seriously. How much does your baby sleep?

[Drea Adgent]

My 8 month old son hasn't "slept through the night " since he was 3 months old. I was teased those first few months of his life, and even bragged to my co-workers and friends. Serves me right because I'm up once sometimes twice a night for replacement pacifier or feeding. In the beginning the bottle took at least a half hour to get down, now it's only 10 minutes (thank God). Ethan tends to go down around 730. Then sometime between 11 and 2 he cry's. Then again around 4am. Usually by then I just need to replace pacifier or pat him on the back and he'll go back down at least until 6. If he's too fussy I feed him again at 4, but then he sleeps until 630. I know what your thinking. start by stop the night feeding, replace the pacifier, then begin to let him 'cry it out'. I really want to do this, but my mother lives with us ( briefly) and she won't let that happen. And he's only in the 25th percentile for weight, I kind of want to feed him any time he wants.
Please share your night time schedule. I want to feel like I'm doing what's right, or normal.

[Zicea Becks]

Then maybe your mother should be so kind as to take over the night feedings...since she won't let him cry it out...lol

that's how I would feel.

But to be honest, at 8 months, this isn't so bad. I mean, it's bad because you just wanna sleep. But all of my kids would wake up at one point during the night at that age. I always waited a few minutes to see if they fell back asleep before I even got up. I can tell between an "I'm HUNGRY!!!!!" cry and a "Oh my gosh, how come nobody is holding me....WHYYYYY???"

the latter received less attention.

When my youngest, Slater (now 2) was that age, I would put her down about the same time as your son. She would wake up about 2:30 or 3am....but it wasn't every night. At first, I'd check on her, and she would just be fussing. So, after a while, I would just wait before getting out of bed. My husband would be so upset because he didn't want his baby girl crying....i got my way, of course. By the time he and I had the tiff on not checking on her, she had stopped.


the hardest part when parenting is when dear ol' mom, or mother-in-law has their own way that is different than yours.

good luck with that.

[Anci]

I read the same thing, it is perfectly normal for babies to wake up during the night up till 1 year of age...I personally don;t believe in the cry it out method...it's not like they're gonna wake up during the night forever...How can parents leave a baby to cry it out is beyond my understanding...
There are books all over the bookstores with advice on solving so-called "sleep problems." I think you should 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.
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.

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.
good luck with whatever decision you'll make.

[Kanese]

Oh you scare me.. My Daughter for now sleeps through the night. I put her down at 9:30 and she sleeps all night. She is 4 months now, she has been doing this since about 2 1/2 months. At 2 months I only woke up with her maybe twice at night, feed her and put her back to bed . Now she sometimes on her own will be out by 6:30 and will sleep until 6am. This is probably because she too busy not sleeping during the day. She sleeps between 10mins to 2 hrs. Today she decied that she wanted to sleep from 12:30 to 3. I guess she truly is a princess.. (choosing her own schedule despite anything else) My problem is sometimes during the day she fights sleep so much that, when I get home she is fussy and still refuses to go to sleep until she has her night cap. lol. ( LOL @ I've done the Breastfeed till the baby falls off thing int he middle of the night!) Good Luck!

[Anci]

my daughter used to fight naps when she was younger...that will pass, don't worry, it's just a stage they go through...

[Drea Adgent]

OMG. this has made me feel so much better, you have no idea. (well, actually you may have an idea). my friends kids (all about the same age) all have different schedules (but better) I kept reading trying to find something I could do different, and then i get so overwhelmed at all the different methods. But how does one get prepared for something like this. read right?!. aauugghh As tired as I am I enjoy holding him and cuddling with him in the middle of the night. And your right, they aren't going to do this for ever.
Huge help for me was he was peeing through his diaper. Bought the 'overnights'. WORTH IT. so much more absorbent, and one less thing that may wake him up

[Reed's Mama]

I sympathize. I've had nothing but trouble with sleeping -- it's the bane of our existence.

Reed goes to bed around 6:30 or 7:30 -- in our bed. He refused the crib at around 7 months, and I was never able to get him back in it. Some nights, he sleeps solidly until 11 or 12, but others he's up between two and four times before I go to bed (usually around 12:30 or 1). He often sleeps until 6:30 or 7 once I get in with him, but he also sometimes wakes around 4 or 5 for a bit. We're tired as hell, I can tell you that.

I don't feed him anymore at night (he's plenty weighty), but I stopped because I realized he was waking whether I fed him or not.

