Q&A: How can I help my 12-month-old sleep through the night?

My daughter is almost 12 months old, and she still wakes up once at night. There is no way to put her back to sleep, except by giving her a bottle of formula. I've tried everything else: tea instead of milk, cuddling with her, etc. Nothing works. I don't want to let her cry for hours. How can I make her sleep through the night?

There is a wonderful article on your question right here on our site: Are You Preventing Your Baby from Sleeping through the Night?, by Elizabeth Pantley.

There are no silver bullets for your predicament, but I wouldn't despair. Your daughter is bound to outgrow these night wakings if you help her along step-by-step. In this case, you may simply be too light a sleeper for your own good. Each night you should wait a bit longer before going in to check on her when she cries. Also, If you have a baby monitor, you may want to turn the volume down or stop using it altogether.

At this point you are probably a pretty good judge of why your daughter is crying, and hunger is unlikely to be the cause of her wakings; she probably likes the soothing aspect of sucking on the bottle. Try to resist quick fixes like giving a bottle--she really doesn't need that bottle nutritionally (and it can lead to more problematic issues like tooth decay). The best sleepers are those who learn to soothe themselves (by thumbsucking, cuddling a "lovey" or other soothing activity). That learning only comes if the baby is left to figure out a way to lull herself back to sleep.

from beyond babyzone:
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