Author Topic: Need Help! 8.5 mo old up 5 times a night. GOING CRAZY!  (Read 815 times)

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Offline mama2lu

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Need Help! 8.5 mo old up 5 times a night. GOING CRAZY!
« on: February 13, 2007, 02:31:20 am »
I thought this would be over by now!  I haven't slept in over 8 months.  Sometimes she seems hungry.  She takes 1-3 bottles at night (three to nine ounces).  She never takes less than one bottle at night.  The wakings are usually just to have one of us rock her or visit her.  She has never slept all night.  At 4 months old she would sleep 6-8 hours at one stretch, but that is long past.

How old is your child?    8.5 mos
What’s his/her daily routine? up at 6:30-6:45, nap at 9-9:30 until 10:30 or 11, nap at 1:30 or 2 until 3 or 3:30, asleep at 7:30.  Sometimes if she is up before 3:30 she takes another nap for 30 minutes around 4:30 or 5.
What’s nap routine?  Rock until tired and lay her down in crib patting bottom until asleep
How long are naps? usually at least an hour to 1.5 hours.  Sometimes 45 minutes.
What's bedtime routine? Time?  Bath at 7, story and bottle then rock, sing and say prayers.  Sometimes she is awake and sometimes she falls asleep by the time i lay her down
Do you bottle or breastfed?? Bottle feed breast milk.  She self weaned about 3 weeks ago
How much? or how long? 25-28oz/day
If breastfed.. one side or both?? (at each feed)
How many wakes per night? at least FIVE
What’s your LO like when waking at night? How long is he/she up? She goes right back to sleep, but requires soothing to get there.  At most she is up 10 minutes
When you go to him/her is she fussing or crying? Or is it a mantra cry? Sitting up and crying
What have you tried to settle??  Laying down patting bottom.  Rocking if that doesn't work.  She is a pacifier baby too.
What do you do for A time and how long is it? We play, crawl, walk outside, watch a quick cartoon or read books.  She is awake 2-3 hours.  Sometimes 4 hours before bedtime.
Are there developmental issues such as teething or milestones?  Teething, crawling, cruising... but sleep wakings aren't new to us.
Have you introduced cereal? Why, how much, and how many times a day? (for LO’s under 6 months)  Cereal was at 5 months because she was interested.  She was on solids three times a day until this week and she stopped taking them more than once.  She gags and turns away.
Do they have a prop? If so what is it?  Not really.  She rubs a taggie sometimes, but isn't addicted to it.
Do they have a lovie? Just paci, but she is pretty independent with it. 

Please... someone have a little advise for us!

Offline momofclaire

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Re: Need Help! 8.5 mo old up 5 times a night. GOING CRAZY!
« Reply #1 on: February 13, 2007, 12:51:09 pm »
My first advice would be an earlier bedtime. Teething, crawling and all that can certainly complicate night wakings.  Do you think she could be waking just to be rocked back to sleep?  Have you read any of Tracy's books?
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Offline mama2lu

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Re: Need Help! 8.5 mo old up 5 times a night. GOING CRAZY!
« Reply #2 on: February 13, 2007, 14:06:55 pm »
I have read the Baby Whisperer, and we tried pushing bedtime to asleep by 6:45PM... she was up at 5:30 that next morning.  I don't think she is waking up so that we will rock her back down... I don't think she is capable of making that decision, but I do think that she completes a sleep cycle and stirs to waking, then requires our attention to get back to sleep.  What I am aiming to fix is that requirement of our intervention.
When she was younger I thought she was Touchy, but has developed into quite a textbook baby.  The biggest issue is that I didn't start as I intended to end up.  I rocked, held, sang and doted 24-7.  Then I had to go back to work and it is as though she feels cheated now.  I feel somewhat guilty, but I stayed home 5 months with her.  I really enjoy working now, and I look forward to the day that she falls into a predictable schedule, it just hasn't happened yet. 
Our day normally looks like this:
Wake: 6:30AM (7A if we are lucky)
Milkies then playing for about an hour then we attempt a solids breakfast which is usually refused after 2-3 bites.  Then we have quiet time and I lay her down.  I stay with her singing and touching her back until she falls asleep.
Nap: 8:30 or 9A until 10ish. 
The cycle of milkies, play and attempt solids occurs again until nap #2. 
Nap: 1 or 2 o'clock and continues until early afternoon, usually 1.5 hours.
Then we have milkies, play or go for a walk, try solids again. 
If she woke to early from nap #2 we start Nap #3 around 4:30 until 5P.
In the evening we either walk (if we didn't earlier) or play as a family when daddy comes home. 
Bath at 6:45 or 7P. 
Story time, milkies and bed by 7:30P or 8P.

Should I stick with earlier bedtime for a few days even though when I tried it she was up way too early?

-Laurie

Offline momofclaire

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Re: Need Help! 8.5 mo old up 5 times a night. GOING CRAZY!
« Reply #3 on: February 13, 2007, 15:20:28 pm »
I think so.  I would aim for a 12on 12 off deal.  Like wake 8 bed 8 or wake 6 bed 6.  You do need to teach her to settle hersel without you.   Have you read Trancy's sleep interview? It is really infomative.  Here is a link.
 https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=451.0

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