My 9 month old has been waking 3 times per night for several weeks now. I do not want to reestablish the habit of night feedings but that seems to be the only way to soothe him back to sleep. I have tried letting him soothe himself but that isn't working. Why could he be waking and what can I do to make it stop?
asked Aug 20, 2014 at 13:27
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1Sounds normal. Possibly hungry. Possibly growing pains.– Dave ClarkeCommented Aug 20, 2014 at 15:39
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1Yes, sounds normal. During the first years there will be changes in the sleep patterns due to milestones reached, growth spurts... It'll go back to better at some point, but he's still a little being with lots of needs so if feeding is what he needs, go ahead and feed him :)– Fanny H.Commented Aug 20, 2014 at 15:42
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1It sound pretty normal. I am not a big fan of medication, but experience has shown me that sometimes, giving acetaminophen or advil will help the baby sleep better even when there is no other symptoms. When it does help, the logical deduction is "something hurts somewhere". Waking up more than three times a night was also the only symptom of ear infection for one of our son. Every baby is different– Vincent HubertCommented Aug 21, 2014 at 20:00
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Pretty normal. Our little guy is 18 months old and he's been through several sleep regressions where for a while he'll sleep through the night only waking up once, then for another while he'll just wake up screaming several times a night, etc. I'm a new parents but from what I've read, this is just typical behaviour. I heard that things start to become more 'normal' again when they reach the age of 4-5... a few years to go :)– justinlCommented Aug 26, 2014 at 19:00
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Ours had erratic sleep at 9mo when she was cutting teeth.– AibreanCommented Sep 8, 2014 at 19:44
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2 Answers
I have twins that are still waking several times per night and they are 18 months now. We've spoke with different pediatricians and there are several causes (besides being hungry) like growing teeth, bad dreams, feeling the need to be close to the parents, etc.
You can't do too much besides waiting for this period to finish. It's pretty hard to predict when this will be as babies are very different.
My son had the same problem and my doctor said once you cave in and feed him, he's now learned that he can get fed at all hours of the night. She said he does NOT need food during the night, and that letting him self-soothe is the best option. It will work eventually. But you will likely say it "doesn't work" if you have a low personal tolerance for crying and only wait a short time.
