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For our two younger kids the first 6 months were pure hell. I don't think my poor wife got a single good night's sleep. I mean I helped out just about every night. But she couldn't sleep at all even if I was the one who got up with them. My daughter was like a switch at 6 months though. She just started sleeping 12 hrs every single night. It would make us emotional just thinking about it. You just don't understand what a good night's sleep means to you until it's taken away. My son was a little more difficult. I think it wasn't until he was 8 months old that he consistently started sleeping through the night.
Oh yeah....both of them had TERRIBLE reflux. I think that was a big part of the sleeping problem. They aren't getting all the stuff they need b/c they are spitting it up after every feeding. So you end up having to feed them through the night. They gradually grow out of the reflux. I think by the time both of them were 1 year old they had completely gotten over it.
Also they both have ear infections every now and then that would prevent them from sleeping. It seemed like their ear infections coincided with their teething.
So - is it basically "Cry it Out" approach that you are suggesting? Because the total time of the technique is 30 minutes and it's way too long for an 8 months old to cry IMO. It's too long for anyone to cry, imagine crying for 30 minutes while your husband occasionally walks in the room and rubs your back? I 'm not quite convinced that if the baby is still crying 30 minutes later, that means he REALLY is hungry. It can be very well that he is just so confused and upset that his needs are not met, that he can't stop. And if he really IS hungry, wouldn't it be much easier to just feed him right away instead off 30 minutes of suffering for him and the mother?
First off; 30 minutes is not really a long time for an 8 month old to cry and you are rubbing his back, so he knows you are there. The baby could be waking up because it he has learned if he cries; mommy will come and comfort him. You have to teach the baby a new behavior.
Like I said; I did it with my son, he never came close the the thirty minutes. He cried for the first night fifteen minutes, the next night ten minutes, the third night for a few minutes and never did again. He is a great sleeper.
If you aren't comfortable doing this, then don't. Personally it worked great for us. Everyone has different parenting styles; what works for someone may not work for another. I just didn't want to be stuck having to go in with my son and sleeping with him every night to get him to go to sleep!!
One thing that Babies actually all people have to learn and it starts in the first year is when you wake up how to get back to sleep. When babies are youger they are feeding most likley when they wake , as they get older they still wake but don't always need anything but don't know how to get themselves back to sleep. I believe that in all other areas of child raising sleeping becomes the biggest issue. I think the issue isn't really the child but how we as parents deal with it as they get older. I think there is a sleeping routine but I do not think it should always be the same. I worked a daycare for several years and I would see parents come in in the morning and look like they were run over by a truck. At day care there child has no issues sleeping. In the center I work in 6-10 months had two naps about 45 mins and from 11-18 months one nap after lunch usually 2 hours long. One room had 8 babies and the other had 9. In the room that took one nap they would come back after lunch cots would be out. THey could have their pacifers or blamkets they got changed. Lights out and soft music playing, some needed backs rubbed some not. With in 20 mins they were all sleeping. That same child at home on the weekend was up all night, parents in and out of the room, child in bed with parents. The parents couldn't believe that the child at daycare was the same baby at home. I just think sleeping is a big issue with families and it can last well into school age, and if you started something to just get through and you want until school time to change it..don't bother it will be worse than what the issue was to start with
First off; 30 minutes is not really a long time for an 8 month old to cry and you are rubbing his back, so he knows you are there. The baby could be waking up because it he has learned if he cries; mommy will come and comfort him. You have to teach the baby a new behavior.
Like I said; I did it with my son, he never came close the the thirty minutes. He cried for the first night fifteen minutes, the next night ten minutes, the third night for a few minutes and never did again. He is a great sleeper.
If you aren't comfortable doing this, then don't. Personally it worked great for us. Everyone has different parenting styles; what works for someone may not work for another. I just didn't want to be stuck having to go in with my son and sleeping with him every night to get him to go to sleep!!
That's great that it worked for you, but 30 minutes IS a really long time to cry for anyone, especially 8 months old baby and you said that you rub the back a little and then walk away. That was the advice, right???
Actually, this would not fly with many babies. Some would cry until they throw up. Additionally, some babies on whom CIO was implemented failed to thrive after a certain period of time.
Also - what is wrong with crying if you want mommys attention? Seriously? He is not a 2-3-4 year old toddler who is trying to manipulate. He is a B.A.B.Y.
Sorry, but this is terrible advice. Not only are you encouraging starting cow's milk, but you are also encouraging stopping nursing? This baby is under a year old, and this is inappropriate advice for an 8 month old. Also, implying that cow's milk will give better nourishment than breastmilk is incorrect as well.
That's great that it worked for you, but 30 minutes IS a really long time to cry for anyone, especially 8 months old baby and you said that you rub the back a little and then walk away. That was the advice, right???
Actually, this would not fly with many babies. Some would cry until they throw up. Additionally, some babies on whom CIO was implemented failed to thrive after a certain period of time.
Also - what is wrong with crying if you want mommys attention? Seriously? He is not a 2-3-4 year old toddler who is trying to manipulate. He is a B.A.B.Y.
