7 Month Old not sleeping through the night??

My son is 7 months old, he does not sleep for more than 2-3 hours at a time. I start out with a bath at 7 or 7:30. Then I lotion him, and put his clothes on. I nurse him, and he eventually falls asleep at about 8:30 or 9. He will only fall asleep while he is nursing, he will not fall asleep on his own. I put him in his crib and then about 2 hours later he wakes up. I bring him back to my bed and nurse him and he falls asleep right away. He will again sleep for 2 hours and wake up. Since I breast feed him, I can just roll over and nurse him. I have a pretty tall queen sized bed. I have a small room, and his crib is right next to the bottom of my bed. I am a very light sleeper, so rolling on him was not a concern for me. This morning at about 4:30, I woke up and he was at the end of my bed he had crawled to the end of my bed. I grabbed him quickly. One inch to the left and he would have fallen off of my bed! I need to figure out how to get him in his own bed all night,

7 Month Old not sleeping through the night??
I had the same problem with my 9 month old son 19 years ago. My problem was I always gave him a bottle when he woke up big no no. I was told by my Dr. to stop that he didn't need it.I picked him up changed him if he needed it and he would just lay in my arms looking at me until he got sleepy again.It took about a week or two but after that he started sleeping all night.
Reply:Bottlefeeding is very different than nursing. This is not the best answer! Report It

Reply:I agree it is different but it is the same too they don't need to be fed at night with either the bottle or breastfeeding.So that is why I gave that answer. Report It

Reply:I definitely recommend that you either adjust the length of the crib so he does not crawl out again or exchange the crib you own for a crib the extends more upward.





Also, your infant needs to have on of those rings with stuffed animals and lights hanging from from the top of his crip. It usually is set by you to mandate wheter you want the ring twirling, spinning, moving slowly, and light and sound on. This usually occupies the baby and make them laugh and eventually sleeply.





He also is "conditioned" to sleepling only a few hours because he knows he will get milk immediately from you and he is hungry. He needs to grow slowly detached from your breast and onto a bottle so he does not expect consistant, random feedings in the middle of the night.





Lastly, before you and the baby go to bed, do a "baby message" in which you rub on his back lightly with a little bit of soothing baby oil. You do this and they will be more relaxed, happy, and less like likely to cry thoughout the day as well as more likely to sleep better. Trust me, I saw this tactic on the news.





I hope this helps and God Bless! :)
Reply:First off you need to get him out of your room. I have two children and with the first one I did pretty much what your doing now with the same results. By the second one I really learned my lesson.


As hard as this sounds ,you need to try and let him fall asleep on his own. When you are ready for him to go to bed. Do your normal routine,but this time lay him in the crib while he is awake. Warning he isn't going to like this at first so he is going to cry. The best thing you can do is go somewhere were you can't hear him so intensely and then time him for 10 minutes. If he is still crying comfort him,but don't pick him up. Continue to do this 10 minute process until he falls asleep. I know it may seem mean,but I realized afterwards how much better we both slept. I promise if you do this for about 3 days constantly you will watch and be amazed how fast he goes to sleep. After awhile hell get were he doesn't cry at all.
Reply:I slept with all 4 of my kids at some point during their lives; make it safe and you can both get some sleep.
Reply:Oh my God ! Sleeping habbit is nothing uncommon abt ur son. Abt his crawling..u must be careful. U an buy a car bed..which is protected on all sides..
Reply:It is so hard. My son at 9 month still doesn't sleep through the night. We have a very similar situation. Not all babies are sleepers. As far as your bed and the babe, why not invest in a guard rail. He'll may need it later when he's in a big bed.
Reply:I had a hard problem with my son sleeping through the night too. He actually didn't start sleeping through the night until he was 1. Every child is different though. Does he use a binky? That could help, if he doesn't already use a binky though you might not want to try it, sometimes that is a hard habit to break. Anyways be careful of him in your bed, my son did fall off the bed. Thank god it was so close to the ground he didn't get hurt. Now that he is mobile it is dangerous. If it is necessary for him to be in your bed try though bed railings so he can't fall off!
Reply:Try solid food before he goes to bed. It sounds like he may still be hungry if he's waking up to eat every 2 to 3 hours. Good Luck!
Reply:My advice is to totally ignore your responses that you should give formula! I cannot belive someone would tell you that!!!! Nursing and co-sleeping is the best thing you can do for your baby! If you have to adjust and put your mattress on the floor, then so be it.


