Baby Sleeping Through the Night

Since when have you heard that they should be sleeping through the night at 7 months? I guess that would be ideal and easier but that has never been the case w/my kids- I have 4. Every 2 hrs. is not that unusual from my experience. We always say the moms who have the babies sleeping through the night are either lying, not that involved (have their mom or nanny helping) or are hard core (which I am not). Also, there are the moms I've run into who consider sleeping through the night as 7 pm to 4 AM. We always laugh- so what do you do at 4 AM- go out for coffee?

My personal feeling is that any baby over 9 pounds and in good health should be able to sleep through the night. I haven't read through the other posts, but we used the BabyWise method and it worked really well for us!

We did cry it out with my oldest around 9 months (we had bad advice when she was a baby and tried the attachment parenting thing, which just was an absolute disaster for us). With baby #2 we did BabyWise and she slept through the night at a month old (OH HAPPY DAY!). She has been a good sleeper ever since and is easy to put to bed. So, having done it both ways, I'm a BabyWise fan!!

I hope you find something that works for you. It's soooo hard being sleep deprived, and hard to feel like you're being a good mommy, I know! Hang in there.

I just want to say that you should be very cautious about Babywise. Please follow this link about how Babywise has been linked to dehydration by the American Academy of Pediatrics http://aapnews.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/1....
I can't pretend to have the solution to getting a baby to sleep through the night, but I don't think that such rigid approaches are always safe.

It's interesting how many parents base their approach to sleep on their beliefs or feelings. In truth, it has to do with the baby's biology and physiology, which doesn't care one whit what people believe or feel about when a baby "should" sleep through the night. The surveys about sleep at http://www.kellymom.com say that only about 50% of normal infants at one year sleep through.
Our culture puts painfully difficult, unrealistic expectations on us!

http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/sleep.html

Research shows that the central nervous system naturally matures enough for baby to get to sleep and back to sleep after waking, without a parent's help, at the age of around two years. See "The Sleep Patterns of Normal Children", Armstrong KL, Quinn RA & Dadds MR. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retriev....
Medical Journal of Australia 1994 Aug 1;161(3):202-6.
“It is not until after 24 months that regular night waking (requiring attention) becomes much less common.”

Why on earth do they wake up so much, why doesn't the nervous system mature earlier so they (and we) can get some decent sleep? James McKenna at the University of Notre Dame's Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory has been studying infant sleep for many years.http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/ He has found that it is completely normal for babies to wake easily and frequently. It is probably a protective mechanism designed to help the baby wake and alert for help for the simple reason that for the tiniest things, a baby cannot help himself and can get into a bad situation quickly. If they were deep, long sleepers, they'd be unable to rouse and alert for help.

His reasearch has found that sleeping near your baby can help the little one regulate their breathing, temperature and sleep - all the systems that are still maturing seem to respond to close contact with mom during the night by becoming more stable. So babies are hard-wired, in a way, to request mom's close and frequent contact at night, as a deeply instinctive mechanism that developed to help increase a newborn's chances of survival.

It is appropriate to respond to her cries for you when she needs help. She cannot tell you any other way if she is hungry, cold, has a cramp, a tummy ache, growing pains etc. If you do use CIO, none of those things will go away. She will just have learned to not bother asking for help because it won't come. Katherine Dettwyler, an anthropologist who studies infants, has a great article that explains some of the needs of human babies. http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detsleepthrough.html

As if that's not enough, the Australian Association for Infant Mental Health has a position paper on the CIO method that explains exactly why it isn't good for babies:
http://www.aaimhi.org/documents/position%20papers/control...

another helpful article about sleeping through the night:
http://www.drjen4kids.com/soap%20box/sleep%20stuff.htm

I'm a psychologist in training, and find it terrifying and shocking that so many people consider crying it out an acceptable and even "good" method. I've read the posts here and most of them state that moms are "firm believers" in this method. Well, those beliefs are incorrect, not based on reality, and self-serving. Here is the research from Harvard which shows that cry-it-out, leaving baby alone and not responding to their needs is VERY HARMFUL to babies in the long run.
http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/1998/04.09/ChildrenNee...

Babies may not remember it as they grow older, but it leaves psychological marks of anxiety, fear, and later may create serious issues of trust and intimacy, and even phobias. In different cultures (India, for e.g.) babies are the mother until 3 years of age, they sleep together, spend time together, and they have much better psychological health as they grow.

