Who Has a Baby That Sleeps Through the Night?

Well, it sounds as if you already know why she doesn't sleep through the night - you aren't ready to let go of those middle of the night breast feedings. At 11 months old, she no longer needs those night time feedings for nutrition, but waking up to feed is a habit for her and is, of course, comforting to you both. If you want to sleep all night, YOU are the one that is going to have the issue weaning from night time breast feeding.
If you make the decision to wean, then she will wean too - but if she senses your hesitance, and can tell that you really dont want to do it, then she will not either. If you are not ready to go through those few nights to a week of crying at night while she weans at night, then there is no use trying yet. But know that the longer you wait, the more difficult it will get to get her off of those night time feedings. Its all up to you. Sounds like YOU are the one that isn't ready to wean yourself ;)

My daughter is also 11 months old and sleeps from 7:30-6:30 and only wakes up maybe once if she is sick or teething. She has slept through the night since she was about 3 months old. Around 3 months old she no longer needed the night feeding and she would go from around 8:00-5:30 without a bottle. I only nursed for the 1st 4 months. My daughter now only has 3 bottles of formula a day and eats 3 regular food meals a day. The crying method seems to work great, because at 11 months they seem to get smart and realize if they cry someone will come for them.

I also recommend "Healthy Sleep, Happy Child", and it's at the library, so you can just check it out and read it instead of buying a copy. I had to do the "cry it out" method as my daughter didn't respond to other methods, but she was sleeping through the night at 6 months (10 hours). Now, at 15 months, she is a great sleeper and rarely wakes up, but when she does I need to let her cry, and she is usually back to sleep within 5 minutes. I would love to be able to console her, but I found that if I go to her at all it just makes it worse. After getting through only 3 days of "crying it out" she was good, and now I can tell by the tone of her cry if she will go back to sleep or not. The only exception I make is when she is sick, and I can tell from her cry. BTW I am still nursing her, just not in the middle of the night, and we both still really enjoy the morning and evening special time together, it's the only time she's not running :)

I HAD a baby that slept thru the night, until I went back to work, and now our nursing time adds a couple of wakenings in the wee hours. :-) I am not minding yet... though I feel ya on the lack of sleep affecting my thought process!

One of the books that helped the most with my first baby - issues sleeping thru the night until 11 months when I broke down and was saved by this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sleep-Habits-Happy-Child/dp...
I love that is offers SEVERAL options to reach the same result: happy sleeping kids. It is also nice that it deals with newborns thru highschool and a variety of sleep issues that may arrise.
One of my favorite bits of truth from the book is that the more sleep kids get, the more they actually sleep! (and vice versa - less sleep = less sleep :-() there are action plans for exhaused parents at the end of each age group chapter, so take a look at the bookstore... Kinda clinical and dry reading, but bullet point steps and encouraging stories from actual patients.
I LOVE this book.
When I am ready to relinquish my "quality time" with my baby girl, I will rely on this book to assist with the transition.

Good luck!

Hi D.,
What time does she go to bed? For us it was important that our son be in bed by 7:00 at that age. If your daughter foes to sleep much later than that, you might want to switch to an earlier bedtime (you can do this gradually over the course of a week). We also had to be quite consistent with his bedtime. For whatever reason, an earlier bedtime seems to lead to more sleep (and not an earlier wake-up time) for most kids. My recollection is that, when a young child stays up later, he/she gets some serious adrenaline going in order to stay awake and then has a hard time falling asleep.
K.

My son is five months old and has slept through the night for over a month. I also love nursing him and enjoy that time together, but his doctor told me that "babies stop waking up at night when their Moms stop feeding them at night". I stopped feeding him during the night and had my husband go in to soothe him when he cried. After a week he stopped waking up at all!

I have an 8 month old son, and a 4 year old daughter. I wouldn't feed your baby during the night. I would go in and pat her on the back and say, "Night night" or something like that and leave the room. Let her cry for 15-20 min., and if she keeps crying go back in and do the same thing. Do not pick her up, though. It will really work. She has gotten in a routine of waking up, but she shouldn't need to be fed in the middle of the night.

