my 8 month old son is waking up hungry in middle of night?

Question

I am feeding him solids, a good varied diet which he enjoys. He was sleeping through the night until 3 weeks ago when he had a cold and a cough and was waking up because of this. but he probably was not getting as much food in the middle of the day so he was waking with hunger too. Now the cold is cleared up, his appetite is back but he is still waking. we have tried the contented little baby advice of topping him up around 11pm and he will sleep through but I want to cut this out. Is he too young for supper??? Will he be getting too much food....he is a big boy

Answer 1

I know that this sounds cruel, but have you tried just leaving him in his cot when he wakes to see if he will go back off?
My little boy (also 8 months) had diarrhoea for 8 days and was waking during the night. Once the diarrhoea went he was still waking because this was his new routine. My husband and I would get up and stay up for hours trying to get him back off. During this time I also started to leave him in his cot during the day to sleep on his own which was hard at first, but now only takes him no more than 10 mins to get off. One night I decided that I would try this during the night, and it worked. It took him about 40 mins but he did go back. I did this for several nights and now he sleeps through again. You just need to break this new routine. I now believe in the saying that you have to be cruel to be kind.

Good luck and remeber to stick with it.

Answer 2

I have a two year old and a 6 month old so I know how it is to not get sleep. My 6 month old wakes up every night around 4 and I'll change him, give him a bottle and he'll go back to sleep most of the time. I don't believe in just letting your baby cry to see if they'll go back to sleep if they are younger then a year old because it teaches them that you won't always be there when they need/ want you. not to mention you can never spoil a baby under a year old, and you can't over feed them either. If you are really worried about overfeeding him ask his doctor where he is on the growth chart and ask them about his eating habits. Also you could try to feed him solids then top him off with a bottle before he goes to sleep.

Answer 3

Its possible that he's just got used to waking up at that point, kids do that. Make sure his bedtime routine is the same as normal and you could switch him to just water if he wakes in the night. Most babies will stop waking for that!

Or, yes, you could add supper, bananas seem to help babies sleep very well during the night. Lots of potassium which is very calming and they are very filling.

Also, he may just be about to do some developmentally or has just done something - learnt to crawl maybe or something. This can really stimulate their brains and cause night waking for a while.

hope it passes soon, sleep deprivation is torture.

Answer 4

I had a very hungy first baby (a boy, they are always hungry) but at 3 weeks i gave him a small amount of baby rice, he slept through the night from 6 weeks. So I would suggest feed him. You need your sleep.

Answer 5

I am having exactly the same problem with my 8 month old son.
When i am going to bed if he is already sleeping and has been asleep for a while i make him a bottle and give it to him once he is finished he goes straight back to sleep and sleeps through out the rest of the night.

Answer 6

Just keep feeding him. A full content baby usually sleeps the night through.

Answer 7

baby's and children fall in too habits really easily, hence the importance of routine, try to get him back of to sleep with out feeding him. it might take some time to break the habit he has fallen in to, there will be some crying involved, but it will all be worth while if you get back to the routine you had before the upset of the cold. good luck!

Answer 8

Feed him a bigger meal in the evening, and milk just before bed.

If he wakes try just getting him to go back to sleep. If this does not work give him water. Soon he will realised if that is all he is going to get it's not worth it.

Hope that helps, and good luck.

Answer 9

This may be a problem of timing of feedings.Assuming a six hours time to digest,the last feed may be at 6pm or so.The best way is to change the last feeding time ,late by another 4 hours or so.The exact feeding timigs are required to answer the question.

Answer 10

If you are still giving him baby formula, try using the next stage up,( for hungrier babies) or give him a extra oz or two of the milk. I wouldn't worry about him being a big boy, cause at this age he will be very active. if you are worried have a word with your health visitor or doctor

good luck