Need sleep - Anything - HELP!!

[Poctim]

Hello everyone,

So we're having issues with our 7.5mths old daughter as far as sleep goes. I know not to expect her to sleep through the night, but would be nice to get more than 1.5-4 hrs of sleep in a night.

Right now, she'll go to bed around 8:30, wakes up by 11, then sometimes will wake up every hour after, other times sleep for 2hrs then stay up for two hours and up by 6am. During the day, she only naps twice for a total of 1.5hrs MAX, once around 11am, another time around 3-4pm and that's it. This child just does not sleep.

Here are some of the things we have done:

- Bottle feeding before bed (plenty of it, not over feeding, but enough to
be satisfied)
- Breast feeding before bed
- We've tried not letting her fall asleep before going to bed at night, but
she has never settled herself alone
- Holding her down until she falls asleep when she wakes
- Holding her in till she calms herself in our arms
- Checked for burping and gas, not the issue
- Tried letting her cry it out (will just cry for an hour, then is fully awake
and won't go back to sleep)

She's been on food since she was 5mths old, currently on 3 meals a day without a fight, loves to eat and eats plenty. During the day she's bright and cheery most of the time, with the occasional bad day, but usually pretty good.

She has never been a good sleeper, except for a few weeks after she was born. Then she'd be up till 1am, unable to go to sleep, and up by 8am every day for 4mths. We finally got her bedtime into a normal enough routine, but she just won't stay asleep. She'll wake up and cry, sit herself up and keep crying, until she gives up on crying, but by then is fully awake and won't go back down, will just crawl around for 5-10min, then cry some more, over and over for hours. We've never had this much trouble with our son, and everything we did with him isn't working with her. We're out of ideas and now it's getting pretty serious for us. Months without any kind of decent sleep, it's making us sick, dangerous for driving (I work early) and we're just all-around fed up grouches with it all.

HELP!!!!!

 

[Stan53]

Ever thought of taking her back to bed? We are lazy parents in this house. That's what we do. Works for us.

 

[kiwimac]

What we used to do was take turn about. Mum would look after the squittly-wee one night and I another. It's rough but it works. Believe it or not this will eventually pass.

 

[tiffyof6ntwins]

sadly i believe this is a stage.. my 5 yr old went through the same thing around 9 months.. she never slept even her naps during the day would be only half hour naps.. we tried keeping her up til midnight in hopes she would sleep tilat least 6 am.. no she was up by 3 and would stay up til around noon and only slept half hour .. she really didnt sleep any more then 4-5 hrs a day.. she now sleeps 12 hrs if you let her (lol) .. the only thing i can say is not let her nap at all during the day and keep her up as late as you are if possible.. no matter how whiney or grouchy.. thats how i got my 3 yr olds to only take hour naps.. just to refresh themselves..

 

[PegasusOnFire]

could be the 9 month growth spurt early. we are having issues with our 8.5 month old. she was sleeping 11-12hours at night and taking one 2-3 hour nap during the day. now she won't sleep

we just say "this to shall pass"

 

[Assisi]

My first son was a poor sleeper and for the first 9 months or so of his life I got 4 hours sleep all up on a good night. For my son it was not a stage, but it was something we had to draw him out of. We chose a good time (as good as was possible) when I had a week off and my husband was not to busy at work and we focused on his sleep. We did a couple of things:

Firstly we focused on getting enough solid food into him during the day. Secondly we night weaned. For us this meant moving me out of the bedroom at night and having only my husband go into him at night. Thirdly we chose a method of dealing with him at night and we stuck to it like glue. It took many a sleepless night over many weeks, but it was worth it to see my son improve. Although your daughter is cheerful and playful during the day, I'd be willing to bet you'll notice a difference in her when she starts to sleep well. I could really see how sleep deprived my son had been once he started to sleep like a baby his age. He still wakes overnight but it's not the ordeal it used to be, he just wants to know we're there and then he can sleep again. He has a proper nap in the day now too.

Good luck. It is really hard when you have month after month of poor sleep, but it will get better.

 

[mrslisae]

I have a few ideas. My daughter is 10 now but she was one of those babies that just didn't need as much sleep as most. It lasted several years so good luck! What worked for her is a strict routine. I see you have one, decide which she responds to best, the breast or bottle. Also try a soothing bath and full body massage. I have no idea how I'm remembering this as I've lost most of those memories but thank God I am so here's what I did. I would turn the lights low after bath time. I would start with her feet and using lotion and a very soft tone in my voice would talk to her about the day as I would gently massage the lotion into her skin..She loved it and it calmed us both. I let my daughter stay up late and then went to bed when she did. She only slept a few hours at first but gradually she would wake only once and then none at all. To tell the truth, the very first time she slept through the night was inside a tent while camping on the river (guess she wore herself out exploring)..Another thing I remember doing is having a small tv and vcr in her room...She's loved Veggie Tales since she was 4mo old...when she'd wake and refuse to go bk to sleep then I would pop in a movie for her to watch...In my mind it was better than taking her to my bed and getting her spoiled to that, and no she doesn't have some crazy addiction to tv in the morning although she really loves her Veggie Tales even today. Hope you all get some sleep soon!

