DS is 9 months and still sleeps the same as he always has..he goes to bed around 9 usually..sometimes hell stay up til 10 or even 11 though..but hes still up 2-3 times through the night and up for good around 6:30 every morning...a lot of my friends babies who are 5-6 months old, some even like 2 months old sleep through the night...are there any ways to help him sleep through? i get so exhausted...i try to just give him a pacifier when he wakes up and hope he goes back to sleep but it doesnt work...he pulls himself up on the sides and screams..any help on this?!?!

It seems a lot of us have been posting questions on sleep lately (including me). My son is almost 6 months and we have had sleep issues for the past 2 months, however, things have gotten better the past 2 weeks. First off, is your son teething? I sometimes give my son Tylenol before bed when I know his teeth are bothering him. How is your son napping during the day?

Also, I learned that babies naturally wake several times at night, but most know how to sooth themselves back to sleep. I have been working to get my son to sooth himself back to sleep lately, and it must be working b/c he is now waking less.

I put him in his crib awake when I place him to bed. I let him stir a bit, give him his "Taggies" blanket, his pacifier, and pat his back for a bit. THen I walk out and usually he falls to sleep on his own. If he cries, I let him cry for a few minutes before going back into his room. He normally falls asleep before crying now.

I also have a white noise CD that I play all night in his room (on repeat). We used it when he was a newborn and had to dig it back out when he started waking again. The CD seems to work wonders. Don't know why it works, but it does.

I hope things get better for you b/c I know how awful it is to wake several times a night. You might have to try a number of things until it gets better. Good luck!

Not quite sure about why people are tyring to keep babies asleep at this age. But babies still get up at this age for food. Usually till about 10-11 months. When they go through a growth spurt or teething it happens as well. when they learn how to creep or crawl or stand. When they wake at night that is what they try to do and practice.

i know everyone is different about the whole forcing them to stay asleep thing. So i wont have a debate over it. its my opinion that they still get up at night for food and the other reasons i mentioned. I have a 12 year old and that is what we were always told. now a days well the books even say that the kids are dong thing at a much older age then before. Like sitting up comes later on and talking does as well but in books from 12 years ago it was different. Time do change and my youngest is 9months old and has slept through the night since she was 6 weeks old. But sleeping through the night means a certain amount of hours notwhen we want it. I was so tired because baby would go to bed and I didnt go to bed till like 12am or 1am. then baby would be up at 5am. (stupid me) when I started sleeping when baby did at night it was much better.
She does go to sleep at 7 till about 10 then up again and eat then goes back to bed and up at about 7 or8am She was up at 4am because she had to burp. So dont forget about the burping, even though they are older they still need to be burped at times. She was fussy after that but her teeth hurt.

good luck...Babies are so great!

I had the same issue with ds. He slept through the night at 10 weeks (from 7 to 7) but then stopped at 4 months. He was waking up 2 to 3 times a night. By 6 months I had it. I was exhausted! I wasn't too big on the "crying it out", eventhough that's what my dr. said to do. I felt bad not feeding him because I knew he was hungry ( he was downing 4-6 oz at each feeding during the night) But by 6 1/2 months I was willing to try anything. The 1st night he cried on and off for an hour, the 2nd he did the same and by the 3rd night he slept from 7-6:00. Whew! You just have to do what you are comfortable with. Read up on the crying it out, it's not for everyone but it worked for me.

Maybe you can try putting him to bed earlier than 9. I have read a lot about how babies naturally get tired around 6:30-7 at night but you can sometimes miss the cues. Maybe watch to see if he gets sleepy earlier in the night and put him down. Or maybe try to back his bedtime up 15 minutes each night to get it to an earlier time. It sounds funny but it's true from everything I've read and heard and from personal experience, if you put a baby to bed earlier he/she is likely to sleep later and sleep better. I am not sure if this will help but something you can try.

