10 Month Old Baby Schedule
Posted by Nicole on September 16th, 2008
This article outlines the average 10 month old baby schedule, including feedings, solids, naps and night sleep.
10 month old’s sleep
At this age, most 10 month olds can sleep through the night, without a feeding, and take two naps for a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours per day plus 11-12 hours at night. A very small percentage transition to one nap as early as 10 months, but not many, so assume 2 naps unless you are certain. Most babies get very very overtired and sleep can spiral out of control, so I always recommend keeping two naps as long as possible as the average age to transition to one nap is 15-18 months. If you’re having trouble with naps, you might be interested in helping your baby nap.
Although many babies can go all night without a single feeding, in my experience, some do better with one feeding after 4 or 5 a.m. and sleep longer than not feed and get an early wake-time. I would need to know your specific situation to make a recommendation, but just recognize that all babies are different. By this age I would not expect more than 1 feeding, typically, if any at all. I would recommend at least an attempt at night-weaning because it is a chicken and egg problem. It’s hard to encourage more eating during the day when he is eating at night and it’s hard to discourage eating at night when he isn’t eating more during the day.
All babies vary, but here are some rough schedules you can use to make your own for your unique baby. I should warn you that I am in the camp that breast milk or formula should be the primary nutrition for the first year and solids come secondary. Below are the amounts recommended from Super Baby Food, the book I use for reference (as a guide, not as the end-all-be-all because I don’t give my kids nuts before a year or follow other things in the book, but it’s a good reference guide). Another useful reference is Wholesome Baby Food. Although I work full time, I did make most of my baby food (I’d make 1 big batch of something each weekend in 1-2 hours), but even if you don’t, the website is useful as a guide when to introduce what food and other meal ideas.
Note: At 10 months, sometimes you notice a sharp increase in appetite (no doubt partially due to activity levels with crawling and possibly cruising), so what’s different about the 9 month schedule is the addition of another snack, some of the serving sizes and the # of servings.
Amounts per day:
• At least 3-4 nursing sessions per day or 24-32 ounces formula or combination of both
• No more than 6-8 oz of water or juice (to ensure they drink enough breast milk or formula)
• 2 servings (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons dry) baby cereal
• 2 servings grain (1 serving = 1/2 slice bread, 2 crackers, 1/2 cup Cheerios, or 1/2 cup whole grain pasta)
• 2 servings fruit (1 serving = 3-4 Tablespoons)
• 2-3 servings vegetable (1 serving = 3-4 Tablespoons)
• 2-3 servings protein (1 serving = 1-2 Tablespoons)
• 1 serving Dairy (1 serving = 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/3 cup cottage cheese or 1 oz grated cheese)
• You can also offer cooked egg yolk (but no egg whites until 1 year old due to allergens)
The first schedule is what I call a “staggered” approach. My first son did better nursing fully and then having solids a bit in between nursing sessions. He was a little hungry but not famished. He just didn’t do well with stopping nursing mid-way to eat solids.
7:00 – Wake and Breast milk or Formula
9:00 – Breakfast
10:00 – Morning Nap (at least 1 hour)
11:00 – Breast milk or Formula plus snack
1:00 – Lunch
2:00 – Early Afternoon Nap (at least 1 hour)
3:00 – Breast milk or Formula plus snack
5:00 – Dinner
6:15 – Begin bedtime routine
7:00 – Breast milk or Formula and Bedtime (goal to be asleep at this time)
If your baby doesn’t mind a more “consolidated” approach to eating, like my second son, here is another type of schedule:
Schedule 2
7:00 – Wake
7:15 – Breakfast plus Breast milk / Formula feeding
9:15 – Snack
10:00 – Morning Nap (at least 1 hour)
12:00 – Lunch plus Breast milk / Formula feeding
2:00 – Afternoon Nap (at least 1 hour)
3:30 – Snack
5:00 – Dinner plus Breast milk / Formula feeding
6:15 – Begin bedtime routine
7:00 – Small BM/Formula feeding (possibly) and Bedtime (goal to be asleep at this time)
Note: When giving any feedings during your bedtime routine, be careful not to create sleep associations, which we saw become important at 4 months old.
You may also be interested in tracking your baby’s sleep, feedings, medication doses, immunizations, etc. using online software. You can even install on your mobile device for when you’re on the go!
If you’re looking for ways to get your baby or toddler into a healthy sleeping routine during the day, I encourage you to explore Mastering Naps and Schedules, a comprehensive guide to napping routines, nap transitions, and all the other important “how-tos” of good baby sleep. With over 40 sample sleep schedules and planning worksheets, Mastering Naps and Schedules is a hands-on tool ideal for any parenting style. For those persistent nighttime struggles, check out Help Your Child Sleep, a Step-by-Step Guide. Using the same unique approach and practical tools for success, this e-book helps you and your baby sleep through the night. Or, join our Members Area packed with premium content and resources: e-Books, assessments, detailed case studies, peer support, and more. It actually costs less to join than buying products separately! For those looking for a more customized solution for your unique situation with support along the way, please consider one-on-one baby and toddler sleep consultations.
What is your 10-month old’s schedule?
Tags: 10 month old feeding schedule, baby nap, baby sleep schedule, nap schedule
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September 16th, 2008
Great article and very detail explanation!
Keep posting,
TODDLER NUTRITIONS
Pasifiks last blog post..Get Your Kids Cooking With These Kid Approved Cook Books
September 16th, 2008
Great information! If anyone needs an app to help them figure out their baby’s schedule check out http://www.babblesoft.com.
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October 10th, 2008
My son is 10 months old and never sleeps more than 2 hours straight at night. And naps are horrible.
Gonna try your tips! Thank you
Chris
check out my mommy site
http://www.chatterscene.com
February 4th, 2009
My 10-month old schedule:
6h30 wakes and formule
7h30 breakfast
09h30 or 10h00Nap (usually 2 hours) Formule
11h30 or 12h00 wakes and formule
13h00 lunch
14h30 or 15hoo nap (usually 1h to 1h30) and formula
17h30 Dinner
19h00 Bathtime
19h30 Formule and put to bed (usually sleeps around 20h. Is my baby sleeping too much during the day? Should i wake him up earlier? He will be 11 months in one week. He doesn’t take more than 30oz a day. i split his formule into smaller amounts.
February 4th, 2009
I have 10 month old twins–one loves eating and the other refuses to eat most of the time. The one that hated eating until my Dr told me to try finger foods with her at 6 months. I could not believe it, but she loved it and did so well–she was even self-feeding mid-month that month. Now she eats anything I put in front of her. My other one will eat squash or sweet potatoes (and not even that all the time). What gives?