The cry-it-out method is nothing but a mental invention which has little to do with baby needs, and parents responsibilities.
There is absolutely no rule as to WHEN a baby should start sleeping through the night. They do not wake up to feed only, it can be pain, discomfort, need for reassurance. So to suggest that they should be left alone to comfort themselves, because it is easier for the parent is simply CHILD ABUSE.

All the ideas that baby somehow "manipulates" or is "OK" if fed and clothed are questionable. First of all, baby does not have the psychological complexity to "manipulate" -- all it has is a mechanism to call attention to his or her needs! When you are in pain and discomfort, would you like to be left alone without help? Add to that the helplessnesses and lack of psychological strength to support oneself... Also, feeding and changing are only the physical needs of the baby, what about the need for love, touch, comfort, security? To suggest that the fed and changed baby is OK, is simply to treat baby like a machine, and ignore his or her emotional needs.
Babies are in the process of maturing and it is absolutely normal for them to wake up at different times for a few years before they reach more strength. Also the argument that this is an important "skill" to teach them (i.e. going to sleep by themselves) is another myth. Do you know ANY grown up people who do not know how to go to sleep by themselves, or eat or do other things? ALL people learn these skills without any problems, so there is no need to torture small baby with some mentally invented methods and cruel routines to achieve that.
The scheduling is also a big myth. Kids body gives signals when is hungry or in discomfort, and should be respected and followed, not to impose some artificial schedules of feeding on them. Finally, when one decides to become a parent, he or she takes the responsibility for caring for and loving the baby, so the challenges which come with it (lack of sleep, tiredness, having to put baby's needs first) are all a part of parenthood. Parents need support too, but it should not be at the expense of the small, vulnerable, and powerless to defend him or herself baby.

Hi A.,

It is never appropriate to let a baby cry it out. I'm not saying that a child should never cry, but she needs to know that when she calls out to mother, that mother will always respond. Her brain is not developmentally capable of understanding a work week or our modern adult schedules, much less become manipulative of mother. Babies don't get spoiled, unless they are in a constant state of anxiety because no one responds to them. This crying it out method is a tragic myth. Have you ever considered co-sleeping? Both my children slept with my husband and I, and all four of us enjoyed sleep, as well as a closeness that has remained since then. I suggest you start thinking outside the box to find a solution. Good luck! T.

Hi A., my name is J. and I am a neonatal nurse. I also am a mom of 4 girls and my youngest is 3 months old. I had all 4 of my kids sleeping through the night (10-12 hours straight) by 2 - 2 1/2 months. I read some of the previous responses to your question and I just want to say a few things. I've never heard of the rule that babies need to weigh 14 lbs before you let them sleep through the night. There's not a weight limit unless there are some medical extenuating circumstances. I am a firm believer in letting babies cry it out, but I start during the day as well, and not just at night. If they have been fed and changed during the day and everything is okay but they want attention I can't give them instantly, I let them cry for a bit while I get some housework done. Sometimes it's 30 minutes before I finish what I'd like to get done and get to them. Now I'm not talking about when they are a week old, I'm talking about being a few months old and being old enough to just want some attention and not needing anything else right then. Then when it comes to nighttime, I try to time the last feeding of the night as late as possible, say 11:00pm or so. Then when they begin to wake up and squirm around and cry, I pat them on the buns, give them a pacifier, and let them cry it out. I usually eliminate one feeding at a time that way, and it is amazing how quickly they learn to sleep all night. I have to disagree with the poster who said crying it out is cruel. If you know everything else is okay with the baby, there is nothing wrong with crying it out and it is the fastest and most effective method ever. They will not remember having to cry it out and, as long as they are well loved and cared for otherwise, there are absolutely zero bad effects. It is much harder on the parent than the baby! Sleeping through the night makes for happy babies and happy parents and there is no reason it can't be accomplished as early as 2 months. Now that your baby is 7 months, it will be harder, but still will go fast as long as you are consistent with it...that is the key. Once you commit to letting your baby cry it out, don't change your mind in the middle and go backwards. That will just make the process longer and more painful for you. If we are strong enough women to have a child, we are strong enough to do this, too! Good luck and God bless!

whoa...

never leave a baby to let her "cry it out", otherwise known as cruel and unusual punishment. please read dr. sears "the baby book" or "attachment parenting" before making any drastic choices. your baby is hungry and needs your breastmilk and the closeness to you. nighttime is scary and she needs your comfort...do not for one second think you are spoiling her or that she will not learn to be independent. babies are meant to be dependent on you...it is tough work. hang in there and try to let your baby sleep in your bed as long as she wants so her needs can be met. please do not let your baby "cry it out" it is truly torture.

