Seeking Sleep Advice For 6 mo Old

GerardSyreeta · October 2014

Hi Ladies,

My LO is having trouble sleeping at night. I'm sure it's partially related to teething but he wakes up at least 3 - 5 times during the night to feed. It seems like he is either snacking or so comfortable he falls asleep before completing the feeding. His longest stretch has been 1.5 hours. I'm not sure if I should try CIO method because it seems as if he truly is hungry and my LO is not a crier (he usually only cries if something is wrong). I've read posts on here mommies with 12 week olds that STTN and it makes me feel awful. What am I doing wrong??

Thanks in advance for your help.

TheAnalyticalMommy · October 2014

My LO is 7.5 months old and does the same. I'm so sleep deprived!!

I should point out that he STTN at about 2 months old too for a few weeks

It didn't last!

In any case, as I read your post the comment about your LO potentially falling asleep before finishing made me think... my LO is probably doing this! I"m going to try giving him a little tickle the next time he dozes while eating to see if he will stir and start drinking again. Maybe that will help him get a full feeding in before I put him back down.

Other than that, i'm not sure there's much we can do! I think my LO is like yours. We have tried to sooth him and get him to go back to sleep without feeding him (night wean) but all it does it make him cry more, which makes him more awake, and then he's so upset, it's hard to get him to latch. When he finally does eat, he's content as can be and goes back to sleep.

I suspect the drinks more at night because I"m at work during the day and that it's just his eating cycle. I wish it were different, but I suspect that would mean that he'd want to drink more during the day, which means i'd have to pump more... and well, you probably see where I"m going with this. It's a trade off!

Good luck!

GerardSyreeta · October 2014

@somerandomchick Thanks for the reply! Unfortunately none of those recommendations have worked for LO far. As PP mentioned, it makes him more upset. :-/

GerardSyreeta · October 2014

@OurBundleOfJoy Feels great to have someone to relate to! I was researching about "Dream Feeding" as a potential solution that I may try. DH also suggested giving a bottle before bedtime since he may be less likely to fall asleep during a feeding that way. But I am pumping about 13 - 14 oz at work and he drinks 12 - 16 with the sitter so I'm trying to figure out how I would even fit that extra bottle in? I guess I would have to wake up in the middle of the night to pump which I wouldn't want to do but if he's STTN it would still be a better schedule than we have now....

TheAnalyticalMommy · October 2014

yeah i hate pumping so i'd rather him not STTN than have to pump an extra time! When i have an OS i didn't mind pumping nearly as much because the output was great... now tha ti'm struggling to get enough, i hate it!! Good luck!

BLPL101 · October 2014

My DD didn't STTN until almost 11 months. Try not to compare. I know it's hard.

springbeduk2 · October 2014

No advice but I can keep you company in sleep-deprivation land - my LO is 5 months old and since starting daycare about 8 weeks ago usually only sleeps 2 hour stretches between short feedings. 1-3 hours really. Bedsharing and only being half awake for some feedings especially since for the past month or so she has been OK with side lying nursing (didn't like it the previous month) help me squeeze in a few more Z's but of course that does nothing for building better sleep habits or moving away from nurse to sleep. I would try giving her a bedtime bottle but am already struggling to pump enough for what she needs at daycare so can't.

GerardSyreeta · October 2014

@springbeduk2 lol company is always nice

Last night was much better. He fell asleep around 9 and I "dream fed" him at 2 AM (I know it's recommended to do this between 10 and 2 but I fell asleep). He woke up 2 hours later. So we got a nice stretch in there! I will try again tonight...

GerardSyreeta · October 2014

@BLPL101 thanks I will hang in there. I honestly didn't think anything of it and was just going through the motions until our 6 month checkup last Friday. The pedi seemed baffled that my LO was not STTN yet and gave suggestions that sounded like CIO methods. DH and I did not feel completely comfortable about this because we thought he was crying due to hunger but the pedi said he should be able to go 4 hours between feedings (which we've never done).

kristynachicago · October 2014

My daughter is also 6 months old and does not STTN. She gets up 2-4 a night, and has little pattern to her wake ups. Like the PPs, if I try to soothe her by rubbing her back or patting her, signing to her etc. it just makes it SO much worse...

One thing my pedi said at our appointment last week actually made some sense, although, I'm not sure what to do with the information.

She said that she has NO doubt that baby is waking bc she is hungry, but it's teaching her that just because her tummy is rumbling doesn't mean that she NEEDS to eat. She likened it to being an adult, rolling over in the middle of the night, having our stomach grumble and then turning to see a warm cookie and a glass of milk on our night stand...we don't NEED the food, but we eat it, because it's there, and it's delicious. So, all of this to say, my pedi said I am that cookie and milk - I'm there and available and that's why she eats. Annnnyway, again, no advice, nor do I know how to train my daughter to put herself back to sleep, but that rationale was interesting...if anyone has ideas or input, let us know

GerardSyreeta · October 2014

@kristynachicago I love that explanation!! LOL @ being compared to cookies & milk. Annddd now I'm hungry

kristynachicago · October 2014

@GerardSyreeta - too funny! I left that pedi appointment thinking about the fact that I want to start leaving cookies by my bedside...I think I missed the point of the convo!

GerardSyreeta · October 2014

@kristynachicago I think that's a great idea! Chocolate chip, oreo, or chocolate mint? Decisions, decisions....LOLOLOL

jenn43 · October 2014

kristynachicago said:

My daughter is also 6 months old and does not STTN. She gets up 2-4 a night, and has little pattern to her wake ups. Like the PPs, if I try to soothe her by rubbing her back or patting her, signing to her etc. it just makes it SO much worse...

One thing my pedi said at our appointment last week actually made some sense, although, I'm not sure what to do with the information.

She said that she has NO doubt that baby is waking bc she is hungry, but it's teaching her that just because her tummy is rumbling doesn't mean that she NEEDS to eat. She likened it to being an adult, rolling over in the middle of the night, having our stomach grumble and then turning to see a warm cookie and a glass of milk on our night stand...we don't NEED the food, but we eat it, because it's there, and it's delicious. So, all of this to say, my pedi said I am that cookie and milk - I'm there and available and that's why she eats. Annnnyway, again, no advice, nor do I know how to train my daughter to put herself back to sleep, but that rationale was interesting...if anyone has ideas or input, let us know

Hmm... when I'm hungry in the middle of the night, I actually get up and have a snack or else I can't fall back to sleep...

GerardSyreeta · October 2014

@jenn43 me too!

Want a personalized experience?

Seeking Sleep Advice For 6 mo Old

Re: Seeking Sleep Advice For 6 mo Old

Choose Another Board

Search Boards