6 mos old & not sleeping thru the night

HI everyone. my ds is 6 1/2 months old and has slept through the night(6 hours) maybe 5 times. he wakes up about 3 times during the night. he always wakes up 40 mins after he 1st goes to sleep. tonight he woke up at 9:30 and didn't go back until 11pm! i was just wondering if anyone else has been through this? it would make me feel so much better to hear that this does happen with other babies instead of thinking that my baby has a major sleep disorder. thanks for listening.

[ni-ki]

my son is 10 mos old and barely slept through the night about a week ago.. and the next night he woke up like 3 times in the middle of night.. then a few nights later he slept through the night. I wouldn't worry about it.

[fitzy11]

thank you guys. yes, we have tried it all- putting him down later, feeding him, no late naps... he just has crazy sleep cycles. and while i am pretty ok with hoping he will eventually fall into a consistant sleep pattern, it is the pressure from everyone else! you know with the " is he sleeping through the night?" and the " oh my, he should be sleeping through the night by now", and the "don't you just put him in the crib?" it can be very frustrating!  thanks again. good luck to you all getting a good nights sleep as well:)

[girlybuff]

My DD is 7 months old and still does not sleep through the night.  She never has.  She goes down at 7 or 8 an is up without fail 2 hours later for either a little boob or a pat on the back.  Then she might sleep another 2-3  hours before I have to do that again.  I am extremely happy (sarcasm) that she has decided to make 3 am her play time now.  I wake up every night to her laughing and talking and yelling... it's hard not to laugh though.  I think I'm just so used to it now......
We have a pre-bedtime routine and I stick to it pretty much every night.  She is getting plenty to eat throughout the day (solids and breast milk) so I know she's not hungry.  
She's just got an overactive mind and doesn't want to sit still.  I hope it's not a sign of hyperactivity!  LOL
I think she will just sleep through the night when she's good and ready and not a minute sooner.
Good luck!  I feel your pain......

[momof11]

Try putting them down 1 to 2 hours later than you uaually do no evening naps maybe that will get them so tired they sleep longer,its rough sleep deprevation is a killer, no wonder they use this to torture people it works, try cereal before bed time get their tummies nice and full.

[toyml99]

MY BABY SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT AT TWO MONTHS I WORRIED AND WORRIED AND NOW LOOKING BACK I WISH I WOULD HAVE JUST SLEPT...LOL.  SHE IS 8 MONTHS OLD TODAY AND WAS UP TWICE LAST NIGHT.  SLEEP WHILE YOU CAN THEY WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN THEY ARE HUNGRY. MINE STOPPED AT ABOUT FIVE MONTHS.  THE TEETH MADE MINE STOP SLEEPING.  IT WILL BE FINE.  GOOD LUCK.

[jian]

I wish it was my baby that's waking up!! She is 2 mos 20 days, and have been sleeping tro the nights with no breaks from 2 months onwards. I want to feed her atleast once, as she sleeps for 10 straight hours. Even if I pickher up and put her to breast she does not take it.
She is not large enough to be doing that now!!!
Sorry I have not said what you wanted to hear, but hope your Ds sleeps tro the night sooner.

[girlybuff]

They actually say (studies I have read) that putting them down later doesn't affect how lon g they will sleep.  Like if they usually go to bed at aroun 7 and wake up for good at around 8 or so that putting them down later won't change when they wake up.  They will wake up when they wake up.  I also read that it's good to put them down as soon as the first signs of fatigue set it; i.e., rubbing eyes, yawning, pulling on ear.
I know she will sleep through when she wants to.  She's an excellent napper though so there's that!
Maybe your child just has a really busy mind and can't calm the thinking process down.  That's what I like to tell myself to make myself feel better.
If my DD wakes up 3 times a night I consider it sleeping through meanwhile my friend just had a baby boy and he is 10 weeks old and sleeping 6 hours at a stretch.  Go figure!!

[girlybuff]

They actually say (studies I have read) that putting them down later doesn't affect how lon g they will sleep.  Like if they usually go to bed at aroun 7 and wake up for good at around 8 or so that putting them down later won't change when they wake up.  They will wake up when they wake up.  I also read that it's good to put them down as soon as the first signs of fatigue set it; i.e., rubbing eyes, yawning, pulling on ear.
I know she will sleep through when she wants to.  She's an excellent napper though so there's that!
Maybe your child just has a really busy mind and can't calm the thinking process down.  That's what I like to tell myself to make myself feel better.
If my DD wakes up 3 times a night I consider it sleeping through meanwhile my friend just had a baby boy and he is 10 weeks old and sleeping 6 hours at a stretch.  Go figure!!

[CDoyle]

I read all the books on getting your baby to sleep through the night and after much frustration (and confusion) the book that helped the most was The Sleep Easy Solution. First, girlybuff is right to say that by putting your baby down for the night when they are beyond tired will only backfire on you. We put our ds to bed at 7pm. Before starting the techniques of this book he was waking up about an hour after he went to sleep. We are on the 6th night of practicing these new techniques and he wakes up 4-5 hrs after going to sleep. Technically for a baby under 9 months sleeping 5-6 hrs at a time is sleeping through the night. It's all about how you respond to this "waking up". The biggest question is are you putting you baby down for the night awake? Putting them down while they are still awake, but tired, is the first step to helping your baby sleep better. This was one of my biggest mistakes. I have also started to put on white noise while he is sleeping. This helps to keep them in a deeper sleep and drowns out the distracting noises. He currently has two feedings in the night. The book also helps with dropping the feedings. At the moment I don't mind the feedings so much, it's the in between wake ups I want to work on.
Good luck to you with whatever technique you choose. It certainly is a trying, but amazing, time!

[Me2mommy2b]

Who's the author of the book?  Does it also talk how you can train babies to fall asleep on their own?  DD is not a terrible night sleeper but will not go to sleep on her own :(

[CDoyle]

The authors are Jennifer Waldburger and Jill Spivack. www.sleepyplanet.com. Yes, they do talk about how to help your baby get to sleep on his own. They take the "least-cry" approach. This is where you check-in on your baby in increments. For example, the first night we tried it our ds cried when we put him down (I was nursing him to sleep before this) I went in after 5 minutes, then 10 minutes (that was my max) for a total of 45 minutes. Each time I went in I would shhhh and tell him it is OK, Mommy is here. They suggest to not stay in the room longer than 30 seconds and to not pick them up. You would use this same technique for the middle of the night wake-ups. The second night he went down awake again and did not cry at all. We're on our 6th night and he still is going down without crying. When he cries in the middle of the night I first check to see if he has a dirty diaper. If not, and I know he's not ready to eat, I start the check-ins until he gets himself back to sleep.
I know some parents do not believe in letting their babies to cry themself to sleep at all. In my opionion (and this is what has worked me), it has worked to let him cry in increments. Again, I can only go for 10 minutes at a time. I don't think this is cruel or abandoning your baby, but teaching them how to have healthy sleeping habits.

[myproblem]

My 1st dd, now 3 1/2, never slept well as an infant. Until 12 mos, she woke every 3 hours or so. I tried everything under the sun, but it made no difference. At 18 mos, she still woke up at least 2 times a night. Now she wakes up around 2-3am, and crawls in my bed at least 4 nights a week. It's just the way she is. She is very independant during the day, and I think she just needs me at night. My 2 month old on the other hand, sleeps no less than 6 hours at night, and has sincce she was 4 weeks old. She even gives me 8 hours a few times each week. All babies are so different.