BabyWhispererForums.com
SLEEP => Night Wakings => Topic started by: Rizzo on August 27, 2010, 21:45:45 pm
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I have posted before on NWs, but am still having problems. I have a 7mo DS - at the moment, we are having shocking nights (waking 9pm, 12am, 3am, or thereabouts), and demanding to be fed (bit dummy dependent at the moment too, have tried to settle without a feed, but it is so difficult with a touchy/spirited/grumpy baby..).
We are having a good first nap of the day (usually 1hr 30m), but his A time is usually less than 2 hours (not sure if this is because of the frequent NWs).
For the past few days, the second nap has been 30-40m, and waking up happy, so assumed this is UT, and kept him up for 2hrs 30m today (slept for 1hr 20m). We are now napping for 3rd nap of the day (A time 2hrs 20m).
Is it possible the frequent NWs are due to him a) having too short A times and b) needing to drop the CN c) me being a prop for getting back to sleep?
I thought he may have been teething, but nurofen and panadol on different nights has done nothing at all.
He is also a heavy night wetter, so sometimes he wakes as he is wet, and demands to be fed too...
Help!!! I am exhausted!!!
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Hi Rizzo - I saw that you posted on my issue so I popped over here to see what is happening with your lo. First, hugs to you and hopefully others or even someone who is more experienced than me will be able to help you through this. You should post your EASY as that helps to trouble shoot.
Feeding at night can become a prop especially if you know your lo is getting enough calories during the day. These were signs for me that DS was using his milk feeds at night as a way for him to fall back to sleep:
- eats 3 solid meals a day
- drinks at least 20oz of formula (since you BF, I can't be much help here)
- would wake around same time every night
- only drink 2-3oz when I would milk feed at night
- would drink no more than his usual amount once I fed him first thing in the morning
We are still dealing with the habitual wake ups at night, but it has been nearly a week since I weaned him. It is hard, but I even noticed a difference after the first night.
Let's start with your EASY and see where we can go from there.
Hang in there. I know how you feel!
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Hi Rizzo
Hugs to you. I second what Jackman says - very likely to be habitual waking if you've always fed at night. I night weaned my LO at just over 4 months as he'd gone through the night a couple of times spontaneously, so I knew he could, and also he wasn't feeding for long in the morning, so I figured he was still full up from night feeds (2-3 a night).
It IS hard but it definitely pays off in the long run. I had about 8 blissful weeks of no NWs!! Unfortnately am having a few now, but not due to hunger - maybe teething, or OT since dropping the CN. I'm not much help with the EASY bit, and judging OT or UT but I can recommend trying PUPD to wean night feeds - initially I was just trying to wean to 1 NW/feed when I did it, but within a week he'd started STTN!! It might take a bit longer as your LO is older... Good luck! :)
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Thanks for both replying. Which NW do I try and wean first - the one around 10pm or the one around 2am?
My theory was when he was getting 3 solid meals a day I should be able to wean, but i dont think that is happening at the moment.
The EASY is a bit random - he has never really got onto any sort of routine, but I'll post a rough idea. It is roughly a 4hr EASY, sometimes 3.5hr.
6-6.30am - wake. usually BF as gets grumpy otherwise
A 1hr 30 - 1hr 40m: battling with this now, as last few days has been waking after 40m nap (tried 2hr wake time, but did the same)
7.30/8am - NAP 1 (was 1.5hr, last few days 40min)
9am ish - solids - breakfast
10-10.30 BF (A 2.5 hr - have just started a longer A time)
11/12pm - NAP 2 (1.5hr)
Lunch - slotted in either before nap, or after BF after nap
2pm - BF
4.30pm -CN
5pm - solids dinner
5.30pm - BF
6.30 - top up BF and bed
NW - for last 2 days, have been 10pm, 2am (were 9pm, 12am, 3am)
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Rizzo - is your lo taking a full milk feed at every feeding during the night? That is how you can tell whether or not the nightfeedings are still needed if you feel that your lo isn't eating solids very well. You should probably post on the BF board and ask about weaning your nightfeedings as I'm not an expert with BF. When I weaned, I started with the earliest feeding the first night and gave a bottle for the early morning feeding. Then the second day, I went cold turkey with both feedings. Again this is FF.
