Thread: my 6 month old

Well, she was doing real good with sleeping through the night!! But the last few weeks she is getting up about 3:00 am ready to party!!
Anyone got any tips, trick, or some advice??? i would love to hear it.
With work and final exams coming... im up for anything.

She's probably going through a growth spurt or changes in her sleep cycle. Can you adjust her daily schedule and maybe cut down on one of her afternoon or evening naps so she'll be more tired at night? Maybe put her to bed a tad later than she goes down right now? Also is she eating any solids yet like cereal, perhaps? Sometimes when they're going through a growth spurt, they'll wake up hungry. Make sure she's just had a bottle and/or some cereal when you put her down.

Six months is also prime make-or-break self-soother time. That is, she's at the age where she's learning that when she wakes up on her own in the night, she can just play in her crib and babble and move around and be just fine even if no one comes running in response. Try seeing if she'll settle down on her own and go back to sleep. If you can get her to a point where she soothes herself and goes back to sleep on her own, the rest of her babyhood and toddler years are going to be a lot easier on her parents. If she's wide awake, throws a fit and the crying volume just continues to increase, you'll know you don't have a self-soother on your hands. At least not quite yet, that is. Good luck!!!

My boyfriends nephew did that. His mom just tried to put him to bed later. He sleeps until 5 in the morning now and he's a year old.
Is 6 months to young for her to start teething? Maybe she's waking up because her mouth hurts.
Good Luck!

It could be teething! It's been so long that I forgot about that. Those first two bottom teeth that come in generally start to do that at the 6- to 7-month period for a lot of babies. And that does tend to make them wakeful. Although if she's waking up happy and "ready to party," you're lucky. Emerging teeth always put my boy in a bad mood.

She got her two bottom (very cute) teeth awhile back. Maybe it could be a growth spurt.... she is very happy when she gets up. maybe tonight i will try and let her go back to sleep on her own. When should her other teeth start coming in?? thanks.

Here's a general guideline I found. Some get teeth earlier than others, obviously. The molars are the ones that generally take the longest and make the babies the most miserable because they cause more soreness. They form a blister under the gums as they're coming up before they break through the gum surface, and babies often run some fever with that. Teething increases the amount of drool they produce, too!

Baby Teething - Symptoms, How to Ease the Pain and Much More!

As a wiccan I can tell you what i did for my son when he had his hours mixed up and it worked the next night.

Walk counter clockwise in circle around an object like a coffee table and repeat this 3 times . As I go on this late night walk I reset your sleeping clock!


It is from my personal Grim.

Gatekeeper

Babies aren't designed to fit our scheduals. Your babe waking is a normal thing. I have a nine month old who has slept through the night for stages and walks numerous times during other stages. I don't believe in letting a baby "Cry It Out" to the point where they are screaming even for a few minutes, crying and fussing is different but still should not be ignored, it is your childs way to communicate with you and your baby is waking because he needs something from you or your partner, often to be feed cuddled and to be put back to sleep.
The transistion that takes place between awake and asleep is a huge change for your baby to learn to cope and ourselves as babies were taught. they need there parents help to form healthy sleeping habits as opposed to crying themselves to exhaustion. The best way to encourage your child to self sooth is to show him how to sooth and relax himself. It also helps to have a routine before sleep to signal to him what is about to happen, such as a swaddling technique or even a lullaby. If you have to fill the sink with warm water at 3am and give him a bath a clean daiper and a bottle to relax him then that's ok. Maybe try bringing him to bed an cuddle or nurse/bottle till he falls back asleep and can be moved to his crib again.
You can not teach your child to sleep through the night only train them like a dog to do it. Many of todays mainstream ideas reguarding parenting detach a child from a parent by forcing them to accept that it is the way it is. Babies cry because they have a need that needs to be met and nurtured, not reformed to meet an adults structured world. In other cultures parents follow the babies cues. Research has show that this sort of ATTACHMENT PARENTING(google it), results in babies who feel more secure and understood by their parents and are better able to communicate their needs so their is less confusion as to what the baby is telling you he needs.
Not to mention that baby tummy's aren't ment to go more than a few hours before needing to be filled up again.
I find that my daughter has many reason for her sleep schedual to be disrupted such are teething, developmental milestones(learning new skills), over stimulation, upset tummy, gas, temp is uncomfortable, or when she is starting to feel a little sick. All of these are good reasons to meet your babies needs and not let him cry.
We actually use baby sign language and my daughter uses signs to tell us she wants milk, needs, here diaper changed, or wants food, and we started right around six months. When we cant figure out what's wrong we ask her and she can tell us where as verbally she is unable to and gets frustrating as you play hit and miss.

