He normally slept at night for 6-8 hours, woke up to nurse and then went back for 2-3 more hours. We have a bedtime routine that has been the same since he was a month old. Nothing else has changed. Anyone else have this happen? Was it a stage? Any suggestions?
2006-12-28 17:43:04 · 8 answers · asked by C.D.N. 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
Oh boy. Myriad possibilities.
It's possible he's going through a growth spurt and is waking more often because he's hungry. My suggestion would be to "combat load" him with milk. Give him a nursing about an hour and a half before bed, then give him another right at bedtime. He might be able to go a little longer before having to wake up to eat.
It's also possible that it's the beginning of teething. If this is what's making him wake up, the best you can do is try to make him comfortable. Some pediatricians will recommend rubbing orajel or a similar medication on his gums right before bedtime.
A final possibility is that your son has discovered the joys of mommy soothing him back to sleep even when he doesn't "need" anything. All humans wake up multiple times during the night; however, most of us don't realize it because we put ourselves back to sleep without fully wakening unless there's a reason we are awake (bathroom, bad dream, etc.) Babies haven't necessarily learned to self-soothe yet. They become developmentally capable of learning this between three and six months, and, of course, it varies from baby to baby. This is also the time when Baby learns that crying will bring Mama, even if there's no physical "need" (changing, food, etc). On this point, it's up to you if you want to try to teach your baby to self-soothe (if he's ready for it), or if you're going to hold off on that for a while.
With my baby, it was the last one, and she went through that (waking every 2-3 hours) for about a week. We're still working on it, as she now only wakes for her 5am bottle, but has trouble going back to sleep after it. (Usually sleeps from 7-7)
2006-12-29 01:38:59 · answer #1 · answered by katheek77 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That happened to my son at around the same age. It lasted a few weeks, but his sleep pattern didn't go back the exact way it was before. The best thing you can do is make sure that he is full at bedtime. If he is eating baby food or cereal feed it to him right before bedtime. It takes longer for them to digest. The doctor told me when I asked about his change, that he was probably starting to grow. Fill him up at bedtime, and don't allow him to take naps for atleast 4 hours before his bedtime. He will even back out. The baby food saved me a lot of sleep. Good luck!
2006-12-29 03:08:38 · answer #2 · answered by Autumn 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My son turned 8 months old this week and wakes every few hours still. Just a suggestion but is he on any solids yet? My boy had started to slep through the night except for one nursing. He has several food allergies though adn each time we find a new one, we find that his sleep patterns are also disrupted....
2006-12-29 00:08:10 · answer #3 · answered by Betsy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
aw the joy of sleep habits, they never go the way we want. try to get the baby to relax as best you can before bedtime. maybe play some calming music. this might be a stage, but every child is different and like adults they can change sleep patterns to. if the problem contiunes for a long tme maybe you could talk to the childs doctor for advice
2006-12-28 17:48:55 · answer #4 · answered by gogirl0283 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I know that my daughter did really well until about four months, that was about the time she started teething. Babies begin teething way before their teeth actually show so you figure a couple of months of pure torture for the poor dears. It is enough to make anyone wake up in the night. THe best thing to do is keep a soothing routine and he will grow out of it eventually.
2006-12-28 17:54:31 · answer #5 · answered by JLO 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
there has been some research to suggest that when babies are reaching a milestone (standing up.. crawling... walking..getting teeth) they disrupt their sleeping pattern temporarily. It should end soon! My son went through this at about 12 months... just plain stopped sleeping. We just stuck it out.. and hoped for the best.. eventually he went back to 12 hour a night sleep. good luck.. keep your patience :)
2006-12-28 17:54:51 · answer #6 · answered by Kristin B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i know nursing a baby is the best thing ever and by all means dont stop but formula will keep him fuller at night cause it takes longer to digest. he may be ready for some rice cereal right before bed as well. sounds like hes just hungry
2006-12-28 19:34:51 · answer #7 · answered by niki c 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is a stage and will pass. Mine did the exact same thing. But there will be more stages like this one in the future so prepare yourself.
2006-12-28 18:45:32 · answer #8 · answered by bswbaby 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