Sleep! What's that! Any advice?

Question

I have a2 month old, and she still gets up 2 times a night. My doc said not to give cereal until 5 months, but everyone else i know gave their babies cereal at 1 and a half months. So I tried it, she is still not sleeping. Any advice on something else I could try. Someone told me cat nip tea, but is that safe, and were do you get it?

Answer 1

Your baby in normal. And please, please, please do not use a sedative, even a "natural" one found in teas. The use of which will send a "mixed" message, some drugs good, some drugs bad, which ones should I try? Not to mention the "dependency" upon which could set up a viscious cycle of tea use, no, just stay away and depend on parenting skills to raise your child.

I will tell you I ignored Doctors advice and gave all my children cereal, but that's about all I will tell you. I do not know your baby or your babies needs, you must make that decision, hard if you are not getting enough sleep, I realize, but still a parents decision. And BTW please establish good sleep patterns in your growing child. A child up until about the age of 6-7 needs a nap during the day. Infants need many "naps" and as they grow sleep will diminish but parents must understand that they not only need proper amounts of rest but must also determine how much rest that will be.

Here is the "formula" I used. Infants up to 2 months sleep as needed as they grow they will start being awake more often, about 3-4 months they will sleep through the night but will need a morning nap, an afternoon nap and an early bedtime. About 6-8 months they will outgrow the a.m. nap and just require a p.m. nap with an early bedtime. This will continue until about the age of 5-6. Do not deprive them of naps, contrary to opinion the more sleep baby gets the better baby sleeps. If baby is tired because nap has been "missed" it will be harder for them to sleep. So bedtime at 7:00p.m. should sleep until 6-7a.m. Morning nap from about 9 til 11 and afternoon nap from about 1-3. Back in bed at 7 and whole cycle starts again until am nap no longer needed. Parents need to adjust to baby, initially anyway, and then "train" baby to a workable cycle for all family members. Good Luck.

Answer 2

Follow what your doctor says. He spent thousands upon thousands of dollars and many years in school learning to tell you the correct facts about what is good for your baby. Don't do cereal until 5 months. Just because "everyone else" didn't listen to their doctors doesn't mean you should do the same. Do we need to recite the "if all your friends jumped off a bridge" statement? It's a 2 month old. Every 2 month old I've ever known has always not slept for huge amounts of time. 2 times a night is better than what I've heard others go through, which is every 1/2 hour or hour getting up for the baby. They'll grow up, and sleep through the night.

Answer 3

Do you realize a baby's reflex for swallowing cereal isn't developed yet? You're worried about her sleeping through the night and yet you could have choked her to death. Cat nip tea, what in the hell are you thinking? From the sounds of you, you have no rights being a mom.
Did it ever occur to you that maybe she's just not the type of baby that sleeps through the night?
I've had 5 and I will tell you right now that none of mine slept through the night. I have a 5 month old right now and he gets up anywhere from 2 to 8 times a night. Deal with it. There isn't anything you can try or do except comfort and love them.

Answer 4

just a little comment...everytime you wake up with her during the night, consider yourself lucky! my daughter, now 2 had colic. We were up ALL night every night. My son is now 8 months and wakes 2 times a night still, which wakes my daughter up as well. I've averaged about 4 hours of sleep a night for going on 2 and a half years. I'm am sure your daughter will start sleeping through the night before you know it and you will be luckier than a handful of us mom's who barely get sleep. Just know that there is an end in sight and that it could be much worse! I don't really know about the cereal, I waited until 5 months with both, but that is your choice to make. Just acknowledge the risks that are involved. If it is not helping anyway, you may want to follow the doctors directions to avoid any negative effects you may experience from giving it to her too early. As for cap nit tea...no no no!

Answer 5

Wow, people really are mean. I have 3 kids, all of which got cereal before their doctors gave the go ahead. The doctor for my 3rd actually said that he, too, was giving his 2 month old baby cereal before bed. Just don't give it in a bottle, make sure that you ALWAYS give it on a spoon, even if it is really, really runny.

Don't use the tea. A baby that is up twice through the night really isn't that bad. When she gets up, just make sure to keep the lights low and stay quiet. What else is she doing while awake?? If she is bright eyed and ready to play, then her nights and days are mixed up. Easy fix. Don't let her nap in her crib, keep the radio or tv on during the day and don't put her in a dark room until bedtime. Is she having bellyaches? My 3rd did -- try putting a couple of drops on infant gas drops in her bedtime bottle.

I personally think that the cereal was a GOOD attempt. She could just be ready for another ounce or two at each feeding as well. Good luck!

Answer 6

don't give your baby cereal yet. There is a reason the doctor said no! It can constipate your child. and it's hard for them to digest it. I have a 28 month old and she still doesn't sleep through the night. my 7 week old boy does better than her. It's a struggle but I have tried everything with her and nothing works. My son is 7 weeks and still gets up 2 times a night so if its only twice consider your self lucky!!! You could be in my situation and be getting up at different times with 2 kids :)

Answer 7

Expect her to NOT sleep through the night. She is only 2 months old! I hate to tell you this, but night waking is normal for the ENTIRE first year. Only babies in TV shows come home and sleep through the night that early on.

DO NOT GIVE HER CEREAL. She is too young to digest it. Early introduction of solids leads to increased risks of diabetes, allergies, respiratory illness and obesity. The AAP says baby shouldn't start solids until 4-6 mos of age. (Preferably 6 mos!) You have discovered that the cereal/sleep thing is an old wives' tale.

She is only 2 mos old. It is her JOB to double her birthweight by 6 months of age. She NEEDS to eat round the clock still right now. Just imagine if you were trying to double YOUR weight. You'd be eating all the time! Waking only 2x a night is GREAT! You need to try to sleep when she sleeps. Another thing......turn your clock around backwards and don't look at what time it is when she wakes. There is something about this that makes night waking much easier to bear!

Answer 8

If your 2 month old is still getting up in the middle of the night it's because she needs the nutrition. Lack of sleep is really hard, I know I've been there. You will find that in the next few months your daughter will start sleeping through the night. She won't be 2 months forever and she needs to be fed every few hours. Be patient but please don't try something else to curb her appetite because she needs the nutrition for healthy development.

Answer 9

Holy Cow! Cat Nip Tea!!!! I don't think it is a good idea to ive your BABY anything but mom's milk or formula. Don't put too much stock in old wives tales or new wives tale collected at the health food store. Listen to your doctor...that's why you pay him.

Baby's pretty much mean lack of sleep...live with it and join the club. You need to generate "Why, when you were a baby" stories to make your kid feel guilty later in life anyway. (joke)

Answer 10

It will take a couple months for the baby to get into a routine and sleep thought the night. No drugging the baby with tea's...don't take any chances like that.