DD is 7 months and still not sleeping through! please HELP!

[mummymarz]

I am literally on the verge of tears with no help at nights! DD is really good in the day, well established sleeptime routine. 3 meals per day with 2 snacks. 7 floz milk at bedtime, then dreamfeed of the same at 10/11pm. she wakes at about 3 demanding another helping of milk, crying uncontrolably. I've tried teething powder, teething gel, rocking back to sleep. She settles for a bit, then cry again and we continue the process. (patting her just makes the crying worse, as she knows i'm there! although, she has settled herself before?) I argue she HAS to be able to go for 10-12 hours without feed. My husband says, just give her milk, but i don't want to be doing this till she's 18 months old? I'm back at work and want to sleep!!! any ideas please!!!! HV said only 2 bottles of milk, there is no way she will only have this.

There are lots and lots of threads about this if you have a look through the sleep section. I do sympathise but it is a total fallacy that a baby of 7 months "should" sleep through the night. Some will, some won't. Why do you think she HAS to be able to go 10-12 hours? If she isn't ready for that yet then I'm afraid there isn't much you can do about it.

The night time feeding may just be habit however, have you tried giving her water instead of milk?

Also, please treat your HV's opinions with a healthy skepticism.

My DS was two before Christmas and still wakes up 4 (or more) times a night and has milk each time. It is exhausting and I also work. I am also unexpectedly pregnant with my third . My biggest tip is just to chill out and go with the flow- the stressing will only make you worse. She will sleep through when she is ready.

I stopped feeding ds through the night when he was coming up 5 months, but he still wakes but will settle if he can find his teddy.

Up the oz of the 7pm feed & the dream feed. see if that helps.

But I am afraid that some babies just do this, as others on this thread have pointed out.

Sorry, not 7pm feed, the bedtime feed.

My DS is also 7 months and shows no signs of sleeping through... Last night he fed pretty much every two hours from 7pm to 7am (6 feeds). This is a particularly bad night but not untypical... So you're not alone!

I'm looking for any advice on trying to reduce the number of feeds (normally he feeds 11pm, 2am, 4am, 6.30am), or maybe I should just be patient and hope that he grows (literally) out of it... He is a fine healthy happy baby (well why wouldn't he be )

None of my 3 slept through until at least a year. At 7 months your DC is still very much a baby and as such only has a small stomach so is probably hungry when waking.

All three of mine slept through by 18 months and were in their own beds.