My baby is also 7 mo and was doing the same thing up until this week actually. Just give it time and he will sleep! This is such a short and precious time you have with your baby. Cherish it because he'll be growing up WAY to fast.
Reply:Well up until about a week ago I had the same problem as you do with my 8 month old. I was SOOO against the Ferber (cry it out) Method but since I was about to lose my mind I decided to try it. If you actually check it out it's not as cruel as it sounds, you don't just put him in his crib and walk away. Anyway, by the 3rd night he was only waking up once for about 5 minutes and going back until about 8:00. It was really hard to listen to him cry but it was well worth it, I'd like to kick myself for not doing it sooner.


You and your baby need a good nights sleep. He may cry at first but in the long run it's better for you AND him. My son is so much more pleasant during the day, he seems so much happier and so do I.
Reply:Just be consistant! I know its harsh but let him cry it out if need be!


I have an 18mo old and we went through the same. And sometimes still do! There will be good weeks and bad, is he teething?? Try Hylands Teething tables an hr before bed.
Reply:He's stuck on the boob. Try to bottle feed him your breastmilk. Sounds like you're nursing him alot. Try a paci. Honey I know it's hard, but sometimes you just might have to let him cry. He's a mommy hog, and I understand why, he love love loves his mommy. Try to bottle feed and try letting him sleep in his own bed. Don't do both at once, I would try the bottlle approach. No more sleeping in bed with mommy. I know it sucks as much for you as it does for him. If he stays all night in his bed now, it will help in the long run. You don't want him still sleeping with you when he's 2 or 3 or up do you? For a few nights he might just have to cry. I know it's hard but don't you go to the crib. Let him cry if he has to. after 15 or 20 minutes then get him. Good Luck
Reply:If you do not set boundries now you will end up with a child running your house. There is no need for a 7 month old to be fed during the night. Mine all lept through the night , in their own rooms, by 3 1/2 months old thanks to very good advice from my pediatrician.


Bedtime: Put the baby to sleep in HIS OWN bed. Let him cry to start with for 15 minutes hten go in and reassure him that you are there and tuck him back in. DO NOT feed or cuddle him. After tucking him back in leave him for 30 minutes. If he is still crying check on him and tuck him back in and leave for another 30 minutes. Repeat this until he goes to sleep. This will not be easy for you but it is what is best for the child. You may have to do this for 1 night or a week but it will work and he will thereafter go to sleep on his own. It took 2 nights with one of mine and a week with another but they are now 6 and 7 and have slept through the night since 3 months old.





Waking during the night: There is absolutely NO need for a 7 month old to be fed during the night. When the baby wakes instead of breastfeeding or giving him a botle of milk give him a bottle with water to start with. Then after no more than a week of only giving him water when he wakes start to only give him water once during the night. When he wakes simply give him a cuddle and put him back to bed. Yes he will scream and yes it will not be easy but just think in a matter of weeks he will go to bed on his own and sleep through the night. It is what is best for the baby and you.





Good Luck!
Reply:We just recently went through this faze with my currently 9-month-old. I hate to say it, but it lasted a month and a half.





You have to do what you have to do to make it through.





People told us to let him cry it out - we tried that and he ended up vomiting he was so upset. So, we fed him and put him back to bed.





One day, he just started sleeping through the night again and he has every single night since them.





