How is he doing with solids? I noticed my little one sleeping better once he started eating more solids. I nursed for a year and was sleeping through the night at about 7 or 8 months, I think. I know it’s hard, but it is temporary. Hang in there mama.

ashley @ http://wwwthestorkandthebeanstalk.com

Oh god I totally understand. J was bottle fed, but he was up every 2 hours (if not just awake) until he was close to a year old. He didn’t sleep though the night until around 18 mos. He’s just a bit over 24 mos now and I still don’t feel caught up. The most I can tell you is to invest in a cheap at home espresso machine. I don’t think I would have survived without mine. Also, have you tried gripe water or a bit of chamomile tea? After we tried those J’s reflux seemed to get a bit better, or it was a total placebo effect and we were just that desperate for something to work. Either way it made us feel better and seemed to help him.

It will get better! I promise! My son did the same thing until he was 10.5 months old. I didn’t get more than 3 hours straight until then. I had him in my bed too, out of survival. I know you said you read every book, hope that includes “Healthy Sleep, Happy Child”. That book changed my life. Finally at 10.5 months I let him cry, for the first time ever, and he slept through the night! It was amazing! My boobs were exploding, but it was great! You will get there! Hang in there!

I’m going through the same situation with my 6 month old. She is my first born and has woken every 2-3 hours to nurse since the day we brought her home. I wonder the same thing…

I see this trend among breastfed babies. If you can make it a few more months, the Dr.Jay Gordon method on this website is a relatively speedy, relatively gentle approach to night weaning. http://drjaygordon.com/attachment/sleeppattern.html

Poor thing :( you really are supermom, it seems at this age that he wakes up so often to eat bc his food supply is right next to him, he can smell it?? I’d try the crinpb again, it’ll be tough but it might work….if I were you I’d have Brent deal with the wakings and you sleep somewhere else…I’m totally amazed at working moms that deal with the nighttime stuff..I sahm and the hubby works,I wouldn’t dream of asking him to get up in the middle of the night but I guess that’s just me :) and it’s hard to fight that maternal instinct to do everything…
hope it gets better you’re doing great!

This describes my current situation exactly. 8 mo. old. sleeps no longer than 2 hours at a time still. wakes with reflux still. He is only comforted by night nursing and snuggling next to me…we’ve tried zantac with no difference. I’m working full time as well and am pretty much a zombie, but know it is only temporary….so it will all work out!

My daughter was waking every three hours until last week when she hit 9 months old. She slept from 8-5 a couple times, then 9-4, and last night she did wake up at 12 and 4….but I’m its been nice. She is breastfed and is eating solids, and she sleeps in her crib.

Good luck, Mama. Sleep is so precious. Maybe its time for another sleepover at the Grandparents’.

Same exact thing was happening with me and and my daughter. She never has been a big napper or sleeper and at 6.5 months she was still waking up 3 times a night IN MY BED. Finally I couldn’t do it anymore so 2012 was operation sleep mode. I made sure she was eating and drinking enough while I was at work. I also started putting her to bed at 630-645pm and last I had to let her “cry it out” some. I would go in and check on her every 15 minutes pick her up put her back down. THe first night she ended up in my bed at 930 the second night she did end up in my bed around midnight and the third night she slept from 7-2. Now she is consistently sleepign in her crib from 7-330am and once slept until 5am. I never thought I would do it but it is the only thing that worked.

In our case, sleep got worse before it got better and I raised my daughter similarly to you–nursing on demand, BLW…At around 9 months I had to move her out of my bed because she started crawling around the bed in the middle of the night and waking as many as 5 times. Also, the more teeth she got, the more uncomfortable her latch became in the side-lying position. Moving her to a pack-n-play next to our bed was rough at first, but now at 16 months she only wakes up once or twice a night. Worst months for sleep by FAR were 8-10mo. My sweet Savannah has only slept through the night a handful of times since turning 4 months! I feel your pain! My fingers are crossed that one day she’ll STTN every night. Same goes for you and Arlo :)