I have a four month old son who sleeps through the night! However, my three and 1/2 year old daughter still gets up at 3am or 4am. I think it just depends on the person/child. He is my 3rd child and I am so thankful that his schedule is such because I did not have this luxury with my first two. My son just started eating rice cereal and continues to breasfeed, but during my pregnancy with him I had a huge appetite. During my pregnancy with my daughter my appetite was normal and she is not a big eater now. So maybe that has something to do with it. To deal with the interrupted nights I just "suck it up" and console her. I did it with my first daughter who is now 17 and she is an amazingly, independent soul. When I do get cranky I just remind myself that they're only this small for so long and I might as well appreciate the experience.

I am a working mom as well with an almost 2 year old who has never slept through the night. I guess I wish I had advice, but I don't like you I have tried everything. My daughter is happy and healthy and goes to sleep well. but like your daughter she is up crying actually sitting up in her bed every 2 to 4 hours. to say the least I am exhausted but I think my body has adjusted. If you get any good advice from anyone please send it my way. ____@____.com until then I have decided she is just a light sleeper and if this is all that is wrong with her then I will suck it up and deal. my sister comes next week so she will help me which is great.

Hi D..

My first son was a great napper and sleeper. He woke up in the middle of the night and instead of nursing him, I'd give him a bottle of water. That was no fun for him, so he just decided to sleep through the night instead. He's now 11 and always has been a great sleeper.

My second son, on the other hand, was never a good napper or sleeper. I wanted to do things by the book, so I would let him scream for a while. I've even got video of him sleeping standing up in his crib after wearing himself out from crying. He gave up naps all together before 2 years old and I decided to stop forcing him. He still wouldn't sleep at night. Finally I allowed him to come in to my bed if he woke up in the middle of the night (which was every night.) I knew the books told me this was a terrible thing, but I really enjoyed his soft sweetness next to me. Finally, when he was 3 years old I bought the boys bunkbeds. I told me little one that he was a big boy now and needed to stay in his room. We haven't had a probalem since.

All kids are different, but at some point they will want to sleep in their own bed. If it is not too uncomfortable letting her in, I would suggest allowing it and slowly encouraging her to sleep in her own bed.

Also, you might try giving only one nap a day and she'll be more tired at night. If nothing else, try napping when she naps (if work will allow it.)

When we look back on it years later, sometimes we wish we didn't try to do everything by the book. God bless you and your family.

D., I have an 8-month girl and she has been sleeping through the night since she was 2 months. My tricks were: I stopped feeding her in the middle of the night and gave her formula at night right before she went to bed to fill her up better. I also put a space heater in her room and kept her room at an even 70 degrees. I kept her up later at night. Sometimes to about 10 or 11. She was always a good napper during the day so I would have her take 3 naps a day so that she wouldn't be as cranky staying up that late and I would also make sure that we played with her a lot right before bed time to try to wear her out. All of these seemed to work quite well. I also stopped getting up for her at night completely. Not going into the room at all. However, I would listen carefully to her cries. I have learned her cries very well and can understand when she had a wake up cry, but would still eventually fall back to sleep (it's more like a whining cry) versus her cry as to when something was really wrong like she pooped and then wouldn't go back to sleep unless she was changed (this cry is more like a screaming cry). All of these worked very well for us and within a week or so she slept through the night completely. (Note: As she got better at sleeping through the night, we did slowly start putting her to bed sooner and sooner going in gradual 15 min. segments. She now goes to bed at 7 or 8pm and usually wakes up around 8am.) Well, hopefully these methods (if you try them) will help you get some more sleep during the night! : )

When you put her down at night, have a nice routine.... you may already, but I know this works. Start some music, change her to her jammies, talk to her about sleepy time and how wonderful it is to be in her warm bed etc. Then sit with her and nurse her or bottle and rock a bit with her and take deep breaths with her. Teach her to take deep breaths (thru the nose to relax) after she's finished eating and is relaxed, gently put her in bed with a favorite softie toy , cover her and leave. Shut the door.