Have you considered having him sleep on the floor? My son's a crawler and a crib wouldn't work for him because he crawls around as he sleeps. We put a blanket down on the floor, remove anything that he could get in to, and let him sleep there. He does SO much better!
Reply:Hi


My daughter is almost 7 months. She will fuss until I nurse her before she falls asleep but this occurance is not every day. Your baby should not be eating 2-3 hours at this stage. He needs more solids. He is using you as a pacifier. Try to wean him from this habit. It will be hard. Teething will cause them to wake up at night as well. Give him a teething ring and make sure you feed him more than just breast milk before he goes to bed. A baby will natuarally wake up for about 10 minutes. After that is you leave them alone they will eventually fall asleep if all their needs are meet.
Reply:Keep baby giving more moments like crabbing, action his legs and hands more. Take him to park or garden and put him to play and crab to come to you. keep on watching. Make him to do more activities by own. Atlast finally he will get tied and he will sleep well. Best of Luck,
Reply:Your not going to want to hear this, but I think you are the reason he is not sleeping all night. You have created a pattern and he has learned how ti manipulate you quite well. Several mistakes that you have made:





1. He is still in your room


2. You nurse him to sleep


3. You put him in bed with you when he wakes up and nurse him again!





Now, I am not saying your a bad mommy. We all have done these types of things. I certainly have done my fair share. But, after 4 children I have learned from my mistakes. It took getting to number four for me to learn!! What does that say about me???? Here is what you need to do to fix this problem.





1. Move him out of your room if you can. If not, at least move him as far away from your bed as possible and put up a privacy screen so that when he wakes up he can't see you.


2. DO NOT NURSE HIM TO SLEEP!! Nurse him until he is drowsy, then place him in his bed. You will have to let him cry it out. Check on him every 5 mins or so. Do not pick him up, just talk to him and if you need to, rub his back a little. THEN LEAVE.


3. When he wakes in the night have your partner tend to him. If you don't your baby will be able to smell your milk and cry for this reason alone. If you are a single mommy, wait a couple of minutes, check on him from the door. And again, let him cry it out.





This pattern may take a week or so to break, but it will work if you stick to it. If you cave in sometimes, that's okay, just try again. The biggest thing you need to do is get him in his own bed and out of your room. This alone may work miracles. The cry it out thing is hard, but it works. You need to sleep and so does your baby. He needs to put himself to sleep. If not, you will have sleep problems for years to come.
Reply:That's hard. Sorry for you. He is use to falling asleep nursing you. Once he starts falling asleep wake him then put him in his crib slightly awake. If he cries let him foe a few minutes go in and tell him quietly your there. Leave. Keep doing this. Babies need to learn to fall asleep by themselves. Try a security item such as small blanket, small stuffed animal, maybe crib toy that attaches to cribs (like plays soothing music).


Your baby does not need to be fed anymore through the night. The transition for him will be slow, may take about month. Talk to the Doctor.Good luck.
Reply:Sometime you just have to let the fuss....he will never learn to fall asleep on his own if you don't give him a chance...you might give him some solid food before bed, like a single grain rice ceral...this will stay in his stomach longer and might help him sleep....but other than that, let him fuss, he will learn to fall asleep on his own.....
Reply:it sounds like he is falling asleep at the breast and isn't getting enough to eat -- you need to find a way to keep him awake, so that he eats more and then he needs to learn to fall asleep on his own in his own bed, it will be hard at first but it will be better for both of you. You could try bottle feeding and adding some cereal in it to fill him up more. Hope this helps!!
Reply:Only one thing, dont let him sleep somuch during the day, as hard as it seems dont let him, or start changing his sleeping rythm,
Reply:We just put our mattress on the floor when my son started crawling, and continued to co-sleep. Waking during the night is entirely developmentally appropriate even through the second year, although the number of times will change as they grow and develop. It's particularly common for night wakings to increase when the child is working on more developmental milestones or teething--they really need you during the night then!





Once my son learned how to get off the bed correctly (feet first), we were able to put the box spring back under the mattress, and we'll soon be adding the frame back.
Reply:when he is asleep put him in bed try and cut out the night feed give him a dummy and don't pick him up ,just rub his head and soothe him, if he crys pick him up and then put him back into the cot,i have my baby's cot alongside the bed and he can see me might be Worth a try to move it
Reply:Its totally normal. My son sounds exactly like yours. I seriously thought he would never sleep longer than 3 hours at a time.





But, there is hope! He just started sleeping 4 hours... so he's only waking twice a night now (for the most part).





So, My answer is patience... he will eventually sleep through the night, he's just not ready yet.





Ive never had my son try and crawl off the bed in the middle of the night, but he has rolled off. I now sleep with my arms wrapped around him.