My schedule is this:
6-6:30 AM–wake, eat 4 oz bottle, back to sleep
8-8:30 AM–wake up
9 AM–breakfast (usually one baby eats and takes a bottle while the other
one refuses food and only takes a bottle–and yes, I have tried formula
then food, food then formula, formula and food, every variety of
food….). They take about a 6 oz bottle here or before 10AM
10:30–11AM–Nap–1 to 2 hours (sometimes one will go 3 hours)
12:30-1:30–lunch (same pattern as breakfast–except the one that
doesn’t really eat takes a 6 oz bottle and the other one eats, takes
water, then about a half hour later wants about a 4 oz bottle)
3:30-4:30 6 oz bottles and then a nap (1 hour usually)
5:30–Dinner (both will usually eat here)
6:30–4-6 oz bottle
7:30 Bath
8-9 PM 4-6 oz bottle and bedtime.
Does this same normal?
My doctor does not seem concerned that one is not interested in food. She also says not give them juice or yogurt or dairy or cheese??? Oh, and no honey, nuts, fish, etc….
My girls actually love water, so I am happy I never gave into juice. They are growing fine and about average for weight. They were born 6.5 weeks early, so maybe this has something to do with it? Any ideas?
February 5th, 2009
@Yolanda Your 10 month old napping sounds great! As for whether it’s “too much” I can’t answer without knowing how he’s sleeping at night. In general, if there are no sleep problems, a baby won’t sleep too much. 3 1/2 hours is probably on the high-end at this age (assuming he’s sleeping at least 10 hours at night), but well within normal range.
@Tel It sounds very normal to me. It just goes to show that all babies are different, even twins! I would not worry about the twin who isn’t eating. She will, eventually. Most babies don’t need any water until 10+ months and I didn’t give my boys juice until after a year and then watered it down. Juice has a lot of sugar in it, so better to give the fruit rather than the juice. In fact, when my eldest was 3 and went to his first dental appointment, they said they were seeing a rise in cavities and to limit juice to once per day. I am not sure why your pediatrician said no yogurt, dairy or cheese, but some pediatricians are more cautious than others when it comes to allergies. Honey should not be given until after 1, some even wait until 2, due to botulism. Nuts, fish and seafood should wait until at least 1 year (some people wait until 2 for nuts) due to allergies.
February 16th, 2009
my son is 10months old he goes to bed between 7-8 and wakes between 10-11 thenhe wakes at 12ishhe has 1oz of progress milk and goesback to sleep but seems ver unsetted
February 20th, 2009
my daughter is almost 10 months old. she was sleeping all night but now has decided to wake in the middle of the night or wake earlier than her normal time. she wakes now between 5:30 and 6:15. She was sleeping till 7. her bedtime is anywhere between 7-7:30.
April 7th, 2009
My daughter is 10 months and is constantly fighting the afternoon nap. I am trying to put her on a schedule so that she naps b/n 9-10am and then b/n 2 and 3pm. However, her morning wakings vary so much (she usually goes to bed b/n 6 and 7pm). What do you do when you are trying to get them on a routine but they always wake a different time?? If she wakes at 5am, I can’t keep her up until 9 or 10 or she’ll be overtired. I’m baffled about what to do. She will nap if we are out and I know she is tired but she will just cry if I try to put her down in the afternoon.
April 10th, 2009
Tina – we are having the same experience with our 10-month old. She is shifting to 2 naps and the timing for the second one is a crap shoot. Also, she’s been waking up at 5:30 am after consistently waking at 6:30 forever (goes down at 6:45 pm). I can deal with that; it’s the afternoon naps that are a pill. Once in a while she sleeps up to 2 hours, and the rest of the time its still 45 minutes. Arg!
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July 23rd, 2009
My 9 month old (almost 10 mos.) wakes every two to three hours every night. I have tried everything! I have tried putting her down w/o nursing, letting her cry, following the sample schedules etc. Almost every night when I think that “this is the night,” because I did everything right… she still wakes. I normally put her down at night around 8:00. She wakes at 7am and eats breakfast around 8:30. She wants a nap really bad at 9:00 b/c she was up so much at night. (will sleep an hour) My older daughter gets a nap at 12:00 and we have quiet time… my 10 month old falls asleep at this time too. Sometimes she will sleep until 2:00. Somewhere between 4:00 and 6:00 she falls asleep even in my arms or in her highchair. I have tried putting her down for the night at 6:00 only for her to wake at 9:00 full of energy! She is the happiest baby on Earth despite all of this, which helps… and which also makes this hard at the same time. I am just praying that one night she will just sleep all night! Even days when we are out all day and she has only had one nap, she is up all night. I am assuming she has a sleep association problem?? but don’t know how to fix this! I am desperate I guess
July 27th, 2009
Hello,
I started using the staggered approach on my baby (will be 10 months in a few days) boy about a month ago. He has no problem sleeping at night; he is asleep by 7 and wakes up between 6:30 and 7. He is also a very good eater. However, he is a terrible napper. A month ago, he took two 30 minute naps a day. Now, he takes a nap at 10 for 30 to 40 minutes. And he has started refusing his afternoon nap. He just sits/stands in his crib, or walks the perimeter. I am wondering if he is ready to only have one nap a day. If I only give him one nap, what time should it be and how to I adjust the rest of the schedule (for formula and solid feedings)? Another problem, he almost always poops about 10 minutes after I put him in the crib for both of his naps. I can’t let him sleep in a dirty diaper, so I have to go get him and start the process over again. I have tried waiting until he poops before putting him down, but he won’t! It is like he is purposefully waiting until he is in his crib because he knows I will come get him. By the way, I know he poops because I can hear his grunts over the monitor. Any advice?
July 28th, 2009
Hi,
Please comment on how to get baby in a routine, I also have the problem that the morning nap might be 30 min or 2.5 hours, which means the afternoon nap can’t happen at the same time every day.
Also getting the baby asleep in the afternoon is so difficult and sometimes it doesn’t happen because he woke up too late in the morning wich then makes dinner en bedtime at night frustrating. He deffinately needs an afternoon nap.
I would like a 10am nap and a 2pm nap – how can I do this?
August 7th, 2009
My 10 month wakes up every 2 hrs to eat at night time, I think he has gotten into a bad habit. I tried to not give him a bottle but he will not stop screaming if I dont.He takes a morning nap for 1 hr and a noon nap for 1.5- 2 hrs and sometimes he will take one around 3:30 -4:00 for 45 min. I dont have any problem getting him to go down for his nap times , i just put him to bed and he goes right to sleep on his own.I just cant seem to get him to sleep through the night with out feedings. And he wont take a pacifier!
August 7th, 2009
Kristy,
I am in the same situation with my 10 month old. She will not take a pacifier either! I have tried every kind! I am nursing still, but her schedule is very similar to your son’s. Well, at least we are not alone while we are up at night.
August 7th, 2009
@Tiffany Waking every 2 hours is most definitely an issue with sleep associations. My son mastered going TO sleep much sooner than going BACK to sleep throughout the night. You also want to make sure you aren’t rushing in there too soon. Waking between sleep cycles fussing and crying is actually normal. Here’s a link to an article: http://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-quick-tips/baby-wake-up-crying/ It sounds like she is also transitioning from 3 to 2 naps, so if you do a late nap, limit it to just 30 minutes. I’d love to help more, but need more information and to find out exactly what you’ve tried. Hope this helps!
