TuscMoms.com

We all need it. But, unfortunately, as parents we don't always get it. Ask other parents how they're getting some z's. Talk about bed times and routines and whether your child gets up during the night.

I had my first son sleeping through the night by 7 months. We tried the "cry it out" method for 2 nights and luckily it was successful. However, with our second son, that method has not worked. He is almost 9 months and we are still up once or twice a night (and he is demanding a bottle each time). Anyone else having any luck?

kdyer-
Actually....
I only have one, but I have read a lot about this bc my sister had the same problem w/my 3 yr old nephew. In my opinion, it is going to take equally, if not more, of your time and effort than your lo. I just always try and think long-term.
Most books that you find will say that at a certain age an infant dosen't "need" to eat during the night. Or- an infant can go X amt. of hours w/out a feeding. But my theory is.... depending on how much they have been eating depends on how much they should have.
ie:
If you and I were to wake at 2:00 am every night for a turkey sandwich then one night decide we don't need one, our bodies will tell us otherwise. So now what?
What I would suggest to do is gradually over a period of say, 8-10 nights, dilute his milk w/a little water. That way his little body can adjust to the change in calories. ?
Just a suggestion.
I hope everything works out with it. Remember- just think long term. It's good for you to get a good nights rest but it's important to him/her now too.
Keep me posted!

My son was sleeping through the night at about 5 months old, exluding when he teethes, or when there is a change in our lives going on, cause then he still gets up about once a night. My suggestion would be to try to feed him a jar of food about an hour before his bedtime bottle. Then feed him his normal bedtime bottle. That is what has worked for us. I think the baby food takes longer to go through his system and so he stays full longer.
Does anyone else's child wake up once or twice a night a little fussy? He usually is fine as long as we give him the pacifier quickly. But if he gets woken up good, then he has to have a bottle. I guess he wakes up and realizes he is hungry.

April-mommy to Ronald-10 months old

I think it depends on the child as well. My oldest was a great sleeper. She was sleeping through the night in the single digit months and remained that way. My second child, repeating everything exactly as we did with the first, isn't a great sleeper. She wakes up probably 2 to 3 times a week still, usually only once a night, to come and find us (she is now 3). She has nightmares and tells us things about her dreams that makes me think she is just a real imaginative child. So when I look back to her earlier years and even around 10 months old, I really believe she processed things differently than my oldest and therefore would simply wake up more often.

I love the Baby Whisperer and the Baby Whisperer for Toddlers.

http://babywhisperer.com/babywhisperer.html

This lady really knew her stuff and how to help you apply it to your household, your baby and your self. I will say that I started with the Toddler book and then with my second read the Baby book and found the Toddler book to be a little bit better. Both books talk about sleep issues in depth. She recommends a kind of modified cry it out method. From birth until the age of 13 months my daughter woke up every 45 mintues to an hour - every night. I finally couldn't take it anymore and tried this and within a week she was sleeping through the night. My son was waking up 3 or 4 times a night until 7 months then within 2 weeks he was sleeping through.

The most important thing is that no matter what approach or technique you choose.... you must stick with it. Babies are smart and they know what buttons to push to get what they want. If you give in or give up then they know that was your breaking point and they'll push you that far every time from then on. Make sure you are able to finish what you start and make sure that your hubbie will back you up when you are ready to break and vice versa.

My son will be three in January, and once he got out ofa crib, decided he needed to sleep with me or his daddy every night. We NEVER practiced letting him sleep with us,so I don't know where this sudden need came from. Anyway, it's been a huge step backwards in our nighttime routine, and my quality of life. He has always been difficult to get to sleep, and had colic for the first 6-8 weeks of his life, so we catered to all his needs for comfort, and, sorry to say, are continuing to do so.

He is my only child, I am nearly 40, am a stay-at-home mom, and quite frankly cannot stomach the idea of being up all night, marching him back to bed, for even three nights in a row to break this habit. I am exhausted as it is. Well-meaning people have told me it will take anywhere from 3 nights to 22 nights to get him to stay in his bed. That's all fine and good, but I will have shot myself by then. I think I'm better to my son alive than dead,so I take the path of least resistance and let him sleep with me.

And please note, he still wakes up in the night wanting milk, or juice, or water, and wanting me to hold him until he goes back to sleep, which keeps me up for roughly 2 hours in the night. So to those moms with other children doing this, take heart: You are not alone. Maybe I'm alone.

Glad to see the new column by Kristi. It's something I thought about doing, if my brain were not so fried. You give me hope.

Welcome, kwyatt34! I am so sorry you are sleep deprived. But I am glad you at least have a sense of humor about it. Sometimes if we can't laugh, we'll cry, eh?
I wish I had some advice for you on the sleeping...but my experience is limited to a 1 year-old who sleeps in his crib.
Hope you are finding a way to get some zzz's...
Oh, and thanks for checking out my column. I'm really enjoying writing it.