8 month old feeding and sleeping problem?

Question

My 8 month old used to sleep like an angel 12 hours a night but for the last 2 months has been a real problem waking 3 or 4 times a night. Sometimes he just needs a dummy put back in but other times I try everything, nappy change, burping, put an extra layer on or take 1 off. He has been teething too. I found that increasing his solids helped. But that has caused another problem - I am so paranoid about him waking at night that I have been forcing food into him during the day and now have a problem with him taking the bottle. I know it's my problem so yesterday I made myself take the bottle away after he refused it 3 times. He'd only taken 10ml but then at 4am this morning he was awake and hungry. I made him wait until 6.30 and he had half a bottle but then started refusing it again. I got so tense! Seems like doing the right thing makes it worse! He's also started napping for 1 hour every morning and up to 2 hours in the afternoon. too much ? I need advice pronto! Please help

Answer 1

As a mother of 3 i have learnt that all kids are different, some sleep through some don't it's pot luck. My eldest was always hungrey so on the last feed before bed i mixed in a little rusk to his feed, but you must make they are properly winded before you put them down, maybe a warm bath before bed would help also.

Answer 2

Although I do not have this problem yet (keep my fingers crossed) it could be a combination of things as mentioned but if you think teething is the issue, it may be hurting his gums to take the bottle, you could try changing the type of nipple (may be too hard) or the flow of the nipple is too slow and is making him suck too hard, making him frustrated, hence hurting his gums more. I would think that is why he's waking up during the night now, because he is not getting enough fluids. Try not to force the solids on him, he will not associate eating as a positive experience and may start to refuse that alltogether too. Good Luck, I hope you find something that works well.

Answer 3

My son is 15 months old and was having the same kind of problems, he was also having a hard time with his appetite, i have found that the best thing to do is not get too stressed, i know its hard when your suffering from lack of sleep but still.
Don't force your child to eat solids, it will only promote feeding problems when he is older. Give yourself a daily routine and stick to it, i dont know what stage of developement your child is at but 2 naps a day may be too much and he may be sleeping during the day and not feeling tired at night - we all do that sometimes.
Only offered your child 3 meals a day and dessert after if you want, fromage frais is good to give your son the added calcium he may need. Let him snack as often as he likes on healthy stuff and if he is certain he doesn't want a bottle don't force him.
I have found that my nightly routine is staple to his sleep, i give him his dinner around 5.30pm, give him half an hour to play around, then i give him his bath and we make a real meal out of it splashing and talking. (My health visitor said this is a good time to talk through the day you've had and what you've done), get the last burst of energy out of him - i really rate the Johnsons baby bath range they are soothing and calming. Then read to him and give him a bottle, make a routine out of what you say to him at night and he will soon grow to realise that when you say that you mean good-night, Don't rush his time at night let him enjoy it.
For teething i have found that ansbesol liquid is the best and ive even used it on myself with brilliant results. This won't work overnight but just perservere and i'm sure he will soon start to settle at night.

Good luck and i hope you manage to get some sleep soon x x x x

Answer 4

Well, you should be consulting your pediatrician, but if you want advise, here it goes...1. this is most likely due to the teething thing, if anything, buy orajel and rub it no more than 3 times a day, the last application should be before his bedtime. 2. because of the teething, babies have trouble taking the bottle, their appetite decreases. 3.may baby just turn 6 months, and she sleeps throughout the night, but the only way to accomplish that, is she takes in her last bottle around 8p.m-9p.m. That way, it holds her through the night. I feed her cereal morning, noon and evening, ONLY 3 TIMES A DAY, and the rest of the time her formula. 4. before giving the bottle, rub orajel, so that way, the pain doesn't disturb her feeding. 5. baby's go through many changes, and because of a growth sprut, this is interfering with his appetite and all. 6. the one everyone tells me, ALL BABYS WILL EVENTUALLY TURN TIMES ON YOU...you just need to make a new schedule for them...tricky, to start over, but with patience, it will pay off. Good luck to you. I hope some of the things helped.

Answer 5

i have a 21/2 year old son who still doesnt sleep through the night yet my 4 month old son sleeps right the way through.
my only advice is to stay clam n dont panic they sense it and it makes them tense. try a rusk or something like that before bed to fill him up n then a nice warm bath n a story while he has his bottle. but if he doesnt want his bottle dont worry he is old enuff to be able to let you know if he is hungry forcing him to have it could just make more problems for you and him. Dont panic though all us mums go thorugh bad times with our kids but you know him better than anyones else when u feel like you dont know what to do just let your maternal instincts guide you he'll get through this just need to find whats works best for him. try the bath thing and maybe a nice lil story in a soft voice might work. and if he wakes in the night try not to give him a bottle he should really be out of the habbit of wakin up for food by now, and thats all it is habbit! dont be fooled kids r buggers for it lol.
just keep ya cool n u'll have it sorted in no time;)
good luck!!

Answer 6

To help with the teething we used Anbesol (the liquid version), you just rub it over the gums with your finger. This used to really help our little one, it was much better than Bonjella.
Another way to help the teething pains is to use Ibuprofen as this help reduce the swelling of the gums.
Our little one had stopped drinking milk (she had gone off of it) by 8 months so we used to just give her water when she woke at night and she had a healthy appetitie during the day.
I wouldn'y worry about the sleeping during the day, it's probably because he hasn't had a full night sleep so is catching up. When I was that age I used to sleep all night and still have 2-3 hours during the day (that would be nice).

Answer 7

sounds like teething to me as well! you appear to be doing all the right things except the being tense part.....relax and let your boy let you know what he needs when he needs it. you were blessed to have him sleep so well up until a couple of months ago, now is the "trying" aspect of parenting that i'm sure you've heard tell about. just be consist ant with your responses, soothing him when he is fussy (teething isn't fun) and calming him when he wakens during the night. a nap in the morning and one in the afternoon is very appropriate for his age, if they don't get naps at those intervals during the day, babies get over tired and cranky and won't sleep as well at night, they don't handle being tired well at all. this time in his life will pass so quickly, and before you know it what you'll be worried about is will he bring himself and your car safely back home after you let him borrow it! best of luck to you and your baby boy, sounds like he has a mother that loves him a lot!

Answer 8

I got the same problem with my 6 months old daughter now.
I think,its teething problem.I was worried abt it.And now from ur answers,i got the solution.
I also got very tensed like you.i pressured the bottle in her mouth,Sometimes cant control my abger.
lets start with the AMBESOL LIQUID,which is suggested by some of the mums.
good luck

Answer 9

He may just be having a growth spurt, feed him at his normal times, be patient with him, snuggle a little more with him.
Try oragel or infant tylenol for the teething, and ice cubes in paper towels or wet frozen wash clothes.

Answer 10

if your child has slept through the night until now, then there is no physical reason for them to be waking in the night. I would quietly go in and place a hand on him to reassure. It might mean a few tough nights but he will quickly learn to settle himself.