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Re: Grandson not sleeping all night since birth

Posted by Stephanie on October 08, 2001 at 13:04:58:

In Reply to: Grandson not sleeping all night since birth posted by Toastie on October 07, 2001 at 11:34:21:

I know this is not what you want to hear, but MANY babies do not "sleep through the night for several years! My youngest child did not start sleeping through until she was over 2 years old, and it is common for even older children to wake at night occasionally for up to 5 years. If your grandson is bottlefed because his mom works (just an assumption here) and he is waking at night to nurse, it could also be a way of spending more time with mom. There is nothing wrong with night nursing, and if you co-sleep, night waking to nurse doesn't have to disrupt your sleep, either. It is extremely convenient to wake up just enough to allow the child to latch on and go back to sleep. The child gets the extra closeness he craves, and Mom still gets to sleep. If your daughter has not tried co-sleeping, you might suggest it. Many working moms find that it is a good way to get in the skin to skin contact that babies thrive on.

What is your grandson doing when he wakes at night? Does he want to play or just nurse, or is he afraid and cry? If it is because he is waking and can't get back to sleep, you might suggest something that would make "white noise" to help him not fully wake at night, like a humidifier or fish tank.

Also you mentioned he is battling ear infections, she could try raising the head of his bed by placing a pillow under the mattress at one end to make a gentle slope. This will help relieve some of the pressure and possibly help him sleep better. Also, more frequent nursing is good treatment for ear infection because the sucking helps pump the fluid out of the ear canals and the antibiotic properties of breastmilk will help augment the antibiotics he is on.

There are so many reasons babies wake at night, and it is not necessarily a "problem" but often more of an inconvenience to the parent. It is important to remember that this is a very short period of your grandson's life, and if you can help your daughter work on finding creative ways to work around his sleeping pattern, he will eventually grow out of it.

If you can share more details of what your grandson does at night, how often he wakes, what he does when he wakes, then you might get some better suggestions on how to help.

I hope your daughter finds something that works for her!

Stephanie, mom to 4 boys and a princess!

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Archived Infant Sleep Forum4 viewing only. To post a new topic go to the Infant Forum Homepage.
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