My son did not sleep through the night until over 7 months also. I went back to work when he was 6 weeks old, so saying I was sleep deprived was an understatement. At this age, he would go to bed at 8, sleep until midnight, and then be up every 2 hours after that. It was torture for me since the only way I could easily get him back to sleep was to nurse him so daddy wasn't able to help much. I had to first eliminate those night feedings. My son was a big boy, and he was waking from habit, not from necessity. The doctor agreed that he should not need to eat during the night, that he was big enough and that those awakenings were just from habit. I had to enlist daddy's help to get him over the night feedings. If I got up with him, he would scream until I offerred him the breast, but if daddy got up with him, he would much more quickly settle back down to sleep. I only eliminated one feeding at a time, so it took about a week for each feeding and we had 3 feedings to eliminate. So once we were able to get him off those feedings, then we had to work on the self soothing stuff. This was my fault that he never learned this skill since I always put him down asleep after falling asleep at the breast. (I did not make this mistake with my second child, who by the way slept through the night at 3 months). It only took us three nights using a modified cry it out method. The first night was horrible. I was in tears and ended up needing to go outside so I wouldn't rush in and rescue him and have to start all over again. He cried for about half hour that first night before finally falling asleep, then slept all the way through. The next night he cried for 5 minutes, and again, good through the whole night, and the last night he cried for about 1 minute, and slept through the night. It was several days before I actually made it through the night, since my body was so used to waking up that I continued to wake, and then felt the need to check to make sure he was still breathing etc since it was still new to have him sleep all the way through. I know a lot of people don't like the cry it out method, but it worked and it worked fast for us. After those 3 days, he didn't even wimper when we put him down to bed. He was good as gold. I did go to him if he did wake up during the night (after giving him a few minutes to settle himself) but I never offered the breast during the night. I would just lay him back down and rub his back in his crib until he settled. He didn't generally wake after the initial cry it out time unless he was ill, so I never left him too long as I was usually pretty sure something was bothering him. Once we all started getting enough sleep at night everyone was better for it. I was less cranky, he was less cranky and we could really enjoy our time together. Sleep is really important for growth and health, so it's important that everyone in your family gets enough. Like I said, with child #2 we did things way differently, so we never had to do a cry it out, but she was much younger when we taught her how to self soothe. I think when you wait until they are a bit older it is harder to use other methods since they are more stubborn. Ultimately you need to do what you are comfortable with. Hopefully someone will suggest something that meshes with your parenting style and you have success. Good luck. And if you decide to do a cry it out method make sure you have moral support when you start and that you are both on the same page. At her age, if you start letting her cry it out and then rescue her she will learn if she cried long enough, you will come, so it will take longer to complete the process. I wasn't ready the first time we tried and we had to wait a bit and start over. I picked him up after about 10 minutes and when we finally did do it he held out for a lot longer. Good luck.

THere are other ways to get a baby to sleep through the night other than letting her cry it out. That method of teaching a child to sleep used to be popular and now is frowned on. Try reading books like the baby whisperer etc. Those methods don't make your child feel they have been left alone with no one to soothe them. I would also try a pacifier to help her self soothe. She obviously has not learned this. So before you try letting her cry it out, give her the tools to learn to self soothe first. Crying it out is just cruel. Good luck and take care.

Hello,

My daughter will be 8 months next week. A little before 7 months we started sleep training.We were told we had to wait until she was at least 14 lbs. I have a friend that started at 12weeks, but, she has a big baby.

So- we started to let her cry it out. We would do check in's at 5-10-15 minutes.

It was torture. I cried too! She cried for a good 30-40 minutes each night for 3 nights. SOmetimes, checking in made her crying worse, so I extended the check-in times.

But
Having said that, it was the best thing we have ever done!

Now she sleep at least 11 hours with no crying/wake ups. About once every two weeks, she will wake up crying, but not more than 5 minutes.

Also, you have to change their sleep associations.......Does your baby go to bed sucking a pacifier, feeding, or rocking?
The baby needs to learn to put her self to sleep and back to sleep.

