Hi all,
I am looking for some guidance from experienced mums on the board. My son just turned 6 months last week. He has never been a great night time sleeper and wakes often every 2 hours. He has done 3 - 4 hour stretches very rarely. He naps ( 1 hr +) ok for a couple of weeks and then for a couple of weeks he wakes up at the 35 - 40 minute intervals and then needs to be fed back to sleep and he does another 40 mins to an hour.
He was tightly swaddled until 5 months. I then eased him one hand free and one hand swaddled for couple of weeks and just last week out of the swaddle now.
He has this week started being up for almost 2 - 2 hr 15 awake time. He can sleep on his own in his cot usually within 5 minutes which is why I am wary of pushing his awake times.
FEED
He is on solids for two meals and is exclusively breastfed.
During the day he feeds for 10 - 12 mins at a stretch often less. At night time, he feeds 6 - 7 minutes.
His rough Eat-Play-Sleep routine is as follows (This is what has been happening for the last week)
NAPS* Wakes around 6:45 but feeds and sleeps till 8 AM
* Is ready for a nap by 9:45 - I keep taking him out etc. to keep him up for some more time. But generally sleeps by 10:00. A time approx 2 hours
* Wakes at 10:35 or 10:40 and is usually crying. Most often fed or patted back to sleep for another 30 - 45 mins
* Up by 11:15. Then breastfeed and solids. Play time on mat. Usually sleeps after 2 hr 10 mins max.
* Again last couple of days wakes at 35 mins - 40 mins. Can be resettled sometimes.
* Generally up by 2:45 PM. Another catnap around 5:10 to 5:40.
* Solids and then breastfeed. Sleep by 8:30 PM
Early bedtime often does not work for us because of my husband's work schedule.
I tried wake to sleep 3 weeks back at the 23 minute mark and it seemed to improve naps and he was doing a stretch of 1 hr - 1hr 20 mins.
LAst week again started waking at the 40 minute mark and I tried wake to sleep Fri, Sat, Sunday at 23 minutes. He did a long stretch 1 day only after this.
But yesterday and today he has been waking up at 35 minutes (previously 40 minutes). The only change that has happened is his wake time has increased a bit last couple of days.
BED TIME* Gap between last nap and bedtime is 2.5 hrs to 2.75 hrs.
* Here again, he normally goes to sleep on his own but he wakes up after 40 - 50 minutes screaming. Needs to be patted or fed to sleep.
* Although yesterday he did a stretch of 3 hours before waking up. Last month he was often doing initial stretches of 2 - 2.5 hours.
* After this he is up every 2 hours and feeds to sleep. I am starting to stop this feeding. However, when I pat him to sleep he normally wakes up after an hour.
Apologies for the long post. But really appreciate any assistance in troubleshooting his naps and bedtime. Particularly:
1. 35 minute wake up at naps. This was previously 40 minutes until his wake time stretched this week. Does 35 minutes mean overtired?
2. Should I do another round of wake to sleep - should this be at 23 minutes?
3. Why does he some times wake up at night t 40 minutes screaming.
4. Tips on his night time wake ups - I am not keen on making him cry a lot, it just breaks my heart
Thanks a lot.