If she wakes and cries more than 10 mins. go in, but let her cry for 10 mins. Usually they will get back to sleep before the 10 mins. If you go in, it's all over! She'll want you to pick her up. If it's been the 10-12 mins. of crying do the rountine again. Keep doing this and your baby will sleep thru the night. Both my children love going to bed (mostly) and they sleep thru the night, ALONE, since they were 6 months old.

Ps. dont bring the baby into your bed, stay in her room and let her sleep there....everyone I know that brings their children to bed with them have issues.....

Have you read "The No Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley? I've heard great things and I'm in the process of using some of her suggestions to try to get a better night's sleep while still giving my 7 month old daughter the love, food and responsiveness she calls for. It's a very loving approach to gently and gradually teaching your baby to self-soothe and such. Good luck to you!

Every baby is different but...my son started sleeping through the night (8hrs) at 3 mo. At night, I kept the lights off and fed him and put him right back to bed. I think with the lack of interaction at the nighttime feeding and shorter day naps helped him sleep through the night. He has also been in his crib since day one, even as a 4-1/2 lb. preemie, and is very comfortable there. When he wakes at night is chatters and goes back to sleep. Now (at 6 mos.) that he is eating cereal and baby food, he sleeps close to 12 hours (7 to 7). At 7pm, i put him in his crib and he goes right to sleep. We are just keeping our fingers crossed and hoping this pattern lasts.

Our daughter (5 moths old now) slept 6 hours a night the first week and by a month old she slept 8 hrs a night. Typically she will sleep 10 hrs a night these days, but has slept up to 14 hours at a time.
To be honest I think mostly we are just blessed with a great sleeper - thank god - I think I'd be in the looney bin by now if she didn't. But I'll tell you a few things that I think helped us.
1. She was a big baby when she was born (9lbs 4oz.) So thus she ate a lot. In fact I was never able to keep up w/ her appetite. They gave her formula because she had low blood sugar right away after being born. I had no idea they were doing this (I was in the recovery room because of a c-section.) She was a great (but demanding) nurser. So I would breast feed her and then I'd have to give her a bottle. By the second week she was already demanding 6 oz! I would try to feed her less (thinking she would surely burst wide open,) but she would cry and root like she was still hungry. She wouldn't vomit or anything so I assumed she could take it. She still only drinks 6 -7 oz at 5 months now. I'm just starting to give her rice cereal. Anyway, my point is she ate a lot.
2. At 2 weeks old she started to unswadle herself and would wake up screaming so we decided (against popular belief) to start putting her down to sleep on her belly. It worked like a charm. That being said in her crib we only use a fitted sheet (no extra blankets or toys.) We always put her in those Halo sleepsacks over her pjs. I also always run the fan so there is plenty or air circulation.
3. I have always used a white noise machine.
4. I make sure her room is really warm - like sometimes she is even a little sweaty. She sleeps WAY longer when its really warm. If she's sleeping and her hands or face is cold then its too cold in the room.
5. I have never tried to force her into a sleep routine. It doesn't matter what we do - she typically wakes up around the same time every day. We're on her schedule.

Anyway, that's all I can think of. I hope this helps. Just hearing about no sleep makes me sad :(
Good luck.

I have a 7yr old and an almost 3yr old. Have you tried giving her a little rice cereal before bed? It might help her go for an extra hour or two.

I always hear about baby's that sleep all night but mine never have until over 2 yrs. So to me it is normal. I breastfed my first until she was 3 and we co-sleep. My second is almost 2.5, co-sleeps, nurses at night. I am in the process of getting him off night time nursing now. I guess I'm not really sure what your question is but just to tell you that it is normal especially since you are still nursing, breastfeeding baby's wake up more than one who gets a bottle, so I've been told and that has been my experience too. She will sleep through the night one day... really! I never thought my daughter would but she is a happy healthy 5 year old and she just sleeps and sleeps all night. :0)

I never got the chance to nurse my 2 little ones, so Im sure you do love the time together. But for me the only way I got my kids to sleep through the night is to let them cry it out, without going in to comfort her. With my oldest daughter(almost 4) she didnt sleep through until she was 20 months old, I finally couldnt do it any more and after 3 nights of her screaming her lungs out for almost an hour each night she slept through the night...I know it sounds terrible but it is so worth it! And with my son he started sleeping through the night at 5 months, he was only waking up once a night as it was and I just let him yell it out, not for as long though since he was still little, but with him after 2 nights he slept through. I think going in to comfort them makes it harder on them because then they think you are coming to pick them up and then you dont and that makes it even worse.

