I am so tired as I ask you this question, Is it possible to help my baby sleep longer and better at night? She is still waking every 1-2 hours and fussing for a feeding. she is breast fed and she is a thumb sucker and doesn't take a pacifier. I have tried hot and cold humidifiers to ward off congestion, eating and bathing before bedtime. She takes a few naps during the day, but i let her set her napping schedule. Please let me know what worked for you or any advice you have, I am CRAVING a few hours of sleep, and sleeping during the day is not an option because i watch 3 other kids.
This isn't uncommon in BF babies. If you go over to www.kellymom.com they have great tips for helping with this. One thing is called cluster feeding, feeding a little more right before bed. Sleepless nights are hard good luck.
Hi C.
I went through the same situation with my son who turned one in October. He was a formula baby and I put him on ceral at 4 months and started baby food at 6 months and table food at 9 months. I tried everything, but he was still waking every 2-3 hours. It finally came down to letting him cry it out when he turned one. It two a total of two nights and he finally figured out how to put himself back to sleep without my help. I had to put an air filter in his room to drown out some of the crying and also not to wake his sister. I would also lower the volume of the monitor. I think the process was harder on me then it was on him. Once he started sleeping through the night (6:30 pm to 6:30 am)he was such a happier baby and I was a much happier mommy. I would talk with your Doctor before trying any method. Good luck!
1st. Change the napping routine by ctting it to two one hour naps @10 am and @ 2 pm .
2nd. Start feeding her in when she wakes and then before bed. Rice cerael is great and will help her sleep.
Good luck and god bless
I found that the book "On Becoming Babywise" was very helpful! My 3 month old is exclusively breast fed and is starting to sleep 6-8 hours a night after following the techniques in that book. Good luck, some sleep would do you wonders!
I really loved "healthy sleep habits, happy child" by dr. weisbluth... they have multiple methods for "sleep training" your baby. by 6 months your baby shouldn't need to eat so often at night (maybe once or twice, but not every 1-2 hrs). it is hard work, but totally worth it. once you get everyone sleeping better everyone will be happy... including your baby!
also, for more immediate relief, can you have a friend or family member take the kids for a few hours so you can have a nap? it is so hard to see a solution and work towards it when you are so tired.
Hi C.,
I would get a boppy pillow, they are kind of expensive, but worth every penny. Then wrap her up like a burrito and put her little butt into the center of the boppy pillow and rest her head on the back. This will keep her cuddled up tight and feel like she is still being held. The pillow is horse shoe shaped with an opening, so you might have to wrap a blanket around the boppy pillow to keep the pillow snug around her. In other words, keep the opening from opening too wide.
I used the boppy in a bassinet, so it was a snug fit to get the boppy into the bassinet, but I used the blanket when I slept her somewhere other than her bassinet.
The boppy pillow also works great for tummy time.
Best of Luck,
TRUDI
Have you thought about supplementing with formula just at night? It stays with them longer and she may need more ounces before bedtime. My children neither slept through the night until they were 10 mos of age but at six months at least did a 4 hour stretch if not more. I used formula just at night for the first few months as it filled them a lot more full and they slept better. Cereal before bedtime helps a lot too.
Now is the time for you to set her schedule. Typically she should be napping twice maybe three times a day. In the morning a few hours after waking and in the afternoon not too close to dinnertime. I wouldn't let her nap for more then two and a half hours each nap. But try not letting her nap whenever she wants during the day.
I didn't let my kids cry it out often but after six months of age if they were just fussing I let them for a least 15 minutes. They wake naturally often during the night and it just a matter of time before they teach themselves to fall back to sleep without anything. I would let her fuss, then wait it out and see if she will fall asleep. Waking to feed if she isn't really hungry and doing it so often can become a habit.
Hang in there, she will be sleeping through the night before you know it! :)
Our DD started doing this around 4 months. By 4 1/2 months she was up every 2-3 hours. We upped her caloric intake a lot! She eats way more than my boys did at the same age. We're still new to food, so she has barley cereal at breakfast after nursing (7), barley and green beans mixed after nursing at 11, 3, and 7 and then nurses again before bed. If she hasn't eaten much during the day, we'll sometimes give her cereal again before bed. Each time she eats at least 2-3 heaping teaspoons of food. I use formula for the cereal for added calories. It takes at least that much food for her to be able to last all night, and even then, she sometimes nurses again at 5 am. I would have liked to wait longer for starting foods, but I had to have my sleep! (So did the rest of the family) :) GL! Another thought is to try to get her to sleep less during the day. DD takes about an hour nap before each nursing session. Afternoons are growing into 1 longer nap. I hope you get some sleep soon!
C.:
She may be cutting teeth. My kids started cutting them at 4 and a half months old. Also, talk with your pediatrician and ask if it is ok to start her on any cereal or stage one foods. If her doctor okays is, give her some cereal before she goes down for the night, a full tummy will help her sleep. Lastly, take a night off. Ask family or friends to keep all of the kids once in a while...you need a break too!
T.