Basically, my little one needed a bottle or pacifier to go back to sleep. We slowly weaned her off nightime feedings before we started sleep training, then slowly took the pacifier away.

I hope this helps a little.

You've gotten so much advice here. There are plenty of methods on how to get your kids to sleep thru the night. I say, pick one that you & your husband are comfortable w/& be consistent. When your daughter wakes up, does she nurse or want a bottle or just need some reassuring? Will she go right back to sleep easliy or is it a struggle? You must be exhuasted! We were freakishly lucky w/both our boys now 7.5 yrs & 3 yrs. The oldest slept thru the night on his own about 4 months & his little brother slept thru at about 2 months....found his fingers & has been happy ever since. Sleeping thru for us meant 7-8p til about 5-6am. We've always had a nightime routin, too....some rocking w/nursing or a bottle (when they were babies which was omitted as they got a bit older), dimmed the lights in their room & turned on some soft music. At about a year old, we added in a couple of stories. The book, dimmed lights & music are still part of the nighly bed time routine. Hope this helps & good luck!

As a behavioral therapist ana mom I agree that you know your baby best and will tell you that a: my pediatrician (Dr. Taymore) is very pro-cry it out and that I found it a blessed relief once it was over. So, I'd say 'Go for it!' unless you know something about your baby that makes you think you just can't. You'll sleep better, she'll sleep better, everyone will be happier.

Hi A.!
My son is also 7 months and not sleeping thru the night yet. Is your daughter teething? You've gotten a lot of advice, and although I don't believe in crying it out, you have to go with what works best for you. The best advice I got when I had my daughter was that a few years from now, you'll wish like anything that you could hold her in the middle of the night, know she was safe and that all she wants in the world is you. So hang in there, she'll sleep when she's ready, and this won't last forever! Trust your instincts! Good luck!

I would advice you to pick up a copy of Baby 411 by Ari Brown M.D. and Denise Fields (both Moms)your library may even have a copy. It's clear, concise, easy to understand and gives basic information about the different philosophies on sleep and sleep training. This book has helped me tremendously on all kinds of baby and toddler issues including sleep. Let's face it you and your family are sleep deprived!

I have read and tried a lot of the different methods and my favorites were Weissbluth "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" and a modified Ferber method. Different things worked to get my girls to sleep but two things in particular really helped. Earlier bedtime-before 8pm, before they become overtired, and a consistant bedtime routine i.e. bath, pj's, brush teeth or gums, books, prayers and kisses. Each girl has a night light and some soft music of their choice.

Ultimately, you'll have to decide which way you want to go. You may try one thing like cry it out and find it's too hard at first but don't give up:) You and your family will be happier and better rested soon. Good Luck!

Hi A.
A month after our baby was born and after many sleepless nights and restless days we purchased the DVD "the happiest baby on the block" by Harvey Karp. it saved our sanity. In addition, I use this book when I need advice: "The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems: Sleeping, Feeding, and Behavior--Beyond the Basics from Infancy Through Toddlerhood".
both of these sources were life saver and I hope they will help you go through this period.
I didn't feel it's right to let him cry and we managed to do it with different methods but it's a personal decision. you should find your own path..
good luck!!

A., you have a lot of responses already, but feel I need to respond. I didn't read all of them, but did read Jenna F's, agree with her and may have actually responded to hers. My baby will be 1 year on Wednesday and still doesn't sleep through the night. I'm still nursing her, but just started the weaning process. I'm hoping once she's weaned she'll sleep better and not expect to nurse during the night. I don't believe in the CIO method (even though my MIL keeps telling me I'm going to have to show some tough love - luckily she lives in another state, but is here visiting at the moment), so I've been working slowly for a few months now to get her to sleep better by giving her the pacifier before picking her up from her crib or feeding her. I try patting her back to sleep unless I know it's not going to work. Most nights I end up taking her to my bed between 2am and 4am, but I have to admit it she is sleeping much better now than she was 3 months ago. I've actually been able to get a few nights with 3 to 4 hours of straight sleep, just not lately since she got 3 teeth in the last 10 days and is working on at least one more.
I do know from friends and family that the CIO method works, it's just not for us. So if you're up for it, go for it. I just wanted to share my situation and hope it helps you to know you're not alone. Plus once you get her to sleep through the night, it might change with teething for a few days.
Good luck,
S.

