Help with Sleep - Riverview,FL

Hi P....

One technique I'm familiar with is using the baby swing to help. If baby wakes, crying and you've tried all the "normal" things (feeding, changing, etc), try putting her in the baby swing and vigorously rocking it back and forth (kinda shaking it) for a minute or 2... that motion usually comforts a baby, and then put it on HIGH for the swing. they actually sleep WELL in the swing. I KNOW this works well in younger babies... not certain about an 8 month old, but it's worth a try. I'm an instructor of the Happiest Baby on the Block baby calming techniques, and this is one of Dr. Karp's recommendations that I've SEEN work! Good luck!
W.

Hi P.,

I had the same problem with my son when he was 7-8 months old. Someone in my family suggested adding rice cereal to his bottle that I gave him right before bed & it did the trick. Once I starting doing that, he began sleeping through the night almost every night. He was taking about 6 oz of formula and I would add about two tablespoons of rice cereal to the bottle. Depending on what size nipple you are using, you may need to get one that has a larger opening. I used size 2 & had no problem.

L. E

Best thing i can tell ya is too, try and keep her up alittle longer maybe 10-11pm and then she will rise at 5-6 am and you nap when she naps...as far as wanting to eat in the middle of night then go ahead and give it to her but most people do not realize once you wake up and turn on all the lights just for a feeding in the middle of the night they seem to want to stay up afterwards....try and keep all the bedroom lights off and let her know you'll be right back and bring bottle to her!
sit with her in the dark and feed her and once she is done hopfully she is fast asleep again and more rest for mom. that is where alot of moms go wrong.
Keep it dark and quite so she knows that it is still night night time.
Hope this helps ~M.

P.,

I have a 8mth old as well and just had to deal with this problem. Giving her some baby cereal at night will help tide her over and keep her longer while she sleeps. If she gets cereal then you might want to try giving her some food during the day so she can get some extra calories in. Now if this is a case like mine you might not like the outcome. Mine was eating three meals a day and still getting cereal before bed. All this along with nursing. She still woke up at night at 1 or 2 am. I had tried everything and nothing was keeping her. I finally broke down and gave her a bottle of formula at night before bed. She slept 10hrs that night it was great. I dont know if yours is on formula or breastfed but either way one of these suggestions should help. Good luck.

A.

It is completely natural for a baby at this age to wake up, and for a variety of reasons. I agree with Angel, if you're baby seems hungry then feed her. My son is 8 months old and right now is waking is mostly due to the discomfort of teething. This artice also has some very interesting thoughts on babies waking at night.

http://mothering.com/guest_editors/quiet_place/quiet_plac...

Hi P.,
If your daughter is breastfeeding, switch to formula for her last feeding. If that doesn't work, try a pacipher. It might not be the hunger but something to suck on to soothe her. If that doesn't work, try being more active with her before she goes to bed and put her in around 9:00 instead. If all those don't work, put her on her stomach. My daughter woke up every few hours when she was a baby. I realized she slept really good when we'd hold and she was laying on her stomach, so when she was able to pick her head up and move it about, I put her on her stomach. I know people say you shouldn't, but I slept on the floor in her room for 3 nights straight to make sure she was ok. She slept great after that.

Good Luck!

If she can hold it herself I would give her the bottle. It's probably not the "correct" thing to do, but my daughter who is 15 months and just started sleeping through the night would wake up and want the bottle at about the same time. So before I went to bed I would get it all ready to be made (she used powder formula) and I would get it before I even went it, then I gave it to her and went back to bed. Of course at 8 months I don't remember if they hold it well enough to do it on thier own, if not the other suggestion is the way to go, sit in the dark so she knows it's still night time.
Good Luck
S. Gallo
Usborne Books
http://www.ubah.com/H2494
Register to win $50 in FREE Books!!!

Stuff your own Animal and Doll Kits!!
http://www.stuff-n-snuggle.com/index.php?ref=376

Let you baby eat. Your baby is communicating to you her needs and you have the wonderful opportunity to be her mommy and trust that your darling daughter is just hungry. My first son did not sleep through the night until after a year. My second son is now 13 months and still wakes during the night.

Your little one may sleep longer if she is given some cereal before bedtime. Or you can try keeping her up a little bit longer. But more than likely the cereal will help her to sleep through the night.

Good Luck
Kathy

There was a recent post about this very same thing, and her baby woke up about the same time. Mine does the same thing as well, so I would assume it's just the way it is..I know they all don't have this sleep pattern, but ours do. I have had many friends that their baby didn't sleep through the night until after 12 months. Just hang in there...it will a be just a memory. Enjoy that brief quite moment between you and her. When my daughter wakes up I feed her right away, in the dark with out talking to her then put her back to bed. Often when I am too tired to sit up and nurse, I just lay with her next to me in bed and we fall back to sleep together. It's an easy way to get some extra zzzzs and have some bonding time with her. I am a SAHM but have a 3yr old so I don't get to sleep in and I don't get naps but every once in a while. As tired as you may be, you will some how make it through. So don't feel like you are doing something wrong, or that your baby isn't normal. This is normal, she is hungry, and it will pass.

Hi P.,

I agree that it's just the way it is. Babies definitely get hungry during the night, and the phrase "sleeping through the night" means only 5 hours straight, not the whole night. I have a 7 month hold and we rarely see her sleep 5 hours straight.