https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 07 Jun 2026 01:28:08 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1975807 Mon, 08 Dec 2014 15:47:06 +0000 ShootingStar 1975807@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sounds like you made great progress! My son was the same way. Tons of wake ups, but when we started sleep training he dropped the night feeds on his own. My rules in the beginning were to wait 10 minutes to see if he settled, and no feeding before 2am, then no feeding before 4am. As we ramped up on the solids he dropped MOTN wake ups entirely. And maybe only once or twice did we CIO in the middle of the night. And that was only when I knew he wasn't hungry, just pissed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1975672 Mon, 08 Dec 2014 14:50:30 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1975672@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@fussygal: I'll keep you updated. For the gradual weaning method (which didn't work so well for us) troublesometots.com had good info.</p> <p>It may be completely unrelated to last night, but he has consistently napped 30-50 minutes his whole life. But he's been a nursing machine today and he just took an hour and a half nap this afternoon! </p> [attach=5233/14/nga4g7.480x360.0.jpg] https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1975596 Mon, 08 Dec 2014 14:22:47 +0000 fussygal 1975596@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Little Misters Mom: Glad it wasn't too bad! I'd love to know how the next few days go. We're in the same boat at 8 months (3-4 wakings/night). If we let her CIO through a waking or have DH go in to soothe her she still wakes up an hour later so I think she's genuinely hungry every 3-4 hours. We need to shift her caloric intake to the early evening and I can't decide the best method for cutting the night wakings. Hoping your story helps! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1975312 Mon, 08 Dec 2014 11:59:30 +0000 Suzanne44 1975312@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Little Misters Mom: Happy it went well for you all :happy: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974965 Mon, 08 Dec 2014 09:19:26 +0000 ellewoods84 1974965@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Little Misters Mom: yay! I'm glad it went well and seems much better than expected! Hopefully it will only improve from here on out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974860 Mon, 08 Dec 2014 07:43:44 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1974860@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Update on night one: It went way better than I expected. He went down at 6:30 after nursing and an 8.5 oz bottle. Then he slept all the way until 3:34 on his own. At 3:34 he started whining, and I'd say he did real cries from 3:40-4:10 which felt like a long time. But I was prepared for them to be horrible "I'm hungry" type cries but it was just his normal "I'm pissed" cry he does for a minute each bedtime. We agreed DH would decide when and if to check, and since DS was calming himself periodically he never went in. </p> <p>From 4:10 on I heard an occasional whimper/cry, so I couldn't tell if he was sort of half asleep or was awake the whole time. At 4:50 he started to cry again and since 5 am was our designated time to go in, I just went to nurse him. I thought he'd be ravenous, but he nursed the way he always does and fell fast asleep by 5. Then he slept until 7:10. </p> <p>He woke up with a huge smile and even assuming he was fully awake from 3:30-5, he still got 30 minutes more sleep than usual with his 4:20 wake up time. We'll see what tonight has in store -- you never know with these babies -- but I'm feeling like we're on the right path.</p> <p>Thanks so much to everyone who gave advice. I'll keep this updated in case anyone else is deciding whether to take the sleep training/night weaning using CIO plunge. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974458 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 16:22:33 +0000 Suzanne44 1974458@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Little Misters Mom: We did CIO with checks and it went very well. My husband responded to his one wake up on the first night - checked him twice. The second night my son woke up briefly and went back to sleep quickly and STTN from that point on. We started with a 930-730 night and always woke him at 730, gradually moving bedtime closer to 8. He didn't miss the feedings. I think he woke up and needed to eat prior to that, because that is what he had always done. Hopefully the early morning wake ups is just a short phase. Have you read Ferber's book? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974433 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 15:40:40 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1974433@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Suzanne44: How did CIO and dropping feedings work for you? Did it take a long time? We are currently trying to move bedtime a little later, though when we've tried it in the past he still wakes up at the same time. Ideally he'd wake up at 6:30. That's what he was doing for a long time (sleeping 12 hours with 1 wake up), before we hit whatever this is, and he increased night waking and starting getting up earlier and earlier. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974431 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 15:35:33 +0000 Suzanne44 1974431@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Little Misters Mom: It sounds like you have a plan for tonight! Good luck! I think a Daddy doing the nighttime checks will be easier for everyone. We sleep trained my first at 6 months and dropped night feedings at that time as well, because the books I read suggested it was confusing to feed at one time and not another. I know it's normal for babies to still want to eat at night, but it sounds like you think deep down it is sleep related and not the need to eat. Which is what we thought as well. I know you have done sleep training to fall asleep already, but have you considered moving bedtime later? If he is sleeping 10 hours at night, then perhaps 6:15 is too early. I saw that you said you were gradually going to move it later. We didn't do an early bedtime until my son was sleeping 12 hours at night. What time would you like him to wake up in the morning if it were up to you? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974397 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 14:16:32 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1974397@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@anandam: @ellewoods84: I think we've decided to go full CIO tonight. I'm trying to nurse as much as possible today, and he'll get a big bottle before bed (he usually takes it in the morning). Then no more milk until 5 am (potentially 4 am depending on how the night goes) with Daddy doing check and console but no pick up. DH and I have decided to commit to 4 nights.</p> <p>I feel really nervous but somewhere deep down I believe this is the only way for us. It worked for falling asleep, it worked for naps. I really don't think he needs the calories at night. I'll keep you updated on our progress. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974372 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 13:35:05 +0000 anandam 1974372@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ellewoods84: @Little Misters Mom: I'm just there with you ladies. Perhaps it's normal around 6 months. Growth spurt and developmental spurt. Because we've done everything the books say not to do (late bedtimes, no routine, nursing to sleep) and also have the same pattern of more and more night waking from 5 months till now at 6.5 with no sign of improvement. If you do CIO and it works will you repost and let us know? I might also put sleep on my list for Santa. :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974355 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 13:04:05 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1974355@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Kemma: He is pretty active but hasn't settled into consistent nap times. He tends to get three 40-50 naps each day with an occasional 4th nap when he's feeling tired. We can't push him from his 4 am wake up to the suggested 9 am nap in HSHHH, but we could try to stablize a fixed time. He did just start to roll over in his crib to his belly so that's been an adjustment for him. The first night he flipped over and stayed I'd hoped that he would sleep better, but he woke the same as always. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974352 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 12:59:27 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1974352@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ellewoods84: I really do think he will be redistribute the calories and just needs encouragement. Though based on the length of his nursing sessions I don't know that he is really getting that much. I've spent all morning reading about night weaning through CIO. It's controversial as to whether the method is really suited but I feel that we've exhausted the other options (tried gradual weaning, etc) except of course just living with it. </p> <p>After reading all the posts on this old thread (<a href="http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/were-going-to-let-lo-cry-it-out-tonight-and-no-lie-im-scared" rel="nofollow">http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/were-going-to-let-lo-cry-it-out-tonight-and-no-lie-im-scared</a>) I think we may just need to go all in. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974351 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 12:59:18 +0000 Kemma 1974351@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Little Misters Mom: how does your LO's day routine of feeding, napping and activity look? Is your LO particularly active or on the early side of milestones? Sometimes introducing or tweaking a consistent day routine can help the night sleep so it can be worth noting everything down for a week so you can pick out any patterns.</p> <p>Fwiw my LO had a night feed until she was eighteen months old, she was an early mover and just needed the calories and comfort at night. She also struggled with resettling after a night feed so from six months on I would sleep with her once she'd had her night feed. Bedsharing doesn't work for everybody but it allowed my family to be well rested and remain sane :-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974322 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 12:30:57 +0000 ellewoods84 1974322@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Little Misters Mom: No. We did cio for bedtime and then we wouldn't nurse anytime before 1. This was working out for many weeks, she would nurse at 1 or even 2 sometimes, wake between 4-5, nurse, sleep til 630. That is over. Her first wake up keeps getting earlier and earlier, last night was 1055 and I know she's not hungry at that time! Her bedtime is 730. Not trying to thread jack, but just letting you know I completely understand. I would like to keep 1 feed, but I am thinking we probably have to eliminate that first feed by CIO, or I think this will keep happening. Problem is sometimes she is actually hungry when I nurse at 1. Soooo that's my only hesitation. But I would think she might redirect those calories to a different feed? Who knows. I'm clueless. Anyways, since you said he just seems to be comfort nursing maybe cio for that first wake up and see what happens. Sorry you