J.F.
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Omaha
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It could be separation anxiety.
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My 7 mos old use to sleep most of the night. For the last 1.5 weeks he wakes up nightly crying.
We check all the usual factors that can effect sleep (room temp, dirty diaper, etc).
He eats solids 3x a day with 25 oz approx formula daily.
He does not act sick or has any fever.
He is happy during the day and naps well.
I've tried giving Tylenol at bedtime; it made no difference.
I also DID try feeding him - and he only takes 1 ounce and spits it out.
He drools a little when he is mouthing a toy and I don't see any teeth or redness/swelling in the mouth.
The doc says as long as he is not ill, eating well, (she confirmed he is getting enough solids/milk during the day), I just have to ride it out.
Just wondering if anyone has any similar experiences?
It could be separation anxiety.
The same thing happened with my daughter last month (she's now 8 mos old). The Ped correctly predicted its likelihood and said it's separation anxiety. She also advised us that babies tend to wake up in the middle of the night during this stage because they suddenly feel a separation but not necessarily because they're hungry. So, the doc asked me to not immediately feed her if she woke up crying, but instead to try and soothe her back to sleep.
I followed it, and it mostly worked. A few times when she cried hard, I tried to feed her. But she cried harder - she didn't want a feed. So, I simply carried her and walked around the house, other rooms for 5 min. After she calmed down, I just patted her to sleep, and she went back to sleep blissfully.
It lasted for about 3 weeks for us..
Good luck to you! :)
Do you offer him a bottle when he wakes at night?
If you have not, try it - he may be hungry.
Their schedules change sometimes.
He could be dreaming
hungry
growing
His schedule will change again
:)
Feed him.
6 months was a growth-spurt.
he may need to have his formula intake increase for a bit, until he is over the growth-spurt.
Ditto Teresa C. and Lesley B.
ALL these things, do happen in a baby.
Sleep is never static, in a baby nor per patterns of sleep. It always changes and fluctuates, per development and intake and changes in them. Biologically too.
There are 2 approaches to feedings at night:
1) some say a baby from 6 months old does not need night feedings.
2) Some day they do and do. Our Pediatrician said, for the 1st year of life a baby needs to be fed on-demand, because it is a building block period and per growth-spurts and their rapid development. Intake of Formula/breastmilk needs to keep up with... the baby, per growth-spurts. Solids and other liquids, are not as nutrient dense, as Formula or breastmilk. For the 1st year of life, it is Formula/breastmilk that is a baby's PRIMARY source of nutrition. Not the solids or other liquids.
growth spurt, growth spurt, growth spurt!!!
count on it lasting 7-10 days, then back in the clear, w/the household sleeping good again. do what he needs during that timeframe. lots of questions asked about that on here - INCLUDING MY OWN!!! LOL, so don't feel bad.
7-9 months is that *magic* growth spurt time. he'll hit another one, but this is almost ALWAYS on point! you'll be fine in just a little while. hopefully it's good for you to know they all go through & luckily - we've all survived! :)
Yes, it's very common for good sleepers to become bad sleepers at this stage. Whenever they reach mental milestones and learn new things, it affects their sleeping. I love using babysleepsite.com which explain each month and what to expect. it's very helpful!
You checked all the usual suspects. It can be teething even if you do not see the gums swollen. Try to give him one of those disolvable teething pils. Other option would be sepparation anxiety. See if the baby seems calmed by your presence. Does he has any security blanket or toy he sleeps with? maybe loosing it in the middle of the night is creating the situation. My daugher addores her cow that she sleeps with so I bought 4 of them and they are all over the crib together with 8 pacifiers. If she wakes up in the middle of the night chances are she will find these before she becomes fully awake. It worked really well.
Use feeding only as last resort. You do not want to go backwards in that department. Plus you mentioned he is not hungry. The good news is that it will pass in a week or two.