I agree with CookieM, I had the same problem with my DS at that age and I started putting him to bed earlier, between 7:00 - 7:30 and he slept much better through the night. I think they just get overtired and don't sleep as well. Now my DS is 20 months old and he goes to bed at 8:00 every night and sleeps until about 6:30 - 7:00 every morning. It is worth a shot.

Sleep MD's say to expect waking periodically until the age of 2 corresponding to growth spurts and other aggravating factors. After the age of 2 they should be able to sleep a solid ten-twelve hours without waking. If they are waking more than once a night after this to do anything other than use the restroom you are looking at a possible case of obstructive sleep apnea.. normally due to enlarged adnoids and/or tonsils.

Sincerely,
MG

Wow, the things i tried with our son. He is now two and he was the worst sleeper ever. He woke every two hours until he was 4 months old. I learned it was all me! Our Dr gave me a few hints and it worked great. He said babies react to us and that we have to set the tone and routine for them. I am assuming you are doing a nightly routine every night. It has to be exactly the same for a few weeks so he starts to expect it. Screaming and all, do the same thing every night. So my husband and I were zombies willing to try anything. We started at 6 pm with no TV or lights on, just natural light and noises. We talked quieter and set a very peaceful, calming evening. The Dr said to make it drastically different from daytime. He said it needs to be dark or light, no gray because we were wanting to train the brain naturally. Daytime was very bright, radio/TV on, windows open, vacumm going during naptime, just really drastically different. when we went to his room to lay down, I too put him in his crib awake so he would fall asleep on his own. It was pitch dark, no light what so ever. There were about three nights of 'crying it out' but once he realized he did not have a choice, he learned to soothe himself and started falling asleep on his own. It took about two weeks, and a miracle happened, he slept through the night at 4 months. I found that the earlier i moved his bed time up, it was 9 pm and every night i moved it up 15 minutes unitl it was at 7:30. Now at two he goes to bed at 8 and wakes at 7.

Funny how things change, last night i wanted to rock him to sleep and he wanted nothing to do with it, He wanted in his crib iwth his cars to fall asleep!

all babies are different.Yours will sleep throughthe night eventually.

I know how desperate one gets when you're sleep deprived :dizzy: .
I also tried a few things here and there...in the end I always resorted to nursing my dd to sleep and I still do. I nursed her whenever she woke up during the night and asked to be fed. Now, she's 13 months old and last week, all on her own, she started sleeping through the night - from 8pm to about 7am. I guess I like it when things happen naturally and I don't interfere with it too much. It's tough at times...She used to wake up 4 or 5 times a night needing to nurse to fall back to sleep...and I work full time since she was 4 months old. So believe me, I feel so rested now that she's sleeping through the night. Here's hoping it's not just a phase!
Good luck with your efforts! Hang in there, they all get the self soothing thing some time or the other!:wave:

Not quite sure about why people are tyring to keep babies asleep at this age. But babies still get up at this age for food. Usually till about 10-11 months. When they go through a growth spurt or teething it happens as well. when they learn how to creep or crawl or stand. When they wake at night that is what they try to do and practice.

i know everyone is different about the whole forcing them to stay asleep thing. So i wont have a debate over it. its my opinion that they still get up at night for food and the other reasons i mentioned. I have a 12 year old and that is what we were always told. now a days well the books even say that the kids are dong thing at a much older age then before. Like sitting up comes later on and talking does as well but in books from 12 years ago it was different. Time do change and my youngest is 9months old and has slept through the night since she was 6 weeks old. But sleeping through the night means a certain amount of hours notwhen we want it. I was so tired because baby would go to bed and I didnt go to bed till like 12am or 1am. then baby would be up at 5am. (stupid me) when I started sleeping when baby did at night it was much better.
She does go to sleep at 7 till about 10 then up again and eat then goes back to bed and up at about 7 or8am She was up at 4am because she had to burp. So dont forget about the burping, even though they are older they still need to be burped at times. She was fussy after that but her teeth hurt.

good luck...Babies are so great!