 

[Hadassah]

Here's a few ideas... and yes, it's part of a stage that is normal at that age, 10 months, somewhere between 12-14 months and again closer to 2 years....

Take away the bottle. Too easy to overfeed. Return to nursing, watch what foods you are feeding your LO since you did introduce it already and see if there are any possible food allergens aggrivating and waking your LO up.

Remember that your LO's tummy size is the size of their fist, so they get hungry after every so many hours. It is NORMAL to be woken up 2-3 times a night the first 3-4 years of life for a snack, or because of tummy rumblings.

Some children do not need as much sleep as others, and some break up their sleep schedules around that age. You need a schedule that is fairly predictable for a happy, well adjusted child. A usual time frame to be looking for meals, play time, reading time, tv time etc.

I have a 2 month old and a 19 month old, I don't get sleep like I used to. There's been teething for the last 17 months, the monthly growth spurts that change up sleeping and feeding patterns, illness on both my eldest's and my part, a trip overseas and back.. It's only normal to expect sleep patterns to vary.

Some books that helped me get used to the ideas of that were the LLL book "Womanly art of breastfeeding", "The Continuum Concept" and the "No Cry Sleep Solution" book.

 

[tiredwalker]

We had this problem around that age too. Dd slept through the night starting at one month, but she started waking up at around 8 months. We ended up moving her crib into her room and that really helped. Then she when through a crazy growth spurt and started waking up two or three times in the night. We made sure she had plenty of calories during the day; then, I'd give her a big bottle when she woke up. While I was warming her bottle, dh would cuddle her in bed, then I'd put her back in her crib with her bottle.

One big thing for her is to make sure that she's got white noise in the background. As soon as it's quiet, she wakes up. Also, getting a little baby exercise really helps. We let her play in her bouncy chair several times a day and made sure that she rolled/crawled plenty throughout the day. We still have the occasional wake up, but it is much better. She ran around like a crazy kid at a play center today, so I'm sure she'll sleep like a rock through the night...knock on wood

 

[bliz]

I feel for you! I went through such a state a sleep deprivation with my second...

Possible sources of problems - she is on food early. She may be eating well but not digesting well at night. Breast milk is easier to digest than formula or cereal - provided Mom is not drinking lots of coffee or foods that irritate baby - trial and error.

Is baby's room dark? Children sleep better in dark rooms without nightlights. Parents stumble less in the night with nightlights when they can see where they are going. But it may be worth it is when she wakes up she does not see anything.

Nursing babies and Mom will get on the same sleep cycle when they sleep near each other - both at the deepest sleep together, light sleep at the same time. Being awakened from a deep sleep by a crying baby is painful! But when they cycle together, Mom's will wake up on their own about the same time baby is getting restless and smacking lips - way before panic and screaming stage. Baby can nurse and go right back to sleep with less disruption to everyone. A bassinet and later a crib worked well for us.

Could be her digestive system is just immature and nothing you do will make any difference until she outgrows it. Seize it as extra time to pray for you child.

Keep in mind - you can't spoil babies. They have needs and those needs are met or they go unmet. They need physical contact with mom and dad as much as they need food. Many people are surprised that they actually get more and better quality sleep when co-sleeping or family bedding.

Hang in there!

 

[MLEN]

Hi Poctim,

A Childcare Nurse give us some invaluable tips that worked for both our kids when we started to train them for sleeping through from 8 months old. My daughter took a little longer to catch on than my son (3 weeks for her, 2 weeks for my son) - but in the end it worked all the same. For what it's worth, here's the advise she gave:

1. Never let baby nap for more than 3 hours during the day (this includes the total hours combined of short naps with longer naps).
2. Never let baby sleep past 5pm. Wake baby up if either 5 pm arrives or 3 hours of nap time elapses.
3. Establish a strict bed time routine: e.g., Dinner 6pm, Play Time until 7pm, Bath Time 7pm, Story & Prayer Time 7:30pm, Last bottle of milk/breastfeed at 7:30pm, Good Night hugs and kisses then gently lay baby in crib.
4. If baby wakes at night, do not turn on the light or take baby out of crib. After checking if baby needs a burp or diaper change, then gently rub baby's back (while it is still in the crib) and calmly say once "it's still night time, go back to sleep". This short but gentle consoling can be done every 5 minutes the first night, adding a minute each night in between consoles. Remember not to linger at baby's crib once you console it in this way. The baby will most likely continue crying until eventually it cries itself to sleep. This trains the baby to fall asleep on its own (as opposed to becoming dependent on falling asleep at the breast, bottle or in your arms).

