9 Mo. Old Who Doesn't Sleep Thru the Night still....i Need Sleep!!!

Hi L.,
i think if it was me i;d give him more to eat at bed time that might just do the trick
good luck L.

I think it is pretty normal for a 9 month old to wake a couple of times a night especially if he is breastfed. I am opposed to crying it out and have found help from the book: The No Cry Sleep Solution. So many factors can effect why your baby is waking up like teething, etc.

Are you sure that your other child will wake up? When one of my kids wakes up crying, the others never wake up. Even if we're turning on lights and cleaning up from a stomach ache or something. My pediatrician encouraged us that babies around 4 or 5 months should be sleeping 10-12 hours, so I do feel like you're being shortchanged a little. We had to let our daughter cry it out and, like Sandra Maureen, had a two hour stretch (then I caved and fed her), the next night was two hours and then she fell asleep, the next night was better. After a few rough nights we've never looked back! She started sleeping through the night and I became a happier, more patient wife and mom. I've never read the No Cry Solution, so I can't comment on that, but I can tell you about my own personal success with crying it out. Good luck!

I totally agree with Kimberly T. My son is also 9 months old, and it's very normal for them to still wake. Actually, I think 5-7 hours would be GREAT! LOL My son doesn't always sleep that long, though he sometimes does. :) The "official" definition of sleeping through the night is actually 5 hours, so he's doing well!

The No Cry Sleep Solution is a VERY good book to help you evaluate his and your needs and figure out what's best for you both. It also has a wide variety of "solutions" or tips to help you meet those needs. I highly recommend it!

My first son was a terrible sleeper, and I do think it's easier to go from a bad sleeper to a better one, than the other way around! It really can "spoil" us. LOL Hope you're all getting some rest!

My first child didn't sleep through the night until I stopped breastfeeding her at 9 months old. She ate great through the day but still breastfed about 5 times a day and would get up about every 3-4 hours at night. I did notice that she really didn't nurse much at night, it seemed that she only wanted the comfort.

Good luck, I know how hard it is.

L.,
I'm guessing it is one or more of the following: he is teething, or he is hungry or he is wet and/ hot/cold (cold if you have air conditioning on too high at night or hot if you don't). We used to put off the last feeding of the day as long as we could and distract the baby until it was good and hungry. This way they would sleep through the night. But mine were bottle babies. Have you tried offering him some oat cereal mixed with breast milk at 10pm feeding? Perhaps you could try some of the evening diapering suggestions also in this Mamasource email. He could well be teething and that can keep a baby up at night. Maybe a baby aspirin or some ambasol on his gums would help. Is he biting down hard on things? Some babies have more trouble with teething than others. Every baby is different. Listen to your baby. Watch his behavior at night when you pick him up, does he just want that close Mom/baby time feeding or is he hungry? He is telling you something – you just have to figure out what. This too will pass – Good luck.
About me: Mom of 4 grandmother of 3

You totally got spoiled! But hey God gave you some rest so that you could deal with the second one. :) My first girl didn't sleep through the night until she was 2 years old, we tried everything. I believe now that she just has alot of energy and had some worries about me while I was going through my 2nd pregnancy - kids are really internally perceptive. So if something is going on at home that could be part of the problem.
Something that did kind of help also, was breaking her sleep patterns at night. She would go to bed and wake at the same time,at 2 am, every night. Stay awake until 4-5 am and then rest again until 7-8am. I was dying. Anyway, we researched and read that if you break the REM sleep patterns that sometimes helps. What we did was simply go into her room at night about 1 hour before her normal waking time and kind of stir her so she would barely wake and go back to sleep. It would kind of reset her sleep clock. And usually would give us at least 2-3 hours more sleep. We also cut all naps during the day and would try to ware her out - so she would be really tired. Eventually she did sleep through the night and became a great sleeper. Good luck, and God bless.

My nursing children didn't sleep through the night until they were about a year old. They would still wake to feed. So, it sounds like he's completely normal. 5-7 hours of sleep is really good in my opinion. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I am having the same problem with my grandson. We have to get up to put his pacifer in his mouth, pat his bottom and then he is OK. I wish I knew too. I will read the responds.
Good Luck and blessing. B.

5 hours is sleeping through the night, so he is there. I would cut way back on the goats milk. Other sources of milk are not needed at this point and solids are just for play until after he is 1.

