Sleeping Through the Nights

Updated on February 18, 2010
G.B. asks from Richmond, TX
10 answers

Hello Mamas, my question is my 11 month old baby is not sleeping through the night yet. This is my second child plus I am 5 months pregnant with my 3rd. And it just hit me that he wakes up 2 times during the night. I can't remember exactly but I think my 1st child started sleep through the night at 6 months old. He eats alot of table food and fruits and baby snacks through out the day, actually drinks a lot less milk during the day and from 9pm-7am will usually have 3 bottles! How do I start getting him in the routine of sleeping straight throught the night so I can get my rest?

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J.B.

answers from Killeen on

Do you go to him when he wakes up or let him try to go back to sleep himself? I started by giving my daughter 10 mins to fall back alseep before going to her and gradually increased the time. Once they learn to fall back asleep you wont need to get up even if they awaken.

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J.T.

answers from Victoria on

our pedi told us to use the cio method when our son turned one. it took three nights and he has been sleeping threw all night sence. it seems crule but really our son needed his own full night sleep just as much as i did. good luck.

2 moms found this helpful

M.B.

answers from Beaumont on

Alll children are different and my last nursed every two hours night and day for two years.

1 mom found this helpful
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N.N.

answers from Houston on

A great book to guide you is "Healthly Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Mark Weissbluth.

Your baby may be getting too much solids and not enough milk during the day. Try gradually decreasing the solids and increasing the milk during the day. At the same time, try gradually feeding less ounces of milk during the night like one less ounce every 3-4 days.
Crying it out may be needed later for sleep training after adjusting your baby to take in most of his calories in the daytime. CIO before this transition seems a bit too much since your baby is used to getting his calories met during the night.

1 mom found this helpful
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E.M.

answers from Des Moines on

not that it will really help you but my son has never "slept through" the night he is almost 2 and he wakes up 2 -3 times i however rarely have to go into his room to comfort him but i still wake up when he does. if it is your visit to his room that you are trying to avoid you can leave him with a few small simple toys in his crib so when he does wake he can entertain himself. and since he isnt night weaned this process could take sometime. my son night weaned himself at 9 months so i dont have any proven methods. the main thing is to try to get him to eat more during the day. you may have to keep one night feeding for a while to help him adjust. All kids are different so he may decide tomorrow that he will start sleeping through or he may always be a night waker. my nephew is 8 and he gets up 2 times a night to get a drink of water or go tot he bathroom he never was one to sleep through yet his 6 year old brother just passes out and doesn't wake until morning. good luck with both your 2nd and 3rd babies :)

1 mom found this helpful
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R.J.

answers from El Paso on

For both my kids, at 9 months we taught them to sleep through the night. Both were normal on the growth charts and we knew they were getting enough food throughout the day with plenty of milk in between so their getting up through the night was just for comfort and out of habit.

We gave them less and less milk over the first few days and then started substituting water for the milk. Of course they didn't like it but eventually they gave up the fight. It took about 2 good weeks to get them both weaned but since then, no issues. We gave a bottle before we laid them down and they wouldn't eat again until the next morning for breakfast. They sleep on average about 11 hours per night. HTH!

1 mom found this helpful
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T.B.

answers from Houston on

Hello Gracie,

I recommend, "Healthly Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Mark Weissbluth. This book saved our lives. My son is just turning a year and has slept through the night (6:30 to 7:00) 98% of the time since he was 3.5 months old. I recommend putting him to bed earlier. The book has lots of methods for helping a child sleep. If my son wakes up too early before 6:00 a couple of days in a row I put him to sleep 15 to 20 minutes earlier and he sleeps an hour longer then we slowly work back to his normal sleep time. 6:30 is early but he is happy and so are my husband and I. Good luck!!!

1 mom found this helpful
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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

My kids were both past a year before they slept through the night (not needing to nurse/bottle). I take that back, my 3.5 year old still doesn't sleep through the night......he gets cold and steals my body heat.

I agree with the other recommendation - try a larger meal before bedtime to see if that sustains him (plus a bottle/nursing).

Every baby is different and will have different sleeping habits, too.
If you're not nursing, can your husband alternate nights with you to help you get the rest you need?

1 mom found this helpful
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G.S.

answers from New York on

Our pedetrician recommend that we give my daughter a larger meal before bedtime. Whether or not it be some rice cereal & a bottle or something significant. Is he waking up to eat or just fuss?

1 mom found this helpful
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A.L.

answers from Austin on

Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Ferber. It's worth it, even if you don't use the ferber method, just for the chapter on sleep science. My husband uses the information on sleep cycles to help himself get a better rest!

The Ferber Method is NOT "cry it out" as I've usually seen it described, by the way.

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