Use the consoling technique above even if the baby cries from the first time you lay it in bed. Use this technique each time the baby wakes during the night.

P.S. - By strictly sticking to the above steps consistently each night (with no breast or bottle feeding during the night), this method worked like a charm. In addition, my 2 year old daughter still easily goes back to sleep on her own if she happens to wake at night (which is extremely rare) to use the bathroom or otherwise. The key is consistency and sticking it out until you reap the fruits of your efforts.

I must admit I lost a lot of sleep (and acquired a few headaches along the way) while practicing this method - but it was definitely worth it in the end!

However, keep in mind that different things work for different kids and/or families, but know that this phase will not last always.

God Bless.

 

[Stan53]

Hi Poctim,

A Childcare Nurse give us some invaluable tips that worked for both our kids
However, keep in mind that different things work for different kids and/or families, but know that this phase will not last always.

God Bless.

I am glad you put the disclaimer on the bottom. We did your nurses suggestion with DD1. She is still not a good sleeper at age 6.
Bad, bad advice for us.
With DD2, we threw the rule book and the nurses advice in the dustbin. Did everything we were not suppose to do, like take baby back to bed and co-sleep. Best thing we ever did. Never had one bit sleep deprivation from day one with DD2. With D1 we were like zombies for 18 months. Aint doing that again.

 

[8462]

my son is 7 month's old now and he has been sleeping through the night since he was 2 month's old. How did I get him to do it? Well, I didn't do what the doctors advised me to do that's how....

I began feeding my son rice cereal in his bottle at 2 months... The first night he slept for 7 hours straight... Of course I got worried about him but What parent doesn't....

Now that he is 7 month's old he is sleeping more than I do... He usually gets 9-11 hours of sleep a night.... This is what we do..

We do not let him sleep past 5p.m. We usually wake him up and get really energetic with him. The point of being really hyper and active is to stimulate him into getting as much energy out as possible. We do this so that he is tired enough to want to sleep at night.

He eats 4 small meals during the course of a day and right before bed I fill a 10oz bottle with formula and infant cereal. My son usually drains the whole bottle but we let him eat as much as he wants... We do this so that he is full and won't wake up in the middle of the night hungry....

Last we play some kind of music for him while he sleeps. The reason we do this is because no house is completely quiet. I wanted my son to be able to sleep through anything. So we made loads of noise (running the vacuume cleaner, blender, washer and dryer, etc.) when he was sleeping. The music helps to soothe him and keep his mind focused on sleeping. Actually I believe it is proven that Babies that listen to some kind of Classical music while sleeping tend to be smarter than those that don't.

Usually I will let my son fall asleep in the bed with me. This gives him the sense of being close. Once he is alseep I usually move him to his bed. I cover him up with his blanket and he sleeps. Every once in a while he will stir but as soon as he does I put his passifier back into his mouth and pat his bottom to help him go back to sleep. I dont talk to him because that stimulates them and makes them think that it is playtime... Instead I make a shhhh noise and it helps him to fall back to sleep. I have some other tips too

let me know if these work... I would be glad to help out in any other way. you can e-mail me at amandawhiddon2007@yahoo.com Just let me know you are from CF in the title and I will answer.

 

[Prisca982]

Our son was a terrible sleeper until 10 months so I really feel for you!

Quick tips we learned:
- take it in turns to have a 'night off' (DH or I would sleep in the spare room for a night, so that at least one of us felt human the next day!)
- make sure your child is active during the day so that they NEED sleep at night
- BUT slow things down before bed - children, and babies especially, are EASILY overstimulated. Think about how you feel when you're overtired - it's actually harder to fall asleep! About an hour before bed, put all toys away, calm the atmosphere in the house (play relaxing music, no TV etc), read some stories, sing some gentle songs, turn the lights down. Make baby know - it's time to relax.
- Have a strict bedtime routine - do the same thing every night, and stay relaxed yourself.
- have a strict wake-up time. It' SO tempting to have a lie-in when you've had no sleep the night before, but some babies are naturally disorganised in sleep (I was like this); imposing strict order on them helps immensely.

You know your baby best
Hope things improve