On initial look at your EASY, I think your lo's A times are really low for his age. Sometimes NWs can indicate lo's needing longer A times and I would start trying to lengthen the first A time by 10 to 15 min every 3 days until you reach 2hrs 45 min. Just be careful that the increase isn't too big that it turns into an OT nightmare.
Looks as though your lo is utilizing the first nap as still part of his night sleep, so try to stretch it. You said that your lo did a first A time of 2hrs before? I would try 2hr 10min and see if you can get a longer nap out of him (at least 1.5hrs). If yes, stay there for a couple of days and then increase again until you reach the appropriate A time. Eventually, you will do the same with the second A time and once you can get A times at 3 hrs, the CN will disappear. And that will bring in a new bag of issues that Zebstiredmum and I are dealing with currently.
Also, you could check out some sample 7mo EASY's to help you establish a routine for your lo.
What do you think?
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Thanks Jackman. Not sure if he is taking a full feed - he is a really quick feeder during the day too... all i know is when i give formula at the 10pm feed, some nights he has 150ml, some nights only 80ml. Sometimes he refuses the formula and only wants a BF - as i said, no predictability at all!!
I thought the NWs may be needing longer A times - at the moment, we are struggling with the first nap (he again did 40mins) - he was up for almost 2hrs. And yes, he has always seemed to use the first nap as extra night sleep, as not long ago i used to put him to bed only 1hr after waking..
I could post on the BF board too re the night weaning. I was thinking of dropping the 10pm feed - he actually slept through it last week (once) and woke at 1.30am.
How old is your lo?
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Hi Rizzo
I think you definitely need to try and extend your morning A time as it is very short and could be an extension of night time sleep.
The 10pm feed I would class as a Dream Feed rather than a NW - is it a feed that your LO has always waked and asked for or did you put it in as a DF? We started getting NWs around 7months, and I think in part they were caused by us DFing still, which was disturbing LOs sleep cycle, as they have more or less stopped since we dropped the DF just over a week ago.
So, I think yes, the 10pm feed is probably the one to drop first. I BF but once I dropped this feed I started topping up with FF after bedtime BF - it's made a huge difference to how well he settles too so I think my supply is low in the evening. As LO is 8months, and I'm planning to stop BFing in the next couple of months I can't be bothered to try and increase my pm supply.
Was FF occasionally at the DF from 7 months old, and my LO too took a varying amount from 150ml to as little as 60ml. I didn't think he was ready to drop it, but clearly he was, as didn't wake for feed at all after dropping it!
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OK, will try and extend the first nap tomorrow am, despite his eye rubbing and grumpiness!!
I did the occasional DF, but 95% of the time I fed when he woke (this varied from 9-11pm). This evening he woke at 8.45pm - tried for 40 MINS to resettle him without feeding... i gave up...
I am also offering FF at bedtime 6.45pm - he refused it this evening (dinner at 5pm, BF 5.20pm and again at 6.20pm).
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Rizzo have you ever tried to feed your lo when he wakes at 6/6:30 and see if he will go back to sleep for an hour or two? Especially if you had multiple NWs the previous night? Once he wakes after going back to sleep, start your day then?
My lo is 8mo...
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Well, last night was an absolute shocker!! HE woke at 8.45, 11.30pm, 1.30am, 3.30am and 5.30am (his clothes were wet at 11.30pm and 5.30am). I thought it was 6.30am when he woke up, so got up and fed him, then realised the time!! I was obviously tired!!
Yes, I have tried to feed him at 6/6.30am and put him back to bed- he has normally pooed, so have to change his nappy, which wakes him up fully. His sleep after this varied from 30mins to 1.5hrs ,and some days he wouldnt settle, which made me think he wasnt tired enough to go back to sleep.
I have tried just about every trick - back to bed ASAP, staying up until showing tired signs, pushing him a little longer...
