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Original poster

My 8 mo the old STILL doesn't sleep through the night

53 replies

frodojodo · 21/01/2022 22:00

I just want someone to tell me that they have also experienced this with their child...

My 8 month old has NEVER slept any longer than 3 hours during the night since birth. No joke. I've done 8 months of sleepless nights and I'm really exhausted now lol!! I've tried everything, well I think I have anyway..

We have a bedtime routine, bath, feed, bed. She acts very sleepy and usually goes down around 7pm without too much of a fuss but then is awake every couple of hours until 6:15am the next morning. She isn't hungry as I offer her a feed but she's not interested, she's still sleepy when she wakes as well.. it's almost like she's in discomfort or something, she fusses and cries and then falls back asleep.. then repeats every 30/45 mins. She sometimes gives me a stretch of 3hrs but that's the most. I make sure her nappy is dry and she is a good temperature too.

Any advice would be great!

Ps- please don't say 'get someone to help or take her for the night' that's not an option. I'm a single parent:)

OP posts:
Santahasjoinedww · 21/01/2022 22:03

Are you actually giving her enough chance to resettle? Is she in her own room? Cold?

Cheekypeach · 21/01/2022 22:06

Could it be silent reflux? Have you tried burping her and cycling her legs etc? Poor you!

Original poster
frodojodo · 21/01/2022 22:08

She has had acid reflux since birth unfortunately, poor baby. I give her 2/3 mins to see if she will resettle but 9/10 she just cries and cries so I go to her. I don't like letting her cry for too long incase it's the reflux causing her discomfort.

OP posts:

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Original poster
frodojodo · 21/01/2022 22:09

I make sure she is a good temperature:)

OP posts:
Howtotameyourtoddler · 21/01/2022 22:09

I agree, leave her for a short time and see if she settles herself. My daughter used to stir and fuss after about 45 minutes (about the average sleep cycle for a baby?) and I really noticed a difference when I started leaving her rather than rushing straight in.

Also agree about checking if she's warm enough.

mishmased · 21/01/2022 22:11

@frodojodo my baby is 8 months today and she doesn't sleep the night. It is perfectly normal for some babies not to sleep through at this age. I feel your pain as mine is up on average twice at night and on he odd time more than two times never less. She was sleeping 4 hours as a baby.
She is teething her second set of teeth and practising her crawling as well so loads going on. Sending you solidarity 👊

mishmased · 21/01/2022 22:13

Just seen she suffers from reflux, that is tough. My first had silent reflux, poor baby. Is she on any medication?

Original poster
frodojodo · 21/01/2022 22:19

@mishmased She was on Omeprazole for months but if anything that made symptoms worse, so I decided to take her off it a few months back. Baby Gaviscon makes her constipated, so she's on nothing now.

OP posts:
Graphista · 21/01/2022 22:43

Some babies just don't.

Rule out/deal with any genuine medical causes of course but otherwise go with the flow.

Eventually they sleep through the night...in my dds case aged 5! Blush but that is rare and there were reasons for that.

But I've also been a nanny and childminder and looked after many babies inc at night - lots of parents CLAIM their baby sleeps well/through it's actually not uncommon that they don't at this age/stage.

LifeIsBusy · 21/01/2022 22:50

Sitting here boobing my 8 month old. It's totally normal for them to wake it's just not the norm in Western society.

Latenightreader · 21/01/2022 22:53

Mine didn’t sleep through until well after two and she only started sleeping through reliably at three. I was despairing for a long while, but it all settled in the end. I tried sleep training a few times but it was awful and I decided it really wasn’t for us. My systems adjusted to broken nights and I stopped feeling shattered!

Catch32 · 21/01/2022 22:56

Sorry but mine didn't start sleeping through until the 4/5 years old mark. And tbh, I didn't know many parents who had babies that were sleeping through at 18 months, let alone 8 months. Only advice I can give is co-sleeping, which maximised the amount of sleep I got at that stage.

squishyegg · 21/01/2022 23:05

So normal for them not to sleep through! 8 months is still soooo young! They might just want comfort.

statetrooperstacey · 21/01/2022 23:12

Try the gaviscon again and try something alongside to help with the constipation. Reflux is incredibly painful, she shouldn’t be left untreated.

Also it’s fairly normal for babies not to be sleeping through at 8 months, sorry.
It doesn’t last forever, even though it feel like it!

Picklesandbeans · 21/01/2022 23:31

My dc2 slept through for the first time on xmas eve at 11 months old. My dc1 was so excited it was Christmas eve she got up at 4am. No joke.

Dc2 then didn't sleep though again for months.....
Sorry no help but it really does pass.

GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal · 21/01/2022 23:33

My DD didn't manage a three hour stretch till she was 18 months. She was 3.5 before she slept through the night.

mishmased · 21/01/2022 23:50

@frodojodo that sounds tough. Did you try halving the dose for Gaviscon? My friend has a nearly 6 month old on Gaviscon and was advised to half the does. Also omeprazole dosage is supposed to be increased as they grow. My baby was on 2.5mg in 5ml but she got constipated. Is the reflux bothering her?
My 8 month old is up for a record third time and it is not even 12 midnight. On top of teething and crawling she now has a stuffy nose 😱

SoftSheen · 21/01/2022 23:53

Both by DC were terrible sleepers at 8 months. It is very normal but does get better, eventually.

Graphista · 22/01/2022 01:24

Only advice I can give is co-sleeping, which maximised the amount of sleep I got at that stage.

That's what worked for us/me (split from ex before she was sleeping through)

Graphista · 22/01/2022 01:25

Why have you 2 threads running on this? Can mnhq amalgamate?

frostedfruit · 22/01/2022 01:29

Perfectly normal. Just try and rest when she dies and try not to worry. My son was terrible for a couple of years but has slept through for the last 10 so I've had plenty of time to catch up!

frostedfruit · 22/01/2022 01:30

does! Omg that's the worst typo ever. So sorry!

ClaryFairchild · 22/01/2022 01:35

My DS didn't sleep through until he was 2, some children just don't. He's now a teen that loves a sleep in, bit of a night owl though.....

bedheadedzombie · 22/01/2022 01:48

Awake with my 14 month old here. She was awake at least every 3 hours till 10 months old. I started doing controlled crying to put her to aleep again after a feed. I didn't mind her waking and feeding but she stayed awake for at least an hour (and often 90 mins) after each feed which made me exhausted. After doing controlled crying after each feed for a few days (I did still offer feeding because her light weight stays a concern here) she did go back to sleep easier. After that her first sleep of the night started stretching out. She now wakes between 1 and 3 times a night for a feed and cuddle of 30 mins, so much more doable. I get longer streches of sleep a couple of times a week and that helps massively. Hang in there!

ritalinda · 22/01/2022 01:53

So normal!! Expectations of babies nowadays are mad x