OH, and you can teach him how to get down safely. Every morning, drop him feet first off the bed (not drop, but help him while holding his hands) and tell him "feet first" or whatever phrase works for you.





And my son is 16 months tomorrow, so it does get better... its just about patience.
Reply:you might want to consider some formula to keep him full. Because you are nursing, breast milk is not as filling. You should talk to your pediatrician about starting cerial. Don't feel bad about the baby almost falling off the bed. My son has fallen off the bed more then once. He is three years old now and at about 9 months of age he rolled off the bed. He was just fine.
Reply:You are just going to have to deal with the cries and eventually he will get used to sleeping in his own bed and im sure he will sleep longer once he gets used to it. Thats what


I had to do with my daughter. I hope it works for you
Reply:breast milk is thinner than formula, so your baby will get hungry more quickly. he's probably like this during the day too.





maybe you can express your milk and mix some formula with it and give it to him in a bottle.





or just give him formula at night time.





i read "The Contented Baby Book" by Gina Ford. It recommends topping off the baby before You go to sleep.





so, if you nurse him at around 8:00pm, wake him at up 10:00 for a top off feed. this will help him last a few more hours. after doing this for about one week, he should be able to sleep through the night.





this book helped me a lot with both of my girls.
Reply:Maybe if you could move his crib out of your room. he may hear you at night and it's waking him up. I dont think I would let him sleep in bed with you at that age especially, it could be dangerous. My daughter just started sleeping through the night and she is also 7 months old. Good luck.
Reply:There is lot of information about breastfeeding and sleeping here:


http://www.kellymom.com/


http://www.lalecheleague.com/


http://www.askdrsears.com/default2.asp


http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_ba...


http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_ba...





Breastmilk does get digested more quickly so the baby will eat more often but you do not need to add formula to the babies diet. Breastmilk is the best nutrition. Many mother's do what you do - sleep with the baby. You can get rails for the bed to keep the baby from crawling off. I recommend the book The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. (http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/), Good Nights by Dr Jay Gordon and NIGHTTIME PARENTING by William Sears, MD.


You don't have to just let your baby cry. And my son slept longer once he was a year old. It is not abnormal for them to wake up that often.





Additional info:


"Should my baby be sleeping through the night?


It's so common for mothers to worry when their babies don't sleep through the night. After all, everyone knows they're "supposed to." Some doctors recommend nighttime weaning and "cry it out" methods if your baby is not sleeping through the night by 6 months or even earlier. Even when the mom herself has no problems with baby nursing at night, she still worries that this is a problem, since American society seem to consider it one. There are books all over the bookstores with advice on solving so-called "sleep problems."





First, please ignore what everyone else says about your baby's sleep habits and what is "normal." These people are not living with you or your baby. Unless your doctor sleeps in the next room and your baby is keeping him awake every night, he has no reason to question a healthy baby's sleep habits. If you and your baby enjoy nighttime feedings, then why not continue? It's a great way to have time with her, particularly if you are apart during the day.





Every baby is different, and some sleep through the night earlier than others (schedules or food usually have nothing to do with this). Your baby may be hungry (keep in mind that breastmilk digests in less than 2 hours) or she may just want time with you. Babies whose mothers work during the week often nurse more at night and on weekends, perhaps to reconnect with mom.





Doctors tend to look at night nursing only from a nutritional standpoint, but this is only part of the story. After the first few months, your baby will begin to associate the breast with far more than just a way to satisfy hunger and thirst. It becomes a place of comfort, security, warmth, closeness, and familiarity. The act of nursing is not just nourishing; it is nurturing. Keep in mind that these needs are every bit as real as baby's physical ones, and having them met is every bit as needful to baby's overall development.





If the amount that your child sleeps and nurses at night isn't a major problem for you, then there's no reason to try to change anything. You are NOT doing a bad thing by nursing on demand; you are doing a wonderful thing for your baby. When you comfort baby at night, you are not teaching her a bad habit: you are teaching her that you are there for her when she needs you -- Is security a bad habit?








What is normal when it comes to baby's sleep?


It is common for breastfed babies to not sleep through the night for a long period of time. On the other hand, some breastfed babies start sleeping through the night when a few months old.