I was told that at 11 months she almost certainly doesn't need night nursings, but she seems to be trained to wake up for them. What i read said that you should soothe them back to sleep, without nursing. So they can teach themselves to fall back asleep without food. Just my two cents...good luck!

I don't, that's for sure!! I have a twenty month old who is still nursing and STILL not sleeping through the night! I am glad I've been able to nurse this long but I'd like to get a full night's sleep and I think he needs it too! I don't know how to fix it either. Just wanted you to know you aren't alone.
Hang in there! Don't feel guilty about taking a nap now and then. Sleep is important! (I say that, but I won't do it either)

my boy didn't sleep through the night until he was 12 months. and even then it wasn't every night. he was on breast milk until about 8 months. i think every child is just a little different. hang in there. it will happen eventually.

Hi D.,

My baby does sleep through the night. He is 6 1/2 months old now. He occassionally wakes up but is not totally awake, if you know what I mean. He is my 3rd from my second marriage and I love him to death. The one thing you have to get away from is taking her out to feed her if she wakes up. Most likely she is not hungry, but most likely wants to make sure that you are still there. Kids are smarter than what we give them credit for. Maybe you should try suplimenting her at night, give her a bottle with cereal in it. Your milk may not be rich enough anymore to keep her satisfied, or she just wants to nurse for security reasons. Unfortunately because I do not work from home my nursing days ended after 4 1/2 months. But he is healthy and growing fast. Also try and put one of those lights and sounds players on the side of the crib. You can get one from Target. I bought the monkey one and if he wakes up I just put that on and give him his pacifier. It works. Sometimes I will pat him gently on the chest just to let him know that I am here. Good luck. I hope what I said helps.

I had a similar problem when my daughter was 13 months (how did I manage without sleep that long). The solution that worked for us was to let her cry for 60 minutes before going into say it's okay and then leave again... maybe to more crying. It took three days of this, with less crying every day before we had a regular full night's sleep. As for breasfeeding, we would bring her into our bed in the morning before we had to get up for feeding and cuddling.. that continued another two months until she weaned at 15 motnhs. Good luck

I have to recommend co-sleeping. If this can work for you and your spouse it's the best thing for babies who need you more and for you to get more sleep. My first daughter was a diffucult sleeper and I tried from the begining to have her sleep in her bed and she just cried. It broke my heart and we were sleep deprived. started bringing her to bed with us and that was the end of it. My next two children have slept with us from the start and I get the best sleep nursing a baby. My third baby has never cried at night because I was so in tuned to her that I'd wake up when I knew she needed to nurse.No hopping out into the cold, just snuggled up next to each other cozy. It's my favorite. Try it, Oh and the older two children transitioned to their own beds no problem. I still have my baby next to us.

I went through this same thing. My baby woke up one or twice in the middle of the night and wanting to cuddle until very recently. I was worried; babies are suppose to sleep through the night; parenting magazines are full of how to's and why nots. But instead of asking how, I asked why? I loved cuddling with her. It was ‘our’ time. She is my last and also a miracle baby. She took naps, was developing above and on normal levels and an independent little girl, so I came to a conclusion: if I like it and she likes, why not cuddle? Having had other kids, I'm sure you know this time, when they are small, goes by in a flash. Enjoy it, it won't last long.
As far as the lack of sleep, if naps are not an option, can you go to bed an hour earlier? I think, even us 'experienced' moms have a tendency to conform to what babies 'should' do and what is 'normal'. Please remember, less than 50 years ago, there were articles on how to potty train your baby before they were 1. Do what is right for you and enjoy that little one.
Just to let you know, mine started sleeping through the night, every night, when she was 2.