My mom (she's the other main caretaker) and I are going to try the "put him back in the crib and tough it out" method when I go on break in December. I'm terrified as I don't deal well with leaving him to cry. Nonetheless, as he's now down to taking 20 to 30 minute naps and can't self-soothe to save his life, something's got to be done (he's 13 months).

I doubt this helps, but maybe it provides a bit of perspective. I feel a lot of pressure from several family members to "figure it out" and get him to sleep in his crib for 12 hours straight. Fat chance.

[The Larmon Lair]

We practice attachment parenting in our household, and our 11 month-old son sleeps with us. We have never (and will never ) let him cry it out. We respond to his needs immediately. That said, he has only slept for 5 hours 3 times ... 3 times in his short life! He normally sleeps 2 to 3 hours at a stretch during the night; has two naps during the day that last 1.5 to 2.5 hours each. Sometimes he breastfeeds through the night; at other times, he'll pop on for a few minutes, and then go right back to sleep. (We call this "checking in".)

We really don't follow a strict bedtime routine, which might be our problem. However, we do the same things in the same order every night: nurse, eat dinner, play/go for a walk, take a bath, put on jammies, nurse, read a book, nurse, quiet play, nurse in the great room, nurse in bed, fall asleep.

I highly recommend the No-Cry Sleep Solution book ... and the wisdom to know that this too shall pass. :-)

[Eibhleann's Mommy]

This makes me feel better! I've been feeling like a bad mom and that I must be doing something wrong because my 15-month-old daughter doesn't sleep well at all. She never has. She still sleeps with us, too. I really don't want her to, but it breaks my heart to hear her screaming in her crib because she doesn't want to be there. I've tried sleeping in her room with her (on an air bed). I've tried getting her to sleep in our bed first and then moving her to her crib. She does not want to be in there. It's very frustrating! Even sleeping with us, she wakes up about 5-10 times a night and she is a very restless sleeper. She kicks us both and crawls on top of me and wiggles around. Walter keeps getting mad at me because she's still sleeping with us, but he hasn't done anything to try and help her sleep in her crib. He also has nothing to do with getting her to sleep at night.

She hardly ever naps, either. If she does it will be for 15-45 minutes. I've talked to her doctor and she just shrugs and says there's nothing we can do. We're so tired! I will have to try the No Cry Sleep Solution book and pray that it works!

Good luck, Drea! I have no advice for you, but I know it makes me feel better knowing I'm not alone with baby sleeping problems.

[Elena Reeves-Walker]

My 4.5 month old daughter has been sleeping over 9 hours at night since she was 2 months. I attribute this to buying a hammock for her to sleep in beside our bed. It hangs from a big spring and soothes her by responding to her own motions. She's now grown out of the initial hammock and we bought another, larger one (the Kanoe).

It doesn't stop me from waking up every 2-3 hours to make sure she's breathing!!! So, I'm the one still not getting a full night's rest.

[becky]

Hi There,

If it makes you feel any better you are not the only one. I dont have any answers though I am afraid. My daughter has never slept thorugh the night. She has gone from 8-4 about 5 times but thats the best she does. She is 15 months.
If anyone thinks they know the answer to sleeping through the night I would realy really like to know!

Becky

[MIRA]

My baby sleep thru the night after she turn 2 months old (10pm till 8am), after 6 months she can sleep 12 hours straight...she is now 14 months old teething make her wake up once a night, I have to carry her and put her next to me and she usually fell right back to sleep.
Maybe you can let him go to sleep at 8 or 8.30pm? If you are breastfeeding, maybe you can consider formula for his supper? or add 1 teaspoon of cereal in his milk? that will really help. (accordingly to my friends and doctor recommendation)

[Suzanne Chan]

my daughter is 16 months and she still doesn't sleep through the night. She is still breastfeeding and its my understanding breastmilk just isn't as filling. It sounds like your son is have his last meal pretty early, have you tried to feed him at the 11 to 2 wake up? That might hold him out longer and make it easier for you. It also could be just a growth spurt. It might seem like an eternity, but babies habits are constantly changing. As for your mother, I was in the same situation. You have to be firm, parenting is much different now than their times. We have much research and statistics on our side and letting him cry it out is OK. I was fortunate that my husband went to bat with her, he's much firmer. Now she "trusts" us to know what is best for OUR child. At the end of the day, I can promise, it will get better =0)