I've also read an article on the idea that some babies cry to relieve tension. Yes there are some babies who need to cry or fuss in order to blow off steam and relax after wards. These babies tend to calm after a few minutes(like 2-3) of crying. The other type is where crying increases tension(my daughter), in which case a baby's crying will only grow in intensity 'till they are soothed, and the only way to deal with this type of baby is to take care of their needs promtly to let them know they can depend on you and allow them to use that security to gain independence with time and patience.

Please Please don't leave your babies in cribs to cry, they belong in Mom and Dad's arms if not all night then at least as they go to sleep.

Babies were made to wake up in the middle of the night! I got 6 months to go then I get to enjoy the fun again heh. My littlest guy used to wake up in the middle of the night all the time, walking around bouncing him gently always did the trick for him.
From what ya were saying it just seems like it is her schedule to wake up at that time. like Birdgirl originally said try adjusting her daily schedule but do to the fact that babies don't sleep for long periods she is going to wake up at some different time in the middle of the night. In my opinion 3am is better than say a few hours before you have to wake up, by the time ya change her feed and comfort her, then get her to fall back asleep, you might not be able to get back asleep yourself heh. Although, parents of a baby always seem ready to get some rest

My 18 mo old is getting her 2nd year molars, used to be a sound sleeper, but is staying up late, getting up earlier, some sporadic nite time crying. She shares a room with my 3 yr old daughter- and making her schedule a pain, any ideas??

Originally Posted by Chronic Chrissy

Babies aren't designed to fit our scheduals. Your babe waking is a normal thing. I have a nine month old who has slept through the night for stages and walks numerous times during other stages. I don't believe in letting a baby "Cry It Out" to the point where they are screaming even for a few minutes, crying and fussing is different but still should not be ignored, it is your childs way to communicate with you and your baby is waking because he needs something from you or your partner, often to be feed cuddled and to be put back to sleep.
The transistion that takes place between awake and asleep is a huge change for your baby to learn to cope and ourselves as babies were taught. they need there parents help to form healthy sleeping habits as opposed to crying themselves to exhaustion. The best way to encourage your child to self sooth is to show him how to sooth and relax himself. It also helps to have a routine before sleep to signal to him what is about to happen, such as a swaddling technique or even a lullaby. If you have to fill the sink with warm water at 3am and give him a bath a clean daiper and a bottle to relax him then that's ok. Maybe try bringing him to bed an cuddle or nurse/bottle till he falls back asleep and can be moved to his crib again.
You can not teach your child to sleep through the night only train them like a dog to do it. Many of todays mainstream ideas reguarding parenting detach a child from a parent by forcing them to accept that it is the way it is. Babies cry because they have a need that needs to be met and nurtured, not reformed to meet an adults structured world. In other cultures parents follow the babies cues. Research has show that this sort of ATTACHMENT PARENTING(google it), results in babies who feel more secure and understood by their parents and are better able to communicate their needs so their is less confusion as to what the baby is telling you he needs.
Not to mention that baby tummy's aren't ment to go more than a few hours before needing to be filled up again.
I find that my daughter has many reason for her sleep schedual to be disrupted such are teething, developmental milestones(learning new skills), over stimulation, upset tummy, gas, temp is uncomfortable, or when she is starting to feel a little sick. All of these are good reasons to meet your babies needs and not let him cry.
We actually use baby sign language and my daughter uses signs to tell us she wants milk, needs, here diaper changed, or wants food, and we started right around six months. When we cant figure out what's wrong we ask her and she can tell us where as verbally she is unable to and gets frustrating as you play hit and miss.