Hi A.,
You've been given a lot of different opinions out there. I think the book The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems is a middle of the road approach. The book has 2 main elements to it. The first helps you to identify why your baby isn't sleeping, and the second helps you to remedy those issues. The main aspects of remedying the situation are getting your baby on a sleeping and feeding schedule throughout the day because the author (a longtime nanny) feels babies need enough food and sleep during the day to sleep well at night. One part of that is a "dream feed" where you feed the baby at around 10 pm without actually waking her. Another part of the remedy is a bedtime routine and teaching your baby to fall asleep without having to cry it out. I used this book for both of my kids and both were sleeping through the night at 3 months without any nutritional deficit and are still good sleepers today.
Good luck whatever you decide to try,
C.

I have 4 kids, and they were all sleeping through the night at 2 months. I was lucky, they were bigger babies, and they have all been great sleepers. I think that once they are a little bigger, they don't physically need to eat during the night, but may wake up for comfort, or other reasons. My opinion as a mom is that a 7 month old should definitely be sleeping through the night. I think that as long as they aren't sick or hurt in any way, a little crying isn't going to hurt them. My oldest is 12, and has been just fine emotionally, etc... I don't think she is damaged at all because I let her cry at night. Also, I think it is better for the baby if mom actually gets some sleep. After 7 months of being awakened several times, you have to be sleep deprived. I haven't read the book mentioned, but I know there are lots of good books out there with good ideas, and I am sure there is one, or a mix of several, that will work for you and your baby. I do believe in schedules, and think it helps the kids know what to expect, and when. It works for me. But everyone is different!
Good luck!

It may be that you are giving her too many naps durnign the day and you need to leave her up longer during the day also work on changing her sleeping schedual.

at 7 months she should be sleeping through the night.
it is good to let her cry sometime go in from time to time to check in on her to sooth her but leave her in her crib maybe put on a little music box and try just reasure her that you are there from time to time.... but don't come to here rescue at the first sound of noise and tears.... keep her up longer durning the afternoon and evening even if she is cranky and fussing.

try bathing her in the evening to help relax her and maybe a little mashed potatoes or cereal before bed may help ...

spending some down time with her in the evening before bedtime is good for soothing her and helping her to relax..

having some quality quiet time at night helps... having her lay in your lap rubbing her head and just quiet talk or a book.

the later you put her to sleep and on a full tummy... protien actually helps sleeping better but at 7 months i don't know what her eating habits are yet?

there are lots of great ideals here I am sure.... this has always worked for me in and out of day care and with my own children

Best of luck...

I was given the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by another mom who I really trust. I never thought I'd be into Cry it Out, but I read the book in practically one setting and applied it's ideas. After 3 nights of having to hear my 5 month old Thor cry (night 1: 55 min., night2: 25 min., night3:2 hours) he now sleeps more than ever. He sleeps 9-11 hours uninterrupted at night and takes 2-3 naps in the day. It's awesome, but takes some work. It's also not for everybody. Some moms really hate this type of method, but I can say that it worked great for us. But if you try this, make sure you REALLY do it all the way and give it a few days. It's hard to not walk in to your crying baby, so it takes trust in the philosophy and science put forth in the book. You have to commit be consistent. Best of luck.

You must be exhuasted! It really depends on whether she's eating when she wakes up. If she's not eating, then she's waking up because she's in the habit of waking up. If that's the case, she needs to learn to soothe herself back to sleep. when she wakes up, do not turn on any lights, don't get her out of her crib, and don't talk to her. Just quietly go in and try to pat her gently on the back and try to help her soothe herself back to sleep. If she is eating when she wakes up, then she's probably hungry and a little solid food before bed would probably help a great deal.

Also, make sure that your baby is not hungry and waking up to feed. I found that my 8 month old son was waking up to eat because my breast milk was decreasing as we were increasing his solids. I started to suppliment with a bottle of formula and now he sleeps a solid 10 hours at night.

I also found that my son would wake up if he is either too hot or cold. Check her to make sure it isn't that as well.

Hi A. A
My daughter and son both had problems sleeping at night . When she was an infant however I truly was ready to give her away. It seemed the first two months she would wake every 30 minutes. I found making sure she had an hour nap during the day actually helped her sleep through the night. The same thing started with my son. So I tried first to make sure he got at least an hour nap during the day. This to isnt easy but you can lay down with them until they fall asleep then get up and do what ever it is you want to do or sleep. The nap thing wasnt working well with my son I just had this feeling he was still hungery. I added a very small amount of rice cereal for badies into a bottle of formula at night before bed time. He was happier and started sleeping better. But ask your pediatrition before adding solids to soon. Hope this helps!

