Struggling with sleep and naps STILL

[Trishwa]

Hi guys.

I have a 5 1/2 month old boy.  He is a very very active child and is on the go when he's awake.  He just cut two teeth and is now getting solids once a day at dinner time.  I have had him on easy since he was 2 1/2 months.  We have our weeks when it goes great, other days, we are totally off schedule.  It could be due to teething, the fact he learned to roll back and forth round 3 1/2-4 months.  I'm not sure.  Anyway.  He does not nap for 2 hrs, I'm super lucky of he will even nap for an hr.  sometimes he does not wake up cranky, he just plays in his crib, and I just leave him hopin hell put himself back to sleep.  Night time has always been a pain, I actually dred night time.  He has never ever slept through the night. He will sometimes wake every 2 hrs, sometimes 3.  And some nights it feels like he doesn't even sleep.  He is BF baby.  I have recently just started giving him a bottle of formula before bed and he takes 7oz.  Anyway, I'm dying to get some sleep, and dying to get my boy to have good sleeps.  He is a very happy happy boy, but I see he yawns all the time and I don't like it.   HELP.  Here is our typical schedule.




E-7-715
A-730-740
S-9-sometimes until only 940, if I'm lucky until 10
E-11
A-1130
S-1-again if I'm lucky 130-2ish
E-300
A-320-330
S-5-only sometimes will take this nap and only sleep for 30-45 mins
530-600-solids-cereal and BM
A-630 until 7
7-bath,book,night routine and feed
8-sleep
1030-DF

Some nights he will wake up at 1130-1,3 and then 7...if I'm lucky he will only
Wake up once between 230-4.

[Ima shel Alon]

Hi there, I am afraid I have more questions than answers now
Does he have Reflux? If you are not aware he has it, does he seem in any discomfort? Are there teeth coming out now? tummy issues?
Is he falling asleep independently?
How are you settling at the NW? Are you feeding? pat/shh?
How is he in the NW? Is he all happy and chatty or cranky and looks like he is dying to fall asleep? Does it take him long to settle?
What solids is he taking? Would you consider to move the solids meal earlier in the day just that we know for sure it's not the solids that are messing with his poor tummy and waking him up?

Looking at the EASY, even though it's hard to tell because it's not so clear how long is he napping, it looks like you are starting the day UT and finishing it OT. 2h might be too little A for him and 3h too much. You could try stretch him more to 2:15h and maybe after a few days to 2:30h and the rest of the A shorten from 3h to 2:30h. But, it's really important that if you do choose to make this change that you are consistent with the change for a few days to see true results.

Let me know what you think

[Trishwa]

At nigh time because I am so tried I just nurse him back to sleep.  After he's fed he unlatches and is basically asleep in my arms. He is getti g rice cereal and has had taste of peas and carrots.  When he wakes he cries a bit but isn't screaming.  He use to wake up screaming after an hr of putting him down at 8, but doesn't.  I do not know if he has reflux.  And I was also thinking of givIng him a bit more A tIme.

[Trishwa]

Oh and his bottom teeth have cut the gums.  I do not know if he has tummy pains or is in discomfort.  He does not show any signs of gas or discOmfort. 

[Ima shel Alon]

If it's rice cereal he is taking then I really do suggest you move it to the morning, because that can be pretty heavy food on LO, despite what everyone thinks, it also often causes constipation.
There might be a good chance that the NW are happening because of the feeding back to sleep and that it became a prop. Would you like to change that and feed less at night or you are happy with how things are? If you do want to change it you need to know that it takes a bit of work and it's not going to happen overnight.
If his tooth just cut through it might still be a bit painful so I wouldn't tweak anything in the next couple of days, but after that I still think, like I said before that he is ready for some more A time in the first A and less on the others A.

[Trishwa]

I have been keeping the lil guy up 2.5 hrs on A, and he has been sleeping for 1.5-2hr stretch for naps...he has only been waking up once for a feeding at night time.  It has gotten a lot better!  Thank you!

[Ima shel Alon]

That's great news!