How do I get my 8 mo old to sleep through the night? ?

Question

My daughter used to only fall asleep nursing. We didnt want her to cry it out, so we used the No Cry Sleep Solution. She is now weaned off the boob entirely. She will have a bottle and I put her in her crib and she rolls around and plays for a little then puts herself to sleep. BUt she still gets up 2-3 times night. Once in a great while she will wake up once. She cries and if I dont give her a bottle she will cry nore until she is fully awake. HOw do I get her to sleep longer at night? help please. Im exhaused

Answer 1

Oh love! I had EXACTLY the same problem so I hope that what I tell you will help.

It's a bit long but try to read!

My Daughter was also breast fed and I managed to get her to sleep by herself without nursing but she would still get up 2, 3, 4 sometime 5 or 6 times in the night and it's not fun!

I'm assuming that everything else is ok, ie: she's feeding no problem and she's on solids etc and that she's eating close to bedtime.

You've done really well by managing to get her to go to sleep all by herself but you don't say if she's in a room on her own yet.

If she's not I would definately suggest it.

My Daughter would stir through the night and hear us breathing and waken herself up.

We moved out of the room and she slept better but still got up a few times in the night crying to be fed and cuddled and I'd go to her just as I did before but I began to wonder if it was me that was making her worse by actually going to her and it got to the stage where I was SO out of it through lack of sleep that I just left her to cry.

It sounds really cruel and it's REALLY hard, my heart broke every single time but believe me, it worked!

She would scream so much that she choked but I just kept a very close eye on the monitor and went to check on her when she finally fell asleep.

She learned very quickly that bedtime was bedtime and that she HAD to sleep because no-one would run to her and now she sleeps straight through, 12 hours, it's bliss!

I understand that you don't want her to cry and be upset but she's crying for your attention because she knows she'll get it every time she does, she's not crying because there's something wrong with her.

I know some people will disagree with the whole leave them to cry method, I was totally against it but it turned out to be the best thing for all of us.

We ALL sleep better, I'm more able to deal with every day tasks and my Daughter is much more settled and not so clingy throughout the day because she's has a good rest.

It may take a couple of weeks to be completely successful but try to persevere.

My little girl still stirs sometimes and cries a bit but it's only for a couple of minutes and then she goes back to sleep.

I'm assuming you have a monitor and I'm sure you'll know by now by the way she cries if she's just looking for attention or if there's a problem so give it a go, you've got nothing to lose but once you've started trying that method you must see it through, if you "give in" to her screaming just once she'll understand that she's "won", if that's the right phrase to use!

Good luck with everything, I hope you get some sleep soon x*x

Answer 2

Try bathing her and then giving her a bottle of more milk one hour later than usual.Cut down the length of naps during the day as this can contribute to night waking.Good Luck!

Answer 3

comfort him give him a night light and get him a bottle and let him sip on it through the night and let him know that he is safe.

Answer 4

An 8-month-old does not NEED a bottle or breast in the middle of the night. Maybe she just wants something to suck. I'd try giving her a pacifier, if you aren't already.

It's normal for children to wake up a time or two at that age, but I know how hard and exhausting it is. She will outgrow it. Until she does, I'd let her cry a little longer before going in and checking on her. Give her that extra incentive to work through her anxiety and get herself back to sleep. She needs to learn it, and you need to sleep!

Or... you could also work out a deal with your husband to switch off on middle-of-the-night baby duty. That way, you'll at least get a good night's sleep every other night.

(By my third child, I had had it with baby tyranny of this sort and used to recite: "Mommy needs sleep more than you need a hug, kid!" It's a good line to recite over and over and over!)

Good luck.

Answer 5

Well if she is still waking up hungry then you need to feed her my first son didn't sleep through the night until he was 9 months old.  Try to keep her up more.  Say if she goes to bed at 7-8 keep her up after 3:30.  That's what I do with my 10 months old now.  He sleeps through the night ... sometimes 12 hours.  Some babies are good sleepers and others aren't I've had my fair share of both.  Good Luck.  Hope something works.

Answer 6

This is normal for babies. Sorry your gonna have to deal with it for a while.They will get on a normal sleeping schedule at about 2 years old. I have a little brother so i know.

Answer 7

"help please. Im exhaused"

You need to put yourself to bed earlier. It is entirely normal for an 8mo to wake repeatedly at night. Go to bed at the same time as baby if need be.

Answer 8

Is she waking up because she's hungry or out of habit?  I notice my baby sleeps through the night if she eats more during the day (solids have become a bigger part of her diet the last few weeks and since then she's slept way better. not sure if it's related, but it's worth noting). My baby also wakes up sometimes because she poops in the middle of the night. if she poops before she falls asleep then she'll sleep through the night.

if your baby is waking up just out of habit and you want it top stop, then you have to break the habit. she's not going to just stop on her own -- at least not for a looong time. don't feed her (that will only encourage her to wake up more) and don't take her out of the crib. you have to be consistent. i know it's the last thing you want to deal with at 2am and it's easier to just give her a bottle, but, she will definitely continue this habit unless you help her stop.  let her fuss for awhile, it's okay and it definitely won't hurt her.  i often find that if i go in to "comfort" my baby it only wakes her up and stimulates her more.  see what she does on her own before you go in. if she gets agitated and upset, of course go in and sooth her. but, if it's just a weak, tired, sleepy cry give it 5-10 minutes to see if she dozes off. good luck!!

Answer 9

this fully depends on what time you put her down to bed. you should never put her to bed with a bottle. it increases bottle rot ( tooth decay). she should be ready for baby food by now. i have a 9 month old daughter and we feed her about an hour before bed time. then i play with her to get her tired and worn out, and at about 9 or 9:30 she is all ready for bed. also there is a body wash for babies that works wonders! it's by Huggies. And she doesn't wake up one time at night!  

Answer 10

  Have you tryed to feed her right before bad.....a bed time snack.And then give her a bottle.

Answer 11

I'm joining your question hun cos my 9 month old boy is the same.

He rolls over in the night and cries cos he's stuck and than needs a bottle.

I'm 23 weeks pregnant and sooooooooooo tired. I need my sleep.

I've also got a 4 & 3 yr old so letting him cry too long is not an option cos it will wake them up!!

Gonna keep my eye on this one