Sleeping FAQ: 6-9 Months – Night Waking

My 6.5mth daughter is waking several times in the night although she is able to resettle herself. Could she be hungry?

My daughter was pretty ok with sleeping and feeding, despite a few problems with bottle feeding and she is still not really interested in her milk. Now that she has started solids it all seems to have fallen apart. The lunchtime nap only works 50% of the time but that is not may major concern. She has started to wake several times in the night. I don’t have to go into her as she usually half cries or moans for about 20 minutes at a time before resettling herself. I don’t know why she is doing this. First of all I thought it was possibly hunger so I did try feeding her in the night but she refused. As she often refuses bottles at her feed times I am still not sure if it is hunger or not. I wondered if she was getting uncomfortable in the night as she is doing a lot of rolling around and usually ends up on her tummy. I can’t decide if she prefers to sleep in her front or when she rolls over she is uncomfortable and can’t get back which is why she is waking so much. She is not good at taking solids and I am concerned that she is not taking enough but she never seems hungry!

At present my daughter takes 7ozs formula at 7.15am. She has breakfast at 7.30am. This is a few mouthfuls of porridge and fruit but she is not really that interested. At 11.30am she has her lunch. This is 4 cubes of chicken casserole or chicken and vegetable gratin. It is a big struggle to get her to take this. She has a few sips of water with her meal and then is offered a 3oz top up before her nap at 12.30pm. 2.35pm, 3.5ozs formula. 5pm 2 cubes of a vegetarian meal from the Weaning Book. She is never hungry for this and it is a real struggle. Water is offered with this meal. 6.40pm 7ozs of formula, also a struggle. 10pm, 2ozs of formula. I would really like to drop this feed but worried she is not having enough milk in the day. My daughter weighs 17lbs.

She naps at 9.15-9.35am and 12.30-2,30pm. She is settled by 7pm.

Providing your daughter is not really distressed when she wakes, and is able to resettle herself, it is better to let her find her own sleeping position now. If you begin to go in and turn her back she may begin to associate needing you to be there in order for her to settle. You are doing the right thing by leaving her, even though it is frustrating and upsetting to hear her awake several times in the night.

Until a baby is really able to roll both ways with ease she may well wake and be unsettled at night. Practice rolling with her by day so she learns how to roll both ways easily. It may take several weeks before she becomes really adept at rolling from her back to her front and back again so enabling her to get into a comfortable position at night. If you think she is disturbing herself by knocking against the cot sides you could pad them using rolled up towels pushed down between the mattress and spars. This may lessen the impact and so be less disturbing to her should she roll on to the sides. If she is moving around the cot a great deal then remove any blankets you may be using and dress her in a heavier tog sleeping bag.

As your daughter seems to have a small appetite it may be better to make her breakfast a meal of yoghurt and fruit puree until she enjoys her lunchtime solids a little more. Once you have noticed an improvement in her appetite for lunch you can begin to reintroduce a very small amount of cereal at breakfast but don’t increase it too quickly as she may cut back at lunchtime again. Giving her a top up drink of milk before her lunchtime nap is a good idea. If she increases the amount of the protein meal she takes at her lunch her sleep at this time of day may improve further. Rolling around when in a light sleep could be the problem at this time of day as well.

Providing your daughter takes 20ozs of milk a day, including that used in her bottle; on cereals; in cooking; in yoghurt and cheese, she will be receiving her minimum daily amount. You could cut her 2.30pm feed to 2ozs milk to see if this would mean she is happier to take a bigger tea. This meal is high in carbohydrates to help her sleep well at night. Aim to encourage her to take enough food to fill her up at this meal, without such a struggle, providing it does not lead to her decreasing the amount of milk she drinks at bedtime.

Until your daughter is taking larger amounts of solids, and not struggling with her meals and milk, keep the 10pm feed in place. Although she only takes 2ozs at this feed, this will help her daily total stay around the minimum amount and you will know that hunger is probably not the cause of her night time waking.

By offering her home cooked food, using a wide variety of ingredients, you are giving her the best start in life. If her appetite is small, but her general health and growth continue to be good, you will learn how much food she is prepared to take at a meal. It may be less than you think she should have but try not to force her too much to eat “one more spoonful”, as this can lead to food fussiness and fights in the second year. Offer her suitable finger foods to see if she is interested in feeding herself. To begin with a lot of finger food ends up on the floor but, if you keep offering it to her, she will begin to get the idea of feeding herself.

If you are concerned about your daughter’s feeding, and solid intake, keep a detailed food diary for a week and show it to your health visitor or doctor.