https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 22 Apr 2026 19:20:54 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-579619 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:39:03 +0000 HabesBabe 579619@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Sammyfab: she falls asleep on her own without any training... so it'll be interesting to see how she'll react to night waking training.</p> <p>She woke up 5 times last night and I am OVER IT. lol... so we're starting tonight instead of at the end of the month. Wish us luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-569992 Sat, 16 Feb 2013 11:18:35 +0000 Sammyfab 569992@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@HabesBabe: that's awesome that she puts herself to sleep!! Did you sleep train to teach her how to fall asleep on her own or did do it naturally?</p> <p>I would say it might be a schedule issue (she's overtired and waking up) or she has sleep dependencies and has become accustomed to being nursed in the middle of the night. If you're comfortable with it, I would do a little CIO for her 11 am and 2am wakeups but make sure her schedule is appropriate first. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-569642 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 21:45:48 +0000 HabesBabe 569642@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Keppa: aaaahhhhh omg, HOURS?! You poor things :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-569527 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 20:21:25 +0000 Mrs. Oyster 569527@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Following this as well. Our 6mo old has never been a great sleeper (although he has had nights where he's slept for 6+ hours at a stretch). He still usually wakes for anywhere from 3+ feedings a night. Our nighttime routine is usually nurse, bath, PJs, book, bed (awake). Sometimes when he wakes up crying in the middle of the night he'll put himself back to sleep within a few minutes if we're slow to get to him.....but usually he will cry for hours (HOURS) and continue to ramp himself up. Thus we usually just go to get him. He does eat solid foods (although admittedly not a ton) and he's VERY active.<br /> We're tired but, like I said, he's never been a good sleeper...so it almost seems normal to me at this point! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-569323 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:52:52 +0000 HabesBabe 569323@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@plantains: she is still awake-- the only time we put her down asleep is for the night wakings (she wakes, cries, nurses/snacks, dozes off). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-569321 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:51:55 +0000 plantains 569321@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@HabesBabe: When you put her down, is she still clearly awake or has she fallen asleep in your arms before you put her in the crib? Sounds counter intuitive but I found that DD had to go in to the crib properly awake to fall asleep and stay asleep for teh whole night. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-569298 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:33:50 +0000 HabesBabe 569298@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winniebee: Yes, we've tried pieces of banana, tofu, avocado, and puffs. The same "ewww" face each time.</p> <p>@Sammyfab: She definitely falls asleep on her own at the beginning of each night (most of the time without being nursed-- sometimes the timing is off each day and her last nursing session ends up being right before bedtime). She also goes down for naps on her own (without being nursed)-- so the only sleep "issue" we really have is these night wakings. I think they're a bigger deal to us because we were definitely spoiled and she STTN for almost 4 months straight! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-569131 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:16:29 +0000 Sammyfab 569131@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't vote for any of your options because it really depends on if she is falling asleep on her own at the beginning of the night. If she's being nursed to sleep she will continue to wake up because she has sleep dependencies.</p> <p>Teaching her to self soothe (sleep training) is the best option, but just letting her cry 10-15 minutes and then going in to nurse her back to sleep probably won't decrease the nightwakings, it will just teach her that if she cries for x amount of time mommy will come and help me go back to sleep.</p> <p>I agree with the earlier bedtime suggestion but I've always used waketimes (instead of an arbitrarily set bedtime) to make sure my LO isn't overtired when I put him to bed. If your LO is falling asleep on her own and her schedule is appropriate, I think you could sleep train through the first two nightwakings easily. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-569043 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:38:14 +0000 winniebee 569043@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@cascademom: We also got these baby rice cakes that were great - they are small and good for baby gripping and they get soft with sucking, too, so there's a lower risk of choking.</p> <p><a href="http://www.diapers.com/p/happy-baby-happymunchies-rice-cakes-apple-407736" rel="nofollow">http://www.diapers.com/p/happy-baby-happymunchies-rice-cakes-apple-407736</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-569027 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:34:31 +0000 cascademom 569027@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winniebee: He's good at grasping, but I'd be willing to try the teething biscuits. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-569021 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:33:15 +0000 winniebee 569021@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@cascademom: That's how I did it at first - the teeniest little bites of things and I would put it on my finger. Also, you can try things like teething biscuits to get him used to grasping food (and the biscuits are so hard that they are very difficult to bite stuff off). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-569016 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:31:58 +0000 cascademom 569016@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winniebee: This is good to know. My husband is so cautious about what foods to give him when based on the information given to us by the doctor. I've got some overripe bananas. I'm really tempted to try feeding him some from my finger. He loves to gnaw on our fingers. I've only recently started making purees. He blew out the butternut squash probably because it was fun. I wonder if we feed him with our fingers to start, he might like it more than the spoon. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568998 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:28:16 +0000 winniebee 568998@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@cascademom: A lot of parents skip purees altogether and at 6 months start giving "real" food. Like little finger sized food and the baby sucks/gnaws on the food and gets little bits. We started giving more table food around 7-8 months. I think we did start puffs around 6 months and my son loved them! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568915 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:01:13 +0000 cascademom 568915@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winniebee: Just curious. Would you suggest offering puffs at 6 months old or something along that line? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568908 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:59:25 +0000 winniebee 568908@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@HabesBabe: Have you tried any finger foods yet? Like the BLW appraoch? Some babies just don't like purees! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568906 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:59:09 +0000 BabyBoecksMom 568906@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think I would try a mixture of putting her down a little earlier, as well as letting her cry for a few minutes before going in to "rescue" her. DD was the same way and I finally had to let her fuss it out for a few minutes and almost every time, she would go back to sleep on her own. I also wouldn't feed her unless it had been at least 3 hours, because I knew she could handle it. </p> <p>Of course, every time she gets sick, I will go to her and then we have to start the process all over again when she gets better. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568867 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:46:28 +0000 mrs. wagon 568867@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winniebee: this!!! We have stayed at a hotel a couple of nights and when she woke crying, we'd pick her up and try to rock her back to sleep because we didn't want her to wake up Wagon Jr. she'd get madder and madder so finally we'd put her down with her blankie and she'd immediately rub it into her face, shift around a bit, and fall back asleep!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568863 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:44:28 +0000 cascademom 568863@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@HabesBabe: We're at almost 6 months with the same issues of night waking and solids. We've tried rice cereal and a veggie. Each time he's offered it, he plays with the spoon and then blows the food out. Our LO isn't interested in solids yet either, so I feel you there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568830 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:32:14 +0000 HabesBabe 568830@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks, everyone!</p> <p>@mrs. wagon: I was thinking about the bedtime being an issue, so I might try to get her down earlier.</p> <p>@babynumber1: @winniebee: @Bao: @caffeinated: I guess I should have mentioned that we have tried solids, but she HATES them (I guess she's just not ready yet?). She was eating rice cereal for about 2 weeks starting at 5 1/2 months, then I introduced some fruits and veggies and now she doesn't eat anything (sweet or savory-- no peas, green beans, avocados, bananas, apples, pears, yogurt, cantaloupe, butternut squash-- NOTHING! she doesn't even eat rice cereal or oatmeal anymore. She makes a yucky face and sometimes gags, and then pushes it out with her tongue). I had been making baby food myself, so we might try to buy a few jars this weekend to see if that helps (maybe she likes preservatives? boooo).</p> <p>@stargal: @katyh: hopefully you guys got some good advice from this, too! sounds like our littles just don't like sleep that much yet. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568737 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:52:16 +0000 banana 568737@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My DD is almost 7 months old and we just recently started pushing her bedtime further back (she used to go down at 8p...now she goes down at 7p) and it has helped tremendously. She used to wake up 3-5 times every night. Now she wakes up twice (once at 12a and once at 4am) and wakes up for good at around 8am. I also ditto the letting her crying it out suggestion. Just for 5-10 minutes. If her crying gets super intense, then you can just pick her up and soothe her. Often times (maybe 2 out of 3 times), if I let my DD fuss/CIO she just falls back asleep! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568731 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:49:34 +0000 LulaBee 568731@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My daughter is 6.5 months old and wakes as much as yours, if not more. I don't have any advice- we do a 6 or 6:30 bedtime, she is on solids, she just wants to comfort nurse/snack when she wakes. We have tried letting her cry it out- that girl can cry for HOURS. So I'm subscribing too, because clearly I have no idea what I'm doing. Some babies are just not good sleepers. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568723 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:47:29 +0000 Freckles 568723@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would start solids, since she's already 7 months old. I also wonder if there's a particular reason why you haven't started on solids yet? I would not put rice cereal in her bottle though.