7 1/2 Month Old Son Still Waking up About Every 4 Hours

Updated on April 23, 2008
C.E. asks from San Bernardino, CA
24 answers

My son is a very good natured baby. Very happy most of the time, eats well, only fusses when there's something to fuss about. People always comment on how lucky we are to have a such an easy and easy going baby. He is almost crawling but not quite. At bed time we have always had him sleep on his sleep positioner (aka: secure sleeper, etc) to prevent him from rolling over onto his face. But now that he's older he can roll himself around pretty well and had been rolling right off of it. Since this wakes him up we have tried putting him down without it. He usually ends up rolling over onto his stomach but this wakes him up, too. We have tried starting him out on his stomach but he still wakes up. Normally when he wakes up in the middle of the night it's because he's hungry (we're talking stomach growling), or he's gassy, or needs a diaper change, or his gums hurt. But now we've added if he's not comfortable on his mattress w/o the sleep positioner. He was sleeping through the night about once or twice a week or only waking up once up until about 10 days ago when he started rolling off his positioner. I think maybe it's because he felt secure between the "barriers" of the positioner and now he's free in the crib w/o it. This morning I remembered how swaddling used to comfort him when he was a newborn so I tried that. But he's getting to be a little too big for that (it takes a big blanket to cover him). Should I try this at night when we put him to bed? We do keep an air purifier in his room and that creates some white noise, which I think has helped. And we try to be sure that he gets plenty to eat and a clean diaper right before bed. Any tips on how to get him to sleep for more than 4-6 hours without waking up?

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D.M.

answers from Lawrence on

Hello, I am a mother of a 2 year old little boy. My son loved to be swaddled and if we didn't swaddled him he would wake up. My husband and I had to swaddled my son until he was almost 10 months old. We just found some big baby blankets and used those. It sounds like you might have to do the same thing. Good Luck!

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J.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

I always say ... if she was my 2nd child... My Daugher did not sleep thru the night till she was 3 1/2 ( I took away the pacifier) age 5 - when I took away the night time requests.. Yikes...

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R.B.

answers from San Diego on

Contact Davis Erhler at www.3daysleep.com I contacted her when my son was 3 1/2 months old and he slept 10 hrs at 4 months and now sleeps 12 hrs/night (since about 5 months). She is AWESOME! I highly recommend the book "On Becoming Babywise" too. It was the book I used in the beginning and my baby always slept great.
Good luck! :)

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

You tried a LOT of things. Every baby is different. You can't really "make" a baby sleep all night... he is 7.5 months old, there is no time-line as to when a baby "WILL" sleep ALL night. Remember, "sleeping through the night" for a baby, means sleeping at least 6 hours straight. He is still young. Many children don't sleep through the night until after 1 or 2 years old! Yes, that's right.

The "myth" that a baby has to sleep ALL night by 6 months is just not a rule.

ALso remember that each month a baby is growing and developing a great deal. And, at growth spurts, they DO feed more and more often. They are not only growing physically but cognitively and their internal organs are developing too. Their immune system is not even fully developed until 2 years old. Then there is teething, gas, and later "night terrors" and separation anxiety and they get more mobile...all of these things alter or affect or interrupt their sleeping patterns.

If your son wakes up and he is hungry, feed him. Is he gaining weight appropriately? If not, then perhaps he is not getting enough intake.

Also, your son is rolling over now... and yes, they will do this anytime even when they are "supposed" to be sleeping. They are practicing their new skills. But yes, as they toss and turn in their crib it WILL wake them... at this age, they don't know yet how to put themselves back into a sleep position and then stay there, like an adult. He is a baby. You need to adjust him at night if he does this. Later, he will start to pull-up and even stand in the crib....this too will wake him and you will need to wake up, & get him back down to a sleeping position & help him. When they start to stand and pull-up.... they don't yet know how to "sit" back down and lie back down without dropping onto their behind. They are also acquiring "balancing" skills still. All of this combined, is all developmental, and can affect their sleeping. It's all a "phase" and part of ages and stages. There will be lots of different phases. Head's up.

Your son will sleep through the night when he is ready. Sure, they need to learn how to self-soothe... but each child is different. Many times they wake up because they miss you too. All of this is normal. My son is 19 months old, and he still will wake up once during the night every so often. But, he can usually get himself back to sleep by himself now. I don't swoop in at every noise or waking he has. I wait and see. My daughter on the other hand was the opposite and was more spirited and it was much harder with her. Each child is different.

There are SO many different tips and what not. Just keep in mind that a baby is constantly developing, in sleep too. They will wake up. Say your baby goes to sleep at night at 7:00... do you really think that sleeping for say, 8+ hours straight like an adult is realistic? That's a long time for a baby to go without nursing/feeding. The fact that he is rolling now is also a factor as I"ve mentioned. You cannot not make a baby not roll over during the night once they start to get more mobile. As he adjusts & matures, he will find a position that is comfortable for him to sleep in. My son would put himself on his tummy to fall asleep. But yes, he rolled around too. It's developmental based. No worries.

