You did everything I said to do. You're sure of it, because your baby started sleeping through the night around 7-10 weeks, but suddenly everything changed, and your baby is no longer sleeping through the night.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! What mother wants that to happen? You start sleeping through the night, you stay sleeping through the night. Did you hear me baby?! So, what do you do? (Remember, this is IF your baby ALREADY started sleeping through the night.)- Make sure your schedule is following the appropriate age for your baby. Remember when I said your schedule had to be flexible so your baby could merge his or her cycles. As they grow up, they take less and less naps, and we need to let them do this. If your baby is almost a year, and you're still feeding every three hours with several naps during the day, you're doing something wrong. *We haven't gone over all of the different merges yet, and we will eventually. BUT, if your baby is a certain age, and you'd like the advice now, comment below with your baby's age, and I'll write you a post for that particular age. :).
- If your schedule is absolutely fine, double check. Think if there is anything that is interrupting his sleep and he's not really taking a full nap when he should be. Is he watched during the day while you work and if so, are they following your guidelines?
- Is her sleep sporadic all of a sudden during the day as well? If so, is your baby teething or having a growth spurt? Both can be causes of sleep issues, but they should resolve themselves when the matter at hand is complete. If this IS your issue, give about 3-4 days for a growth spurt, and wait for those teeth to break before freaking out that something is terribly wrong.
- Are you offering enough calories to your baby during the day? If you're bottle feeding, try a few more ounces at each meal and make sure she's getting enough.
- It's none of the issues above? Everything is fine? Try this little trick. If your baby is waking up and won't go back to sleep until you feed him (and of course, has already been sleeping through the night), give him a bottle of water, instead of breastmilk or formula. This will help your baby feel full without giving him the calories. Hopefully this will help him remember to get all of his calories before going to bed. If you choose to try this trick, make sure your baby is getting the appropriate amount of breastmilk and formula during the day. If you don't know how much this needs to be, please consult with your doctor.
Sleep issues are never fun. But, believe me, they aren't as hard to get rid of as you think. Follow these guidelines, and help that baby get some rest. And that in turn means, YOU should get your rest too. So, get some sleep mamas.
In the meantime, let me know if you're having any other issues we can discuss!
- Mama Jackie
*Sleep is essential. We need sleep to function, to take care of our children, to keep up on every single task life throws at us, to keep our sanity. Are you getting your 8 hours or do you ave a baby who is keeping you up? Let’s remedy that! In the “Rested Mamas are Happy Mamas” series of our blog, sleep expert Jackie calms all of your sleep woes. Have a question or problem that needs fixing? Comment on the series, and Jackie will address your specific problem!*
2 comments
[…] day or so, so try not to worry too much. However, if your baby gets off schedule for a bit, and STOPS sleeping through the night (if she was already), then it’s time to make some changes. To supplement her question, […]
[…] doing this, or change to this schedule, and the other twin doesn’t automatically change his nighttime sleeping habits, then you’ll want to evaluate what’s going on at night as well. Is he having a […]