August 7th, 2009
@Danielle LOL! Babies are so funny about their pooping, sometimes. Maybe he likes the privacy.
Some 10 month olds transition to one nap at this age, but it’s fairly rare. Before you go to one nap, I’d recommend bumping wake time by 30 minutes, first, for the 2nd nap. Make sure you give him time to go back to sleep after a short nap, too. He might take a few days but he might start going back to sleep. He is sleeping well at night, at least, so that’s great! For the pooping, there isn’t much you can do since you’ve already tried to wait him out. I’d probably just put him down, change his diaper, and put him right back down. I wouldn’t necessarily redo the whole routine unless he absolutely needs it. I’d try to make the diaper change as little incentive as possible. Good luck!
August 8th, 2009
I dont rush into the room to soon, But you can only take the screaming for so long , When I get him out to feed him he only takes 2-3 oz and goes right to sleep when I put him back to bed. Last night he woke up at 11:00 I fed him and then he woke up at 12:00 and I thought to myself no way am I getting him up already so I let him scream and it lasted for 50 min I couldnt stand it ( i need my sleep also) So I got him up again he took 3 oz and then slept untill 5:30 .
August 14th, 2009
@Vivien Do you give him time to go back to sleep when he wakes early from a nap? I’d have to know more about what time he wakes up and some other details to tell you exactly how to guarantee a 10am nap. You might want to make sure he’s up at the same time every morning for at least a week to help set his internal clock. Also, I don’t think there is any way you can get a 2pm nap if he’s sleeping 2 1/2 hours at 10am. Some babies are more consistent than others, but with that long of a nap a 10 month old won’t be tired at 2pm.
August 14th, 2009
@Kristy Day and night sleep are handled by two different parts of the brain, so it’s common people will struggle with nights and not naps or the other way around. He most certainly has a sleep association with eating to fall asleep. Have you read my article about that? Here’s the link: http://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-association/
September 8th, 2009
Hi,
Need your help… please
I have a 10 month old baby who just won’t sleep through the night.
He has no problems going to sleep during the day, I can easily put him in his cot he may have a little whine but will easily fall asleep. Come to bedtime its a different story he is crying once he finally falls asleep he will wake at 11:30pm and it is very difficult to settle him, he keeps throwing himself around his cot trying to get comfortable. As I work I then put him in bed with us and he again won’t settle he throws himself around the bed and can’t seem to relax..he continues to wake during the night and at tomes cry.. . help.
His daily routine:
7- 7:30am Formula (200mls) and Breakfast (this would be cereal with his formula)
9.00am Nap for about an hour
10.00am snack
12.00pm Lunch + 100 mls formula
1:30 – 2.00pm Afternoon nap ( about an hour)
3:30 -4.00 Snack + 100 mls formula
6.00 – 6.30pm Dinner (includes 200 mls formula)
8.30pm – 9.00pm Bedtime ( this is when the trouble begins)
Any suggestions. He does sleep with a pacifier and light music.
September 18th, 2009
@Helen Bedtime is probably too late at 10 months when his nap is earlier in the day. You probably want to bump that to 7 or 7:30 p.m. That might make it easier for him to stay settled. The other thing is probably to phase out the pacifier if he is too dependent on it. You might also want to read about sleep associations: http://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-association/
September 25th, 2009
Hello I have an almost 10 month old he use to sleep just fine but around 7 or 8 month his sleeping habit has changed for worse. During the day he varies he might take 2 naps time frames change all the time. But the worst is at night, its like he gets a burst of energy and getting him setted down is almost imposible.We do the feeding,then bath and still. Once he goes to sleep after hours of trying, after a couple of hours of sleep he wakes up crying but not totaly wakes, and then I have to go in if not he keeps crying and starts completly waking up. He does this depending the night average 3 to 8 times a night. We dont know what to do anymore we are so tired.He would sleep better when he was younger.
September 25th, 2009
@Paola I’d need a bit more detail on your schedule and routines. It is normal for a sleep regression but not usually for 2 months. I will venture to guess he is not putting himself to sleep and you have to “help” him. The goal is to help him learn to fall asleep on his own, so he doesn’t “need” to call for you at night. Master that and he will probably go back to sleeping well. Good luck!
September 30th, 2009
Hi! My 10 month old used to sleep about 7 hours but when he started teething he went to waking anywhere from 2-6 times a night. I stopped giving him his night feeds about 3 months ago but he still continues to wake 2-3 times during the night. He has a pacifier so i can resettle him with this but it can take a loooong for him to go back to sleep. Often i bring him into my bed because i am so tired and this settles him straight away. He is in the same room as us and i wonder if this is contributing to his waking? Due to room shortages i cannot move him into his own room for another couple of months (about a month after he turns one). He has 2 naps during the day totalling about 2-3 hours. I cant figure out why he wont sleep the whole night, is this normal? When can i expect it to change? I have tried everything – leaving him to cry, picking him up and giving him a cuddle, changing his naps etc but nothing seems to work. Also his bedtime is 7pm and he usually gets up for the day at 7am.
October 15th, 2009
@Shivann It might help to stop replacing the pacifier for him. He’s getting to the age he can replace it himself. Fussing a bit between sleep cycles is normal, so it is possible being in the same room is causing you to hear every little sound and he hears all your sounds, too. I’d need to know in more detail exactly what you’ve tried and what’s going on, but it sounds more about allowing him to learn to re-settle himself during normal nighttime arousals. Good luck!
October 26th, 2009
My 10 month old wont sleep without bouncing. He has always been a motion baby so we got him the Amby motion bed. He slept all the night from 2-5 months till we went on vacation and we didnt have it. The only way to get him to sleep was to nurse and then he discovered I can eat and sleep! Its been like that ever since. We co-sleep now cause he was almost rolling out of the Amby bed and I think its hard for him to not nurse at night since Im right there! We put him in swing or bounce to sleep now. but have now let him start crying some bouncing, laying back down-screaming, bouncing, laying-screaming, bouncing till he is done for the night. This takes a hour! My back cant handle it anymore. Our nap schedule is always random and is mostly when he is tired. And based on when he gets up or how well he sleeps for the night. He usually goes to sleep at 8:30 or 9. and is up at 1, 3 and 5 am. Then up for the day at 6:17 am. But takes one big 2 to 3 hour nap during the afternoon. He wont really eat solids and really only likes yogurt. I heard baby’s sleep better after a good dinner threw the night. Its hard for me to not nurse him and bounce him around at 1, 3 and 5 am when his face is right next to my boobs. Im at the end of my wits and wont just let him cry it out. but we have started to let him fuss alittle to get him to sleep. I really, really dont know what to do at this point anymore. Can babies really fall asleep when you lay them down? I feal like I may never see that light at the end of the tunnel.