Anyway, well you will get lots of different ideas here. Your son is doing fine, his wakings are normal to me.
Good luck and take care,
~Susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo

1 mom found this helpful
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M.C.

answers from Honolulu on

My second daughter started sleeping through the night at 3 months (God Bless her) but then when she started rolling over, same thing, she would wake herself up and I made the mistake of picking her up and nursing her. I should have just let her work it out.

If he was sleeping well prior to this, there is NO REASON that he would require food in the middle of the night. He is just doing his new trick in his sleep and he needs to figure out how to comfort himself back to sleep. It may take a few days, but he will figure out how to soothe himself without your interference. I would say don't bring back the positioner, he will just get tangled in it and it won't serve its intended purpose with him able to move around. It will be painful for a few days, but HE WILL FIGURE IT OUT!!!

If there is a way to "pre-empt" his waking, try peeking in on him before you go to bed to see if he has moved around in an awkward position and gently move him back to a comfy one without waking him. Otherwise, get some earplugs. Good luck.

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D.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

I also have a 7 1/2 month old and JUST started sleeping through the night. We finally achieved this by letting him cry it out EVERY time he woke through the night. Two days later, we had a baby who now sleeps 11 hours with occasional stirring for five minutes here and there. I feel for you- thought I was the only person who's kid wouldn't sleep. Good luck!

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V.H.

answers from Las Vegas on

I know it's irritating but my son didn't sleep through the night until he was almost 18 months. If he likes his positioner you could try putting him to sleep next to it in the crib perhaps it is a security thing? And I agree with Laura some babies are night sleepers and some are not. My oldest still crawls into my bed at 3 am and my baby is almost 2 and has been sleeping well since the night he was born. He would wake and nibble every few hours but never difficult to put down to sleep or back to sleep and my oldest still fights it even when he is about to fall over from exhaustion (he gets that from me)

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A.H.

answers from San Diego on

You could use pillows to replace the sleep positioner. And the larger size of the pillows could help with the rolling because it won't be as easy to roll over them.

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T.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

I would recommend checking out the booked titled "On Becoming Babywise," by Gary Ezzo & Dr. Robert Bucknam. It encourages Parent-Direct Feeding (PDF) in order to get infants sleep through the night as early as 9 weeks. I know firsthand of many success stories by using this method, which is a combo of Demand Feeding and Clock Feeding. These all relate to "training" children to have a healthy balance of feeding time, wake time, and sleep time. I do think it'll help you out, even though you're picking up when your son is already 7.5 months.

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E.P.

answers from Las Vegas on

As a first-time mom of triplets, what you are doing is great; keep doing what you are doing. It is just a matter of time and weight for him to sleep longer. I am as sleepless as you so hang in there and good luck!

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J.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

They make something called a swaddle me blanket that may still swaddle him. It says the large one goes to a year old, but I imagine it depends on his size. We use one, but our little one is only 41/2 months old. She loves to be swaddled and sleeps 8 to 9 hours with hers on. She wakes up without it. Good luck I know how important sleep is!

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R.L.

answers from Redding on

You have had good input so far. Just wanted to say I empathize with the yearning for more solid sleep. That said, I recommend the Sears' Sleep Book. Each baby/child is different; this book normalizes this. My little one is now 2 and he has patterns that change every few months, sometimes every few weeks (days). He sometimes sleeps through for weeks, then wakes up 3 times 3 days in a row with no teething or other obvious problem. For me, I try to go with it, give extra cuddles and help him get back to sleep. I just vent a lot to friends and family.

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P.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

This is totally normal. Everyone wakes up at night - we just know how to get back to sleep before coming fully awake. Babies have to learn how to do this. Both of my daughters went through this. With both of them, at about 5 months, she'd work herself out of the swaddling blanket, spit out her pacifier, and move around in the crib. Of course, this woke her up! For a while, I would go in, re-swaddle her, put in her paci, and she'd go back to sleep, only to wake up a couple hours later. The problem was, she didn't know how to fall asleep without being swaddled and sucking on her pacifier. Finally, I got tired of getting up every couple of hours all night long. I stopped re-swaddling her or putting her paci back in. I just went in, laid her down, and said "It's time to sleep", and went out. Of course, she cried the first time. I just kept going back in, laying her down, saying "It's time to sleep." After two nights, she slept through the night. It's really difficult to hear them cry, but I believe it's the only way they learn to self-soothe, and once they learn that, they're all the happier! That's been my experience, anyway. Hope you have success, whatever method you use!

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L.A.

answers from San Diego on

At 7 1/2 months old I would not expect him to sleep through the night. Mom of four speaking here, by the way. Babies were not designed to sleep through the night, so give yourself a break and stop stressing about it. :0) It can be very difficult for first time mommies to adjust to night feedings, but the sooner you accept it as a fact of motherhood, the easier it will be for you. Enjoy and appreciate your son for who he is right now. He will grow up soon enough!