I know it is hard, but some babies sleep throught the night earlier than others. It will not last for ever, mama.

Hi feel your pain, I have delt with sleep issues with all 3 of my children.

You know the studies I have read about babies and sleep condisder a 5 hour stretch to be sleeping through the night. I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear, but with children it never seems to be the easy answer.

Try the No Cry Sleep Solution if you feel that you still have a problem. She's got some really helpful information.

I don't know what normal is, but I think there is a huge connection between how well a baby sleeps at that age and how the parents respond to a cry - and the parents response can lead to a bad habit and it stinks undoing it! We've resorted to the cry-it-out with our 5-1/2 month old twins. To assist, we take turns on "night duty" so the other can get a full night sleep. We've put them in separate rooms. And to address the issue of their older brother waking up we decided that IF he does wake up, he can come sleep with mom or dad where he won't hear them. Hasn't happened yet though. Anyway, my kids were sleeping through the night at 4 months (10 hrs), then started waking up as they learned to roll over - so we would go in and pick them up. 8 weeks later they can roll back and we believe we are in a bad habit that is of our own making. Taking turns and involving Dad helps a lot. But I also reached the point where I'm confident that after 8 weeks of "being nice" isn't working and I have to change my own behavior. You have decide for yourself what you're comfortable with.

One other idea to help, I have a friend who says she would turn off the monitor and set her alarm for 45min/60min when her son would wake up, whatever she felt comfortable with, then she'd check on him. That way she didn't have to listen to it!

I can report that after 2 days of being strict with ourselves, one baby has gone from crying for 2 hours (yes) to 5 minutes. The other one is a bit more stubborn but is getting there! I hope it's not a fluke! :)

GOOD LUCK! You are not alone!
Sandra

I don't think you can make a 9 month old sleep through the night. My oldest didn't sleep through until she was over 2. My middle one didn't start till she was around 18 months. My 8 month old started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks, and it freaked me out. SHe is more normal now and gives me 5-7 hours, with about 2 feeding at night. But I've always heard that 7-8 hours is considered sleeping thru the night.

I think you got spoiled.

Hi L.-

If your only opposition to crying it out is that your daughter will wake up, how about letting her sleep on the floor of your room for a few nights while you work with the baby? It could be a special treat for her and you can concentrate on the baby. Also, if you and your husband are taking turns going in to soothe the baby you might want to just lay down on the floor of her bedroom if it's much closer than your room.

Otherwise if you don't want him to cry it out, try giving him a bottle with water in it instead of nursing him at night. When the feedings stop, he might just decide it's not worth waking up for.

Good Luck,
K.

I was just going through this myself. My son who is almost two, slept through the night until he got RSV and was put on an oral steriod. He wanted to eat all night long and he no longer slept through the night. He didn't completely sleep through the night until I fianlly left for a weekend when he was 18 months old. I had to get some sleep. He is number three for me and these are the things I didn't do consistently. I didn't let him put himself to sleep at the start of the night. I fed him to sleep. They have to learn to self soothe and fall asleep on thier own. So whenever he woke up he wanted me to feed him to sleep again. This is difficult but this is what our peditrician told us to do and we did do it, but than moved soon after it so it didn't last long. But she said that we needed to let him cry it out. Meaning, that reality I needed my sleep, for the benefit of all my children and myself and my spouse. So she said to write down on the reasons why we needed him to be able to go to sleep on his own. Give him a good feeds in the evening. Than do our night time routine, place him in the crib and leave the room. Check on him every fifteen to thirty minutes if he is hysterical, but don't pick him up to soothe him, etc. She said for the first night it could take up to three hours. and than by the third or fourth night it should be thirty or less. I know this sounds cruel but he isn't going to remember the ordeal and in the long run the benefits way out grow the concerns. It is true by the third night of our doing this it only took him 20 minutes to go to sleep. But we had the kids at the other end of the hosue and my husband and I sat on the couch and reminded each other of why we were doing this. Talk to your peditrician.

Also I have to admit that because breast feeding was so easy for us, I didn't push the table food as much so I think If I had been somewhat better with consistently feeding him regular food he wouldn't have wanted to nurse as often.

Just some advice. I hope you find something that works for you. It is difficult and I know how desperate you need your sleep!!!! Good luck!