Again; that is your choice. There is nothing wrong with letting an 8 month old cry it out. The reasoning behind it is simple, as mimberly said, babies need to learn how to fall asleep on their own. They can't do that if mommy keeps nursing. I did this with my son, and he did not learn how to self soothe himself until I stopped nursing him every time he cried.
I am not saying there is anything wrong with a baby crying for mommy's attention they do it all the time. But neither the mommy nor the baby will learn if the baby is crying because he needs comfort or does not know how to self soothe.
This is a parenting choice, and there is nothing wrong with letting a little one cry! Not only was this recommended to me by the pediatrician, but there are many books out there to support this.
Yes there are different reasons for babies to cry, and I think any mother would know if the baby is crying in distress; this is an extremely different cry than a baby that does not know how to soothe themselves. And again.....it is not for everyone, you need to know what is right for you and your family. If you don't agree with it, don't do it.
Think of it this way. You are trying to teach your son how to ride a bike. So you hold onto the bike while he rides. You think he is ready and you let go, and he falls. He cries and hurts himself. The next time he rode the bike, you know if he falls he'll cry. So do you hold on? Or do you let go, and let him learn?
Last edited by veuvegirl; 06-02-2008 at 07:37 PM..
Reason: spelling
If your still nursing I would stop and put him on regular milk in a sippy cup (8months old he should be ready for a sippy cup).. your milk may not be giving him enough nurishment. I agree with MrKrabs.. feeding your lil one more through out the day might also help..
He maybe getting a tummy ache from eating so late. This could prevent him from sleeping by making him restless..Maybe you should try and feed him earlier let him play a lil while then put him to bed,.. see how that goes. Sometimes playing before bed can be a good thing (makes them sleepy and tired) and then a nice warm bath.. Teething can also cause them not to sleep through out the night. Nothing a lil Tylenol won't take care of..
I'd feel better about this post if you could answer and verify this one question...
I'd feel better about this post if you could answer and verify this one question...
Please tell me you don't have any children?!?!?!
Well I guess your just going to have to feel bad because.. I have 2 girls(One is 16, the other is 9)..Why do you ask? What it is the cow milk part or feeding them earlier and letting them play giving them a warm bath before bed part...?
I nursed both my girls..I also supplemented formula at night which helped them sleep better.. And Oh my goodness I even fed them baby food starting at a 1month old... I nursed both of my girls until they were 6months and switched them to formula for a month then regular milk..My doctor told me at after 9 months old babies should be starting regular milk (be getting off the bottle) drinking from a sippy cup and starting to be potty trained.. keeping them on the bottle after 9 months old can damage thier teeth.
Why I have seen babies on the bottle at 2-3 years old still eating baby foods and seen women still nursing at 3-4 years old with the kids still eating baby foods.. by then the kids should be drinking from a cup and eating off a plate..
So No I don't think that her stopping with the nursing is a bad thing..Im sure the kid can handle the change..Im also sure she would like to get some sleep at night too... she can change him to a bottle if she feels better. Feed him good a couple hours before bed,..let him play, give him a nice warm bath and put him to bed.. if he starts to cry or throw a fit.. let him cry himself to sleep.. that will not hurt him either..(crying makes their lungs stronger) maybe he is crying because he knows you'll come to his rescue and hold him. Try something different ya never know it just might work.
I'd feel better about this post if you could answer and verify this one question...
Please tell me you don't have any children?!?!?!
Well I guess your just going to have to feel bad because.. I have 2 girls(One is 16, the other is 9)..Why do you ask? What it is the cow milk part or feeding them earlier and letting them play giving them a warm bath before bed part...?
I nursed both my girls..I also supplemented formula at night which helped them sleep better.. And Oh my goodness I even fed them baby food starting at a 1month old... I nursed both of my girls until they were 6months and switched them to formula for a month then regular milk..My doctor told me at after 9 months old babies should be starting regular milk (be getting off the bottle) drinking from a sippy cup and starting to be potty trained.. keeping them on the bottle after 9 months old can damage thier teeth.
Why I have seen babies on the bottle at 2-3 years old still eating baby foods and seen women still nursing at 3-4 years old with the kids still eating baby foods.. by then the kids should be drinking from a cup and eating off a plate..
So No I don't think that her stopping with the nursing is a bad thing..Im sure the kid can handle the change..Im also sure she would like to get some sleep at night too... she can change him to a bottle if she feels better. Feed him good a couple hours before bed,..let him play, give him a nice warm bath and put him to bed.. if he starts to cry or throw a fit.. let him cry himself to sleep.. that will not hurt him either.. maybe he is crying because he knows you'll come to his rescue and hold him. Try something different ya never know it just might work.
when my oldest was a baby, he didn't sleep through the night until he was 13 months old! It was difficult, but now, that kid can sleep anywhere. I would suggest trying to soothe the baby without feeding. see if gently patting on the back or a little rocking can help. you might be able to break him of the night-time feeding. he could just be restless. also, you might want to watch the time of the naps. maybe get away from the morning nap. have just one nap in the afternoon and keep it to no more than 2 1/2 hours.
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You just don't understand what a good night's sleep means to you until it's taken away. My son was a little more difficult. I think it wasn't until he was 8 months old that he consistently started sleeping through the night. 