November 4th, 2009
my daughter is going to be 10mnths in 3 days and her sleeping paterns are diff every day.
6-7am she has formula 4oz
but then she dosnt wake up until about 10am
10-11am breakfast,
there are times when she will nap and times when she wont if she does nap it would be around 12-2pm with bottle, 6-8oz
she wont have a bottle when she gets up. she will want juice or water.
then 3-4 she eats lunch. after lunch she just plays around walks and runs on the walker.
there are times when she will nap and there are times when she wont she usualy wants a bottle around 6-7pm again 6-8oz. then her bedtime is also ify, sometimes she goes to sleep at 9pm but if she does she wakes up around 10:30 or 11pm and wants another bottle to go back to sleep 6-8oz. she’ll sleep until 7am for another bottle 40z.
i dont know what to do or if this is even okay, ive spoken to her teacher/nutritionist and she says that shes good, her dct says she healthy and developing great. I know shes good i would just love for her to be on a sched and she eats the right amount of food and formula every day. but i just dont know what or how to do it!!
i would really love some advise!!
November 5th, 2009
Hi!I have a 10month old and he’s sleeping paterns are diff every day. he mostly goes to sleep around 11pm sleeps till 1am and drinks breast almost right through the nite he drinks 2and a half bottles of formula during the day but i only make it till100ml cos most of the time we must make fresh bottle then it will be standing for 4hours he will rather drink breast then formula (And iam working so its hard ) he gets up 6am in the morning
November 13th, 2009
@Dawn You are not alone. I can imagine it would be hard for me to sleep when I smelled yummy food cooking all night too.
Are you trying to continue co-sleeping or transition him to his own room/crib? He might sleep better when he can’t smell you or your milk all night. It is definitely possible to help him learn to fall asleep when you lay him down, but it can take some work on your part. Always remember there is a lot between sleep deprivation and cry-it-out. The first step is to stop the movement to sleep. Good luck!
November 14th, 2009
@Margarita Inconsistency is normal for some babies. If you want her to be on a more “regular” schedule, usually you start by controlling the wake-up time. Start waking her earlier in the morning, so she can start to nap earlier, eat earlier and go to bed earlier. Then, you can start giving her naps at regular times. Good luck!
November 22nd, 2009
@Shoukie That sounds really rough. Mostly I’m concerned that your son should be sleeping 11-12 hours at night, so going to bed at 11 p.m. is really really late. You might start with reading my free guide or the article about sleep associations here: http://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-association
December 4th, 2009
My daughter turns 10 months next week. She is just now learning how to go from laying to a sitting position and sitting to pull herself up to standing. It has been a reall rough few days getting her to lay down for naps and bedtime. She will not stay laying down. Yesterday she was in her crib whining and crying (but obviously really tired!) for over an hour and I finally just got her up because I didnt know how else to get her to sleep.
She usually sleeps 7pm-8am and naps from 10-11:30am and 2:30-3pm. Yesterday she only slept from 1:15-2… the entire day she only had 45 mins of sleep. She slept well lastnight and woke up at 9:15, obviously because she was catching up on sleep from yesterday.
What do you suggest for an active baby who won’t settle? how long do I try to get her to fall asleep before I go in and get her up again?
Thanks in Advance!!
December 4th, 2009
my problem with my 10 mth old daughter is that she will only take a 30 min. nap twice a day…. it used to be twenty min. and has recently jumped to 30. at night she goes to sleep at 7 and usually wakes up four hours later, i soothe her, she goes back to sleep for another 40 min. and the pattern begins yet again until i give up and put her in bed with me. i have also noticed that during naps if she is in bed with me she can sleep up to an hour and a half. what can i do to get her to sleep longer in her crib. thanks!
December 8th, 2009
Hi, i have a problem with 10 month old baby he will go to sleep on his own with a story and sleeps in a grobay, the story is read to him when he is is his crib. he will fall to sleep within a few minutes, however after about an hour he wakes and cries, i have tried reassuring him and then leaving him to cry then going back, but he just continues crying sometimes he will go back to sleep, only to start again in half an hour. Me and my husband both work full days so have to get up in a morning, so we have taken to having our son in bed with us to get some sleep, he sleeps fine like this. he naps in the day fo about an hour to half an hour once a day then will not go for another nap. he used to sleep perectly but this has been happening for the past 6 weeks please help!!
December 14th, 2009
Is it normal for an almost 10 month old to still wake up for feedings 1-2 times a night? I was told he should be sleeping throught the night. He goes to bed anywhere from 9-10pm. He wakes at 1-3 am and then finally wakes up for the day at 7-9 am.
December 29th, 2009
@Mandy This is a common problem at this age when the developmental milestones start coming very rapidly for awhile. It sounds like you did great! I’m sure she’s past this phase, now, but in general I say to try for a nap for an hour and if she doesn’t sleep, get her up and try again an hour later. Be careful about letting her sleep in too much because that can become the new norm. There is only so much sleep to be had in 24 hours, so if she’s getting too much sleep at night, she might not want to take naps. Don’t get me wrong, I’d let her “catch up” for a few days, but much past that and you might have more problems. Good luck!
December 29th, 2009
@Marisol Your nighttime problems sound like your daughter has a sleep association and needs “help” to fall asleep. The key to better night sleep (and probably daytime too) is to help her learn to fall asleep on her own. Mostly it takes practice practice practice. None of us get better at something without having to do it. It’s also about changing expectations. If she expects to sleep next to you all night and day, she will start to feel she “needs” to in order to sleep well. If co-sleeping is not what you want, you want to encourage her to sleep more on her own. Hope this helps! Good luck!
December 29th, 2009
@Leanne 10 months is a common trouble age but since it’s been happening for 6 weeks, it sounds like you need to change your routines. I’d need to know more details about your son’s routines and schedule and what you’ve tried so far. You might want to consider a personalized consultation. I hope to hear from you!
December 29th, 2009
@Jennifer Feeding once a night at 10 months isn’t too outlandish, but feeding twice is probably more habit. I would try to delay the feedings until you are at least at a single feeding after 4 a.m., which is definitely reasonable for a 10-month old. Sometimes just breaking the habit of the first feeding will lead to sleeping all night, so it’s definitely worth a try! Here is my article on night-feedings and how I view “reasonable” feedings by age. http://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/night-feedings-by-age-when-do-you-night-wean/ I don’t agree that all babies can sleep all night by any particular age or weight. Hope this helps and good luck!
January 2nd, 2010
We had the hardest time putting him down to sleep last night due to teething and just not wanting to go to sleep, he finally had to cry a little and get rocked. He went to bed finally at 11:00pm. He woke at 3:30 for a bottle and went back tilll 7:30 this morning. It is almost 10:00am and he is having a nap. He is really hard to put down at night now. But, I think he did good as far as your advice went (waiting till 4:00am). Now if we can only get him back to getting to sleep by no later than 9:00pm.