Logan is now 6.5mos old and was waking about every 2-3 hours up until last week. She doesn’t have reflux, but she was hungry every time she woke (no comfort nursing). I have been breastfeeding since birth and but have had to supplement with formula during the day some weeks because sometimes I just can’t pump as much as she eats. She’s also now on solids and eats some during the day while at daycare and then again before bed for dinner (after I nurse her first). With that said, this week, she has been sleeping a lot more than usual. I truly think it’s because she is fuller, as she has increased her milk intake by about 6-8oz per day (thanks to supplementing with formula). She also used to wake up about 2-3 times between her bedtime (around 7-8pm) and mine (around 10pm), and it made it difficult to get things done around the house. But just last night she slept from 8:15 to 1:30! I really didn’t think we would ever get to that much sleep in a row, and it could very well have been a fluke, but I’m one happy mama this morning! I do hope Arlo sleeps a little longer for you soon just so you could get more rest. It’s hard to function on very little amounts of broken sleep (which is what started my love affair with Mr. Starbucks).

I rarely comment on blog posts but had to chime in here– my son was exactly like this (reflux issues, light sleeper, etc), and I just wanted to say that it will get better! He’s 20 months old now and still not the world’s best sleeper (5 AM wake ups are still frequent, unfortunately), but at around 11/12 months there was a significant improvement and he now sleeps through the night for the most part. He was a picky eater, and once he started eating more solids he stopped waking at night to eat. We also had to resort to CIO, which I never wanted to do, but after a couple of miserable nights it really made a huge difference. Whatever you decide to do, it will get much easier eventually!

Hi Melissa :) I’m right there with you. Drew only sleeps anywhere between 3-5 hours at a time. EXHAUSTING! Glad I’m not alone :) Perhaps it will get better soon?

I have been there almost exactly. Our daughter had reflux when she was born and until she was around 10 months, never slept more than 4 hours, other than 3 times (after shots, when she had roseola, and one other complete fluke). It was killing me as a full-time working and nursing mother. She slept with me and/or in her swing. She was (and still is) on zantac. I worried about it all the time and read every sleep book and talked with our pediatrician. I was so tired and so depressed about what felt to me like parenting failure.

Finally, we got some relief. For whatever reason, she just one day was ready to sleep longer on her own. Nothing we did soothed her all of a sudden. Our instincts were telling us that she just need to work this out for herself. And that she was exhausted but wanted us near but then couldn’t sleep because we were near by. So we put her in her crib and let her cry for a few minutes. I hated listening to it, ripped my hear out, and after less than 1 minute was ready to go in and rescue her. By 2 minutes my husband and I were fighting over when to give up. And then all of a sudden….”silence”. She had fallen asleep and for the first time in her life slept for 8 hours. It was heaven.

I’ve accepted that sleep will be a battle for her and all I can do is work with her on it. Some nights we rock her and read to her and she lays down without a fight. Some nights we just have to let her cry. It’s like she’s blowing off steam. It’s not an in pain or scared cry. Just a voice of protest. Some nights she wakes 4 times and others not at all. But she never sleeps more than 10.5 and doesn’t take long naps during the day either. She just needs less sleep than other kids. At 14 months, we are finally feeling human again. It really does get better. I never believed it but it does. You are absolutely doing the right thing by responding to Arlo in the way you know is best. You inspire me to be a better mom daily! I think my baby girl is as spirited as your Everly and I loved your article about teaching her without breaking her spirit.

My son had colic, reflux, and food allergies. I nursed him until 8 months. On the worst nights he would scream for 6-8 hours STRAIGHT. When things got “better” he would sleep for two hours, cry for 20-30 min, then sleep for two hours then cry … ALL NIGHT LONG. He is now 16 months old and guess what: he still doesn’t sleep through the night at least 2-3 nights a week. We have three noise machines, he is on antacid meds, elevated crib, etc … you name it – we do it. I’ve tried cry it out, family bed, sleep scheduling. I’ve read countless books. I have considered quitting my job before I get fired. Sleep deprivation like this IS torture. You are lucky Arlo is your second. I want a second child but an experience like this with the first is kind of insurance that you will only have one (at least i’m not getting my husband to agree to a second). GOOD LUCK. Eventually they have to sleep – right?!?!?!

