6 months old wont sleep through

[Mistiek]

Hello,

I am not sure if this is normal or not but my Litte girl is now 6 months old and wont sleep through. I did not mind the 1 feed a night as it was all done in semi darkness with no talking or changing nappies etc. Its was just a feed and straight back to sleep. This is still the case however its now happening twice a night and as I am the one who gets up for night feeds (daddy has to be up at 4:30 for work) I am finding it really frustrating. My son was 3 months when he started to sleep through but she is so different.

I was very strict with Josh as I wanted no habits and it all worked out brilliantly. However with Paige its been so difficult as she was a difficult pregnancy, 2 weeks early C-sec and very colicy baby who would only settle in my arms. I have rocked her to sleep (something whcih we are now breaking the habit of with good results). I dont know if this has anything to do with the night feeds as she is still learning to put herself to sleep.

Last night (or at 4am this morning) I tried the water method and only gave her water to drink. She drank a bit and then started to settle so I would put her down and walk out. 5 min later she was crying again. After 40min I gave in as I am not feeling too well myself and could not struggle any longer....

Please help as I dont know what is the best method and the best way to get her to sleep though. My friend tells me to leave it but her 3 year old still gets up sometimes and her 1 year old is still waking up at night for a feed. I beleive habits start early and so I want to get her into a good routine like I did with my son.

Some advice now would be great as I really don't know what to do...
Thanks

LOL BB - I had to say it

Might I add he woke me up at 10am AFTER I'd been up with DS2 at 6.30am and sent him downstairs with DH for his first breakfast (the second when DS1 came down) so I could have a brief snooze.

Quite agree Hunker-one of my (many) bugbears too....don't get me started!!!

All children are different ds is a fab sleeper and always has been and DD loves company and likes a good cat nap to recharge her batteries. that's just her.

the problem is i like a good solid 10 hours at night and DD is the fly in that particular ointment. maybe i could convince DH that he could survive on less sleep and go to work so i can perfect my beauty sleep a little more.

okay i've just seen an advert for a flameless candle so that's my cue to retire. night all.

Hi hunkermunker, if you are concerend about trying to avoid Nestle products I think Weetabix is safe as it is owned by a private equity firm and, as far as I know, has no links to the Evil Empire.

I might well regret bumping this thread and potentially kick starting the mud slinging again, but I just wanted to clarify my views, seeing as they have been mentioned earlier on in the thread. ( couldn't stay awake long enough to do it last night - how do you lot do it?? )

When I said I don't disagree with Tori, I was referring to the fact that MOST 6 month old babies don't NEED feeding at night.

That is, from a purely physiological point of view, their bodies are mature enough to sustain themselves for a 10 hr period without food if their nutritional needs are met during the other 14 hours in the day.

I read that in a book somewhere, don't ask me what it was, but it makes sense to me.

That's not to say that all babies will sleep through. Some will wake and have difficulty resettling themselves without assistance. Some like the comfort of a feed. Some will wake and are happy to be resettled without a feed, but maybe want a cuddle or a dummy.

Some parents will be happy to oblige. In that case there is no problem. Some parents would like to encourage their babies to sleep through, and I believe the op (Hi Mistiek!!!) wanted some advice on this.

I outlined what I would do, earlier on.

I don't agree with suddenly withdrawing night feeds.

I don't agree with withdrawing night feeds without ensuring the baby is taking enough during the day, hence my questioning about weaning.

I don't agree with controlled crying unless it is an absolute last resort and every other avenue has been tried first.

I don't agree with controlled crying with a baby younger than 6 months - EVER.

I don't agree that young babies have the mental capacity to be manipulative, or understand cause and effect. They are driven by their needs, and instinct. Nothing else. The rest comes much, much later.

Anyway, that said, it's irrelevent what I think.

I just hope that Misteik has managed to salvage some constructive advice from all this.

Aitch - once again, Thank you

Hi Mistiek

For some advice without getting into the whole slanging match, I managed to get my DD (13 mths) sleeping through by the time she was 4 months old. My HV told me that babies needed to be a certain weight before they were physically capable of sleeping through the night (I think its around 14 lbs although could be wrong) so she said to never try to encourage it before then. They also needed to be having enough milk during the day (I think around 30-35 ounces??) which my one was. I managed to drop the last night feed as she was only snacking on it. She would wake at 3-4am but only have a couple of ounces and then go back to sleep until 7am so I started watering it down and manage to crack it in a week. But by 6 months, she started waking up again as she was ready for weaning. I weaned quite late as I wanted to wait until I knew she was ready for it. The food helped so i got that sorted. But then it was the teeth. And then it was numerous colds/illnesses. I guess what I am trying to say is that you'll crack the milk but then it will be something else. You just never know what night you are going to have. And for the record, I hate controlled crying. I personally think its cruel and I would never do it to my child. There are other ways to encourage good sleeping habits.

Good luck

I believe that sleeping 'through' (whatever that means - 8 hours? 10 hours? 12 hours?) is a developmental stage.

As long as the parent has facilitated a good settling and sleep pattern then it will happen eventually, whether at 12 weeks or 12 months.

To me, a sleep problem is one where a baby wakes every hour or so and cannot be settled again without intervention. Waking for a quick slurp once or twice a night is not, to me, a sleep problem. If a baby needs nutrition then it should be fed, regardless of it's age. Obviously mum tends to know best whether the baby needs a feed, or just a cuddle or a dummy.

Some babies get hungrier and thirstier than others, and I think expecting a 6 month old to go a long period without a feed or drink is unrealistic - their tummies are only the size of their clenched fist. I would say babies that sleep all night long from a young age are the exception, not the norm!

To the OP I would say roll with it; she may be having a growth spurt, she may be brewing something and feel poorly. It's still early days and I believe you have plenty more time to create good sleep habits.