This morning (due to the very early waketime - and given that he had a wakeful night), I did put him back to bed after feed and nappy change - he slept for 30mins...
Then, gave him solids for breakfast, stretched him to 2hours (he was SO grumpy), and so far he is still sleeping... (so, will be a 1.5hr nap. Yeah!!)
I guess what I find difficult, is judging how many hours he should have in the day vs teh night.. ie, if bedtime is 7pm, then is he better to have a waketime of 6-6.30am (11-11.5hrs at night)? I dont know what the recommendation is for night sleep at this age..
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Hi Rizzo, gosh I feel your frustration as I am feeling everything is wonky! Jackman had a good post a couple weeks ago where she started eliminating each problem so I have taken that approach. As far as hours go, I read at 7months they need 3hrs during the day and anywhere from 10.5-12 at night.
I dont want to offer any advice but for me a 4hr easy and dropping the CN really helped. it took a few days and resulted in some very early bedtimes (sometime 5pm - which means a early morning wake up) but is natural to drop that nap at this age so we are sticking with it and will start with longer activity times in a few weeks which will push out his bed time.
Also, the trick I have used for dealing with wetting through is a Huggies OVernight and a pull up training pant and i dont need to change him from BT to morning. The diaper is wet but no leaks.
Good luck and let me know how it goes.
Carrie
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Rizzo - I'm sorry to hear about the terrible night. I have been there so I feel your pain. And I know what you mean about trying everything and it just doesn't seem to help. Hugs to you.
Congrats on getting your lo to sleep for 1.5 hrs for his first nap. Keep pushing the first A time for your lo by at least 15min every 3 days until you get to 2.45 or 3hrs. I know it will be rough for your lo, but it will help.
As Huds Mom stated, 3hrs of sleep during the day and around 10.5-12hrs of sleep at night is great. My DS averages 3hrs during the day and I have found that a long morning nap of 2hrs and short afternoon nap of 1hr has been working really well for us the last few days. I'm still trying to pinpoint DS' A time after his afternoon nap to BT, but lately it has been 3hrs.
Can you post your EASY from yesterday? What was the A time after your good morning nap?
You are doing a good job. Keep going....
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Thanks for the encouragement!! Its tough - esp with his personality (and me hating him crying..) Guessing i have to try to drop his daytime sleep down a little... but at the moment he is having about 3.5-4 hours of day sleep, and 11hours of interrupted night sleep.
OK EASY from yesterday and today so far:
2.45am - fed to sleep
woke 5.45, but I got up at 6.15am to BF (A 1hr 45m)
7.30am - fed to sleep (was getting desperate..) - NAP1 45mins (7.30-8.15am)
8.30 solids breakfast
A 2hr 10m (8.15 till 10.30am)
BF 10am
NAP2 2hrs (10.30-12.30pm)
12.30pm - lunch solids
A 2hr 20m (12.30 till 3pm)
2pm BF
NAP3 1hr 15m (3-4.15pm)
5pm - dinner solids
5.20pm - BF
6.20pm - top up BF
Bed 6.45pm, asleep 7pm (A time 2.45hrs)
Woke 8.45 - fed 9.15pm (45mins to try to settle with dummy and PU/PD)
Woke 11.30pm - fed
Woke 1.30am - fed
Woke 3.30am - fed
Woke 5.30am, fed 5.50, bed 6.10am, 30m nap
7am - breakfast solids A time 2hrs, then 2hr nap
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Huds mum,
Thanks for your advice too. I didnt know whether DS has always needed more sleep, as he gets overstimulated easily, and becomes very hyper when he is tired/overstim.
I would say he gets about 3.5-4hrs of day sleep, and about 11hrs night sleep (but interrupted). I will try and cut it down to 3 hours during the day, in 2 naps and a CN, then in 2 naps when i can stretch his A times a bit longer. I will have to go back to Jackmans posts and re-read them. How old is your lo?
I dont think we have huggies overnight in Australia..i cant find them.. I am going to experiment with a reusable bamboo night nappy and see how it goes.
I will keep you posted!!
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Rizzo - I too hate it when my lo cries, but really it is the only way they know how to communicate with us, right?
