https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:04:48 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-27967 Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:14:39 +0000 sbjmorgan 27967@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>On another mommy board that I'm on, someone had this same problem. The issue turned out to be sleep apnea, her daughter was getting almost no sleep because she kept waking up. Does your son snore heavily? If it doesn't improve soon I'd ask his doctor for a sleep study. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-24264 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:42:21 +0000 brownie 24264@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So, he slept from 9:30 pm (I picked him up from daycare at 9 pm) until 1 am last night. We were up for an hour and then he co-slept until my alarm went off at 4:30. So I got at least a chunk of sleep in last night. I think the elevation and saline drops helped. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23936 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:39:12 +0000 banana 23936@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@chopsuey119: I love the mattress on the floor! So convenient isn't it? Now, whenever my son gets sleepy, he walks over to the mattress and plops himself down and sleeps. I love it! hehehe </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23869 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:28:55 +0000 brownie 23869@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Bee: This is why I don't think he is quite ready for full CIO sleep training. That was a one time experience where he needed to sleep. He hadn't slept all day. We tried full resets with diaper changes and some rocking to relax and it didn't work. He is super stubborn.</p> <p>We went to the Dr. today at lunch. He is congested and she suggested elevated the head of his bed. I am going to try that. It would make sense that he sleeps better with me because my arm is under his head. So all the gunk can drain. We are going to try this tonight and see if it helps. </p> <p>Thank you all for great suggestions. I am going to get the Fisher-Price nighttime soother as well to see if that helps him. Hopefully something will help us get more sleep.</p> <p>If all else fails, we will continue co-sleeping. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23836 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:40:02 +0000 chopsuey 23836@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@banana: I've had my LO sleep on a mattress on the floor since she was born too! It's great when she wakes up at night. I lay next to her, nurse, and sneak out when she falls back asleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23822 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:58:10 +0000 banana 23822@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son hated his pack and play. I didn't realize it until about a week of him not sleeping/screaming/crying. One day, my mom tried to nap him on the floor (mattress on the ground) and he slept much longer. Maybe try something other than the pack n play?</p> <p>My son and I co-sleep and it works for us. We're following the attachment parenting style and co-sleeping is such a great bonding experience for our family. We do it a little differently though. Instead of all of us sleeping on our bed, we put a large mattress in his room and sleep there. That way he knows it's his room and that's where he sleeps. We're starting to wean him off of it (he sleeps on his own now) and had no problems. So there's nothing wrong with co-sleeping! Millions of people all over the world do it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23806 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:38:55 +0000 Mrs. Bee 23806@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>you mentioned that he cried for 1.5 hours during a nap... most sleep training suggests that you cap crying at 1 hour and give up the nap. have you tried night training? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23797 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:27:49 +0000 Mama Ek 23797@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Do you have any family around that can help out? maybe someone that can give him some bottles during the night and when he realizes he is not getting the boob he will just not wake up.</p> <p>I was also going to suggest pacifiers. When I realized that my LO shouldn't be eating at night anymore, I would just give him a pacifier and he would go back to sleep. </p> <p>I don't think it is bad to co-sleep until your husband gets home. just put something else on the other side so he can't fall - like a bed rail or the pack and play if it is high enough. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23742 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:25:27 +0000 Boogs 23742@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownie: LOL, I'm sure it's not just yours! My LO cried ALL night long his second night out of the womb. I haven't found anything that works yet because it has just started in the past week or so. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23726 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:03:52 +0000 Maysprout 23726@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownie: What's evil about co-sleeping? I'd read up on how to do it safely. I don't love to do it because I don't sleep as well but I've never thought of it as evil. I've had one friend who's son is just a bear about leaving their bed but from other people who have done it they kicked their kid out around a year or so and it worked out fine. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23723 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:00:54 +0000 looch 23723@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If it were me, I'd just deal with it how it is until my husband got home. I couldn't bear listening to my son cry, my husband had to do it, he's much more strict about the rules, lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23722 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:57:04 +0000 Rosie Girl 23722@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would say more solids, especially before bed so that he is fuller and sleeps longer. Also, maybe a pacifier. He should learn to put himself to sleep, and crying it out, though really hard, might be the best thing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23720 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:54:20 +0000 Andrea 23720@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Your LO doesn't know how to put himself to sleep so that is the problem. If you can't sleep train while your hubby is away, I think you're just going to have to tough it out for this period. Stick with nursing and co-sleeping for the moment if that is working. It sounds like it's just about survival while the hubs is away. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23717 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:53:45 +0000 brownie 23717@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Maysprout: Instead of rice cereal, we have found dehydrated veggies by NuturMe. Instead of empty calories they are fruits and veggies you can add to a bottle. We haven't tried it yet but might if I can figure out how to pump that much.</p> <p>Formula isn't an option for us because he is MSPI. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23714 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:51:40 +0000 brownie 23714@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Oh a glowworm may do it. He has one of those crib things that plays music and whatever but he hasn't exactly figured out how to work it on purpose. But something easier may work. He has pacifiers in his crib (wubbanub pacis attached to toys). And we find him cuddling them and chewing on them but not as comfort. He also gets a blanket. Those things used to help but not so much anymore.</p> <p>I can't wait for him to come home. Would I be terrible if I just co-slept/co-bedded with him? I think we may both sleep better but I keep going back to that it is soooo evil. He can roll over in both directions, hold his head up, and moves (army crawl) wherever he wants. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23712 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:50:57 +0000 Maysprout 23712@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Could he be a bit cold? When it first started getting cold out as soon as I added an extra layer she went back to sleeping better.</p> <p>My little girl just started waking up several times a night and she's always been a great sleeper, she just turned 6 months. Over thanksgiving everyone swore by giving a bit of rice cereal before bed so we may try that but I think she was having some gas pains because people were feeding her more solids than she was used to.</p> <p>You might want to also try to keep him up just a little longer so he's good and tired - probably bad advice - but I've noticed if I try to put my LO down too early she wakes up more frequently like she's taking naps. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23711 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:48:38 +0000 brownie 23711@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Boogs: Sometimes I worry it is just my child. He hasn't exactly been normal since birth (came out screaming for 12 hours straight).</p> <p>8 tooth wow! I though 2 was bad. </p> <p>So have you found anything that works? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23705 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:36:37 +0000 Red 23705@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just my opinion, but it seems like you LO needs to learn how to put himself to sleep and unfortunately, the only way to do this effectively is to sleep train him again. This probably isn't what you want to hear but could it be that the previous sleep-training attempts were inconsistent? </p> <p>Babies are smarter than we give them credit for - if you had let him cry it out only to go pick him up after 45 minutes, then he has learned that he needs to cry for 45 minutes before someone will pick him up. If you stick to your guns, then he'll learn that mommy isn't going to pick him up and that it's not worth his time to continue crying. Also, babies get disoriented when they drift off to sleep in one location (your arms) and wake up in another (pack n play) so they purposely wake themselves up to try to get back to where they were (your arms). </p> <p>My LO was extremely stubborn and cried for 2 hours (with me checking on her every 10 minutes) the first night, 1 hr the second, 30 min the third, and finally for less than 1 minute the fourth. </p> <p>It also helps to read up on how babies sleep. Even if you don't read the whole book (cause who really has time to), the chapter on sleep associations was extremely helpful to me to understand how babies sleep differ from adults and how some of things I was doing was actually causing my LO's sleep disruptions (like rocking, giving her the pacifier, or placing her in crib after she falls asleep in my arms). Good luck and I hope things improve.</p> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Solve-Your-Childs-Sleep-Problems/dp/0743201639/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1322588072&#038;sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Solve-Your-Childs-Sleep-Problems/dp/0743201639/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1322588072&#038;sr=8-1</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23684 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:13:21 +0000 looch 23684@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Then the only other suggestions I have is a pacifier if he doesn't already have one, or you can introduce his thumb. Another option is a toy in his crib to occupy him. My son loves his glo-worm.