Why does a 6-month-old baby wake up every hour at night?

There are several common reasons why 6-month-old babies wake up frequently at night. Most of these are a normal part of development:

1. 4-6 month sleep regression: During this period, your baby's sleep cycles become more like an adult's. There's an increased chance of waking fully between light sleep stages, and if they can't fall back asleep on their own, they cry out for their parent.

2. Beginning of separation anxiety: Around 6 months, babies start to realize that their mother's/father's presence is temporary. When the parent who was there when they fell asleep is gone when they wake up, they feel anxious and call out.

3. Growth spurts and motor development: Milestones like rolling over, crawling preparation, and teething break nighttime sleep. When the brain processes what was learned during the day at night, wakings increase.

4. Feeding needs: By 6 months, some babies still need one or two night feedings, but waking every hour on the dot usually comes from habit rather than hunger.

According to general pediatric recommendations, to solve the problem it helps to note wake-up times and what happened before (environment, last feeding, being held) for a few days. This period is temporary and usually resolves itself within a few weeks.