January 12th, 2010
Hi, my almost 10 month old girl wakes ever night at least every 1-3 hours. She will always fall back asleep right away with the breast. But we are not letting her have that anymore as we don’t want her dependant on it to fall asleep. She never did take a bottle so I am still BF, she sorta drinks from a cup but wont take it at night. She doesnt want a pacifier ethor. I don’t want to not feed her as she is small already, only 16 lbs. I don’t know if she is waking up because she is hungry. She only eats little bits when she has solid food during the day.
She usually wakes between 6-8 a.m and usually has her first nap an hour or 2 later, and she only sleeps for 30 min, unless I am right beside her the whole time. Otherwise she can sleep for up to an hour and a half with me there. Her next nap isn’t untill between 12-2 p.m and again only for 30 min unless I am there. I don’t sleep with her because I want her to get used to sleeping alone. I do once in a while when I am very tired and want a good nap myself!
I try to get her to so sleep during the day more and she wont, she just cries in her crib or squirms in my arms. She has never slept during the night for more then 3 hours. We are very tired and need any suggestions-thnx
What can I do to get her to sleep better during the night and for her naps?
January 27th, 2010
Hello
I don’t know if “nice” is the word to use, but it’s “nice” to read comments from other hair-pulling moms to know I am not alone!
Sleep seems to be the biggest struggle for most moms I know. It’s like “you’re dead tired, why won’t you just roll over, close your eyes and go to sleep!!”. I find that my boy is fine to have a nap during the day, often out for 1-2 hours two times a day, but he seems to know when he’s going down for bed time and makes a big fuss, often crying out just because he doesn’t want to go to sleep. I find that leaving him for 10 minutes often helps and he does go to sleep on his own. Me going in there and picking him up gets him what he wants (a hug) but then the crying starts all over again when I put him down and so two times the amount of fussing isn’t really helping! So it’s a case of definitely toughening up and trying to let him get to sleep himself.
I read your list of servings per day and WOAH – that’s a lot of food! I am still breastfeeding and his schedule is usually like so:
7am – wake and breastfeed, bit of raisin toast
9am – nap
11am – 3 tablespoons baby muesli with milk
12pm – half banana
1pm – nap
3pm – late lunch with half a jar (about 90 grams) of baby food like beef and veggies (he doesn’t have teeth yet so “grown up” food is a bit hard! Dessert will be about 100g custard/fruit gel. Usually after 2 hours of being awake he will want breastmilk. I’ve been trying to get him onto cows milk (he’ll take about 30 ml but then still come looking for me!)
5pm – sometimes he’ll have a 1/2 hour nap, sometimes not
6pm – dinner with again about 90 grams baby food and 100g custard
7pm – breastmilk and bedtime shortly afterwards
In between, he’ll have crackers and things to snack on. I do try to offer more but he just shuts his mouth up and refuses to take any more!
So there is NO WAY that he is consuming as much as your servings suggest, but he is a good height/weight, happy and not crying out of hunger… it really sounds like a lot of food and I’m not sure if everyone else’s kid is like mine, but he won’t stay in the chair long enough to be fed that amount of stuff! It just sounds like they spend their awake time eating and not so much playing…unless I my boy is just more interested in playing than eating…? Does everyone else’s 10 month old eat that much…? So I’m not “worried’ that he’s malnourished or anything, but reading things like this certainly make me question where he’s at food wise!
January 28th, 2010
I’m glad to have found this site. I’ve been reading about helping babies sleep before my daughter was born, and can say we’ve been decently successful. However, my 10 month old seems to only get maybe 12 hours of sleep a day, and since what is lost is overnight (well, usually EARLY morning) I’m desperate for a way to help her sleep longer so I can feel rested, too! Our schedule is pretty regular:
6:00 – breastfeeding, get up out of bed
7:30 – cereal with a little fruit
9-10 – morning nap
10:30 – snack (1/2 banana or the like)
12:00 – lunch, solids (veggies)
2-3 – afternoon nap
5:00 – dinner of solids
6:30 – breastfeeding
7:00 – in bed asleep
I also let her nurse on demand, which might be another 1-2 times a day (though she really doesn’t seem to take much milk during them)
BUT, here is where the trouble begins. On a GOOD night, she starts waking up at 5 or 5:30. On a BAD night, she starts waking at 4am. It’s crying almost in her sleep and comes and goes maybe 5-10 minutes apart and then at 5:30 it picks up as she wakes herself up enough that I need to go get her. I’ve tried breastfeeding and back to bed, but after the feeding she’s usually more alert and we’re up. If I don’t go to her, I *might* get her to fall back asleep and be up at the 5:30, or maybe even 6am. On the worst nights, she’s sleeping and crying on and off from 4 am until 6, and I don’t sleep past 4 am at all.
She’s such a good sleeper otherwise, I can’t figure out what would help her sleep in the mornings. With this schedule she’s getting 11-12 hours where it seems 10 months old need more.
Any ideas? Should I try going to one nap? On a recent travel day, she didn’t get her 2 hour long naps and ended up sleeping until 6:30am…that was such a treat!
Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences — it always feels better knowing you’re not alone!
January 29th, 2010
@Britney I’d need to know how it’s going helping your daughter learn to fall asleep without the breast. Make sure you don’t replace one sleep association with another. I have lots of suggestions all across this site and in my books. The key is to make a plan that you can stick to to help her fall asleep on her own. Good luck!
February 1st, 2010
I guess I’m not alone…my ten month old (almost 11 months) has been sleeping through the night forever 7pm-6am usually. When the time changed he got messed up and started waking at 5am but we deal with that ok. He doesnt have an issue falling asleep alone, I just put him in his bed and he goes to sleep. He just started really walking and now has been waking up at least once during the night screaming…I mean screaming. The first time I thought it was a bad dream so I got up and rocked him…now its happening at least 4 or 5 times a week and I don’t want to start a bad pattern. If I give him a bottle and rock he will go back to sleep. We tried to let him “cry it out” but after thirty full minutes of screaming I couldnt take it anymore. (example: bed @ 7 woke up at 3:45…I let him cry until about 4:20 or so then gave him a bottle..he was asleep by 5am and didnt wake up until 7..) What can we do so I don’t start a bad nighttime habit? He’s always been so good. He naps an hour or so around 9 and then two hours around 2. I’ve thought about only one nap but if he is up by 5am or 6am I cant get rid of the am nap. Would it be better to just feed him when he wakes up and then put him back to sleep? He may sleep in later so we can try only an afternoon nap?