</p> <p>I think you just have to tough it out and deal, either with nursing or sleep training. There's an end in sight until your husband comes home! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23674 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:58:02 +0000 Boogs 23674@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Maybe it's something with the age? My 7 month old finished getting an 8th tooth in and I don't see any new ones, has had a cold that he's finally getting over, and he STILL isn't sleeping great either and I've been wondering what the deal is to. </p> <p>Like you, mine comfort nurses, gets angrier when patted and shushed, and mostly won't cry it out, I keep trying and he keeps crying...kid is strong-willed like his mama. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23672 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:55:32 +0000 brownie 23672@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: I can't spend the next two weeks sleep training him. I can't be up for 2 hours every 3 hours. I have to work in the morning. When daddy gets home and we can trade off we will try. </p> <p>As for solids he has whatever I have for dinner minus the grains. Plus some sort of puree to top him off. So Monday night he had turkey hotdogs and sweet potatoes. This week at daycare he has butternut squash and sweet potatoes. Tomorrow he will have apple, chicken and peas. We aren't doing any grains so no oatmeal or cereals at all.</p> <p>I don't cook so I am not really too sure what we will eat while daddy is gone. lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23645 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:32:17 +0000 looch 23645@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son was doing the same, he'd wake up in an hour no matter what time it was. What we had to do was sleep train, and by that I mean put him in his crib after the routine and go in at intervals, sometimes helping him lay back down, but we never picked him up. It took us two weeks, but we got there. </p> <p>I should say before that he was sleeping in bed with me, in the nursery. He would wake up every hour and I would jump in and soothe him, which was the worst thing I could do. If you know your LO is comfort nursing, you have to decide if you want to stop it or not. No one method is right for all babies.</p> <p>eta: what is he eating for solids? you don't have to do anything with dairy or soy if you don't want to. my son eats oatmeal with fruit in the morning and baby pasta, meat and two veggies at night. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23607 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:02:01 +0000 Crisark 23607@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownie: My only other thought would be that he may be dealing with a tummy ache or tooth ache. Something that is preventing him from soothing completely. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23603 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:00:06 +0000 brownie 23603@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Crisark: Touching makes him get angrier. I had success Sunday night twice with a shush pat for 5 minutes. I didn't have success once Sunday night and at all last night. He is a weird little baby. I would have to sit there all night or nap long. Even if I don't nurse him to sleep, I put him down groggy he wakes up at 30 minutes screaming. It is just crazy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23598 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:56:58 +0000 brownie 23598@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Lozza: He went through the tooth thing about 2 weeks ago, so I am fairly certain it isn't that or a growth spurt. He has never been a great sleeper but we was doing 2 2 hour naps a day at daycare (never at home) and at least one 6 hour stint at night. </p> <p>He gets at least 1x a day of solids and I try to get solids into him in the evening. Last night he fell asleep instead of solids. Unfortunately, he is intolerant of dairy and soy so, we have a hard time with easy foods for him. </p> <p>I am fairly certain he doesn't need the calories. I offer the same side all night so I have enough to pump in the morning (so he has enough to eat during the day). He is nursing for comfort not for food.</p> <p>When daddy gets home we are going to try very strong sleep training. I just need to be able to get through the next two weeks without killing myself (or him). </p> <p>He actually sleeps longer/better when he is in bed with me. We were able to take a 2 hour nap on Sunday because I let him stay with me for that nap. It was the only good nap he had on Sunday. I just don't feel like it is safe for him to sleep with me all night. I get scared (even though it shouldn't be unsafe for him). He stays right next to me and nurses whenever he wants. He will stay like that for up to 4 hours at a time. In his own crib/room, he will scream until we go in. He can't soothe himself and won't let me sooth him (sush/patting, holding). Nursing is the only thing that is working. </p> <p>Maybe someone has some soothing techniques to try. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23588 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:46:02 +0000 Crisark 23588@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have to agree that at his age more solids would probably be a huge help. I also second the idea of a night bottle rather than straight from the breast. They do normally take more that way. Both of my sisters breastfed and had a strict bedtime bath/feeding/bed routine. They both follow this routine still as both my nephews are over 1 year old. The stricter the routine the better from my experience. I also wouldn't feed him while in your bed. He will continue to want that being that he will just want to be with mommy, that will lead to more waking and crying because he wakes and knows he's not with you and that makes his little self angry(cause mommys are awesome and why not want to be with her all the time :) )<br /> So, my suggestions are:<br /> 1. Start a soothing bath routine maybe 45 minutes before feeding time<br /> 2. Feed night time bottle- maybe try increasing oz for this bottle<br /> 3. place in bed and try to not have to hold him to go to sleep. This doesn't mean you have to leave him screaming but maybe take in a chair where you can be touching him while he is still independently soothing himself to sleep. This way he knows you are still right there.