Baby Sleeping Problems

Cptralls

Hi All, 

We have a seven month who still wakes up at night and hasn't quite settled into the cot. She usually goes to sleep in Mummy or Daddy's arms at 10 pm, we then bring her up to the cot at 11. However, between 11 and 8 there are 3-4 wake ups in the night. Usually Mummy has to nurse her in her arms for the final part of the night. Is this normal and is there anything we can do to improve the sleep patterns?

Thanks

ZaSa1418

Hi, this is normal. All kids are different and some sleep better than others. 
Do you do a bedtime routine? 

Cptralls

ZaSa1418 said:

Hi, this is normal. All kids are different and some sleep better than others. 
Do you do a bedtime routine? 

Changed and in sleeping attire at 10 pm, then a bottle which little one falls asleep during. Then carried up to the cot for 11.

HelenNoreen

Hi 
I agree, every baby/child is different, and what works for some won't work for others. 
What stuck me from your post, is that it sounds like baby falls asleep when really tired (goes to bed the same time as me lol!). So isn't used to settling from being awake to going to sleep. Meaning perhaps when they wake in the night; they are then not able to self settle, as they don't do it/practise that at sleep time. 

At 7 months, I would say that is a great time to try a proper routine. I.e. about 7pm/8pm something like that, low lighting, no tv, perhaps a bath, a story book, and put down in the cot. Soothing words for a few mins, say night and turn out lights... It might take a good few days/weeks to work. Consistency each night is the key...

pinkshoes

Kids need to learn to self settle rather than relying on others to help them.

If the baby falls asleep in someone's arms, then she will except this again when they wake up from their sleep cycle. If the arms are gone, they scream until they get them. 

Everyone has sleep cycles, and until a baby learns to self settle, then they will continue to require sleep help.

I would read a sleep training book. We did the "controlled crying" with just verbal reassurance which worked really well for 2 of our 3. My daughter didn't go for that at all and didn't sleep through until 3.5 years!

My brother continued the rocking to sleep thing, and even though their kids are now 4 and 7, they still need someone to sit with them at bed time which can take up to 2 hours. 

Do what you feel comfortable with.

rach_k

It's completely normal.  Babies are growing faster than they will at any other point in their lives so they need frequent feeding.  If you try to 'trick' them by filling them up with things that are harder to digest or convincing them they're not hungry, you're ignoring what their body needs.  It's also normal for humans and other animals to want comfort and security from being with others; it's not normal for people to sleep alone, whatever we choose to do in Western society!  

As they grow and change so fast, chances are things will be entirely different in a month or  two, then completely different in another month from then.  You can try changing things - many do - and it'll either work or not work, but they'd have grown out of it eventually anyway.  

If it's a big problem for you, you can try things to help make it easier for you - taking shifts for who gets up and brings baby to be fed, then stays awake to put her back in bed, or a co-sleeper cot, or daytime naps for mum if she's doing the bulk of the night waking, plus a steady routine for you all, that kind of thing - but if you're managing happily enough and just wondering if you *should* be doing something, no, just carry on as you are.  

sassyblue

she could be cold. Try putting an extra layer or warmer blanker on her. I found the advice given for temperature kept my son a lot cooler and he kept waking up, once I put an extra blanket on him he was fine.

liney

People can say this is 'normal' but if this results in a baby waking up 3 to 4 times every night, then the adults are not going to be getting proper rest and may even be a danger on the road or at their work place!  If someone is asking 'is this normal' then usually this is because they are finding it hard to cope with, which is fine. But don't be persuaded that it's normal if you need to change it for your own well-being.

At 7 months, 10 hours or night time sleep is still on the light side - guidelines suggest 12 to 16 hours (including naps) from age 0 to 12 months.  I would recommend 'The Baby Whisperer,' book which will lead you through sleep routines and when the time comes, weaning. There is no 'crying out,' just a routine.

When my son was a baby we aiming for 12 hours at night - 7pm to 7am - falling to sleep on his own cot after a bath and bottle. That way, we could do a 'dream feed' and nappy change when we went up to bed at 10/11pm, and he would usually sleep straight through from there.

Good luck! 

CRANKY40

Best way to change the sleep pattern is patting rather than nursing. Wait until baby is drowsy the first few times then place her in the cot and pat her gently. Move on to putting her in the cot and then starting with the patting and then do the patting for shorter times so the baby settles on her own. I played mine music while patting...eventually 5 minutes of the music was all that was needed which was very handy if he woke in the night. The music also helped settle him if he was poorly when he was older. 

This was a continuation of the method used at nursery. On a school trip to a classical concert aged 7,  all the children who had been at nursery with my son fell asleep during the concert 

justworriedabit

Hello
It's completely normal.  Try ans ascertain if the baby may be too hot or cold.
Good to have a thermometer in the bedroom and living room.
The more attention you give the more they will want.
Our children were really good, but it is tiring, especially you or at least one of you is going to work.
Trust me the sleep patterns will settle down in time.

Peter999_2

We had the same problem with our daughter and it was exhausting.        The thing that worked for us was the controlled crying. It's not the nicest thing to have to do, but it worked for us after a couple of nights of doing it.    It doesn't help anyone, especially the baby, if Mum and Dad are exhausted all the time.

However, I would point out that we also put her straight into her own room from when she came home from hospital and not in our room.   I genuinely hadn't read that it's a good idea to keep them in your own room for the first six months - I read about that when she was a year old, haha.

She's 15 now and generally lovely so I don't think we traumatised her too much.