Is there anyway for you to try and hold out your lo at night especially when it has only been two hours since he last ate? I know you are tired and he is crying, but he is snacking at night or using you as a prop to go back to sleep. If you want to break him of this, you will have to combine the night feedings into at least two to start with and then eliminate them one by one. I would really try hard to only feed him at 1:30am and then again at 5:30am. You also have to work hard at making sure he is drinking and eating enough during the day so that you know he can make it until 1:30am.
If he wakes don't feed him right away. Continue with the dummy or some form of PUPD that works for you to really 'test' if he is hungry or he is using as a prop. I would hold my DS when I was weaning him at night. Once he stopped crying. I let him lay next to me until he fell asleep and then I transferred him to his crib. I only had to do this for two nights and by the third, if DS woke because he thought he had to eat, I would pick him up and wait till he stopped crying and then laid him down in his crib. Now, if he does wake he just rolls around on his own and eventually falls asleep on his own.
Is there anyway you can try this? It will be hard, but it will also be worth it.
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Oh Rizzo, gosh you must be exhausted and so tired of BF. My LO is about 7.5months now. I think you are doing the right thing by getting to 2naps and a CN and then eventually get down to 2 naps. Every baby is different so yours may need more sleep then others but he will get there i am sure sooner than you think. I would also somehow try and figure out how much milk he is getting as that will make you feel better not feeding him through the night.
One question i have been wondering is how long should our babies day be? For example reagrdless of length of activity time before bed should I always strive for a 12hr day? So for example cut his activity time short cause he is approaching a 12hr day? Or is it okay for the day to be 13-14hrs?
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I have always been told to strive for a 12 hr day. How long is your last A time before BT? And if you did cut your lo's A time short, would he settle for BT and sleep? Some people do have 13hr days but I think their lo's are low sleep needs??
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Well, yesterday and last night were an improvement..
Yesterday, he had 2 naps - the first was 2hours (A time before was 2hours, A time after was 2.5hrs), the second was 1.5hours, and i woke him!! It was borderline whether i should give him a CN, so I didnt. His A time before bed was 2.75 hrs, which was a bit long (BT 5.30pm), and he subsequently woke at 6.30pm (I fed him as he usually has 2 BFs before bed), woke at 8.20pm, but resettled in the cot with a dummy, and at 10pm, which he was going to settle himself for, but the stupid angelcare alarm went off and woke him (he was at the far end of the cot, and not over the sensor mats!!). Woke at 2am - fed him, then woke at 4.30am - this time, i checked he wasnt wet/dirty, and gave him a dummy, told him it was still night time, and i think he went back to sleep maybe 5.30am? I woke him at 7am to start the day.
I am thinking that its too hard to do PU/PD during the night - he gets too upset when i put him down. What worked at 8.30pm last night was leaving him in the cot with my hand on him until he calmed.
Jackman - I dont know whether the night before was a GS/teething, as he was really grumpy yesterday.. I dont usually feed him every 2hours, but i guess he doesnt usually wake every 2hrs either!!! I will see if I can settle him without the feed at 10pm tonight..
His A time before bed is usually around 2hours - last night was too long, hence the OT wakeups.
Huds mom - I try and aim for a 12 hour day too, although his BT is usually 7pm, but wakes at 6 or 6.30am, so I guess its about 13hours sometimes.
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That's great Rizzo!! Keeping fingers crossed for good day and night sleep again.......
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Thanks so much everyone! Do your LO's fall asleep during their last feed before BT? Well maybe not completely asleep in that they are still drinking but is asleep within a second of me putting them in their crib/cot?
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Hiya!
I have been in your situation and I know how frustrating it can be! my LO slept through the night from 3mths -6mths and then after the 6 month growth spurt it all went wrong and we were experiencing frequent NW's and we were giving him a full bottle and he was taking it. It was random times when he was waking which was whyI thought he needed the bottle and if I'm completely honest it was easier to give him a bottle because I knew he would then go back to sleep.
