6mo no longer sleeping through night

[sharond101]

Des slept through night from 7weeks but for past month has woken at least once,sometimes twice through the night.i try to rock him back to sleep but end up giving in and feeding him.he is fed and rocked to sleep at bedtime and nap times .is it time to try sleep training?

[valiumredhead]

Maybe he needs a feed? 6 months is tiny still, I wouldn't try training until a child is a year old at the least. He might be having a growth spurt and just need a bit more. Babies don't stay the same sadly their needs change constantly.

[QTPie]

6 months is a difficult time:

• how is he doing on solids? He will be transitioning. When he has good solids intake, then hopefully he will sleep better and be less reliant on milk.
  
• is he teething? This is often about the time that they cut quite a few teeth.
  
• is he actually seriously feeding (maybe a growth spurt or just hungry) or is he just suckling for comfort (to get himself back to sleep)?

[sharond101]

Thank you for replying. He takes varying amounts of solids.yesterday he refused most today he has had seconds.he looks like he is teething with lots of drooling and everything going in his mouth but no teeth through yet.he takes a whole feed then goes back to sleep.health visitor recommended giving him supper which we have tried the last 3 nights but it seems to waken him up and he won't go down to sleep until 12pm!

[QTPie]

I think that some things (like supper) work with some, but not with others (certainly my DS had always perked up after food - so wouldn't leave the last solids too late before bed...)

You could try Calpol before bed (for the teething). I reckon that you will find that things settle down as he gets to grips with solids (do you do traditional weaning or BLW?) - especially as he gets more protein in his diet - but you are very likely to have "ups and downs" with teething etc...

[QTPie]

(we had a lot of disruption from teething - to DS who otherwise slept through - but not until 13 to 19 months. It is very true that their behaviour can vary I was shocked when DS stopped sleeping through at 13 months, I thought that once they slept brought they always did! )

[waterrat]

there is a growth spurt at 6 months - might be better to go with it, do the night feeds until he is settled on solids. Then once you are confident he is getting what he needs in the day - say at 7 months? - you could try to see if teaching to self settle would stop night waking.

[MumToAManiac]

Def don't start giving feeds in the middle of the night, it just gets baby back into a routine of wakening for a feed - you need to break that cycle again. A rusk mixed with some of baby's milk and a bottle before bedtime worked for me.