</p> <p>I would also wait 10-15 minutes before going in. Unfortunately, by now she's probably too used to you coming in at those times and may cry for a lot longer. If she's just nibbling, she most likely isn't hungry and is just used to the comfort from your boobs. :) My LO was only waking up once around the 7 month mark.</p> <p>I don't think the bedtime really matters, as long as she's getting the 12ish hours of sleep at night (excluding feeding times). </p> <p>I agree with @winniebee, the exception is when they're sick! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568721 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:47:23 +0000 Bao 568721@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would let her cry for 10-15, even 20 minutes when she wakes up, so she can self soothe. Also, would it be possible to add in solids? Even just a meal in the evening? As far as bedtimes, you could try putting LO down earlier. We were putting LO down at 7:00pm but she was too tired at that point, that it was making her nights miserable. She now goes down at 6:30 and it makes everyone happier. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568712 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:44:59 +0000 plantains 568712@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I sleep trained my DD at 4 months and she then was only waking to nurse once a night. After we started solids, she dropped the night waking. Now, very occasionally she will wake up and cry a bit, I always try to give her at least 5-10 mins to soothe herself before going in. She always goes back to sleep in 4 mins flat so I know now that going in to soothe her is not the answer as that only stimulates her.</p> <p>Given how often she is waking up to snack, she needs to learn to self soothe and not to associate nursing with getting to sleep. If you can stop nursing her at night or at least cut down to just one feed she should be fine. I would let her fuss for 10 - 15 minutes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568696 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:39:11 +0000 winniebee 568696@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I vote to start on some solids and try to let her self soothe. My son at 9 months sometimes still wakes and cries but I find that if I leave him for 10 minutes he will go back to sleep on his own. It's not like I'm sleeping through the cries, but I feel it is important to let him try to go back to sleep on his own before I intervene. If I go in his room to "soothe" him it mostly just gets him more worked up and then I've gotta feed him. I've used this approach since 6 months and he mostly sleeps through the night. </p> <p>Ditto to moving bedtime up to 7:00.</p> <p>(If he's sick, these rules don't apply and I go to him right away). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568682 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:34:26 +0000 babynumber1 568682@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Is there a reason u haven't started solids yet? I would do a combo of starting solids and let her try to self soothe for 5-10 min. Our LO didn't start sleeping through the night at all until she started crawling and went on solids twice a day </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568674 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:31:01 +0000 mediagirl 568674@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would go in and try to soothe her. I've found sometimes I can soothe my 8 month old by rubbing her back and turning on her mobile. I'm not into crying it out, though. The most she has ever cried has been maybe 2-3 minutes before I give in. Try to get her down by 7pm at the very latest and don't let her nap after 5pm. Those two were keys for us, as well. Every time she naps after 5pm, she wakes up in the middle of the night. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568667 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:29:08 +0000 mrs. wagon 568667@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I voted let her cry a bit to learn how to self soothe, but also push her bedtime back. We try to get LMW (almost 7 months) between 6 and 7:30. Usually right around 6:30. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568657 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:26:23 +0000 stargal 568657@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Subscribing I have the same exact problem with my 7 month old....sure are babies aren't twins? Lol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-dodid-you-deal-with-your-7-month-olds-night-wakings#post-568630 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:21:17 +0000 HabesBabe 568630@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So C is 7 months old and has been waking up 3-4 times each night (she usually goes down between 7p-8p, wakes up around 11, 2, and 6). She USED TO sleep through the night (from 2 months to 5 1/2 months), so I think that her tummy can handle a 10 to 12 hour stretch without nursing.</p> <p>She isn't eating any solids yet, so the hubs and ILs think that she's not getting enough calories, which is why she's waking up to nurse (I don't think this is the case because she's 90+ percentile for weight). She doesn't really EAT when she wakes up-- just snacks a bit, so I think that's something I can cut out. I really just do it now because I'm a WAHM and hubs is a WOHD, and he wakes up around 6am-- so I try to keep her cries to a minimum so he's rested enough for work.</p> <p>Fortunately, the hubs is going away for a long weekend at the end of this month, so I'm free to try something different without impacting his sleep. I would have 4 nights to "train" her while he's gone.</p> <p>Should I let her cry 10-15 minutes after each waking (or until the cries get really intense)? Should I continue to soothe/comfort nurse her because she's probably not getting enough to eat during the day? Should we try giving her a bottle with rice cereal before bedtime? Make her bedtime earlier?</p> <p>Any advice would be greatly appreciated! </p>