6 month old waking through night

[colenliam]

I can't find anything to help us,
Im at a loss and starting to get desparate

[teezee]

all i can say is at 6months it may be a growth spurt or developmental...if it is in fact a growth spurt than you want to feed - maybe a dream feed would help some of you??  if it's developmental all i can say is roll with the punches and it will be over soon.  i know when my lo rolled over either way she had WAY more night wakings than her usual few.  i have been very successful in slowly shortening the amount of time i feed her at night.  now at each one of her feedings she is eating more and more (milk and solids!) and the night wakings are slowly reducing as well.

[colenliam]

I never thought about the rolloing over until you mentioned that.
My lo started to roll over both ways now and that is when all these night waking started.  I do give a dreamfeed but hes up 3 hours later, not hungrey, so it might be just getting used to the extra movement he can do now eh??
Thanks for the advice.

[Jo-FrasersMum]

Hi Everyone

I have to agree with Tawnya - the 6 month mark is a very common age to have some night wakings - both because of a growth spurt and because of developmental factors.

Unfortuntately I think it is something that you just have to ride out - feeding when necessary during the growth spurt and just responding as best you can for the rest of the time. 

I also found for a couple of weeks during the 6 month upset, we went back to swaddling for a couple of weeks - it was like DS needed to feel secure with all the new developmental things that were happening during the day.  We only did it again until he started to settle a little easier.

Good luck to you all
Jo

[colenliam]

Hi,
Yeah, i know it just has to be riden out, i geuss we just have to relize that it isn't like they are doing this to upset us, probably they are as fusterated as we are.
I haven't swaddled lo since like 3 weeks, should I maybe try again??

[Jo-FrasersMum]

Yes I agree - they are likely to be frustrated too (I know my DS gets frustrated when he can't get back to sleep during the night)  It's easier said that done to remain calm I know, but that is always my aim.  I know that DS will go back to sleep soon rather than later if I stay calm so he can also calm down.

I used to use the swaddle on and off whenever I thought that it might help DS - I don't think there's any reason why you couldn't just try it and see how it goes.

Good luck

[Thea pink pants]

Hi all! Am i wishful thinking that my LO should be going through the night now she's 5 months?
I've followed all the rules so to speak?! She's formula fed every 4hrs 7,11,3,7+10.30 df. She has 2 naps
1.5 - 2hr plus 40min catnap. I've recently started some solids but only 1 -2 times a day, after am or lunch
bottle and\ or b4 eve bottle. Only started solids because she was taking such interest in food and less
in bottles, only having 4-5oz each time. She's never completely slept through, is always waking
around 4am. Tried wake to sleep but didn't work. She'll go back to sleep with dummy but wakes on\off
till 7am. Do you think she's overriding hunger with dummy? Last night thought it maybe hunger as she had more
of her bottles during day, she took 4oz at 5.30am, but then today her routine has been behind!
Do you think i should up solids to 3 times every day? Do df later at 11? Should i just thank my lucky stars
she's as good as gold other wise, and resign to the fact i may never sleep a longer stretch than 5 hrs!
Would love to sleep 11-7 again!!!

[mthyne]

Right there with you with my 6 month ds!  Between separation anxiety, teething, and major developmental milestones, plus traveling, our night wakings are much worse!  No longer will a pacifier do the trick!  I try to think that he just loves me so much he wants to be with me at night, but that's not always easy during the 3rd night waking at 4 am!   And I'm pretty sure it's not hunger either; even if I feed him at night he still wakes later.  Just good to know there's others out there riding this out too!
melissa

[tracefo]

Right there with you guys and now we have a cold to make things even more interesting at night!  Will this fun be over soon?
Tracey

[Mommy in Moose Jaw]

Wow, looks like I can join the club too, as I sit here looking for answers at 4:00am!!!  DD is six months old now too and is waking multiple times and unable to settle easily on her own like she was doing before.  We are finished the growth spurt which lasted nearly six weeks on and off and are back to the normal feeding routine (pretty much textbook to the BW for my textbook baby!) so I'm quite sure it's not calories any more. 