February 24th, 2010
I’m so glad I found this website. I thought my nine month old was not eating because he was too tired. Seems his appetite is completely gone. I did notice yesterday that two little teeth are popping out on his top gums. ( he already has the bottom two) I don’t know what to do! He won’t eat breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks no matter what. He finishes half of his bottle. Now because he’s hungry ( I’m only assuming here ) he’s waking up in the night. First I tried to let him cry but his little nose was so runny that he was gagging so of course I pick him up. BAD MOVE..now every night its the same thing. Is he hungry? He drinks the bottle and goes back to sleep but at this age I thought he should sleep all night – but then I think about all of the meals he is missing and feed him. When his teeth finally come out is he going to want a bottle in the night again?? I keep reading different things. One book says “it’s ok for your 9 month old to have a feeding still” and another says “no way”…..???? I’m so confused
March 22nd, 2010
hello. i am having some sleep issues with my 10 month old twin girls. their schedule never seems to stay consistent throughout the day, no matter how much i try and stress over it. as of lately it seems that their schedule is like this :
wake at 8 AM
bottles at 8:15 AM or so
solids for breakfast at 9 AM
nap at 11 until about noon
bottles after waking
solids for lunch at around 1 PM
second nap at around 2 PM until about 4 PM
bottles after waking
dinner at about 5:30 or 6
goal bedtime at around 8 or 9 PM….
but after they go to bed at around 9 they are up again at like 11. it’s like they think that that is a third nap and they are wanting to be awake for several hours, so i can’t seem to get them in bed again until about 11 PM and then they wake up various times during the night. i’ll have one twin wake up at 2 and then the other one wake up at 3 and then again the other one wakes up at 4. it’s just a mess. i have tried to get them on schedule and it is not working. what am i doing wrong here ? please help.
March 22nd, 2010
Hi Andrea,
It sounds like you are doing a good job with their schedule throughout the day but that it’s the nighttime wakings that are really the big problem. How are they falling asleep at night? Are they able to go to sleep on their own? Is one waking the other at any time during the night? Sometimes with twins it can help to separate their sleep arrangements and bring them back together later on when they’ve established sounds sleep patterns. You might consider checking out Nicole’s e-book, Help Your Child Sleep (www.babysleepswell.com) which has more sample schedules, sample sleep training ideas and quite a few other tips. Hang in there!
March 22nd, 2010
as far as falling asleep at night, it just completely varies. tonight it’s total chaos. they’ve been changed, fed bottles, fed dinner and still i have one baby absolutely screaming and it’s almost 10p.m. other nights they will go down fine or maybe fuss for just a few minutes and then wake up 2 hours later. i always make them go to sleep on their own though, but a few times i’ve cuddled them or held them for just a couple minutes until they are really drowsy. thank you for the book recommendation. i may have to check that out. i’m having a really hard time. everyone keeps saying do CIO, but i just can’t do it. i am one tired mom though! lol. thanks again for all of the imput!
March 24th, 2010
Andrea- I would also recommend you check out Nicole’s series on different sleep training ideas which include other options than CIO or how to do a modified CIO. http://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-training-from-no-cry-to-cry-series-part-1/
Her book also covers the topic of sleep training options other than CIO in-depth.
March 24th, 2010
@Daniela- Nicole usually advises that one feeding at night for babies 10-12 months old is not uncommon. I would recommend you check out this post for some additional information on night feedings: http://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/night-feedings-by-age-when-do-you-night-wean/
March 24th, 2010
@Jess- Your baby is probably too young to transition to just one nap. And as I mentioned above in my response to Daniela, Nicole does usually advise that some babies may still need one feeding at this age. Have you tried giving him bottle when he wakes and as he gets drowsy lay him back down in his bed. If he starts to wake, then maybe try patting and shushing but not picking him up again. I’d try to avoid rocking him back to sleep as this will likely create a sleep association that can be difficult to break later on.
March 24th, 2010
Hi
I love our article and advice. Very sound and helpful. My daughter sleeps great at night (7pm to 6am – plays until 7am when I get her up) but it seems she has too many day naps. I try to stretch her out but she just whinges until I put her in her cot! She doesn’t necessarily ‘sleep’ the whole time, but she plays quietly.
07.00am Breastfeed
7.30/7.45 Breakfast
8.30/8.45 Nap
10.30am Wake time & sometimes a snack
12.00noon Lunch
12.30/1.00 Nap
2.30pm Breastfeed
3.00pm Snack
4.00/4.30 Nap
6.00pm Breastfeed & dinner
7.00pm Sleep
March 30th, 2010
Hello!
I hope someone can help me. My son is 10 months old and very big for his age (90th percentile for height and weight). He takes two naps at 10 and 2:30. He sleeps for about an hour at 10 and about an hour and a half at 2:30. We put him to sleep at 9:00, and he almost always wakes up at 5:00 AM every day. He asks for his “ba-ba” and I give him about 4 oz. of milk (if I gave him more he would drink it) and then he goes back to sleep until 6 to 6:30. I’ve tried putting him to sleep earlier, but he just wakes up earlier. It seems like he won’t go longer than 8 hours at night. He eats dinner at about 6, I give him a few ounces of milk at about 7, yogurt at 8 and another 4 ounces of milk (with cereal in it) at about 9 o’clock at which point he finally goes to sleep. He’s not tired before that – he’s always screaming and playing and wide awake. Is it possible that he’s truly hungry at 5:00 because he’s a big baby? Or should he be able to be without food until he wakes up? I really hate waking up at 5:00 every day. It’s almost always impossible to go back to sleep again – I can’t take it anymore! Please help.
Thanks in advance!
April 2nd, 2010
It is very possible he is hungry at this time in the morning after sleeping all night. It’s also possible his internal clock has been set for waking up at 5 am. Early morning between 4-6 can be a light sleep period for most babies. He might just need help learning to fall back asleep on his own at that time. This would mean either seeing if he’ll go back to sleep without your assistance (with some possibly crying or whining for the first few days) or you might have to go in and quickly reassure him, check to make sure there aren’t other reasons he waking. You might also try shifting his last nap to a bit earlier and cutting it down to an hour to help with his need for longer nighttime sleep.
May 19th, 2010
My ten month old was sleeping through the night. She now wakes during the night and cries out. Sometimes leave her and she goes back to sleep, other times have to go in and soothe her with the dummy. Her schedule is:
07.00/07.30-milk, breakfast
09.00/09.30-nap
10.00/10.30-wakes
12.00-milk, lunch
13.10/14.00-nap
14.30/15.00-wakes
16.00-milk, dinner
18.00-bedtime routine
18.45-19.00-milk, supper
19.15-19.30-bed (always awake)
Is she waking as she has lost her dummy or is disorientated? Am unsure what to do to help her rest through the night.
May 26th, 2010
HELP! My son will be 11 months old in just a few days. Up until about a week ago we hadn’t had any major problems since he was an infant. Here is what his usual schedule looks like:
10:00 wake & formula
12:00 lunch (solids & formula)
1:00 nap
4:00 wake & snack
7:00 dinner (solids & formula)
10:00 bedtime
I also give him formula throughout the day as he wants it.