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D.L.

answers from San Diego on

I just went through this exact same thing with my 6 month old. We were still swaddling him but I was afraid that when he'd roll over he wouldn't be able to get out of it. And he was rolling right over his sleep positioner, which awakened him more than anything. After several nights of little sleep, I finally took the swaddler and sleep positioner away. He still woke and fussed the first couple of nights, which I gradually started to ignore (I'd only peek in now and then to be sure he was ok). By about the 4th night he slept through the night. It's only been a few nights now, but I'm thinking he just needed time to adjust. Anyway, hope that helps.

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K.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

I sympathize with you. If you aren't too exhausted, you should check out the book "Bedtime Sucks," by Joanne Kimes. It's full of helpful sleeping advice, and will make you laugh as well. You just need to find what works for your child.

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J.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

Is his stomach really growling after 4 hours? Then you should talk to your pediatrician. My 6-month-old is rather underweight, and our MD told us to put extra powder in his formula. He'll sleep anywhere from 6-10 hours at night.

I also highly recommend "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Weissbluth. It's a fabulous book!!

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P.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

I am mom of three boys and have been working with children in some capacity for the last 30 years. The positioner has created a habit for your son and as you know habits are difficult to break. Double diaper and double PJ him to make sure he is warn and dry. He is NOT hungry it probably is just gas and therefore for dinner feeding try to give him something easy to digest and non gas producing. Let him cry and/or fuss for a while and let him learn how to soothe himself and get himself back to sleep. Three nights of this and he should be able to sleep through the night. I hope that this helps. And if he cries, I know from experience that it is hard, but try NOT to respond. No food, bottle, changing etc. By the way ALL my kids slept through the night at 8 weeks

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M.A.

answers from Washington DC on

I'm having the same problem with my son. He is also 7 1/2 months. I think his is more to do with teething though. I sympathize with you and hope that you get a resolution soon! This is baby number 3 for me and I don't even know what to do anymore either. Good luck!

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T.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

This could have easily been a post from me. I am in the same position . My son is 7 1/2 months old and was really good about sleeping at least 5-7 hours. In the last couple of weeks he is getting up every 3-4 hours and I am sooo tired. I also am having problems with the positioner and finally decided to remove it from the crib.

If you have any luck or advise let me know

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M.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

I assume you have a very consistent night time routine. Dinner, bath/massage, closing your sons curtains or whatever. This will help.

Everytime your child gets a new developmental skill/milestone (rolling over, teething) it will disrupt their night sleep for awhile, but after a week or so you should be back on track.

You may be done w/your sleep positioner. I think you should introduce a blankey/lovie, I just introduced to my almost four month old and this is helping him self-soothe and go to sleep/get himself back to sleep.

A baby that age can go thru the night -- 10-12 hours. My first and most of my friends' babies did by then and we didn't do any terrible cry it out methods.

For excellent advice,(what helped me), I suggest you get, "Surviving and Thriving During Your Baby's First Year" a dvd by Donna Holloran, an amazing baby guru here in LA. Its at www.babygroupvideo.com. She's featured in this new parenting book by pamelapaul.com who wrote a very funny blog entry about the lovey and how it helped her second baby too.

Good luck - I think if you follow Donna's advice -- which is SO easy and comapssionate, you will soon have much more consistent sleep -- she saved my sanity the first time around and is doing it again w/baby #2

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M.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

All kids are differnent so don't count on him sleeping through the night at any age my youngest of 3 in 5 and still wakes somenights to go potty or just to see if I am still around I feel it is very important that my kids know that I am always there for them and though it is a pain to be woken up I am happy to reassure them its ok mommy is here. Also it seems to help them sleep better if the get a lot if interaction during the day so they are worn out by bedtime. Unfortunately I don't think there is any one answer that works best on every child. By the way my other two kids 16 & 14 are both well adjusted teens now who also didn't sleep well as toddlers. Good luck and enjoy your son as much as you can even in the middle of the night believe me the time goes fast!!!

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H.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi there, please check out the SafeTsleep wrap, at www.safetsleep.com. I used it for my son for 18 months and am now using it for my 4 month old. It is wonderful, and sounds like the perfect fix for your situation. Good luck! H.

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A.Y.

answers from Los Angeles on

I also believe a 7.5 month old can sleep 10-12 hours, but you have to help them. As Moms, we always have to find a "reason" they are waking up. But sometimes, you have to realize the "reason" is out of habit. Yes, they might be thirsty or rolling over, but the baby needs to learn not to let that wake them up. In my opinion, it is a habit because they know you come to them.

This doesn't mean you have to implement cry it out, it just means you can start letting him work it out at least a little bit on his own. I would give him at least 10 or 15 minutes when he wakes. Then go in and quietly comfort - but don't reward him for waking up with a super long session with Mommy.

Regarding being hungry - he does have the ability to go all night, many babies do it. I've heard Moms of two year olds say, "But he's hungry, his stomach is growling." Yes, if you ate at 2 a.m. every night, your stomach would growl at that time too. But if you phased out that feeding, eventually you would no longer be hungry.

Of course this is my opinion, but you wouldn't be posting here if you didn't want all opinions, right? Good luck! Just have the confidence that he CAN do it, otherwise you'll have a two year old that is still waking, and there is really no reason for that.

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