I've also read an article on the idea that some babies cry to relieve tension. Yes there are some babies who need to cry or fuss in order to blow off steam and relax after wards. These babies tend to calm after a few minutes(like 2-3) of crying. The other type is where crying increases tension(my daughter), in which case a baby's crying will only grow in intensity 'till they are soothed, and the only way to deal with this type of baby is to take care of their needs promtly to let them know they can depend on you and allow them to use that security to gain independence with time and patience.

Please Please don't leave your babies in cribs to cry, they belong in Mom and Dad's arms if not all night then at least as they go to sleep.

I used the ferber method for my first child, and if I hadn't I probably would have shot myself in the head! And he has turned out to be a normal, healthy, and INDEPENDENT child. The second child was a different story...she never took to ferber, and like in Chrissy's case, she would get more angry and more frustrated the longer she cried. Having said that, I still didn't hold her and rock her to sleep every single time she woke up. I personally have friends that have that mentality, and that have FIVE year olds that STILL GET UP IN THE NIGHT EXPECTING TO BE HELD AND ROCKED! (not that would be you chrissy) I'm sorry that is something I won't do....
What happens when you have two childeren constantly waking both wanting to be rocked all night (I've seen this too)? It doesn't happen unless you are kicking your husband out of your bed.....or you are not sleeping for the next five to ten years.
My point is, if you need to let your baby cry once in awhile, go ahead and don't let anyone make you feel like you don't love your children....

And this getting up at night will pass, it always does! A bath before bedtime followed with a nice lotion massage has been a godsend for me!

Bree

Whatever is going on with your little one will be apparent soon.

Originally Posted by Cheebamonkey

My 18 mo old is getting her 2nd year molars, used to be a sound sleeper, but is staying up late, getting up earlier, some sporadic nite time crying. She shares a room with my 3 yr old daughter- and making her schedule a pain, any ideas??

Can you try giving her a little tylenol before bed? If don't want to medicate with that maybe a spot of anbesol before bed. That's what I would try if it were me....I have two in the same room and understand your frustration.

Bree

We like to get lots of fresh air and wear her in a carrier up against our bodies instead of a stroller.

Bree- That was very gentle an I am in no way offended there are different ways of parenting and my choice is one that is off the beaten path. I also wanted to mention that once babies are over a year I think it is appropriate to start trying to teach different sleep techniques and sticking to it to give it a shot. But before that babies should be comforted and tended to as best suits their needs, after that they have lots of time to start conforming them to our scheduals.(Which I intend on doing after a year I HATE night wakings)

Well, things have been going pretty good on my baby nights... i dont know if its the counter clockwise laps i've been running around the coffee table, or the sweet potatoe/formula milk shakes i make right before bed time???? But its getting better!!! When i wake up the first thing i do is look at the clock and it say's 5:30 am i jump for joy!!!! A full nights sleep...well close enough....Then my girlfriend slaps me and tell me to take my ass back to bed