Here lately, he’s been quite erratic with his sleep. The first night of all of this he woke up at 3:00 AM and we couldn’t get him to go back to sleep until close to 8:00 AM. He screamed everytime we would try to lay him back in his crib. Then we couldn’t get him to nap that afternoon. The next night he went to sleep just fine and slept through the night and napped like normal. The following night he slept just fine, but refused to nap. Then last night he went to bed OK but woke up like every two hours or so. I am not breastfeeding. I give him a sippy cup (he decided on his own to give up the bottle) just before he goes to bed. Then I take him in his room and turn out the lights and hold him and rock him about 15 – 20 minutes. I do not do this until he falls asleep. I then put him in his crib, tell him goodnight, leave the room. Every now and then he may fuss a little, but normally we don’t need to go in there as he settles himself down and goes to sleep. I have tried everything – holding him, letting him cry, etc. I don’t know what to do. I don’t like this trend of not sleeping all night.
May 31st, 2010
Hi
Like many of the other moms on here my biggest problem is getting my almost 10-month-old son on a consistent schedule. He typically sleeps through the night from about 7:30pm – 6:00am but naps are another story. Since he gets up earlier, his first nap is earlier and he typically only sleeps 45 minutes. So if I get him down at 9, he’s already up at 9:45. Then his second nap is also earlier and just as short. He typically needs a third nap later on in the day but I’m never sure if I should give it to him since it ends up being pretty close to bedtime. Getting him down for the night is easier on days when he has not had the 3rd nap but dinner can be a nightmare since he’s overtired by then. Every once in awhile he will sleep longer but there’s no rhyme or reason to it. I’ve tried to leave him in when he wakes up at 45 minutes but he usually does not go back to sleep – he will stand up and start crying. I just don’t know how to eliminate the 3rd nap since there is such a big gap between when he wakes up from his 2nd nap and bedtime.
I also can’t help but wonder if there’s any way to get him to sleep later than 6am – I’ve tried putting him to bed earlier (he started getting up at 5am) and later (he still got up at 6).
In addition to my sleep issues, I have also been having alot of trouble getting him to take his bottle. He’s alway been a bit difficult and would go through phases where he didn’t drink – first we thought it was because he had reflux and then I thought he was having issues with gas. Back when he used to wake up in the middle of the night those 2 dream-feeds would be the only times that he would drink a whole bottle down in one sitting. Now the pediatrician tells me that he could be self-weaning. It just doesn’t make sense to me since sometimes he won’t even take his first bottle of the day after sleeping all night!! And I’ve been making sure to give him his bottle before solids (in a schedule similar to the staggered approach here) but he still doesn’t drink. I struggle to get him to drink about 20 oz in the day (he gets closer to 24 if you count what I mix in with his cereal). I haven’t been giving him much water since I want to make sure he doesn’t fill up on that instead of formula but I did try it to see if he maybe just doesn’t like formula anymore but he wouldn’t really drink much water either. I just don’t want him to end up getting constipated or dehydrated. I haven’t had any luck getting him to transition to a sippy cup or straw cup either since he still won’t really hold his own bottle.
June 4th, 2010
Hi Sue,
Hard to tell why she’s waking but as long as it’s not out of hunger, teething, wet diaper, or other physical issue, then it would probably best to help her learn to get herself back to sleep without the dummy. I’d recommend either giving her some time to see if she re-settles back into sleep or if you do go in, then try patting, shushing or otherwise re-assuring her but not with the dummy as that’s only going to continue to create a sleep association where she’s going to continue to think she has to have it to get back asleep. You can read more about sleep associations here: http://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-association/
June 4th, 2010
Hi Noelle,
Have you checked to see if he’s teething at all? Sometimes molars or other teeth coming through can affect a previously well sleeping baby. He could also be experiencing some nighttime anxiety. It will be important to establish how to handle his wakings where he can learn or be able to settle himself back into sleeping without getting picked up or rocked back to sleep as that will only promote a sleep association habit where he’ll think he has to have that to get back to sleep. If you haven’t already, I’d recommend you read over this post about 11 month old schedule for helpful tips: http://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/11-month-old-schedule/
If you have determined that it’s not a physical issue such as teething or a cold, and it continues, then you may want to consider a sleep consultation with Nicole and she can address specific issues going on along with a strategy for your situation. You can find more information here: http://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/
June 4th, 2010
Hi Irene,
It really does sound like a good portion of the problem is his schedule in relation to his naps. Nicole does have an approach she recommends for helping shift a baby’s schedule so that naps are happening at the right time and allows for time for dinner and bedtime. You might want to check it out in her book, Mastering Naps and Schedules: http://www.babynapswell.com/
For the bottle feeding issue, have you tried changing formulas? Replacing water with formula doesn’t really indicate whether or not he doesn’t like the current formula. There may be a taste or some particular ingredient with his current formula that he doesn’t like anymore.
June 10th, 2010
Here is a rough estimate of my 10 month old sons schedule (we co-slept until he was 8 months old-creating a tough time for ourselves. Ooops. And he is still breastfeeding 5-7 times in 24 hours). I don’t know if I should be looking into other ways of getting him to take another nap during the day, or if I should hold off on his nap until 11:30 so that he doesn’t go so long between his nap and bedtime at night.
7:00/7:30 wake up, BF
8:00 fruit, veggies, oatmeal, yogurt breakfast
Playtime
10:00 BF
10:30 Nap (usually 2 hours, maybe a little more)
12:30/1:00 BF
1:00 Veggies, cereal lunch
3:00 snack (remaining yogurt) and playtime
3:30 try for another nap but it rarely works-quiet time reading etc.
4:30 BF
6:00 fruit, veggies, chicken dinner
7:30 BF and bedtime
3:00 wakes up and quickly puts self back to sleep (this used to be a night feeding)
5:00/5:30 BF and then back to sleep
7:00/7:30 Begin a new day!
June 11th, 2010
Hi Meredith,
Does he seem overly tired by the time dinner or bedtime rolls around? If not, then it seems like you have a schedule that seems to work for him. You can tried to shift his nap to later so he doesn’t go so long between nap and bedtime. I’d recommend that if you decide to try this though that you do the shift in increments. Move the nap time about 15 minutes later each time until you reach the desired time. If you start to see him taking shorter naps and still no afternoon nap or seems overly tired by bedtime, then a shift may not be the answer.
If with your current schedule, he does seem overly tired by the time dinner or bedtime comes around, then you may want to consider shortening his morning nap so that he might get in at least a 30-45 minute nap in the afternoon. Most babies do still need two naps at this age, but if this schedule works overall for you, him and the rest of the family, then it might be the one to stick with for now.
June 18th, 2010
I would like to comment on this feeding schedule. Due to the high levels of gluten in whole wheat pasta, many babies should NOT be fed it. High quality durum wheat pasta, the kind imported from Italy, is the best kind.
Feeding babies gluten-rich foods can aid in the development of coeliac disease, which means they cannot properly absorb the nutrients in whole wheat foods later on in life (coeliac disease also contributes to many other terrible symptoms) and therefore must steer clear of them and be on special diets.
