BabyWhispererForums.com
SLEEP => Night Wakings => Topic started by: mama T on August 31, 2009, 02:44:38 am
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Hi, my son is 10 1/2 months old and is still waking 2 or 3 times a night. From about 3 months till 6 months he slept through the night (with a DF at 11pm). Then after 6 months he has started being more inconsistent with his sleep but the last month has been pretty bad. I think a few of the days have been due to teething but even when that seems to no longer be bothering him he is still waking up at night. He goes back to sleep pretty easily (most nights, not all) if I just lie him back down and give him his paci. Maybe its the paci thats the problem!
His routine is
7am - wake and bottle (8oz)
7.30 - 9.00 - Activity
9.00 - breakfast (usually cereal)
10am - nap (usually about 1 hour)
11 - 12.30 - activity
12.30 - Lunch (usually eats really well)
2.30 - nap - usually just over an hour
3.30ish - bottle (am starting changing this to a sippy), about 5 oz
5 - dinner
7 - bedtime.
Maybe I just have to accept the wakings as he does normally go back down pretty easy, but if anyone has suggestions of what I can change to encourage full nights sleep I would appreciate it. He's really active during the day crawling and cruising. But has been demonstrating some SA recently.
Thanks
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Hi mama T, my DS is only 5 months so we are not quite there yet but I was going to suggest SA and/or teething and/or new skills...seems like maybe he has all 3 going on. Have you thought about weaning the paci? What happens if you don't go in when he wakes...does he cry or is he just fussing and chatting? If he doesn't cry maybe you could try leaving him to it...so he doesn't come to expect that nighttime is a social time. I am bumping this up for you so maybe one of the mods can respond :-)
Hang in there!
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Thanks Wendy, I have tried hanging back with going in to see what happens and he basically gets more and more mad till he is really crying. Last night he had a couple of little cries that didn't come to anything so I left him for those but was also up about 3 times with proper cries. I think you might be right maybe its all 3! Have thought about weaning the paci but am pretty nervous to. He only uses it on the crib so I thought I might let him keep it longer but maybe I am just chickening out. Will maybe wait till the latest tooth cuts then give it a shot. Will need to check out the board on that for some pointers!
The thing is he also used to go down at night really easily, just bath, bottle, a wee cuddle then into the cot while still awake and he'd drop off on his own. But the last week or so he's been taking over an hour to go down once in his cot and not just chatting to himself but crying to. When I would go in he'll be sitting up having thrown his paci and teddy out the cot! Still napping well and easily though so fingers crossed thats not the next thing to go.
Lesley
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Hi Lesley, I took a look at the awake times for his age and maybe he needs an A time increase - he is at the shorter end with only 3 hours:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64158.msg476652#msg476652
They look for A time at night if they don't get enough during the day.
He also may be ready to dump the morning nap and move to a longer afternoon nap. It may be that he is a bit UT at the morning nap and then goes OT by day's end and has a hard time settling for bed.
I think it might be worthwhile to put your post on EASY board as well to get some help over there.
Re: the paci...just do it when you are ready :-)
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If the problem is that he needs the paci but can't find it himself, you could make a paci blankie - I know a few mums who have had great success! Basically you get a muslin square or other small/light piece of fabric and use a few strong stitches to sew on 4-6 pacis around the edge. Practice with it with him in the daytime. Then at night, if he can find the cloth he can find a paci!
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Anna - I love the paci blankie idea - am going to try that. I leave a couple in his cot but he needs to crawl about to find them and that wakes him up and makes him mad.
Wendy - increasing his A time is a good idea, the problem is because he's not sleeping through the night he's really tired in the morning and needs his nap pretty quickly - if I could get him sleeping again could increase the A - but increasing the A could get him sleeping again - very complicated! I don't know how to move the post to the other board - maybe will just repost it over there and see what anyone has to say.
Thanks for the suggestions.