You've gotten great advice. I did what Teresa B. and Sarah C. did in the crying out method and while it did take a while, it was the best thing. I do not in any way feel as though I've broken my child's trust as some believe is the result of using the methods she mentioned. I too read and still refer to Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth. It is a HUGE help and it was recommended to me by a close friend. Learning to self-soothe is key and for my son, having a pacifier is critical and while I know it will be something to have to wean him off of soon....it has helped him. I know it is hard to help your child learn to sleep through the night, but getting a good night's sleep is crucial for EVERYONE. When my son started to sleep through the night, I became a different person and our home became a much happier place. I wish I would've had the book and started implementing the strategies sooner, but since 8 1/2 months of age he has been sleeping through the night. I use a monitor to hear him and gauge whether I need to go in and honestly, it is extremely RARE. He may squirm and make noises as he cycles through his sleep, but he goes back to sleep on his own. The only time I felt compelled to go in was when he got a cold for the first time and I wanted to check on him...he never awoke needing consolation. He is now 17 months and continues to have a solid night's sleep consistently.

Hang in there and pick and choose the system that works for you. Even if you have to make hard decisions to allow your baby to cry....if that's what you choose or a combination of methods...be consistent and give it time. You will survive and we have all been through it.

Best Wishes,
M.

When I went in for my sons 2-month appointment my dr said he should be doing at least a six hour stretch. She recommended not always assuming he's hungry but try to console him back to sleep and waiting to make sure he won't console himself back to sleep. You'll be surprised how much this is the case. Also to feed less and less each night and making sure they eat enough during the day. Healthy sleep habits happy child will help you with the cry it out method and also offers a more gradual approach. I will hope the feedback you get doesn't discourage you with what you've done up to this point. Nothing you can do to change the past just enjoy the extra sleep you van now get! Good luck.

I let my boy cry it out at 4 months. So, I believe your child is ready. Sounds like you are too! Stay consitant and be strong. It is totally worth it! But hard to go through.

All babies are a little different but by this age she should definitely be sleeping through the night. It will be much harder on you than her so remember that our children learn what we teach them - you need to teach her that she can make it through the night. That means about 8 hours by now.

It will be excruciating to hear her cry but it is the only way she will learn.

God bless and good luck.

+B+

My recommendation is to read Baby Wise. The book is short and very useful. I have no stock in this other than after reading it and taking it into consideration my daughter slept through the night at 2 months. One other tip I can make is if your baby is still sleeping in your room, re-evaluate the situation because just that space alone can help both you and your lovely baby girl sleep more soundly. Hope this can be of help!

Your daughter should be able to sleep through the night. My daughter was sleeping about 8 hours at a time at 2 months old. We did the CIO method at 4 months and she was sleeping about 10-11 hours (7:30 PM-6:30 AM) without waking us up. She also took a 2 hour nap at 9AM and 1PM. What time are you putting her to bed and what time are her naps? Is she eating in the middle of the night at all? Usually 7 month old babies can go all night without eating, but will often wake up for food out of habit. Developing a feeding schedule and sleeping schedule will help a lot. Also, we put our daughter to bed awake (no bottle or props).

A.,
Is she about 12-14 pounds? If she is atleast that big, she has the stomach capacity to sleep 6-10 hours. So, now for the hard part, she is at the right age to let her cry it out, it will take 3-5 nights and you will have conquered the problem. I had the same probelm with my oldest, 17 year ago and he doesn't remember or have any ill feelings toward me or his father.
Good luck!
A.