Originally Posted by Chronic Chrissy

Babies aren't designed to fit our scheduals. Your babe waking is a normal thing. I have a nine month old who has slept through the night for stages and walks numerous times during other stages. I don't believe in letting a baby "Cry It Out" to the point where they are screaming even for a few minutes, crying and fussing is different but still should not be ignored, it is your childs way to communicate with you and your baby is waking because he needs something from you or your partner, often to be feed cuddled and to be put back to sleep.
The transistion that takes place between awake and asleep is a huge change for your baby to learn to cope and ourselves as babies were taught. they need there parents help to form healthy sleeping habits as opposed to crying themselves to exhaustion. The best way to encourage your child to self sooth is to show him how to sooth and relax himself. It also helps to have a routine before sleep to signal to him what is about to happen, such as a swaddling technique or even a lullaby. If you have to fill the sink with warm water at 3am and give him a bath a clean daiper and a bottle to relax him then that's ok. Maybe try bringing him to bed an cuddle or nurse/bottle till he falls back asleep and can be moved to his crib again.
You can not teach your child to sleep through the night only train them like a dog to do it. Many of todays mainstream ideas reguarding parenting detach a child from a parent by forcing them to accept that it is the way it is. Babies cry because they have a need that needs to be met and nurtured, not reformed to meet an adults structured world. In other cultures parents follow the babies cues. Research has show that this sort of ATTACHMENT PARENTING(google it), results in babies who feel more secure and understood by their parents and are better able to communicate their needs so their is less confusion as to what the baby is telling you he needs.
Not to mention that baby tummy's aren't ment to go more than a few hours before needing to be filled up again.
I find that my daughter has many reason for her sleep schedual to be disrupted such are teething, developmental milestones(learning new skills), over stimulation, upset tummy, gas, temp is uncomfortable, or when she is starting to feel a little sick. All of these are good reasons to meet your babies needs and not let him cry.
We actually use baby sign language and my daughter uses signs to tell us she wants milk, needs, here diaper changed, or wants food, and we started right around six months. When we cant figure out what's wrong we ask her and she can tell us where as verbally she is unable to and gets frustrating as you play hit and miss.

I've also read an article on the idea that some babies cry to relieve tension. Yes there are some babies who need to cry or fuss in order to blow off steam and relax after wards. These babies tend to calm after a few minutes(like 2-3) of crying. The other type is where crying increases tension(my daughter), in which case a baby's crying will only grow in intensity 'till they are soothed, and the only way to deal with this type of baby is to take care of their needs promtly to let them know they can depend on you and allow them to use that security to gain independence with time and patience.

Please Please don't leave your babies in cribs to cry, they belong in Mom and Dad's arms if not all night then at least as they go to sleep.

There comes a time though when you have to teach the baby who is boss. When our daughter was born somebody gave us a book, I forget the exact title, about how to get your baby to sleep through the night by the time they were something like 2 months old. What the book advocated horrified my wife and I. Certainly at that age a cry is stimulated by a need and needs to be answered. We pretty much felt that anyone who followed that book probably shouldn't be a parent in the first place.

We kept our daughter in one of those Arms-Reach beds, the kind that attaches to your bed but won't allow you to roll over on top of them, until she was about 6 months old then transferred her into her own room. By the time our daughter was 9 months old she was doing pretty good but still waking up once a night, not for food or to be changed, but just because she wanted us there. Anyone who is a parent knows that they have different cry's so you just know. We finally couldn't take it anymore and just let her "cry it out". It took two nights and, except for times when she was sick or has a bad dream, she hasn't woken us up since.

I would never advocate not answering your childs needs, whether it be food, diaper changing, or love. But there comes a time when you need to distinguish between a "need" and a "want" and teach them that not all "wants" will be recieved. I see far too many children who by age 5, hell by age 15, still haven't learned that.

Originally Posted by Fengzi

I would never advocate not answering your childs needs, whether it be food, diaper changing, or love. But there comes a time when you need to distinguish between a "need" and a "want" and teach them that not all "wants" will be recieved. I see far too many children who by age 5, hell by age 15, still haven't learned that.

I.totally.get.this..At.9.months.we.need.to.start.t ransiioning.our.daughter.to.sooth.herself.back.to. sleep.when.not.hungry..

Just.tonight.for.the.first.time.I.put.my.daughter. in.her.crib(at.10.pm).and.stroked.her.back.and.kep t.laying.her.back.down..She.went.to.sleep!And.not. only.that.when.she.woke.up.hungry.I.could.give.her .a.bottle.in.her.crib.and.she.went.back.to.sleep.a gain!Sleep.always.took.an.hour.of.fighting.and.roc king..And.she.is.a.hard.core.breastfed.baby..Tonig ht.is.awsome!There.is.hope.just.stick.it.through.a nd.follow.your.instincts.