Back again, still waking in the night 6.5month old

[mrssat]

Hello,
I posted a few weeks ago re my LO night wakening. We have made definite progress - he is not waking up for long periods of time anymore, however he is waking up about 3 times a night and crying out. When he is crying for 'help' I will go in, replug the dummy and give a little rub/pat and he goes straight back to sleep. Then he might do the same an hr later. This normally happens in the later stages of the night 3-5ish.
When I last posted Erin suggested I put lots of dummies in the cot and help him find them by guiding his hand to them when he wakes, I have been doing this but he hasn't got it yet.
I have pushed the morning nap out to 3 hrs to see if this helps. He is still having a good morning nap of about 1.30mins. The afternoon can be hit and miss. Yesterday after 3 hrs A time he woke after 45 mins. The day before he woke after 30 mins.... he then had a cat nap later to compensate. He still woke through the night.

Here is our easy

7am wake
7:15 milk 6 ozs
8:15 solids fruit
10 nap for 1.30hr
11.30 wake bottle 5ozs
a time
2.15 pm nap amount of time is hit and miss...
3;45 bottle 5/6ozs
4;30/5 solids veggies
6 bath
6:45 bottle
7 bed 6/7ozs

10:30 DF 5 ozs

I was thinking to stretch the pm A time out as well. Do you think that would help? The other thing to note is he gets so sleepy with his bed time bottle. He has fallen asleep a few times while having it and of course I am worried about him getting into habits. He is an independent sleeper all other times. If I stretched the pm nap to 3 hrs that would give a shorter time before bed as well which I think he needs.
Any thoughts?
Really appreciate any help on this. Getting up 3/4 times in the night is driving me mad!

[dlhson]

Hello mrssat,

Nice (or maybe not nice) to see you again in this thread. I'll let the experts come and help you out. But if this is of any help: what is driving us mad is not 3/4 times waking in the night, but 30/40 times. We're at 10 already tonight and counting So just don't feel lonely in this respect!

Hang in there! Hugs!

[tel33015]

Hi there mrssat,

Don't really have much advice to give as I am going through this myself at the moment as is dlhson and I just wanted to offer my support and with you the sleep deprivation is hard.

Did not see your previous post but you did mention that your LO was waking for long periods of time? Did your LO just get past that or was there something you changed that helped? Sorry to bring that back up but my DS wakes for nearly 2 hours at a time some mornings, others its an hour but rarely goes back to sleep straight away. I am putting ours down to pain at the moment but really not sure!

Like you my DS has his worst wakings between 3-5, sometimes he has 2 big ones so it will start at 2.. then again at 4. Not sure what it is about this time??

It sounds like you are certainly starting on the right track to extending his A times. I started extending at around that age as well as we had alot of EW. The help and advice given on here is just excellent. I hope that things start to get better for you real soon.

 

[mrssat]

Hi Guys, thank you for your words of encouragement!

I have hope, last night was a great night! I was sure he would be up because his am nap was short, he did make it up in the pm nap with a big 2 hr stretch (he hardly ever does that) and woke from that at 4 pm. Bed was 7.
He started to stir and make noises at 10ish, I DF at 10:30 so I thought maybe he is getting ready for his feed. Fed him and put him down on his side. He has always like his side. I got sorted for bed in the bathroom I was about 10 mins, peaked my head in his room before I turned in and he was on his tummy! I wondered if I should flip him over....I didn't (he is able to do this himself now).
Well he slept until 5:40!! He woke and I thought oh I hope he is not getting up for the day (we have avoided EWs so far) so I went in and replugged the dum and he went back to sleep and I heard him at 6:30ish, but then I fell back to sleep and my DD woke at 7:15 and DS was still sleeping!! I had to wake him at 7:30!

So a great night. Now, he got loads of floor time yesterday and rolled all over the place, he has been able to roll for a while but got a lot of practice in yesterday. He also 'spoke' a lot yesterday so I am wondering if these awakenings could be developmental....He is dribbling and biting everything, but it is so hard to know if he is teething or just being a dribbly baby. He definitely seemed more advanced yesterday even DH commented on this when he came home. DH bathed him and he said he was singing to him and he started singing back making a 'oohhh ooohhh ooohh' noise. So cute! He just seemed more aware and able all of a sudden.

I am wondering about the tummy sleeping as well. Maybe just a coincidence....