guys are struggling too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974229 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 10:16:05 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1974229@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anutka: We've actually tried both in the early morning hours and during a middle of the night wake up. He is happy when he is nursing in bed, but will not go to sleep. He just sort of hangs out and reaches his hands out to touch DH and I (which is actually pretty cute). So unfortunately I can't see that working for us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974215 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 09:55:56 +0000 Anutka 1974215@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Little Misters Mom: might not be for you, but have you considered co-sleeping? When LO was 6 months old she woke every 45 minutes and would scream if I put her in the crib even when she was asleep. Putting her in bed with me was the only thing that worked for us. I would wake when she wanted to nurse, help her latch and promptly fall asleep. Kept all parties happy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974202 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 09:40:19 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1974202@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In my sleep deprived state I forgot to mention that I will be solo parenting Tuesday-Thursday starting in January. Right now DH can at least give a bottle in the morning, and on days when I'm a zombie he picks up the slack. But come January I'll be working full time (50-60 h/week) plus be on my own from Tuesday morning until Friday morning. So I'm feeling desperate about needing a solution. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974201 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 09:37:51 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1974201@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: Thanks for sharing your experience but oh god I don't think I can survive that. DS has slept through the night multiple times (and even done so for 3-4 night stretches) so I am hoping he can get there with a little push. I EBF, so I DH can't be that much help. He currently does the 4:20 wake up with a bottle, but I'm back at work next week and I don't think I'll be able to pump enough to last a whole day plus a nighttime bottle.</p> <p>@blackbird: That makes sense. I haven't had much luck with reducing the feedings by a minute at a time, but maybe he'll understand eliminating an entire feeding better. We're considering giving him his morning bottle (8 oz) before bed instead to see if it helps. But deep down, I really think this is a sleep issue and not a feeding issue. He often only nurses for a minute or two and then goes back to sleep (even if he then wakes when I put him back down).</p> <p>@ellewoods84: Have you ever done CIO for the entire night? Like put her down at 7 pm and not go back in until 7 am? CIO worked well for falling asleep and nap training. So I'm trying to figure out if the issue is we are not being consistent or whether it is about CIO not being effective for night weaning. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974185 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 09:21:09 +0000 Anagram 1974185@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Little Misters Mom: We did CIO every time we dropped a night feed. We had to. LO has never dropped a bottle feed willingly in her life. I did checks and it would take 3-4 nights of crying before that bottle was dropped.</p> <p>I think she was taking 2 overnight bottles, as well as an early morning bottle. So first I just made a rule of no bottles before 2 am. And I would do checks when she cried until 2 am. And then no bottles before 6 am. I would do checks for any crying before 6, too.</p> <p>Then, at 11 months, I dropped all bottles overnight with checks. She then started STTN, but waking super early (4:50-5 am) for milk but I felt so refreshed from STTN, that I have always kept that early morning milk because it's easier than me going to the kitchen and getting her real food.</p> <p>After 11 months, even when she woke up from teething or sickness, we didn't have to feed anymore, which *generally* makes wakeups shorter. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974180 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 09:17:43 +0000 ellewoods84 1974180@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm not sure what to tell you but we are at the same point. We've done CIO countless times and it literally seems to get worse night by night. I told my husband I can't take it anymore, we have to come up with a solution. Soooo, basically just want to let you know that I'm in the same boat and I really really hope it gets better for both of us soon. Hopefully people will have some good suggestions! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974175 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 09:11:30 +0000 blackbird 1974175@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Little Misters Mom: I think you can preserve a feeding. They have different sleep cycles at 6 months and wake up during them when they previously didn't. E had already dropped her feedings so we did CIO in the middle of the night too. She was learning to fall asleep in her crib and on her stomach, which was new for her. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974164 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 09:03:04 +0000 Anagram 1974164@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Little Misters Mom: Some babies just have a hard time sleeping (like some adults). My baby was and is one of those. She is 16 months and was up no less than probably 4 times last night. She didn't sleep through the night even once until she was almost 1 (after 3 different sleep training sessions) and even now, if she has even the slightest stuffy nose or even the first sign of a new tooth, we are in for weeks of terrible sleeping.