My advice is when you feel ready and you feel like your daughter is ready. She is still pretty young and she may need food because she is growing. I sleep trained my son at 10months when nursing would not even soothe him and I was ready. So it is up to you. Start out gradually going in to comfort her but not offering milk, then let her cry out for small amounts of time and increase the time each night you let her cry- it took 3 nights with my son and we all sleep better
goodluck

I recently posted about this same issue, my daughter is about the same age. I got similar responses. Everyone was very helpful.
Here's my advice: read all your responses, the advice could give you ideas, the support gave me a little more strength to keep going.( you can read mine too, "desperate to get 7 month old to sleep through the night!")Do some research, read a book or check the resources recommended to you.
Then stop. Take a deep breath.
You know your child better than anyone. No one else can tell you what will work best for your child. You can figure out how to help your baby sleep better. It make take some experimenting, stay flexible. Be observant of her cues and responses. Laugh as much as possible! Get help from your partner and/ or family, friends, a babysitter, so you can get rest- this is very important. Trust your intuition. This will pass...
With that said, we're still working on it after 2 months of frequent wake ups. My daughter sleeps better till between 1-4am and then she gets waky again. Better than before but... I had to change my relationship with the situation and take it one step at a time. We will not be using CIO, but are slowly moving her into the co-sleeper more and more, so she's still next to me. Turns out we were waking her up for some of those wake ups. Sometimes i think it's growing or teething pains. It is getting better and I'm learning about how my child reacts in the world. It's good excercise for my patience and for staying present...
Good luck and I'll be happy to share more about what we're trying, if you're interested!
Peace, J.

I know every baby is different, and I definetely think at her age, she is ready to sleep a lot longer than two hours. Right now, she is waking up out of habit, not hunger.
I would start by picking on of the feeding times to begin pushing that back longer and longer. I wouldn't go from up ever two hours, to having her cry it our for 12 hours. I used the book "Baby Wise" that I believe is a middle ground between cry it out, and attachment parenting. It is teaching you and the baby to find a balance, understand each other, and be a little flexible. When starting to break this habit, go in, pat her tummy, assure her of your love, give her a pacifier if she takes one, and leave. Ferber's book would have you go in at certain time intervals to repeat that process, but not pick her up. I would probably stretch her time gaps. So, if she wanted up at 12, wait until 1. The next night, maybe 1:30. This is a slower process, but a little less traumatizing for you both. I think you will be surprised to see how quickly she can adjust and how little she actually needs up at night. At 4 months my baby was sleeping about 9-10 hours straight. At 9 months she was sleeping 12 hours, and she still is. She wakes up happy, and so do I! Good luck, I know it can be tough to train a child, but you are teaching her healthy sleep habits.

HI A.,
I agree with Jen H 100% plus percent. I m a mother of a 2.5 yo son who is super active. He was an easy baby so letting him cry it out was ok with me at one month which he only had to do during the day a few times till he got it. It only lasted 30 mins. He was 9lbs 2 weeks early and ate like a horse so getting him to sleep through the night wasn't a huge problem for me. At 6 weeks I put him in his crib. I know many of you mom's are thinking im insane and how could I not sleep with him anymore. That is when all of us slept through the night. He was happier and mom and dad since we got sleep.

The schedule we had was I did the last feeding at 8 and went to bed. My husband did the 11 which he is a night owl. IN fact we would wake up my son for the 11pm feeding and that is when he dropped the 3am feeding and went right through to 6:30am. I have to say my friend has a 1.5yo daughter who always got up and comfort her every waking need as a baby. To this day her daughter STILL gets up at least 2 times a night. SHe is now kicking herself now for not leeting her cry it out as a baby. They are nowing letting her do just that but she is entering the "control stage" so its even more fun.

I now have a second son who is 2 months today. He was 5 weeks early 6.14lbs and falls into the preemie state. HOwever, Im not having so much luck with him as i did my first. The first 2 weeks up every hour for food. Plus he caught his big brother's cold at 4 weeks so that wasn't helpful letting him cry it out then. However, I have to say he has been doing better at 8 weeks sleeping through a little longer. He is up every 3 hours but takes him up to an hour to feed 3oz. Which leaves me on lesser sleep when i get ot go to bed. Its a slow process and i m a firm believer of crying it out if all well. Otherwise, you will be the one crying for a long time to come. Im also a firm believer of schedules when it comes to eating. That way they know what is coming and you can have a better idea of what their issues are. Especially when your out. I write down the times and how much they ate and when they finished eating as they do in the hospital as newborns to watch their patterns. My husband as acutally set up an excel sheet that calculates the diaper changings,feedings all of it. So funny. I guess he wants to really konw how many diapers he changed with our second son in the end. Add that up. LOL. Take care and remember the time goes by so fast and you want to enjoy the happy times not the difficult ones. Hugs!

I have a 10 month old that has started getting up again twice in the night until we rock her back to sleep. what did you find out that was helpful advise?
A.
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