<br /> I do hope this helps at least a little bit!! Good luck!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23568 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:27:55 +0000 Lozza 23568@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Is this awful sleep pattern new, or is he just always a bad sleeper?<br /> DS is almost 8 months, and while he has never been a good sleeper, it wasn't normally as bad as what you're experiencing. Could he be going through a growth spurt, or teething, or experiencing something else that could explain the frequent wakings? About a week before he turned 7 months, our LO went through about a week of being an absolute monster, and for us it helped to really up the amount of food he was taking in right before bed, and during his night feedings, even if that meant giving him a bottle instead of nursing, since sometimes he'll take more that way.<br /> Like looch, we also do more solids- we try to get him solids 3x/day. I like doing a baby yogurt for dinner, I have this idea that maybe the little bit of protein in it will help with sleep.<br /> It also really helped us to try to dispense with the night feedings- even though we only briefly flirted with strict sleep training, we did set rules about things like "I will only feed him if it's been at least X number of hours" because I didn't want him to get used to being able to wake up every 2 hours for a 2 minute snack.<br /> It's a good goal, but not sure if it's something you want to take on when you're a temporarily single mom.<br /> Does he normally sleep in bed with you? I find that if I try to keep DS in our bed, both of us wake up a lot more often, whereas if he's in his crib in his room, and I'm nowhere in sight, he might fuss more at first, but he calms pretty quickly and wakes less often once he first gets to sleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23555 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:07:10 +0000 looch 23555@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sorry to read you are having a hard time. It can be extra stressful for both mom and baby when dad is out of town!</p> <p>I am no expert, but at 7 months, my son was eating more solid food, that could be an issue with why yours is up so much at night. I also think 7 months is old enough for a night routine, with a bath, so you might consider adding that in.</p> <p>We had to do sleep training three times to be successful. The first time at 6 months he just wasn't ready and the crying increased rather than decreased. We finally were successful at 10 months. Every baby is different.</p> <p>Good luck to you...I am also curious to read what other moms have to offer! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-getting-7-month-old-to-sleep-at-night#post-23551 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:56:36 +0000 brownie 23551@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am a single mom for two weeks while dad is on travel out of the country. I can't even communicate with him. And I am at wits end after only 3 days.</p> <p>Our 7 month old will not sleep at all (day or night though night especially for me). During the day he takes 30 minute naps until he is utterly exhausted and then will maybe sleep for 2 hours. At night I can't get him to sleep for longer than 2 hours at time. And I can't sooth him back to sleep. I can't get enough sleep to be functional at work.</p> <p>Here is what we want to be doing:<br /> 4:00 am - momma wake and get ready for the day<br /> 5:15 am - wake baby, dress baby, feed baby<br /> 5:45 am - leave for daycare<br /> 6:00 am - 7:00 am - cat nap (he doesn't usually start the day until 7 with daddy)<br /> 7:00 - 9:00 am - 6 oz of breastmilk and play time<br /> 9:00 - 11:00 am - nap 1<br /> 11:00 am - I come to feed him<br /> 12:30 pm - solids and 2 oz of breastmilk<br /> 1:30 pm - nap 2<br /> 3:30 pm - wake and play<br /> 4:00 pm - I come to feed him (T/R) or I pick him up (M/W/F)<br /> 6:30 pm - get ready for bed and nurse him down<br /> 7:00 pm - baby goes to sleep<br /> 8:00 pm - momma goes to sleep</p> <p>This is what I am getting<br /> Monday<br /> 12:10 am - wakes up and nurses in my bed<br /> 1:00 am - transfer to pack and play<br /> 1:30 am - wakes up and nurses for 5 minutes and I transfer to pack an play<br /> 3:30 am - wakes up (I nurse him to sleep in my bed)<br /> 5:00 am - wakes up, dressed, fed, etc.<br /> 6:00 am - drop at daycare<br /> 8:00 am - she attempts a nap, he screams<br /> 9:00 am - 20 minute nap successful<br /> 11:00 am - nurse<br /> 1:00 pm - 2 hour nap<br /> 4:00 pm - pick up, nurse etc.<br /> 6:00 pm - nurse to sleep<br /> 6:40 pm - he wakes up<br /> 8:30 pm - we both attempt to go to sleep in my bed nursing.<br /> 8:40 pm - he isn't asleep so I put him in pack an play. He screams<br /> 8:45 pm - I nurse him to sleep and transfer to pack and play<br /> 9:40 pm - wakes ups, I pull him into bed and nurse him. We both fall asleep<br /> 12:40 pm - wake up to him nursing. wait for him to sleep and transfer him to pack and play<br /> 2:00 am - wak up and nurse him. transfer to pack and play</p> <p>What can I do so that we both get sleep? I can't let him cry it out because he will just cry forever. We have tried it and instead of going down in time over a week, it just increased. He started at 45 minutes and would go for an entire 1.5 hour nap. He obviously isn't ready for that technique.</p> <p>Help! I have 2 more weeks of this. </p>