I too wondered about the start of separation anxiety as dd seems at least on schedule or even earlier for the cognitive/emotional milestones.  She quite obviously started with stranger anxiety at 4 months and makes cause and effect associations very quickly.  Overall it seems like she's gone from helpless infant to fullly interactive baby over the last few weeks.  The changes have been amazing.  So I can accept development being a part of the issue, but I don't have to like the effect!!

Lately I'm into her bedroom 3-4 times per night in addition to the dream feed and tonight has been the worst.  We're right now going on 2 hours of up and down being unable to settle herself or stay asleep once settled. 

Physical changes lately have been sitting and drinking from a sippy cup.  She's still not rolling (the one area she's not textbook!) but seems on the verge. 

In terms of routine, dd is, you guessed it, 'textbook' for EAS for a 6 month old. We still BF as per BW and have 3 solid meals about 1.5 hours following BF for breakfast, lunch and supper, and DF at 11:00.  DD has two naps 1-2 hours long and WAS sleeping 10.5 to 11 hours per night.

By all accounts it seems like this a 'ride it out' issue?  I can't think of anything to change with her E,A or S??

[fleadle]

I hope thing are easier for all of you.

I don't know if this will help, but with my dd the last 2 nights I have resorted to feeding her (even though she is not hungry)....the first night I fed her a huge bottle & although not "hungry" she did drink it (painfully slowly!!! more comfort suckling than drinking) the settled ok in her cot without me from 2am til 7am.

Last night I took her into my bed, BF her, then let her fall asleep on my chest & then moved her to her cot where she slept from 3am til 7am.

I know this is not ideal & goes against all the "Teaching her to fall asleep on her own" but I just felt that her going to sleep without screaming the place down for 2hrs was an achievement & hopefully she will grow out of this "phase".

No doubt I will be back here in 2 months time winging how I have made a rod for my own back!!!!, but for now at least it seems to work & she is happy (my priority).

[Katet]

Maybe it is just my thinking, but if a baby takes a feed & it is at least 50% of a average one & then sleeps then thirst or hunger is part of the problem... If I can't settle my ds#2 in 5mins, I feed & if he doesn't want to feed he won't... if he doesn't feed & won't settle then for me that means there is another problem.

If your baby is falling asleep independently at the start of the night & the wakings are taking 2 hours to settle & you can rule out other issues such as teething/illness, then I think it does come down to thirst... or hunger. With heating or hot weather I always notice that my toddler wakes up thirsty. The thing is just because a baby sleeps through some times doesn't mean they always will, growth spurts, illness teething & milestones all have an influence.

but for me I try to rule out hunger/thirst before I look at any other cause... 4 hours trying to settle a sick baby is no fun (I've been there many times - esp in the last week) & I'd rather try to settle quickly & get back to sleep... I know being second time around it does get better.

[fleadle]

How many posts??? & I thought I was addicted to this site 

[tracefo]

I too have been feeding my dd if she won't settle within 5 minutes.  With the exception of last night she takes a full feed.  Which tells me she was hungry and maybe this is just the longest growth spurt we've  been through yet.  I'm worried though that she's going to decide that this breast feeding in the middle of the night is pretty fun and, even though she is still awake when I put her back in the crib, she'll decide that this is a good routine.  I don't want to be an accidental parent!  The problem is though that there are a whole lot of things going on (first cold, sitting up, solids, growth spurt)  and I really don't know what the problem is in the middle of the night and my body is begging to go back to sleep!  Sooooo, how do I make sure this is really a hunger issue?

[Katet]

to be honest if you can rule out all other variables ie sick/teething etc & my lo won't settle in 5mins, then I just work on it being thirst/hunger... for me that has worked with both my ds. To me sleeping through the night is not an expectation, just when it happens it is a blessing...
I actually think if a baby isn't hungry they will refuse & if they suck they need it... their metabolism is slower at night, so from my experience they often self adjust, feed slower or shorter as they "self wean" off the night feeds, some babies do that in the first 6 months of life, others it tends to take longer... all babies are different & the important thing it to know your baby & not try to make your baby into a textbook, as that is when more accidental parenting happens if you "follow the book, rather than your baby"