Not Sleeping Through the Night

My 9 month old baby is still not sleeping through the night. We have a routine we use consistently, where we rock him until he’s drowsy, sing him a lullaby, and then put him down in his crib. He is then able to fall asleep on his own.

The problem is, he is still waking up 3-4 times a night for feedings. I have tried giving him a pacifier instead of feeding him, but he cries until I nurse him. He is a good weight, and his doctor says he is in perfect health.

Shouldn’t he be sleeping through the night at this age?

Your baby sounds like he is growing well. It would be easier to make suggestions if I knew whether your baby was having any difficulty with breathing through the night or snoring heavily. If either of those behaviors is occurring, you should take your baby to a pediatric sleep specialist for assessment for sleep apnea.

If your baby is not having any difficulty in those areas, I would also wonder whether your baby has any allergies, reflux, difficulties with ear infections, or is currently teething.

I also wonder about your baby’s transition to solids. Is he taking solids well? Often 9 month-old’s who are still breastfeeding 3 or 4 times a night do not transition well to solids because they are meeting their needs for calories through the night with breastfeeding or formula feeding.

Break the Association of Food with Sleep

Your baby should be able to sleep through the night at this age. It is a sign of your success that he is able to fall asleep on his own at night and has a sleep routine. The most important question is how close to his bed time are you breastfeeding or formula feeding him? fussy baby with bottle

I recommend that parents move the feeding back at least 20 minutes before settling the baby for the night and for naps. Otherwise, the baby can develop an association between being fed very close to falling asleep and being able to get to sleep. When he wakes up at night, he cannot fall asleep without feeding.

Moving the feed back at least 20 minutes before settling should also happen around nap times. The other suggestion I would make is to have your partner settle your baby back to sleep when he wakes up at night. He associates you with feeding and is going to protest a lot more if you try to settle him without feeding him. He is also going to cry and protest if you change the way you are settling him.

Keep a Sleep Log to Check Progress

Keep a sleep log (a diary of how long it takes him to go to sleep and how often he wakes) and go in to check on him when he wakes up at night but do not pick him up or rock him or feed him. With the lights off, quietly say it is time to go to sleep now. You can rub his tummy or his head occasionally to soothe him if he is really upset or just check to make sure that he is fine and then leave him. You can repeat that about every 15 minutes.

If you follow that approach, he will start resettling himself at night without associating going to sleep with feeding. The sleep log will help you see improvement after a few days.

*Answers by sleep expert, Dr. Wendy Hall, PhD. Should you need individualized help or advice regarding your baby’s sleep, please consult an infant sleep consultant.