How to get baby to sleep (any suggestions other than sleep training?)?

Question

My baby boy is 7 months and usually goes to sleep at around 730pm and then wakes up about 3 times before 12pm, then wakes again at around 3am, then again at 6am and then is usually up for the day at around 7am. He then naps usually for about 1 hour in the morning and if we are lucky another 1 hour nap in the afternoon. He cannot go to sleep without a bottle. We have tried giving water during his night waking to get his stomach used to not needing night feeding. Does anyone have suggestions other than trying to let him cry it out? Has anyone else experienced this kind of thing and when did your baby outgrow it?

Answer 1

I have an 8 month old son and before he started eating solids, he would wake almost every other hour for a bottle. Once he started taking solids, I believe that it helped his night hunger and he sleeps much better now. Now he only wakes up 2 or 3 times during the whole night. We put him to bed around 7:30pm and he wakes up for his day around 7:30am with 1 nap in the morning and 1 nap in the afternoon. He'll wake up now around 11:30pm and 3:30am. I didn't believe in the "let them cry it out" philosophy so I hoped that once he started eating or just getting older that he would grow out of it and it looks like I was right.

Answer 2

Consistency is key key key. It isnt a great idea to allow a baby to fall asleep with a bottle. Its a bad habit and its not good for their developing teeth.

His nap schedule seems to be right on. I do not believe in CIO (crying it out) either. I tried this with my 1st born (10 years ago) and he is still my worst sleeper. I did a variation of sleep training on my 3rd and it worked well. She associates her crib with sleeping and goes down without any vices (and has since 3 month of age). Staying asleep was a chore, however. It is very VERY common for babies of your son's age to not be sleeping through the night, so I hope you dont feel alone. Its frustrating, I know. It will get better. He just isnt ready yet. I turned to www.babywhisperer.com when I was at my wits end and needed some help. They have several forums dedicated to sleep issues and a lot of moms give some great advice.

Remember to just be consistent and try to cut out the vices he has getting to sleep at some point. He is going to rely on them as long as you offer them up.

Oh, have you tried a white noise/sound machine?? I forgot to add that this worked WONDERS for my 3rd baby (she is a year). I dont consider it a vice because my house can be loud with 2 older kids and this keeps her from waking up when they are still up playing.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

I wouldn't suggest CIO in the middle of the night but I would let him cry for 5-10 minutes so he learns you aren't coming as soon as he whines. My baby did sleep through early but then started waking and we would run to her. I wouldn't suggest this. Since he is only 7 months going to bed with a bottle isn't that big of deal but it will be, especially when he gets molars, 1 year plus. My best suggestion would be to get him on a set schedule. This is hard with little babies but put him to bed at the same time for naps and bedtime. Wake him up at the same time every morning if he doesn't do it on his own. After I got my baby on a set schedule she started sleeping more. She just turned two and sleeps from 7 pm to 830-900 in the morning and naps for 2-3 hours in the afternoon. Once I got that schedule I even changed it with daylight savings so her body wouldn't be messed up. Expect his schedule to change as he gets older. Hope that helped. CIO is tough on both. If you need more parenting advice or tips try the website in the source.

Answer 4

Check out the book: the no-cry sleep solution. Its geared towards breastfeeding/co-sleeping babies, but offers advice for bottlefed babies as well.

You may try to push his bedtime back a bit, 7:30 may be too early.

Other than that.. some babies just wake alot and theres not much you can do about it. Ive got a 14 mo old still waking 4-5 times a night.

Answer 5

What is this "training" crap? This is a HUMAN child not a dog. You don't TRAIN children, you raise them you teach them you love them you nurture them. You TRAIN a dog, to sit, stay, heel, roll over etc. Now that said. The only way you are going to be able to put him to sleep is by being consistent and patient. I suggest eliminating one of the naps...preferably the afternoon nap as it is closer to the time you want to put him to bed at night. You made no mention of what he gets to eat druing the day but it could be that he's not getting enough if he is waking up hungry two/three times a night. Since you are so against allowing him to cry it out and settle himself down you may never get past this point have him up two/three times at night for the rest of his life. Which won't be too great when he starts school.

Answer 6

Does he spit up a lot after feedings? I ask this because my son was like yours. He always wanted to eat but would spit up about 1/2 of his bottle afterwards and he never slept for more than 2 or 3 hours at a time. At nine months, we had him tested for allergies due to constant cold-like symptoms and found out that he had a milk allergy. We switched him to soy formula and that very night, he slept through the night and slept through the night every night after that.


By the way, I tried all of those other tips too (chamomile and lavender lotions, soothing tapes, sound machines, walking with him, etc) but none of those helped his food allergy.

Answer 7

Your baby is hungry. Feed him. He needs a little cereal at night to help him sleep through the night. A little fruit along with his morning breakfast. Of course, he needs water but he needs juice and stimulation. He is getting to the age to play and creep and learning to walk. He also needs you to talk and play with him. My grandson is now 8 months old, eating biscuits and gravy for breakfast, a bottle an hour later. A morning nap of an hour or so and then a couple of hours of exploring the house, chasing the kittens, and pulling the dog's tail. A little soup for lunch along with cut up bananas and finger food. Another little nap. And supper time. Mash potatoes and gravy are his favorites just like his mother. lol. A passy for bed is all he needs when he is put to bed. He is to tired to fight. lol Good luck.

Answer 8

my baby is goin through this exact same thing except shes 11 months old. She wont fall back asleep without a bottle. She use to sleep fine at 5-8 months. Since she started teething shes been waking up alot. i dont know what to do about it.

Answer 9

My niece was not a very good night sleeper when she was this age. They are saying now that the sleep aides are proving to be pretty helpful. The cd's or cassetts you can get that play relaxing music. Those seem to work pretty well.

Also get the johnson and johnson lavender bedtime lotion, or you might even wanna try rubbing a bit of vicks on his back before bed. That might relax him a little more.

Answer 10

At that age, our three boys were being fed a little rice cereal in their bottle to help keep their tummys full longer & all three were sleeping through the night by this age. Rice cereal is easiest on the tummy. Just add a little bit to the bottle. NOT enought to make it thick, just enough to help fill the tummy & keep the baby satisfied longer....