</p> <p>She just isn't a good sleeper.</p> <p>Can your partner help with nighttime wakings? Eventually, my husband and I learned to split the night wakings so we both got a little more sleep. But even now, when we have a particularly rough patch of sleep, we snap at each other a lot because we're both exhausted (last night was one of those nights).</p> <p>Anyway, I hope it doesn't depress you, but eventually you just get used to it. I was still not used to it at 6 months. In fact, 4-11 months was the hardest because I was back at work, doing everything "right", as you described, had already sleep trained....and my baby just kept regressing. Every time.</p> <p>Even now, she puts herself to sleep (I can just lay her down and walk away), she's off breastmilk....but her sleep is still shit.</p> <p> :wink:</p> <p>ETA: we didn't drop her night time feeds until 11 months. She was one of those that would get hungry at night and still can't go 12 hours without eating (she gets a 5 am milk now). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974162 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 08:57:46 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1974162@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: Thanks. What exactly did you do? Just put her down at night and not go in until the morning? We've already sleep trained to fall asleep and nap trained. Do you think it's possible to do CIO and preserve one 3 am feeding or does that undermine the consistency?</p> <p>@catomd00: He has only been doing the early wake up for the past week or so, so I haven't wanted to encourage it by feeding. But if he continues that's something to try, thanks. In terms of feeding, I think he probably is hungry at 3 (his usual wake up). But only because he is accustomed to eating then (if I ate at 3 every day I'd get hungry then too). So my hope is that once we get down to one feeding, I can wean slowly and allow him to more gradually reorganize his caloric intake to take more during the day. My fear is with this new feedings we're actually moving in the opposite direction and he is learning to take more calories at night, not fewer. I think all babies are different, but I feel confident an 18 pound 6 month old doesn't need to eat every 3 hours during the night on a physiological level. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974148 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 08:38:40 +0000 catomd00 1974148@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Have you trie feeding at 9 wakeup instead of letting him xt to sleep? When I started feeding at her early wakeup, it got rid of one of the MOTN ones...</p> <p>To each their own but personally I'm not comfortable making te call of my nonverbal baby needs to eat or not. My 9 month old is on tons of table food (like she can eat me under the table) and has kept her milk intake the same. Pretty sure she (like me) has a fast metabolism and is legit hungry and needs to eat every few hours (including every 5 overnight). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974140 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 08:29:59 +0000 blackbird 1974140@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>E hit a bad regression and didn't grow out of it so we sleep trained with CIO at 6 months. I was so tired, I was worried I would fall asleep driving to or from work, so I pulled out the big guns. Took about a week and was very successful </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974129 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 08:05:10 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1974129@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not to add to an already too long post but I am currently trying to push bedtime to 6:30/6:45 (in hopes it helps with morning waking). And the only thing I can really think to do is go straight CIO for all waking not between 2:30 and 3:30 and leaving him in the crib until 5:30. That sounds pretty hard on him, but if it's the only thing that will work, I am willing to try. Thoughts? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breaking-point-with-night-time-sleep#post-1974126 Sun, 07 Dec 2014 08:00:50 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1974126@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hive, please help. I’m at a breaking point with sleep. DS will be 6 months old next week, EBF. He’s slept through the night a few times around 3.5 mo, and went about 2 months waking just once at 3 am to nurse and fall back asleep. Now he’s waking multiple times per night and not going back to sleep after nursing. I haven’t slept more than 2.5 hours in a row in over a month. Bedtime is 6:15, he appears to have settled into waking briefly around 9-10 (I let him cry and he goes back to sleep), then at 12:30 he wants to nurse and usually goes back down, then 3:20 he is up to nurse but only goes back down 50% of the time. If I let him cry, he will SCREAM for 30-40 minutes which is hard to take at that hour. He is now also waking at 4:30 for the day. He's a big baby, and I know he doesn't really need the milk.</p> <p>I feel like I’m doing everything the books tell me (drowsy but awake, early bedtime, consistent routine, no timed devices, no nursing to sleep) and it keeps getting worse. I need an action plan. In an ideal but realistic world he gets back down to one 3 am wake up and sleeps until after 6 am. I’m back to work in a week, so I feel like it’s now or never. Do you have books to recommend? What did you do with your LO? Any and all concrete suggestions, I’m willing to try. </p>