Both of my children nursed once (occasionally more) at night through their second year. Since this doesn't bother me, I did doing nothing to change it. We co-sleep, and neither my baby nor I generally wake up completely when she nurses. Both started sleeping through the night on their own, when they were ready.


Your baby will begin to comfort herself and to sleep for longer stretches at her own developmental pace. If your baby wants to nurse at night, it is because she DOES need this, whether it's because she is hungry or because she wants to be close to mom. Sleeping through the night is a developmental milestone (like walking or toilet training) that your baby will reach when she is ready to. Trying to force or coax baby to reach this before her time may result in other problems later on.





If you can try to take a more relaxed approach and trust that it will come in time, you'll see your baby eventually become a good sleeper. You'll be able to rest peacefully in your heart and mind knowing that she reached this in her own time when she felt secure enough to do so, not because he had no other choice but to quiet herself because no one would come.





Probably one of the main reasons that night-waking babies are such a big issue is that parents don't have realistic expectations of the sleep patterns of babies. We are bombarded with magazine articles and books that perpetuate the myth that babies should not have nighttime needs. Babies were designed to wake up often at night to feed and cuddle, and keep in mind that many adults wake during the night, too. If our expectations for babies were not so different from our babies' expectations for themselves, much of this "problem" might disappear.





See Studies on normal infant sleep for more information on what is normal.








Why do babies wake at night?


Babies wake at night for many reasons, and they often start waking at night after sleeping through for a few months. Some of the reasons for night waking (in no particular order) are:





baby wants more time with mom


teething


developmental advances (for example: waking more often right before or after learning to turn over, crawl or talk)


illness, allergy, diaper rash, eczema


hunger (including growth spurts)


reverse cycling: Some babies whose moms are away during the day prefer to reject most/all supplements while mom is away, and nurse often during the evening and night. If mom is very busy during the day or if baby is very distracted, this can also lead to reverse cycling.


When your child nurses more often at night, go through this checklist to see if you can figure out what might be going on. Sometimes there may be more than one thing causing the night waking.











What about giving formula or solids at night to help baby sleep better?


See Will giving formula or solids at night help baby sleep better?











Gentle methods for encouraging less night nursing


See Night Weaning











Does night waking last forever?


Remember that night waking in babies and young children is normal and temporary!





Children grow out of night waking, even when we do nothing to discourage it. This period of time will be a very tiny part of your child's years with you.





Your goal is to maximize sleep for everyone in the family, while respecting the needs of your child.





If you're meeting this goal, then ignore anyone who suggests that you do things differently. If your sleep situation is not working (or stops working) then you can always do things differently. All parents find that they change the way they do things as their child grows older and reaches different developmental stages - sleep is just another thing that changes as your child grows." (from kellymom.com)





"Recent research suggests that longer stretches of deep sleep are associated with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and babies who sleep longer/deeper may be more vulnerable to SIDS (see in particular the research of James McKenna, PhD). Some scientists are saying that it appears that long sleep stretches are not "natural" for human infants and that sleep interruptions in the early months may provide a protective factor against SIDS. More research is needed on this subject, but parents might want to think twice about significantly manipulating baby's natural sleep pattern in the early months." (from kellymom.com)





also from kellymom.com:





"In this study, part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ALSPAC), researchers surveyed the parents of 640 babies. Some of the results:





Only 16% slept through the night at six months old -- 84% were not sleeping through the night at 6 months


17% woke more than once per night, ranging from twice to eight times


5% woke once every night


9% woke most nights


50% woke occasionally


16% of six-month-olds had no regular sleeping "





All babies are different and you have to find what works for you and your baby/family. I just included this information because many people never hear any of this in the media.
Reply:This is a common problem. What's going on is that your baby now has a habit. He can only sleep when he's nursing. Try to put him to sleep drowsy, but still awake. He is now old enough that he doesn't need to eat during the night, so try to give him back his binky, but don't feed him during the night. It might take a week or two to work, though. I am by no means an expert. But good luck! I hope this helps!





Oh! And solid food does not make any change in sleep habits. I read about this in Parenting Magazine. And it has made no change in my almost 6 month old's sleeping patterns, too.