Help! Where do I start?

[Isabelle's mum]

First of all I hope you understand my English
My babygirl is 8 1/2 months old and everything is up side down right now.
Starting with her sleep, she has always been sleeping for only short periods at the time. I have never really been able to put her down to sleep after breast feeding. My solution was to lie down and feed her and when she fell asleep I could just leave her there, I still do it that way. She only naps for 30 minutes, unless I lay next to her or she lies in my arms then she can sleep for one till two hours. At night I breast feed her to sleep and on a good night she will sleep for three hours then I give her the breast an she sleeps for two hours I give her the breast again and the rest o the night she wakes every hour. From four in the morning she doesn't let go of my breast.
She is not interested in food any longer. Is that because I breast feed to sleep, and she full from eating too much during the night?
She is teething, she wants me to carry her all the time, she is whining and crying.
Please help us Where do we start and how?

[Sylvia.]

you have a lot of things going on that i would say is your problem, what is your routine? i would try to fix one of these things at a time, i think you are going to have your work cut out for you but you can do it, i did not feed dd at night at 81/2 months old, she didn't just sleep we had to help her to adjust to no more feeds, have you read tracy's books? this will be your first step in the right direction, get the last book, i think it will help you the most, please keep posting and asking questions, we are all here to help you,

[teezee]

could you post your routine so i could take a look at it please?

[batuki05]

My DS is also 8 and 1/2 months old. He is also the same way since birth. He cries if I do not nurse him. Though for the past few weeks he lies quietly if I pat him in the back and goes to sleep. Ofcourse this does not happen all the time. If he decides he need to nurse he cries.

His routine is
8.30-9 wakeup & nurse
9-1030 play
1030 -breakfast varies each day.
11-1130 nurses & naps between 1 and 1/2 hrs to 2 and 1/2 hr(though wakes up 1-3 times in btween goes back to sleep if I pat him)
2 lunch
3 nurses
430-5 naps for 1- 11/2 hrs (wakes up atleast once)
6-9 plays and has dinner
9 nurses and sleeps

We have a bed time routine of massage with lotion, diaper change, pajamas.


He wakes up atleast 7 times a night I am really really tierd and want some help.

thank you

[teezee]

batuki05 - first off i definately think that for your lo's age he is getting too much day sleep.  my lo could do up to 2 1/2 hrs total naps for the day at that age and not have any night wakings - if she got 3 hrs naps total she woke up all night.  it's a really touchy thing and all lo's are different - so you will have to do some experimentation on your part with that.  maybe if he wakes 'early' from a nap - don't shhh him back to sleep? and just go with it and see how the night turns out??  my lo sometimes only takes 2 x 45 min naps at this point and is still rested enough to get through the day and sleep at night - your lo may need a bit more as he is few wks younger - but you get the point of what i am saying i hope.

i am a little confused about his naps...it seems as if his first nap he nurses right before sleep? why is that? is he nursing to sleep?? if so, that may be why he needs to be nursed in the night sometimes as that's how he is able to get back to sleep.  i would try to stick to a routine of 4 hrs -- longer if he can handle it...i know A times are a bit longer now and with a good nap the 4 hrs might turn into 4 1/2 or 5 hrs (he WILL wake when he is hungry!) but that is better than feeding too often as he may start snacking and that would be a big mess as he wouldn't be getting FULL feedings at each feed.  if you are going to try this start by stretching feedings out by 15 min or so every few days and then continue...if you are worried he won't have a good nap b/c he will wake b/c he is hungry - try giving some water right before nap time - if he won't take it out of a bottle - try a sippy or a straw - this will let him feel full and be digested quickly enough that by the time he wakes up he will be ready for a full feeding.

it does look like he goes to bed a bit late at night (although it is nice to sleep in to that time in the morning) that also could be messing up his night at's lo's natural biorythyms are ealier to bed earlier rising...anywhere usually from 7 - 8:30 or so.

here is a sample of a routine i  had with my dd when she was that age:

8am wake and nurse
9am solids
10:30ish nap
11:45 wake and nurse
1pm solids
2:45ish nap
4:15 wake and nurse
5:15ish solids
7:45 nurse and bed

[batuki05]

Thank you Teezee...those are valuable suggestion.
  I also wanted to stop feeding him to sleep. Thats why I feed him awake and then pat him to sleep. The reason I let him sleep so long for nap is he gets cranky if he wakes up early. And wants to sleep earlier. There are times when on weekends we go out and his routine collapses. And he takes only 2 hours nap. But still he has night wakings. So I just assumed that it was not the long naps that is bothering him. But I feel like he is snacking more often if I feed him every three hours. So I will try increasing the time.

    The thing is my DH goes to work late. So our day starts late and ends late. May be I will try changing for hom and see.
Thank you again.

[teezee]

when u start changing the routine do it slowly - you don't want to shock your lo  i hope things get better...btw if getting too much day sleep or overtired will more than likely both result in night wakings.  keep me posted on your progress!