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AIBU?

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Original poster

To ask why wont my 7 month old baby sleep through the Night?

79 replies

Mobydick100 · 26/05/2018 19:30

I have a 7 month old baby. He goes to bed at 7pm. He has his 'last' feed just bed. He wakes up at 10- 11pm- crying. I then give him another feed (My thinking is that I'd rather feed him at 10 than later in night). Each night I hope that he will manage from 10 till morning without a feed. He usually wakes at 5ish for another feed. I'm currently weaning him. He has breakfast- rest of feeds are milk. Feeds every 4 hours (7oz) in day so I think he's getting enough milk in day to get him through night.

Current day feeding looks like this:
7am- porridge and pureed fruit.
11am- 7oz milk.
3pm- 7oz milk
7pm- 7oz

I am desperate for him to sleep for longer. What can I do?
I was thinking of giving him milk at 10pm then refuse to give him another feed till 7am. Then in 2 weeks...stop feeding him after 7pm. Next week I'm swapping his 3pm feed for vegetables (so he will have food twice a day).
If I refuse to feed him after 10/11pm will he eventually stop waking up in early hours?
What should I do when he wakes and I don't want to feed him? Dummy? Cuddles? Bring into bed with me for a bit?....or leave him to cry for a bit (how long?!) and hope he falls back to sleep.
Massively grateful for any tips on how to try and get him to sleep through. I'm aware he might not sleep through despite my best efforts but think I'm probably not helping him sleep through right now.
Thanks!

OP posts:
LokiBear · 26/05/2018 19:32

That is actually pretty good for 7 month old! He is too tiny to sleep through yet.

sleeveface · 26/05/2018 19:34

I'm not saying you're doing it wrong, but by 7 months my dd was on 2/3 meals a day with milk so perhaps milk isn't enough now?
Also by that age she could put her own dummy back in when it fell out and she woke in the night which has been great for us Smile

Tralala33 · 26/05/2018 19:34

That's totally normal, better in fact!
I'm still waiting for my 2 year old to sleep later than 5am.

Zintox · 26/05/2018 19:34

Gosh he's hardly having any food! And he's too young to sleep through.
You should still be demand feeding and feeding overnight at this age he's just a small baby.
Please don't refuse to feed your child.

QforCucumber · 26/05/2018 19:34

10-5 is classed as sleeping through.
That's 7 solid hours.

My 2 year old wakes sometimes too, and usually comes to join us in bed around 5:30

BustopherJones · 26/05/2018 19:34

I thought ‘sleeping through’ was 6 hours stet.

Isabella1978 · 26/05/2018 19:35

Give him proper food at mealtimes. Mine is now 8 months and is on 3 meals a day and 3 bottles of formula (don't nag anyone, can't breastfeed and malnourished after pregnancy and am on morphine anyway).
She has been on solids since 4 months and sleeps through the night. Was same with other child 10 years ago.
Why are you only giving solid food at breakfast?

Dreamingofkfc · 26/05/2018 19:35

Neither of mine slept through till 15 months, and even then not every night.

Crispyturtle · 26/05/2018 19:35

My god, I think you need to lower your expectations! Sleeping 10pm til 5am at 7 months is pretty great, that’s 7 hours uninterrupted sleep, my 10 month old never goes that long. Honestly, if I were you I’d count your lucky stars.

MollyDaydream · 26/05/2018 19:35

Because he's only 7 months old?

If he's sleeping 11pm-5am then he's doing great.

MonkeyBrainsInPickle · 26/05/2018 19:36

That pretty much is sleeping through the night. The feed at 10/11 isn’t an issue because you’re awake anyway. Yes, five is a little early, but even many toddlers wake up for the day at that time. It’s good that he goes back to sleep till 7. I think he sleeps really well tbf.

MollyDaydream · 26/05/2018 19:37

My 8 month old eats loads, 3 meals a day, and 3 milk feeds in the day, and still does the same pattern as yours with 2 feeds in the night 10-11pm and 5am.

Drycleanonly7 · 26/05/2018 19:37

I am not an expert but I remember my son was 10 months when he kicked out his 4am feed. We always gave him a dream feed at 10pm. Your son sounds like he is doing what he should although you do get a few babies who sleep through from 6 weeks! That would have been amazing. Your son still needs that early morning feed as his tummy only holds a little at a time.

BustopherJones · 26/05/2018 19:38

*straight.

He sounds good for 7 months. My first didn’t sleep through until much later. DS is a champion sleeper. I’ve not done anything differently.

pastabest · 26/05/2018 19:38

My DD just suddenly started sleeping through the night every now and then at around 8-9 months. We didn't change anything she was just ready to do it.

I agree with previous posters though, that doesn't seem like a huge amount of food/milk for a 7 month old?

MsHopey · 26/05/2018 19:38

My 10 month old has 3 meals a day and still wakes up 5 to 6 times a night for a bottle, or a cuddle, or just a general whinge. He's got worse as he's got older. But it is what it is. I do think you are probably expecting too much tbh.
We all want our sleep back, but it's a sacrifice we make.

FeatheredTail · 26/05/2018 19:39

You really need to adjust your expectations for a 7 month old.....and please don't cut a milk feed and replace it with vegetables, just add some vegetables into his meal plan. He's still very young and should be having milk on demand.

Sidge · 26/05/2018 19:41

Why doesn't he have more meals? Why wait until next week to add food? And please don't swap his 1500 milk for vegetables, he needs both. Maybe given him some veggies and carbs at 1230/1300 and then a milk feed at 1500.

He's 7 months, he can have 2 or 3 meals a day now. The idea is that between 6 and 12 months you start to shift the balance between milk and solid foods.

I would add in some solid food at maybe 1230 and 1700.

Please don't "refuse" him milk between 2200 and 0700; you may find if he has more food in the day he might not want milk, but then he may be thirsty and hungry overnight and want something. His milk is his food AND his fluids at the moment, so please don't restrict them. Or if he's taking plenty in the day then offer water overnight.

Oh and sleeping 2200-0500 is a good stretch! "Sleeping through" doesn't mean sleeping 12 hours.

MollyDaydream · 26/05/2018 19:44

My older two stopped needing the 10/11pm feed at about 8-9 months, and that was after 4 months of having solids so they were eating well.

I agree with others about not dropping any day time milk, but start giving him some carbs and protein meals as well. Fruit and veg is important but it's not going to help much with calorie intake.

Candlelight123 · 26/05/2018 19:45

I think he needs more food. I would say he's probably hungry.

Dixiebell · 26/05/2018 19:45

5am is morning...welcome to motherhood..Grin

tealandteal · 26/05/2018 19:46

Vegetables and many other weaning foods have less calories than milk so please don't swap out a milk feed yet. You may find night wakings increase as he will want to pack in the calories if he is not getting them in the day.

TheExhausted · 26/05/2018 19:47

My 16mo doesn't sleep through yet, although recently his sleep is massively improving. I don't think you're supposed to drop any feeds until 12 months. I would offer food at breakfast, dinner and tea and just follow his lead with milk and sleep.

Marriedwithchildren5 · 26/05/2018 19:49

Another person saying to lower your expectations! 2 year old still wakes at least once a night. She is my third. Stop expecting the average. Parenthood doesn't work that way.

OhTheTastyNuts · 26/05/2018 19:50

At 7 months both of mine were offered food at mealtimes and bottles in between (say 10.30am and 3pm) and then before bed. DS1 slept through at 5 months. Ds2 still wakes in the night at 5 years...