I'm sorry, but a 10-11 month old does not need to eat in the middle of the night. That ridiculous in my opinion. I could see 3-4 month old, but starting about 5 months, I really don't think so. I have three and all were sleeping through the night by three months. The babies need to be in their own room after those first few weeks, monitor turned down low so you don't respond to all the whimpers and groans, and give the child a little time to fall back to sleep instead of responding right away.

You also need to be putting the child down awake. When they wake up (which we all do, but we just roll over again and go back to sleep), babies will look to fall back to sleep the way they went to sleep in the first place. If it was nursing, a bottle, rocking or whatever. It's a crutch and they look for it. If the baby is put down awake and allowed to fall asleep alone, then he can do that again when he wake briefly in the night. As long as he is getting adequate nutrition during the day and evening before bed, and all else if fine...a baby should be given some time to fall back to sleep. But feeding a 10-11 month old....I don't think so.

AGain i repeat that every child is different. I have 4 and regardless of how many one has every kid is different. I have one that has slept since she was 6 weeks old and still does at almost 10months old. I have 3 others who were different. I am trying to explain that not every child is the same and we have to adjust to what we have. THere are needy kids and there are very independant kids. You cant force one to be like the other.

You are entitled to think what you want , i am just saying that not every kid is the same and different reasons happen for different kids.

Mama - I don't think anyone disagrees with babies waking in general, but when it is happening 2-3 times a night, then that is when it becomes frustrating! At 9 months, MAYBE they should be waking once a night to eat and that is fine. It is when they start waking more than this that we want to pull our hair out.

My DS is 6 months and still wakes once a night to eat. I am fine with this. It is when he is awake at midnight, 2 a.m., 3 a.m., 4 a.m. etc. that something is off.

Keltokel, (giggling giggle giggle) I think maybe I am too use to my DDalmost that this seems fine to do. Dont mind me, I am very ILL right now and half asleep for the past 7 days myself. I thank God when my High maintnance dd is asleep because it is not that often. that is why i say all kids are different. But yes the normal is that once a night is ok but not more than that. ;)

I'm a little:dizzy: :dizzy: :dizzy:

Thanx Kel;) I have to shake my head at some of the stuff I write sometimes without thinking. :nono:

Mama - I don't think anyone disagrees with babies waking in general, but when it is happening 2-3 times a night, then that is when it becomes frustrating! At 9 months, MAYBE they should be waking once a night to eat and that is fine. It is when they start waking more than this that we want to pull our hair out.

My DS is 6 months and still wakes once a night to eat. I am fine with this. It is when he is awake at midnight, 2 a.m., 3 a.m., 4 a.m. etc. that something is off.

If you are truely this concerned, check into obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) by taking your child to an ENT and ABSM ped sleep specialist. (ABSM - American Board of Sleep Medicine) The symptoms either fit a colicy/hungry child or one with a sleep disorder. If it is sleep apnea.. the stopping of breathing is waking your child.. not hunger and the fear will make it hard for them to return to sleep. OSA in children especially young children is linked to SIDS and other serious conditions. When in doubt check it out.. it is your childs health and never hurts to be too sure.

Sleep apnea sufferer and mother of a four year old with OSA since birth.
MG

If you are truely this concerned, check into obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) by taking your child to an ENT and ABSM ped sleep specialist. (ABSM - American Board of Sleep Medicine) The symptoms either fit a colicy/hungry child or one with a sleep disorder. If it is sleep apnea.. the stopping of breathing is waking your child.. not hunger and the fear will make it hard for them to return to sleep. OSA in children especially young children is linked to SIDS and other serious conditions. When in doubt check it out.. it is your childs health and never hurts to be too sure.

Sleep apnea sufferer and mother of a four year old with OSA since birth.
MG

Yes, you have posted this before. No, he does not have a medical condition. IT was a phase he was going through. Possibly teething. He is back to sleeping much better. My earlier post was a response to the original poster. Please see the posts before mine.