I realize this advice isn't for everyone and I'm sure you'll get loads of suggestions on how to get her to sleep.

Good luck

My daughter didn't sleep through the night until 10 1/2 months. In getting to that point, I read a number of books and got hints from all of them that helped me figure out what to do. Elizabeth Pantley's book "The No Cry Sleep Solution" mentioned an interesting point-- you probably won't succeed in whichever method you choose if YOU aren't fully ready to make the change.
It sounds like you really enjoy the night feedings. Given your scenario, that time must be very precious to you so why rush?
Best of luck in whatever you decide....
A.

Hello D.,
I agree with the woman who said that it won't happen until you are really ready to let the special night time cuddling go. However, something that may be helpful is some sort of toy or such in the crib. My daughter has a little stuffed rabbit, and when she wakes up she sucks on his ears (she doesn't suck her thumb or a pacifier).
Best of luck and enjoy your next 8 hours of sleep, whenever it comes.
Catherine
PS. I just realized I'm logged onto my mom's account, FYI.

Hey D.,
I HIGHLY recommend the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. Just skip the intro unless you have free time and go straight to the correct age group. There is also a section on "problems". My daughter was sleeping through the night at 2 1/2 months old. Of course I had to supplement breastfeeding with formula due to insufficient production so her tummy stayed full longer. I am a firm believer in teaching children healthy sleep habits. Dr. Weissbluth is a HUGE advocate for sleep and teaching children to self-soothe. In his book he gives many different options not just the CIO method but I feel with some kids that is the only option. I never ignore my daughter at night if she is sick, but I do find myself retraining her once she is better. We aren't born with the ability to easily fall back to sleep, it is something we learn. Email me if you want specific advice.
Good luck!
L.

My son is 2 now but he didn't sleep through until 14 1/2 months . He was similiar to your daughter in that he was able to go to sleep on his own for naps and at bedtime. What worked for me because I was still nursing too was to cut out the night nursing by having your husband respond to the baby's crying and soothe her back to sleep. A 12 month old can drink whole milk now. It only took two nights and our son has slept from 7:30 - 6:30 every night without waking. I have heard that the baby can smell your milk when you come in the room and the waking thing becomes a habit/comfort thing. If she is able to put herself to sleep on her own then she is capable of going back to sleep on her own too. All kids are different as you know with 4 but I believe this may be worth a try. Good luck!

Im not sure what your asking. I have a 15 mos old little boy whom i still nurse, and is not sttn at all. he has for a week or 2, and then the teeth starting coming left and right. LOL. I am getting up alot more at night again. I dont do cio, never have. I believe it hurts more thanhelps, from what I have read. I too am a sahm. I am going through where he is latching on differntly and causing my nipple to be extremely sore! he only nurses on my right, btw, for the past few months. I wish I could wean due to that factor alone! but I dont want to wean when he is teething! Anyway, back to helping you. Again, I am not sure what you are asking. How to get your baby to sttn? I dont think I have that answer, lol, as I am dealing with that too. I know with teething and learning a new thing, ie walking, talking, they will revert. All I do is cash in on my patience bag! And remember, too soon these days will be over and we will be sad. I think of that to help me through. LOL

I think that's kind of a crazy question. Do YOU always sleep through the night, every night? I don't, and I am 38 years old. I wake up to pee, get a drink of water, or just sometimes for no reason at all.

Also, 11 months is a VERY busy time developmentally. Babies that age are so busy during the day that they don't have much time to nurse and cuddle. My 12 mo hardly nurses at ALL during the day, but he does wake to nurse at night every 3-4 hours. His brother did the same thing. If he is sick or teething hard, it is every hour sometimes.

Yep, that sucks as far as sleep for you. But guess what? You are the mother of a baby, so sleeping in solid 8 hour blocks simply shouldn't be an expectation for you. It's not for me. No use getting upset about it, or trying to change it. It is what it is. Your baby spends the day exploring the world, and the night bonding with mama and catching up on nursing.

Like everything else, this phase will pass before you know it. Right now it seems like this will last forever, but it doesn't.