My son is 8 months as well and also wakes every 3-4 hours during the night. This habit has slowly developed though and has been consistent now for about 3 months (I thought it was separation anxiety but it’s proving not to be as he has no problems going down once fed and semi-awake). I breastfeed and keep notes (what side and time) and his waking and feeding is clock work. My husband and I together have tried to tackle it… taking turns trying to rock him to sleep, soothing him in his crib, and even CIO and it hasn’t worked. He can CIO for hours if we let him. And if he does go down, it is very short lived and not a solid sleep so it eventually happens all over again. I am back to feeding him as I figure 5 minutes of feeding around 11:30 and 3:30 is better in my mind then having him upset and crying and not soundly sleeping for the whole night. I plan to breastfeed for a year and I am hoping his eating habits will change once he is completely weaned. I also feed him solids which he is doing really well with so not feeding him enough during the day isn’t the issue either. It’s hard, but he’s happy and healthy so I am quickly concluding that I must be doing something right (and the situation could be worse). The sleep deprivation is so hard though… just remember, you’re not alone and there is at least one other mama swaying and feeding every few hours during the night. Best of luck to you. x

My husband and I were attachment parenting all the way with our first son, Leo. Finally, at 11 months I read Dr. Ferber’s book. The guy gets a really bad rap but the psychology around it makes perfect sense. I highly recommend giving the book a look. Just read the relevant chapter about putting your child to sleep and night wakings and his proposed plan on how to teach your child to roll over and go back to sleep the way we know how to. I promise the light will go on and you will see very clearly why Arlo needs to nurse at the end of each sleep cycle to fall back to sleep and why Everly didn’t (being bottle fed). He has a very good analogy about someone moving you in your sleep and locking you out of your bedroom. I was never going to let my babies cry to get to sleep but after reading his explanation of the psychology behind sleep and his proposed (and very gentle) approach to sleep training a few tears seemed like the only loving thing to do. It may not be for you and your family but I encourage you to explore it. Good luck warrior!

I know it may not help, but my pediatrician gave some insight into this issue for me and my little one. I was lucky in getting a six hour stretch with my bf baby pretty early on, but then she started going backwards. Our doctor recommended sticking to whatever your longest stretch is, so I wouldn’t go in her room until we hit the six hour mark. To keep myself out of the room I reassure myself by saying “she can do this, she’s done it before, she’s safe and healthy so I know she’s OK now.” She still wakes up early sometimes, but rarely cries more than ten minutes before falling back asleep, and now we’re up to an eight hour stretch, she then goes back down for another four hours, it’s heaven! I agree with trying him in his own room again. We recently went on a trip and all shared a room and she was back to waking up every three hours. It’s hard to sleep in a room with someone else around. It may cut down on your sleep at first but could help in the long run. I’m a huge fan and I know you are doing the best for your baby, so please don’t take any of this advice as anything other than a friendly word in hopes of helping. You are doing great and your blog has helped me so much in my journey into motherhood!

Oh, yes. My baby, too. It has been so good to read this post and read through so many other mom’s with the same struggles!! Sometimes I feel almost guilty–like maybe my son isn’t sleeping through the night because of me??!! I feel so much better that I’m not alone!!

Is on on reflux meds? We had to try several different meds but eventually found Prevacid to be the most effective. We noticed an immediate difference in our youngest upon starting Prevacid: her night time fussiness drastically improved and she started sleeping for longer stretches at a time. She was on Prevacid for a total of 4 months before the combination of solid foods and just growing out of it allowed us to take her off. Reflux can sometimes be so severe that it causes actual structural damage to the esophageal tissue. You should definitely discuss this with your pediatrician. But also relax in knowing that babies go through sleepless phases, growth spurts, teething woos, etc. And some babies are just not good sleepers. It will get better, everything always does!!

Our firstborn had very similar eating issues, reflux & a milk protein allergy, so his sleeping was never for more than 20 min at a time during the day & rarely longer than 3 hrs @ night. Finally @ 15 months he slept all night & in his own bed. Then with our daughter, she was sleeping through the night @ 3 months! It will get better, just takes a while for some kiddos!

You’re preaching to the choir! Our 7.5 month old slept “through the night” in his crib once at 4 months old — and that was about it. Now in the evenings, we forego a lot of heartache and crazy non-stop crying if he does what’s natural for him, snuggled in bed right next to his mama, where I nurse him once or twice a night. The whole family gets a great night sleep. Some baby’s are just not crib baby’s from the start — maybe in a few months we’ll get there — but not yet.