How to handle a screaming baby during the night?

Question

My baby is 9mo, she used to sleep through the night with no problems. Just in the last few weeks, she has started waking up once or twice during the night. But it's not as though she just cries a bit, I can ignore her, and she's falls back to sleep. No. She wakes up screaming, and she stands up in her crib crying until I come to her rescue. I'll take her out, give her a bottle, and rock her back to sleep. I tried giving her a bottle with only water, and that only made her more angry. I tried ignoring her but she just went on crying. How should I handle this situation to avoid creating bad habits?

Answer 1

I know it's hard, try to keep calm. Remember your baby is just scared, and the only comfort it gets is from it's mommy. Try instead of taking her out of the crib , feeding, her and rocking back to sleep, try to stand at the doorway and whisper mommy's here...shhhhhhhh go back to sleep, maybe if you have to walk into the room stand by the bed and rub her back, try not to pick her up. I know your thinkng ya right. With my first I did just continue to pick her up and rock her back to sleep, I couldn't handle the crying. But with my second I tried and after the first night I didn't pick him up he just went back to sleep on his own (with me rubbing his back) then I would just stand at the door to re-assure him. No matter what you do, keep calm, if your anxious and upset, your baby will be the same. They feel our "vibs" and react accordingly. Good luck to you

Answer 2

She is getting hungry in the middle of the night and it is waking her up. Try putting some rice cereal in with her milk. I would get a bottle specifically for this use and make the hole in it slightly larger.
Give some to her before she goes to bed at night and if she wakes up in the middle of the night. My daughter went through this same thing. Avoid rocking her back to sleep, she will start waking up just for the rocking and this will create a bad habit. If she can hold her own bottle just give her the milk and let her be. My daughter started sleeping 10-12 hours after I started this. She is now 2 and doesn't wake up anymore. The biggest thing is to make sure they eat enough right before they go to bed to avoid getting hungry in the middle of the night.
Also, whatever you don't put her in bed with you. This will create a very bad habit that you don't want. And don't worry about her getting attached to the bottle because my daughter was weened before she was 12 months. You might want to start using a sippy cup. That's what I did with my daughter when she was 9 months and she never touched a bottle again. You can still put the milk and the rice in there and it will be easier for her to get out.

Answer 3

It must be a 9 month year old thing! Mine is 10 months now and she did the same thing...it lasted for about a week and a half. I thought she was teething, but the more I read I figured it was separation anxiety. I tried letting her cry...but she would cry for a half an hour. I convinced myself that she was scared so I had to go into get her...and an hour later I would walk out of her room only for her to pop right back up crying. Everything I read ( and I wish I would have listened) said not to pick her up, but to talk to her and rub her back. After I had already made a habit of getting her up and rocking her I tried this approach. It took a good week of weening her but it did the trick...along with a special teddy bear. Good Luck to you!

Answer 4

I have the same problem with my son. She is either teething or experiencing separation anxiety. OR BOTH! Try to avoid giving her a bottle, as she will most likely get accustomed to it and wake up for it. Rock her back to sleep, put her in her crib and rub her back for a few minutes. When that doesn't work I put him in bed with me. If you try putting her in your bed, remember no blankets for her. For teething, try some infant Tylenol or Ibuprofen just before bedtime or when she wakes up. These are really the only options you have other than laying her back down and letting her scream. I can't seem to do it myself..I have a hard time ignoring my motherly instinct to comfort my child. Good luck and lets keep our fingers crossed that this too shall pass.

Answer 5

Is she teething? She may just want to be loved on since she's hurting. If she's not, I'd make sure she goes to bed with a full tummy, and then put a couple of toys in her bed for her to play with when she wakes up and cannot go right back to sleep.

I think she is learning that she can get you to do whatever she wants by crying, and running to her only instills this in her even more.

Answer 6

Assume she needs the food, how would you feel if you couldn't grab a snack if you woke up starved? Or maybe she is having nightmares? Or pain? You just don't know.

If she doesn't outgrow it in a month or two then I would worry, but for now it sounds like this is stage she will get through. I don't think kids under the age of about 2 can really manipulate people if she needs something she needs it. And the need for comfort is just as real as anything else.

So if you can cope with being woken up just give her the bottle, and do what you need to do. Try to keep it as boring as possible and this too shall pass.

Answer 7

Sounds like she just wants your company. Often babies will wake up and realize they are alone and decide that they would like to see you for awhile. This worked for me, instead of picking her up, just lay her down and sooth her by rubbing her back and singing or humming a soft song. You can give her the bottle of warm water or formula and just let her drift back off.
Additionally, if it's hunger she's waking from, try giving her cereal mixed with warm water or fruit about an hour before bed. Give her a glorious warm bath and then snuggle her to sleep.

Best of luck to you.

Answer 8

If she's screaming then there must be a problem. When she has her last meal, of the day, is she full or just picking at her food? If she just picks at it then maybe she wakes up because she's hungry. Place a radio, with soothing music, in her room and a night light. Once she is full and there's some soothing music - she should be fine, then you won't be starting any bad habits.

Answer 9

Get the baby some rice cereal and mix it with her milk or formula before bed time. Since she evidently is hungry when she wakes up, she needs something that will stick to her ribs to get her through the night. I usually work a bottle nipple over to enlarge the hole so that the cereal mix can make it through. Some of these quack doctors don't want to feed anything but milk to 1 yr. old, but I have raised three boys and four grandkids, and they get hungry before the 12 mo.. Also as a possible cause -- she may be having nightmares. One of my grandsons did this, but I started leaving a night light on for him and that took care of it.

Answer 10

Be very boring when you go in to check on her...talk to her in a monotone voice and, don't act like you want her to calm down or give her a sense that you're bothered by her crying. She doesn't need to be rocked back to sleep limit the number of things you do for her at night. You should try just letting her cry herself back to sleep... it's safe to let a baby cry for a good hour before rescuing her!