My baby is about to turn 7 months old and he still does not sleep through the night...?

Question

I was told by family and friends that he should be sleeping through the night at least by 6 months. But he still wakes me up every 3-4 hours each night to eat. What should I do? Am I doing something wrong?

Answer 1

Hi

First you have to know why your 7 month old is waking up. If it is because he is looking to eat this is what i suggest. He is old enough to eat Gerber so feed the baby before you give him a bottle and put him to sleep.  Increase the amount of formula. Also check the diaper before you put him to bed. Hopefully this can help you.

Answer 2

Maybe he needs to take sleeping pills.

Go to a chemist and ask them.

Answer 3

honestly when he wakes up dont turn a light on in the room. use a dim night light and keep him in the same room. when you wake a baby up by a light they with "program" themselves to wake up at the same time or around the same time. Also changing rooms in the middle or the night makes the baby wake up to look around at new surroundings.

so keep him in the same room and keep the lights off. it will keep him tired and eventually he will start sleeping through the night.

Answer 4

No your not doing anything wrong at all!  Some babies just need to eat more frequently than others.  Do you give him solids and then a bottle close to bed?  Try that, it may keep him asleep just a little bit longer.

Answer 5

My son who is now 15 years old did not sleep through the night until he was 16 months old.  He didn't cry or fuss, he was just really alert and happy.  He was curious about what was going on.  Don't stress it, he will grow up to happy and healthy and he will be the love of your life and when he is my sons age, you will wish you could go back and snuggle with him and rock him all night.  Good luck, and follow your heart.  Not all babies are the same.

Answer 6

Some babies just take longer and some kids never sleep through the night.  Feed him a good feeding before bed and develop a bedtime routine where he is getting a nice warm bath and even a a story before bed then put him down.  If he is still hungry at night though then you may be dealing with night feedings for awhile.  I would have the pediatrician take a look at him and make sure he is doing ok.  My boys by 6 months were still waking up but it was only for 1 feeding and the rest of the times were just because they woke-up and couldn't get themselves back to sleep.  

Answer 7

Hi,

I think the most important thing to start with is to get your baby into a good sleep routine.  I had massive problems with getting my 4 month old son to sleep.  He would just lie awake and cry for hours, then when he finally went to sleep he would wake every hour or two hours through the night and cry again!  Talk about pulling our hair out .... we were absolutely desperate for sleep!

It was a baby sleep audio program recommended by a friend that finally saved us. We followed the advice and began by creating a baby sleep routine which included bathtime, dimming of the lights, putting James into his crib, final nappy change and then lullabies. We also made recommended changes to his naps during the day and used some of the other recommended techniques. Within two weeks he was sleeping through the night most nights with just the odd night where he would just wake once!

Definitely start by creating a good baby sleep routine though and you could find that solves most of your baby sleep problems.

Good luck!

Answer 8

No you aren't doing anything wrong. Every baby is different. Some babies start sleeping through the night at 2 months, and others wait as long as they're first year! He will when he is ready.

But if you want to try to help him along the process, when he wakes up in the middle of the night don't pick him up unless he is really crying for you. Cover him back up, give him his pacifier and give him a kiss. He probablly won't go back to sleep right away, but keep trying. You can gradually do this by only allowing one feeding in the middle of the night and gradually making him wait until at least 5 am.

Hope this helps a little--but don't worry, you aren't doing anything wrong, your baby is perfectly normal!

Answer 9

If he is still hungry try putting rice cereal in his bottle so that it is more filling. I also used the Johnson's and Johnson's bedtime bath/lotion every night before bedtime and my daughter was sleeping through the night at 5 weeks. You just have to find what works for your child and do it that way. I always put my daughter down to bed later so she would sleep in in the morning so I stopped giving her bottles (even water) at 8:30 or 9, nothing else until her bedtime (10:00-11:00) bc if she had anything in her stomach she wouldn't finish her nighttime bottle and would wake up to eat. Just try switching up your routine to find out what works for him!

Answer 10

I love how family and friends think they know more about our children than we do. None the less, all babies are different. I would like to suggest a book if you will not be offended... The Baby Whisperer.

I read this book with my first born, (he is now 14 months) and I followed the schedule flexibly. My son has been sleeping through the night since he was 6 weeks old and I owe it all to the information the book provided. Good luck to you.  

Answer 11

no you are not doing anything wrong..my son did that until 18 months. he is just growing. my son is 8 and eats every 2-4 hours in the day still.all children are different. just keep taking care of him the best you can and take him to a dr if it will ease your mind.

Answer 12

My friend's child didn't sleep through the night until about 14 months old.  

Go to your pediactric, honey. They should be able to help you with some advice as well as some medication for him.

Answer 13

Your baby may be teething thats why she get up so many time but you should only feed her once a night.  My doctor said by six months that they do not need a night bottle.  But I think one is ok.

Answer 14

Start putting a little but of baby cereal in his last bottle of the night.  Not much, just enough to make it thicker. Be careful the first few times so he does not choke on until he gets used to the new texture. You can use a sterilized straight pin to make the hole of the nipple bigger if need be. I started my son on this at 4 months and he was fine.  

Answer 15

I will have to agree with CF. You are doing absolutely nothing wrong! Every baby is different and there are reasons some sleep through the night and others don't. Just tell people that you know your baby and what is best for them and that your glad what they did worked for them but it's not the best option for you right now. My daughter is almost 1 year and not sleeping through the night except for like three time recently. I can't reccomend Nighttime parenting by Dr. Sears enough! It has a lot of information and research on why some babies sleep and others do not. Also, if you are breastfeeding La Leche League International can be a great source of information and support (I will post links under sources). People always feel the need to comment on my daughters sleeping habits and I always tell them that when I decided to have a child I knew I wasn't just going to be a parent during the day, it's a 24 hour labor of love! You need to be there for your baby at night too. He may be waking up for many reasons such as he's hot, cold, teething, hungry, scared, or maybe he's just lonely. There is nothing wrong with a child seeking love and attention from a parent. People will try to tell you that you will spoil the baby or that they will manipulate you. Infants want to meet their needs, and love, attention, and security is a need. Please do not let people talk you into letting your baby cry it out. All this teaches your baby is that when they need something no matter how hard they cry you are not going to come help them so why cry? This is an emotional disaster waiting to happen! Also, there are many reasons why it is not a good idea to alter a bottle nipple or put cereal in the bottle! And, your pediatrician is trained in illnesses etc., so if they give you tips on parenting that you don't agree with go ahead and follow your intuition (you really do have some!!) The day when your baby sleeps through the night may seem far away right now, but when you look back it will just be a blip in your life. Try not to set limits on the time and it will be less stressful. Try to enjoy the time you two get to spend together snuggling when the house is quiet. Soon enough they will be grown and gone and you will miss it!  

Answer 16

its ok, there may be something bothering him/her. try asking a doctor, and they'll give you some better advise, and no, you're not doing anything wrong, dont worry