When he was seven months old I spoke to my H.V and she said that a baby of a good weight and having 3 meals a day plus 3 bottles per day (7fl.oz per bottle) does not need a bottle through the night - when I said he was taking a full feed she said of course he was! he was waking because he knew he was going to get a bottle to settle him down. I wanted to sort it out as I am due back to work next month and my friend is still doing this with her baby and he is 1yr and 3mths and I don't want to be in her position!! so this is what I did and now we have no NW's ... it took about a week
1) Increased the solids during the day - breakfast of porridge and mashed banana, Lunch should contain a protein -chicken and veg with a yoghurt - Dinner Meat and veg or pasta and pudding
Bottles - before breakfast 7am, 3pm (after afternoon nap) and before bed 6:30pm
2) I cut out the CN - 2 naps per day 9am and 1:30pm for 1hrs 30mins
3) Increased the A time during the day min of 3hrs max 3hrs 30mins to rule out O.T and make sure he was ready for his naps
4) May sound strange but earlier bedtime due to cutting out C.N now bedtime is between 6:30pm - 6:45pm
Now on average he is going about 11hrs to 11hrs 30mins through the night. When I first started this routine he did wake for the first couple of nights I offered him only water and did PUPD, every night was shorter than the previous night and then he stopped, I think this was because he knew he wouldn't be getting a bottle.
If he does wake up I would just do the PUPD and offer water, I won't be going back to offering a bottle once you break the cycle there is no going back!
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OK, daily update.
Yesterday he had 2 naps (1hr 40m, 2hrs) at 9am and 1pm, and no CN
BT was 6pm, he woke, cried and stirred a few times, but no waking without a major whinge until 12.30am!! I fed him then, and decided I wouldnt feed him again till morning.
He woke at 5.30am ish, and wouldnt go back to sleep. I fed him just before 6am, in the hope if i fed him and changed his nappy he might sleep another hour, but he didnt.
So, we have started the day at 5.30am, which means i had to put him to bed just after 7.30am. He refused b'fast solids as he was too tired, so will re-offer them when he gets up again.
So, what to do with the EW (although, its not really early given his BT of 6pm last night..). Do I try and stretch out his 2 other A times today, to try and stretch BT to 6pm again?
Sharon - thanks for your input too. I have cut the CN out for the last 2 days.. so we are getting somewhere. Last night was the best night we have had in ages, so hopefully that continues. Increasing solids is difficult - he is a really fussy eater, and will not eat if he is tired eg like this morning. Am trying to increase the A time - will try for 2.75 hours today.
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Rizzo - congrats on a great day and night. Keep up the good work and you are making huge progress.
I would stretch out the 2nd A time based on how well your first nap ends up being. For instance if my DS takes a 2hr nap in the am, his 2nd A time will be 3.5hrs. If DS has less than 2hr nap, then our A time can be 2.45-3hrs. I'm not sure where you are on your A times right now, maybe 2.5hrs? If yes, then push it like you stated above 2.75hrs if the first nap is 2hrs. If you get a nap that is less than 1hr30min, then keep A time to 2.5hrs. I think you know what to do based on your naps yesterday. :)
Do the same with the last A time to bed based on how well the 2nd nap is. Keep with the early BT (6pm) since he is just getting used to dropping the CN. If your naps aren't good today, then fit in a CN. These two things are key which I wished I had asked about earlier to combat OT.
Good luck and hope you have another good night.
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Hi Rizzo,
Your days naps look great there now! Wow, we have never acheived those times ::). I would say that at 7.5 months you should be looking to stretch those A times to get yourself later BTs and longer days. Def keep them early if you feel he needs them until he is used to dropping the CN though.
Not sure about the EWs though. Think most of us with LOs of similar age are going thorugh this so no help I am afraid :-[
How did you night/morning go today??
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PS Re the NWs I have upped his solid food (I have a thread somewhere about it) and think that has helped. If he is too tired then maybe try and get it in earlier in his A time? Think when you stretch the A times you should have plenty of time to do milk and then solids. My LO is taking AGES at the moment to eat - pateince is required ;). Brekkie took 45 mins this morning! I give him fruit puree with baby rice (twice the amount I was giving a week ago!) and then bits of bread he can chew on too - just to get extra calories in him!