Always speak to your doctor before feeding your baby something new or different.
June 18th, 2010
@Itsa Thank you so much for commenting and sharing about Celiac disease. I agree that everyone should consult their doctor about their baby’s diet. We have been fortunate with our sons and their diet. Good luck to you!
June 19th, 2010
Hi Meredith,
My 10 month old boy, Hunter, is now recently sleeping through the night after problems with night weaning. But everything is fine and he’s a happy boy
Before this he was still taking 3 naps, and now with consecutive sleep at night I would like to have him only take 2 naps a day, but don’t know what times to make that naps. I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter, Shya, that I am wanting to coordinate schedules with so they both can go to sleep at night and nap at same times. What daily schedule/routine do you suggest? I also am wanting to transition Hunter out of my room and into the room with Shya. What tips can you give me on making that “manageable.” LOL. I am a single mom, so I need all the help I can get on making things as positive and happy as can be…every parents goal, huh (single or not). Any suggestions would be much appreciated! 
God bless,
Megs
July 16th, 2010
Hello, I am looking for some suggestions to help my 10 month old son sleep in, in the morning. I have tried everything. Dark room, 5 am feeding. But when he wakes to eat.. he wants to get up and play. I have tried making bed time a little later. I really am stuck. but waking up between 5-6 every morning and having him stay awake and want to play and not take a nap till noon or 1 is really killing me. I am always so dang tired.
Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!
July 16th, 2010
Hi Spirit,
The first step will be to assess how much sleep your little guy is getting in a 24 hour period and then determine where you would need to start shifting his schedule in order to help him sleep past that 5 am mark or to go back to sleep when waking that early. Does he wake to feed at all earlier in the night? If so, then it would be a good idea to cut out a 5 am feeding. At this age, he should be able to get through the night with no or only 1 night feeding. He should be getting between 11-12 hours of sleep at night so I would advise looking at your schedule to see if you can either shift slowly forward or back to work on the early morning wake up. For more help, I’d highly recommend you check out Nicole’s book on shifting schedules which addresses this issue directly. You can find it here: http://www.babysleepsite.com/waking-too-early/
July 22nd, 2010
Hello
I really need some advice on getting my 10 month old son to sleep through the night. He has only ever slept through the night (8pm – 7.30am) once since he was born and that was about 5 weeks ago but then he went straight back to waking every 2-3 hours throughout the night, its killing us! I feel ike we have tried everything, but we must be doing something wrong!
He was breastfed up until he was 7.5 months old, and he now drinks approx 500ml of formula a day, but he won’t drink it in large amounts so I have to give him small amounts throughout the day. His routine is roughly:
6.30 Wake & Formula
7.30 Breakfast
10.30 Formula & Nap
11.30 Wake
12.30 Lunch
3.30 Formula & Nap
4.30/5.00 Wake
5.30 Dinner
8.00 Bedtime
From bedtime he will wake at roughly 10pm, 12am, 3 am (sometimes again at 4am) and then will finally wake at 6- 6.30am.
We used to put him to bed earlier, around 7 but he would not settle and would still be awake at 8 so we just made his bedtime 8.
He had colic when he was younger, could he still have it? He sleeps with a pacifier but he’s not completely dependent on it, sometimes he wants it, sometimes he pushes it out. He doesn’t have any teeth yet and there are no signs of any popping through the gums, although he does drool alot but has done for many months.
When he wakes we try to leave him for a while to see if he can get himself back to sleep but the crying just gets louder and makes him more awake. When we go into him we don’t speak or put on any lights we just put our hand on his tummy, sometimes he goes back to sleep within 10 minutes other times he won’t go back to sleep for over an hour.
Any suggestions would be really greatly appreciated
Many thanks
July 26th, 2010
Hi Elizabeth,
How does he typically fall asleep? Do you put him down drowsy and he falls asleep on his own? If so, then it sound like the problem is that he has learned how to fall asleep but now how to put himself back to sleep. You also don’t mention if he eats at all during the night, so I’m wondering if one feeding during the night might also help. Certainly, you don’t want him to rely on needing to eat during the night to go back to sleep but at this age, he could very well still need a feeding at night. We would need to know more details about how he falls asleep and what other methods you have tried to really be able to help. I’d recommend you consider an email consult package with Nicole where she can come up a plan you and your family are comfortable with. You can read more about her services here: http://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/
August 1st, 2010
Hey there!
Im interested in dropped a breastfeeding as we are still doing it 5 times a day (staggered approach) and while he drinks heartily at each session – it seems as though he could be easily distracted away from any one of them (except maybe the early early morning feed!). Which feed would make most sense to drop in this schedule?
6:45 wake / nurse
8:30 breakfast
nap
10:30 wake / nurse
12:30 lunch
nap
2:30 wake / nurse
5:00 dinner
6:00 nurse / to bed
bed by 6:30
4:00 nurse
Based on this schedule his food meals and nursing sessions are 4hrs apart. Overall he is eating something every 2hrs. He’s also a little guy – at 10mos – only 18lbs 3oz. I don’t want to take away calories he needs either.
I plan to wean completely around 18months and just want it to be gradual between now and then so that its not abrupt and difficult to do so when the time comes.
Suggestions?
s
stella´s last blog ..10 Months
August 27th, 2010
My baby slept through the night 9-6 until he was 4 months old, then all of a sudden he was waking up every two hours to nurse. Little did I realize at the time that I was popping my boob in his mouth at his every sound (he was co-sleeping)…After a few months of this, he was regularly waking up every 2 hours to nurse. I did some sleep training when he was 6 months old (no cry sleep solution) and he has been sleeping from 8:30 p.m. – 9 a.m. until this week, he just turned 10 months old.
Now, he has a hard time settling down even with our same bedtime routine, and is waking up every 3 hours crying in devastation. He was taking naps at a regular time, but now it’s a guessing game for when he wakes up time in the morning. I’m guessing it’s separation anxiety because he just wants to be held all the time, he won’t go to sleep unless I’m holding him. How long will this last? I can’t just let him cry.
On a good day our schedule looks like this:
6:30 a.m. wakes to nurse, back to sleep
7:30 a.m. wakes to nurse, back to sleep
8:30 a.m. wakes to nurse, back to sleep
9 a.m. wake up for the day, breastfeed, Play
10 or 11 a.m. Breakfast (doesn’t eat much after all that morning nursing), more playing
1p.m. or 1:30 p.m. Nurses/Nap – Sleeps for 1 hr. 30 min, I nurse him again, he’ll sleep for another HOUR (only nap of the day 2.5-3 hrs)
4:30 Eat a meal
Play for the rest of the day
7p.m. – dinner
7:45 bedtime routine- read books
8:00 bath
8:30 breastfeed, Asleep
Usually sleeps straight until 6:30 a.m., but is now all of a sudden waking up every three hours (started a week ago) took him to the doctor, said he’s healthy
what is going on?