Need help please...no patten to night wakings!!!

[jay&danny'smummy]

Hi there!

Im going back to work in just under two weeks and could do with some advice please, to try and improve things.

Jay has never slept through , on a good night he will wake once around 5amish, on a fair night about twice and on a bad nght 3-6 times...gave up looking at clock as was making me feel worse!  
Seem to be getting a mixture at the moment with more bad nights!! :roll:

He has his bottle around 7pm, settles down to sleep (without his dummy) no problem. When he wakes he does not chat to himself he cries out loudly or screams, as if to make sure he wakes me up (these babies are so not silly). This will generally go on until I go in and give his dummy and settle him back on his side with his comfort blanket. I do give him a drink of water sometimes/ change his nappy when I think he needs it, but try to avoid this incase makes him more awake.
I do this pretty much on all his wakings at night.

I think the dummy is probably causing problems, but its annoying cos he  does not have it to settle!

Also was wondering if a voice activated music/night light might help distract him when he wakes, hopefully help send him back to sleep...or is the lack of sleep giving me crazy ideas?!! :?

Would appreciate any suggestions

thanks

Emi
x

[i-wei]

Hi Emi

The random night-wakings and straight out loud screaming is excatly the same as what Aidan used to do. 

Aidan would have his bottle at 9:00pm and would either fall asleep drinking or go down drowsy either falling asleep independently or will require a dummy or pat/shush to fall asleep so that was pretty random as well.  Anyhow, the way he fell asleep didn't seem to make any difference to his night-wakings and he used to wake up between 1-6 times per night.  Sometimes falling asleep himself after only 1-2 crys but most of the time needing me to give him his dummy.

We're not completely 'cured' yet but 2wks ago I started weaning Aidan from the dummy using some of the techniques I read on various other post on this website and for the fast few nights he has slept without a dummy.  Admittedly, he is still waking up in the night but he is falling asleep with just pat/shush now and I'm hoping that after a little while the night-time wakings will stop.

Don't know if all this is relevant to you or if it helps but I thought I'll just let you know that you're no alone here!

Good luck!

[jay&danny'smummy]

Hi i-wei,

Thank you for the reply It does help knowing im not along.

I think I need to look at weaning his dummy as well, so I will have a read of the posts on props and pat/shush.

Sounds like weaning the dummy is working well for you so that gives me hope.

I love the name Aidan by the way.

Emi

[Katet]

Do you feed him after the 7pm bottle? it may be that he is hungry?

[jay&danny'smummy]

Hi Katet 

I don't feed him after 7pm anymore, he dropped his dream feed about 3 weeks ago. He was still waking then so I dont think that has made any difference. What do you think?

He is having 32oz and 3 solid meals a day.

thanks

Emi

[Katet]

Waking screaming says one of 3 things to me possible ear infection, food upsetting tummy or hunger/thirst.
The fact sucking gets him back to sleep sort of says it could be one of all three.
All the stuff I got when my ds#1 was a baby said by 6mo 8-10 hours without a feed was a reasonable expectation, although some babies aren't capable of that even then, so I think you should be offering a feed somewhere in the night, be it dream feed or other.
I'm also of the school of thought that too much solids too early increases the waking not decreases as their little digestive systems aren't always ready for it... I know with ds#1 I gave him solids from 6mo & wakings increased not decreases.
I'd get him checked by the Dr to rule out ear infection... my ds#1 has had them & not had fevers or other signs, just upset after lying down for a few hours.
Then I would look at offering a feed at night again (1 between 7pm & 7am is very reasonable up until 7-9 mo)
Then I would also suggest going slow on the solids... don't offer any new foods for at least a month keep a food log & see if any foods seem to correlate with the worst nights.