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OK, so for 2 nights in a row, we have just woken at 12.30am (fed), then at about 5.45am (BT last night was 6.15pm). Had to CN him yesterday (well, I actually forced him to nap for 20mins by BF'ing him to sleep...)
Managed to stretch his first A time today to 2hr 20m, but was prob 2hr 30m by the time he got to sleep. So far so good, still asleep, so hopefully will be a 2hr nap again.
So we are down to 1 feed per night now hopefully (not sure what you call the 6am one - i guess he starts the day then, so this is prob b'fast for him). Is the aim to stick with this for a while, or do I try to make this feed later and later so eventually it becomes an early morning feed?
Buntybear - re solids, I tend to offer solids first sometimes before a BF - if i wait 30mins after a BF, i think he is too full, and if i wait 45-1hr, i think he is too tired.
What is your lo eating for meals at the moment, and how much is he eating? I am having trouble changing what we are feeding - he just gags and spits out any new food i am offering. I dont think its a texture thing, as some foods are very similar in texture. The amounts of food seem to be tiny too - he seems to only be eating 1-3 tablespoons at each meal (if we are lucky!!).
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Rizzo - this is GREAT progress!! It's been a week maybe and you have come such a long way.
I think with the 12:30 nightfeeding, the idea is to reduce the amount of time he is on your breast to wean him. This is similar to reducing the amount of formula lo's take from a bottle. Unfortunately I can't tell you how much to reduce since I didn't breastfeed for long enough. Maybe Zebstiredmum or one of the others that are following this thread can help you here. Otherwise, look on the BF board for some ideas. Sorry.
In terms of solid foods, my DS took awhile to get the hang of it, but once he did there was no looking back. DS hated pureed food or baby jarred foods. He really wanted to eat what we were eating and we didn't even have to put it in a blender. I guess DS followed the Baby Led Weaning way?? Keep trying your lo will come around.
Such great progress!!! Congratulations.
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Thanks Jackman, am just really worried he is going to be fussy.... it look us about 6 weeks to get him to eat one food, now adding more foods feels like we are way back at the start.
He eats baby food in jars - and prefers them to my cooking...
He is always trying to grab the spoon and its getting worse and worse now, so i dont know whether to start letting him feed himself a little now. I did give him a few fingers of toast at lunch, which he seemed to enjoy sucking and chewing on.
I will try and take him off a little sooner at 12.30am and see how we go..
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Hi, 1 night feed at this age is fairly normal I think. In your case I would say it is replacing the DF. I still DF and then he is waking at 6.15 so pattern is not dissimilar IYKWIM. If you want to try and stop the night feed have you thought about giving a DF and then weaning that? For BFing you bring the time you DF forward 15 mins for three days in a row, then another 15 mins forward for 3 days etc. This is what I am doing at the mo. DF at 9pm last night. Another couple of weeks and hopefully it will be history ;)
For solids I am lucky that DS will eat pretty much anything. I do fruit puree with rice at brekkie. Meat and veg puree at lunch and a veg puree at dinner. Snacks of rice cakes, corn rings and bread fingers. Fruit puree normally after lunch too. Portion aren't huge though. He gets quite fussy at the mo whilst I am trying to feed him. Having an extra spoon handy is good so he stops grabbing mine! And I am trying to just let him play with the food and get messy (though I just want to wipe him down all the time!).
:-*
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I have a funny feeling that if I DF him, he will wake up during the night anyway. Tonight is going to be a shocker anyway, as OT when he went to bed..
I have an extra spoon as well - unfortunately, its hard to get it out of his mouth so i can feed him his meal!! Yes, i have been letting him grab the spoon and put it in his mouth in the last few days... seems he would prefer to feed himself!!
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Ah bless him - saves you a job doesn't it! lol
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I think your idea of letting him play with toast or some sort of food while you are feeding him is good. I do that with my lo and in hopes that eventually he learns to feed himself. Your lo might surprise you and start eating more and more finger foods.