Today is not going great already he has just woke up after 40mins I think he was UT after that great nights sleep...we will see.

tel33015 - I read your thread. Sounds very similar to us! He was wakening for long periods, 2 hrs, but extending the A time seemed to help this. He was getting OT due to 45 min naps and I think this was causing the long NWs. I hope the visit to the pead goes well and hopefully it is just a phase. It seems this age is challenging for alot of us. DS is 6months 3 wks at the end of this week.

dlhson - urgh you poor guys, I really hope you get this sorted. I have been in and out of your thread and I am really looking forward to that post where you say you have cracked it! Sounds like you may have other things going on, than an UT/OT loop. You have to have faith and look forward to the time when you will have sleep again. I know why sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture!
Hugs to you all I will be looking out for progress reports! x x

[mrssat]

Well tereible night last night. I was im & out all night! Any suggestions!?

[Erin M]

Hi hun --
I've got a couple of thoughts -- first off, I'd probably stretch that PM A time as well in the hopes of getting a longer second nap in there. 

Developmental stuff is a huge cause of NWs - the rolling/babbling/other development can definitely cause those wakings.  Are teeth a possibility right now?  I'm wondering with the wakings later on in the night if there's some sort of discomfort going on.  However, it could just be that you need to work on that second A time. 

I'd keep working with the dummies, he's going to get it eventually. 

Now, he got loads of floor time yesterday and rolled all over the place, he has been able to roll for a while but got a lot of practice in yesterday.

This is worth noting too -- mine all got to an age where the "quality" of the A time matters as much as the actual length of the A time -- if we were out and about and they spent a lot of time in the stroller/car seat, they wouldn't sleep nearly as long. 

The other thing to note is he gets so sleepy with his bed time bottle. He has fallen asleep a few times while having it and of course I am worried about him getting into habits. He is an independent sleeper all other times.

It's probably ok -- my ds would fall asleep nursing the vast majority of the time until I weaned that feed around 16 months -- I assume he's not looking for a bottle when he wakes? 

[mrssat]

Hi Erin, great advice and info as always. Thank you. Last 3 nights have been better.. which is surprising as he has a cold.
I have been doing a few things.
I totally agree with the quality of the A time. I think this goes hand in hand with the milestones, he needs plenty of play time at the mo mainly on the floor so he can practice all his tricks. He has started to really babble, saying ya ya ya ya ya, last night he was doing it in his sleep! Just goes to show how their little brains are on over drive when they are learning.
We have been giving DF meds when I do his milk DF, as I am sure he is teething. He is constantly chomping on his hand. He has even been putting his finger in and pulling his gum.
I will start to stretch the pm a time. Although I dont know how today will go I took DD to nursery early for her xmas party and he feel asleep in the push chair 20 mins before he was due to go down. Now he has woken up early! UT I think ggrrrh!
Thank you for your input I really hope we are on our way to cracking this!

[mrssat]

Oh I also elevated his cot, mainly due to his cold, this always helped DD and I know I need more pillows when I have a cough/cold. I will prob leave it this way to rule out any reflux pain at night.

[Erin M]

Sounds like you've got some great ideas!

It's really hard to work around older LOs when you're stretching A times, I know that from personal experience!  Hopefully you'll get a few days in a row where you can get the longer A time without worrying about him falling asleep early and then you can see how it goes.

[dlhson]

Take care and rest as much as you can msrsat! Hugs from us three!

[mrssat]

Well its 2 steps forward 3 back for us. Last night was terrible he was up about 5 times. I am so fed up & tired. Looking after a 3 yr old as well is tough. His cold is better although he is not 100% i dont think this was why he waa wakening. I am lost really.

[HarrietsMum]

Just wanted to add my hugs and sympathy.  I have a 5 mo who is up a lot and a 3 yo too, it is getting very tiring! Hope it improves for you soon. X

[Erin M]

Discomfort maybe?  Teeth, new foods, temperature, etc? 

[mrssat]

I really dont know Erin, do you think he could need another stretch in a time? Last night was better and he only had a 45 min pm nap. I think he was UT.

Our easy on Sunday was

Woke 6.45
E 7 bottle
E 8 solids
A
S 9:45
Up from nap 11.40
E 11.45 Bottle
A
S 2.40 went down with bottle so this was E time as well. He doesnt normally go down with a bottle but the E & S were going to clash.
I woke him at 5!!
E 5 ish solids
bottle 6.45
bed 7

He was up alot that night.

Yesterday was

745 I woke him!
8 bottle
9 solids
11.10 nap took a moment to settle & woke at 45 min up went back down,
woke 12:40
3;40 pm nap only 40 mins
4.30 up after trying to re settle
bottle 630
bed 645

cant remember E times but dinner was at 5.

He woke at 4am for a moment and went back down with dummy. Then he woke at 5:30 again, just took dummy back to sleep until 7.

Any suggestions looking at these 2 days?

[mrssat]

oh sorry DF ay 10.30 each night....