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Babies: 9 - 12 Months
SherryAE
member
My 10 month old's sleep schedule is still like an infant's.
SherryAE
member
My daughter has never slept through the night. She has also never went beyond one hour when breastfeeding. Usually infants eat every 2 to 3 hours. This was never the case with my daughter. As an infant, she would nurse every 30 minutes. Now that she's older, about an hour would pass and she would be hungry again. When she was 6 months old and I introduced her to solids, she never became interested in food (not interested enough to eat a proper portion of food... only a couple teaspoonfuls and that's it.)
She is now 10 months old, and still isn't interested in solids. She still wakes up 3 to 5 times a night for milk. I am now trying to get her on a schedule, but since she has always refused bottles and pacifiers, she does not know how to self-soothe herself to sleep.
It's like I have been caring for a newborn for 10 months now. I literally have not slept through a single night since she was born.
I'm not looking for criticism please. I am looking to see if any helpful mothers can give me an example of their baby's sleep/eat schedule? Something that works for you, that I can try and model after?
P.S. I have tried the "cry it out" method only once, and I decided not to continue this method. I have also tried to cut back breastfeedings in hope to get her more interested in solids, but that has never worked. She is now seeing an oral therapist for her eating issues.
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Re: My 10 month old's sleep schedule is still like an infant's.
No criticism here! The BEST thing I did as a new mom was join a lactation support group. We talked about way more than breastfeeding: sleep, eating patterns, and more. A good, experienced lactation consultant has seen it all and if they can't help you then they can refer you to the right resources. They are an excellent accomapniment to a pediatrician.
Nursing every hour, not eating solids by 10 months.... I get that you are doing the very best you can. But this can't be healthy for either one of you. I just didn't believe that you'll get the sleep under control until you figure out what is going on with the breast feeding.
Wishing you luck.
So just a few questions.. does she nurse for longer than five minutes when she wakes at night? If not, it is probably just for comfort. If it is just comfort nursing, you can try decreasing the time by 1 minute each night until she doesn't wake for it anymore.
As for sleep, we used the Sleep Easy solution, which is a Ferber type method. Basically there are graduated intervals, you go in at 5 min, then 10. then 15, etc. There are several books on sleep training, including the "No Cry Sleep Solution" which I have found involves more crying than the Ferber method, but if you can stick with it, I hear that the results are good. Sleep Easy took us about four days. That did not include naps, though, those took about two weeks to get under control. Naps are just harder that way.
I would check out a few books first, your library might have them, and see what sleep method works best for your family. Good luck, it is not easy! I do hope you find the light at the end of the tunnel soon, though.
I truly feel for you. How do you feel about your supply? I wouldn't normally suggest that as an issue, but a 10 month old nursing that frequently during the day is pretty unusual. Maybe try some milk boosting foods like oatmeal and fennel or getting some mother's milk tea. If you truly want to start a schedule it's probably going to take time and there will be fussing. But, you can start my spacing her feedings out by a half hour each week until you get where you want them to be. We've been at every four hours for a couple of months now, but my son eats a lot of solid food.
Our schedule:
Wake and nurse at about 7a.m.
Solids around 8a.m.
Nap around 9:30
Nurse at 11a.m.
Solids around 12p.m.
Nap about 1:30p.m.
Nurse at 3p.m.
Solid snack at 4p.m.
Nurse at 6:30p.m.
Solid dinner between 7 and 7:30p.m. followed by 4 ounces of wcm
Bed around 8p.m. (sttn)
Some babies don't sleep through the night until they are about two years old. That is completely normal and it doesn't mean that there is anything wrong so try not to worry too much. Until two years old the baby isn't able to block out arousal stimuli properly. The older they get the easier that becomes. It also sounds to me like you have a high needs baby. I know I do! Have you looked into that? ( https://www.askdrsears.com/topics/fussy-baby/high-need-baby/12-features-high-need-baby ) The Fussy Baby Book by Dr. Sears is wonderful. You should definitely read it! It changed everything about the way I parent and the expectations I had.
Now to answer your sleep question... For my daughter the only way we survive is by allowing her to set her own schedule. We let her decide when it is time for bed (unless she is wide awake at 11:30. Then we begin her bedtime routine) When it is time for bed we rock her or walk with her until she falls asleep. Then we gently place her in her crib with a hand firmly on her. Slowly we release our hand until we are sure we won't stir. We use a white noise machine to block out all noise and give her a silky blanket to snuggle with. She wakes up about 2-3 times a night on a good night (if she is in her own bed). We have just started that transition recently though. She slept in bed with us for a few months. She would only wake once during that time. If you haven't tried co-sleeping you might want to give it a go. It can be a lifesaver and it is a great way to bond with your baby.
When my daughter wakes up I give her a paci, reposition her in bed, cover her back up, and go back to my room. I continue this as many times as it takes. I never let her cry. She has actually been improving a lot lately. She falls asleep almost instantly when I go into her room. I just make sure I don't talk to her or give her any indication that I want to play 
Hang in there Momma. You are doing a wonderful job. This parenting stuff is hard work!