7 Month Old Having Difficulty Going to Sleep at Night

He's also at the teething age, so there may be a tooth (or several) working its way up. You might try giving him a dose of baby Tylenol before you start the bedtime routine so it's working by the time you lay him down. Good luck!

Sounds like you are doing all you can! It's probably just a phase! He is learning so much right now. Our daughter (now 3) did the same thing. She wanted to stay up & "practice" rolling over, sitting up, etc in her crib. You could try putting him down a bit earlier (not sure when he goes down). At that age our daughter was going to sleep by 6:30 (which was hard because then Daddy didn't get much time after work), but the crying stopped & she needed the sleep. Hope that helps a little.

I have a slightly different take than the other responders. You might want to google "sleep regressions" and read some of the articles. I don't think your son has learned how to play you. I think he is growing through something a bit traumatic in life (teething, growth spurt, developmental milestone) and wants some comfort at night. At his age, I believe that desire for comfort is basically a need. I still pick up my 17-month-old son at night when he cries, and I don't believe I have ruined him. There are many nights when he sleeps 11 hours without making enough sound to wake me. So my advice is to read about sleep regressions, then go with your instinct as to whether or not he needs comfort. Don't be afraid to pick him up. You don't want to make him into a child that fears nighttime and develops night terrors at an early age.

Hi J., you nailed it when you said he is beginning to learn to "work" mommy and daddy. It sneaks up on you and kids are so darn smart. Both my girls hit it, and still try from time to time, it's like they think "maybe they forgot". With my girls I would let them go for a bit, to settle down on their own, then go check to make sure they weren't wet, tangled in blankets, etc. Then I would simply kiss them goodnight tell them it was time to go to sleep, then walk out. I made a point not to pick them up unless necessary. My DH wasn't as couragous (lol) as I was and usually picked them up. Those nights, it always took longer.

Good luck and keep us posted!!

R. Foster
Loving Life being able to work from home!!
www.abetteru.2freedom.com

Good Morning J., Welcome to Mama land, the mysteriously, wonderful, exhausting stage in Life. :)

Your little one is going through what others before him have, and seems to to be carrying on the tradition quite nicely!

Seriously J. he is fine, if he isn't wet, hungry or has a tummy ache he is doing just like all babies do. He may be going through a small growth spurt which may cause his little legs to ache. But more then likely he has decided he wants to stay in the middle of the crowd.

I think your doing very well with your routine, letting him fuss for a few minutes to self sooth, then checking on him. You could try a white noise, I enjoy and so do the gr babies "Baby Einstein Classical lullaby's". Placed on scramble repeat or find a classical station on the radio and leave it playing softly in his room. Also you might rock him, snuggling as you sing your songs at bedtime. I love snuggle time as one day the will squirm away and leave your lap empty.

He is a fine and very normal Little Prince J.. Enjoy your precious bundle while you can. Next step Eating for Toddlers 101 and Poop-in in the Potty!!

God Bless you and your little Prince J.
K. Nana of 5
Ps I got up in a weird humor this morning hope you weren't offended!!

One thing that worked for us was trying the Sleep Lady method where you go in and sit with him but don't pick him up. You can say soothing things from time to time and pat him occasionally, but don't sing or rub his back continuously til he falls asleep or it becomes a sleep crutch. It may be a separation anxiety issue, and he just needs to know you are near. We tried the Sleep Lady method and it worked great. The first night you sit right by the crib and every night after that you move a little closer to the door til you are out in the hallway. For us, we only had to do it two nights. The first one she fussed for half an hour which was hard, but I didn't feel nearly as guilty since she wasn't alone and crying. The second night it only took five minutes. Then we were able to put her down and leave. She still fussed for about five minutes, but that was just her way of settling down. We still have times when she goes through phases of not sleeping well (she's 17 mos now), but the hardest time was when she was 5 mos old and not sleeping at all (I mean like maybe 8 hours total in a 24 hour period), and once we tried the Sleep Lady method, she was finally able to sleep again. Good luck!

I agree with Melissa...this is a common time for sleep regression for babies. It could also be a growth spurt or teething or ??? Kids are pretty much a mystery. I also agree you should follow your gut and not worry too much about the "I'm not supposed to"s. Every parent is different and every kid is different. As much as I read "don't pick your child up", I was not able to settle DD with back rubs or anything other than picking her up until just recently (and she's 2.5). (She does have other issues though -- food allergies...)When I would get stressed about sleep issues, I would read Dr. Sears "Baby Sleep Book" and it put things in perspective. Then again, sleep might get right back in line for you and you won't be one of us mommies who spent hours online trying to figure out their kid's sleep.

Kid's normal. You're doing fine.

Hi J., I agree with Karen B. My little one @ 6 months started do that and she is now 7 months and almost back on schedule. She went through a crying everytime I put her down too, so I just held her a little bit longer and sat and snuggled her. It seemed to work, she just wasn't tired yet. It is not a bad thing to have to do that! I enjoyed it. I have a friend who told me NOT to pick her up when she started crying and I said screw it, she's my baby and I will pick her up if I want to! Many people have "right" ways of putting a baby to sleep, but just trust yourself and do what works for you. You probably wont regret it. Enjoy it and take care!

Hi J.,
You sound like proud, awesome parents attempting to do the right thing. I feel most led by your statement that some nights he fell asleep on his own. To me, he is capable of doing it, regardless of why he isn't. Your efforts are loving, sweet and most of all consistent when it comes to his bedtime routine. I hear that's the best thing you can do, stay consistent. He will learn by your consistency and discipline to stick with the same plan every night. They really are capable of "playing you" even at an early age. I don't think your activity outside the room should be an issue. He will learn to adjust even moreso if/when life goes on around him!!
Blessings for peace in the home,
R.

Well definitely keep up the routine. My guess is it is something MORE. Is his cry different at this stage than say in the morning or when he is wet? Sometimes you can tell subtle differences. My guess would be he is either teething, going through some growing pains (one of mine did while the other didn't), or may have some gas (which BOTH of my kids experienced horribly). You might want to add a baby massage into your routine and see if that helps. I also ALWAYS had Little Tummies Gas Drops in my house. A small dose of that never hurt and if it was gas was usually quickly relieved. As for teething, Motrin or Tylenol is the most helpful thing there. Another thing he could be is constipated or be starting an ear infection. With my kids, they always noticed their ears hurt AFTER they laid down and didn't have anything else vieing for their attention. Unfortunately, all we can do is speculate and give you possible causes....hope this has helped...

Hello! Things that have worked for both of my kids is if he's crying five minutes after you put him to bed check on him. Reassure him that he's OK and that Mommy and Daddy are there for him. Rub his back, or whatever makes him feel comforted. Don't do it until he goes to sleep or he'll depend on you to put him to sleep, but about every five to ten minutes; each time spending about one to two minutes in his room. Is shouldn't take long for him to realize what he needs to do. (If it also helps we have a two-and-a-half year-old son who sleeps with a low-dim night light and a noise maker I purchased from Radio Shack. It actually has helped both kids sleep right through thunderstorms.) Good luck J.. I know lack of sleep is sometimes overwhelming. If you have trouble in the future with sleep issues, don't hesitate to email me... I've dealt with my share of different sleep issues. (GOOD NIGHT!!)