cosleep. She now sleeps next to me in bed and I just feed her when she gets hungry and go back to sleep, then switch slides 2 hrs later when she is hungry again. I can now sleep alot better and at least function like a human again. Naps are the same, she will only sleep when I am attached to her. Good luck.

Answer 6

Wow! The best quick answer can give you is buy the book The Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg. I was just reading it to try to give you a good short answer but, there is none. She is reallllllllly good and there are 3 books the one named above and The Baby Whisper for Toddlers and another one that helps you ask the pediatrician the right questions... I recommend this book to every one asking difficult questions. I was very lucky with my son. He slept all night since 6 weeks and I stopped giving him "The Bed Time Bottle" at about 6-7 mo. Aside from the fact that he was on formula, which probably helped; he was so easy. Good luck!!

Answer 7

By now he should be sleeping much longer between feedings. Try feeding him formula before bedtime with a little rice cereal mixed in. It'll fill him up and satisfy him so he'll sleep longer. This stage will pass and this will be just a memory.

Answer 8

Do you use a pacifier?? If not maybe try one... i had a friend that had a similar problem but baby was younger, the Dr. suggested she try a pacifier because her daughter might just be using nursing as a form of a pacifier.... just something to think about and also maybe your 7 month old might not be getting full is only nursing long enough to satisfy hunger... anyway it is always good to discuss this with your Dr. Hope this helps....

Answer 9

The first suggestion I would make is to wait until he is developmentally ready to sleep through the night. This usually happens at 6-12 months old. When he is ready, he will do it, and you won't have to ask "How...?"

In the meantime, there are some things you can do that might help. First of all, *don't* stop nursing. He will probably still wake up all night long, and you won't have *any* way of getting him back to sleep. It rarely works.

Where does he sleep? If he is in bed with you, you could try putting him in another room. Without you so nearby, he may not wake as often to nurse. If, however, he is already in his own room, try putting him in your bed. He will undoubtedly keep waking up, but you will get to him sooner (so he isn't as awake, and goes back to sleep faster), and in a week or two, you will probably learn to nurse him in your sleep so that even if he *does* continue to wake up, *you* won't.

Try to figure out what it is that he is getting from nighttime nursing. If he's hungry or thirsty, nursing him a couple of extra times during the day *may* (no guarantees) eliminate one night feeding. (Since you have more milk at night, you have to assume 2 daytime feedings will replace 1 nighttime one.) If he is lonely, putting him in bed with you may help. If he is in pain, you may need to see his doctor (just like with adults, sometimes a baby gets so busy during the day that they don't notice pain, but when it's quiet at night, it starts to bother them...and human milk contains pain killers.). Etc.

Can your husband take a shift with the baby at night? Some babies, if they don't get to nurse won't bother to wake up. This is *not* the same as letting him "cry it out"; first of all, he may not cry if his father rocks him, sings to him, etc. Also, the physiological reaction to crying in someone's arms is not the same as crying alone.

Check his sleep environment. Is he too warm? Can you darken his room *completely*? Is there a loose spring in his bed that could be bothering him?

Sometimes it helps if you use a baby monitor in reverse. Put the baby side near you, and the monitor side near him. This way, he can hear the noises you make at night, and it may help him sleep better.

As for solids, it sounds like he just isn't ready for them. Signs of readiness include the ability to sit unsupported, the appearance of teeth, and the development of the "pincer grasp"--when a baby picks up small objects between the thumb and *one* finger. If he doesn't have all of these (or at least 2), then he isn't ready for solids. Wait a little longer and watch the baby, not the calendar. Most babies are ready for solids between 6 and 12 months, and if you wait until he's ready, you won't have to teach him how to eat!

If he *is* ready for solids, be sure you are offering him high-quality foods. Don't give so-called "baby foods"--they have the approximate taste and nutrition of cardboard! Just give him a chunk of banana to eat. It's soft, so he can't choke on it. Or grate a bit of raw apple or carrot and let him pick up individual strands. He'll play with it more than eat at the beginning--that's fine because the purpose of solids before the first birthday is social and experience, not nutrition. If he doesn't seem to like the sweeter foods, then try brown rice. Just be sure it is well-cooked and give him a *little* spoonful of it.

Answer 10

I would suggest starting formula but give atleast 1 feeding during the day to make sure it does not make the child any fusier