My four year old sleeps in his own bed and just likes a little cuddling before crashing out, which DH and I are happy to provide. But when he was 10-18mo, I swore he was going to be nursing to sleep and attached to my boob all night until high school. That's what it felt like at the time.

It passed. I never tried to "sleep train" him, I just was there for him at night when he needed me. He sleeps just fine now. He never fights going to bed, and he often sleeps for 12 hours at a time, though not always.

Humans know how to sleep just fine all on their own, without being "trained" to do it. I don't understand the whole emphasis on "training" or letting a baby cry it out. I never let my kids cry it out, and I don't see the point. If I were scared and upset at night, why would it be beneficial for say, my husband, to not come and comfort me?

Since this is your last baby (mine is my last as well), I would just relax and enjoy the quiet, intimate, peaceful time that you spend with your baby at night.

Yes, you will be tired sometimes. Yes, your thinking will be fuzzy sometimes. Some days I feel like I can't even string a sentence together. But this will not last forever, so I just try to relax and enjoy the little warm body nestling against me.

One day he won't want to cuddle with me at night anymore, and I'll have the rest of my life to sleep 8 hours straight if I want to. But right now, for this tiny little window of time in my life, my baby needs me. Why begrudge that? If you love nursing her at night, then why even question it? Especially for your little miracle baby?

Also, I work from home too, and run my own business. I am on the phone, dealing with customers, shipping orders, updating my website, all day long. Yep, it's hard when I feel tired. But it's not the end of the world. If I'm having a rough day, I just admit that I was up with my baby the night before and most people are fine with that. We're all human and people can be very understanding. So don't feel bad on that account either. Remember, you also have the rest of your life to work! :-)

Hope that helps,
L. Hamilton
http://www.theportablebaby.com

Hi there!
I felt compelled to reply to you because your situation has similarities to mine. I am the mother of 6. I also remarried and didn't think I'd go on to have 2 more beautiful blessings in my life! (Well, 3 if you count my wonderful husband!) Anyway, my youngest is now 22 months old and I am almost 44. I have to say that throughout my pregnancy with him and up to now, this has been the most tired I've ever been. He still wakes up once or twice in the middle of the night wanting a bottle. I started to wean him when he was 1 1/2 but my Mom (who lived with us) died suddenly last summer. So I was not in a very strong mental state and just kept him on the bottle. Sorry for blabbing on. Just glad to see an "older" Mom here dealing with baby issues. God is so good and glad you got your miracle...that he answered your prayer! Good luck with your beautiful baby.

G.

D.,
Until you seriously want her to sleep through the night she won't. You mentioned you enjoy waking w/ her at those times to nurse and hold her. That's great - enjoy. When you are no longer wavering on this, you (and she) will be more apt to enforcing the sleep thru the night plan. She can sense your desire to be w/ her at night. Don't wonder how - she just can! If that's what you want to do go w/ it and don't feel guilty. It's not hurting anyone. When you are too tired to function during the day then consider changing your ways. As a mom of 4 you know how fast time goes. If this is how you want to spend this time don't apologize for it. Make the choice that suits your needs now and commit, she'll follow. Congratulations, enjoy and god bless.

Try "The No Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley. www.pantley.com/elizabeth

The most important thing is to establish a consistent bedtime routine before you put her down to sleep.

Here is the most simple advice I can give. My first baby was really hard to get to sleep, but with my second we had a plan from the beginning. First of all, don't give her ANY stimulation at night time. Just change her diaper and feed her. No lights, no talking, playing, or even smiling. Second, maybe a nap or two should be cut out from the day time. And if none of that works, I know this sounds awful, but let her cry for about 20 minutes, then rock her to sleep. Crying makes them tired. I hope this works for you and you start getting some sleep soon!

Hi D.
I am also a mother of 4 and I say let her sleep with you shell let you know mine did thats you and hers special time you want a good night sleep bring her into bed with you my husband and I wouldn't have changed it for the world are kids are soo loving yes even at the age of 12 down to my youngest who is 6 like you said shes a miracle baby. God Bless you you and your Family Danielle mother of 4