Give it a go and see what happens!!!
Hope you had a good night regardless of OT.
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How are things?
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Hi Jackman
He is definitely teething... Having said that though, the last 2 nights he woke at 12am ish (fed), then 5.15am(ish) - where i fed him in my bed, and he slept for another 1-1.5hrs.
Noticed you are getting EW's too - usually he doesnt feed and go back to sleep, but the last few times he has, but not sure whether its because i have put him in bed with me. Might be a bad habit to start... I dont BF him again when he wakes, but give him solids breakfast instead.
Day sleeps have been good, but possibly is getting a little more than usual - yesterday he had 2 x 2hr naps, with no CN. So far this morning, he is close to 2.5 hours. Does teething make them sleepier??
Is the 5am feed a bad habit to start? I would be happy if he eventually dropped the 12am feed, and just had the 5am one, then back to bed. But while he is teething, dont want to refuse a feed during the night, as gets very cranky...
Solids are still hit and miss. He feeds much better for my mother - maybe I am too much of a softy...
Just to add - he has a temp of 38.7 this morning, which prob explains him sleeping more..
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Hi Rizzo
Teething does definitely make lo's more sleepy and A times will tend to be shorter too. 4hrs is on the higher side for day sleep, but he most likely needs it during this teething stage.
re 5am feed: I used to feed my DS at 5am and he would go right back to sleep, but since I dropped all nightfeedings, I really try and hold off until 7am. It is completely up to you what you would like to do and you know your lo best.
Have you tried giving your lo meds to help while he is teething? That might be something to fight the crankiness.
Hope things get better for you.
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Yep, he is on panadol at the moment. i usually give it at BT each night.
will wait till he is a bit more himself and have a think about what to do with the 5am feed.
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How are things Rizzo?
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OMG - awful!!!
Sorry havent written earlier, i am exhausted.
he is waking multiple times during the night, and usually stays awake for 1-2 hours at some point during the night. tried to PU/PD, but that makes it even worse, tried patting, same thing.
he is usually getting 3-3.5hrs sleep during the day (in 2 naps), and has a 3hr A time before BT (maybe that is too long for him, although it doesnt take a huge amount of time for him to get to sleep). HOWEVER, he is now wanting to be rocked to sleep, ever since he has been sick and teething...
EASY is roughly:
E 4/5am, sleep with me till 7am ish (later if bad night)
7am ish solids b'fast
A 2hrs (cant stretch this as the nights are too bad at the moment).
S - 2hrs usually
E 11am ish (BF)
12pm - lunch
A 3 hours usually
S - 1hr, sometimes 1.5hrs (usually around 1.30-2pm) - ie wakes around 3pm
E - 3pm
5pm - dinner
6pm BT
E - 10-11pm (but has been waking between 7-9pm and NOT settling back to sleep for ages)
E - 2-3am (again, has not been settling to sleep)
Last night, i gave panadol each time he woke during the night, and he eventually slept within 30mins of that. otherwise, would have been awake for ages
What is going on???
Are these wakeups just teething? He just started to crawl during last week too, so not sure if that is it too?
Do we need to change A times, or A time before BT???
HELP!!!
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Hugs Rizzo. I feel your pain as your lo is doing EXACTLY what mine is doing currently. It could be a number of things:
- teething (meds will help)
- developmental since he is learning to crawl. Just allow your lo to practice during his A times so he isn't trying at night.
-too long of an A time to BT: maybe try 2.5hrs and see if that makes a difference, altho your lo isn't waking within 1-2hrs of going to bed, so I don't think it is OT.
When your DS wakes in the middle of the night, is he wide awake and wanting to play? Does this happen on days you are getting 3.5hrs of DT sleep versus 3hrs? Just trying to see if you might need to cut down on DT sleep. Again, I'm trying to trouble shoot my issues too as they are VERY similar.
The other thing you need to try and I know you say it is hard, but push your first A time to 3hrs that might help with the NWs.
Tonight, try for an earlier BT to see if it makes a difference. If no, then work with the first A time. Increase it even by 10-15min.
Good luck and keep me posted.