6 month old habitual NW?

[B J]

My 6 month old son wakes up 2 hours (give or take 5 - 10 min) after going to sleep every night, regardless of what time he went to sleep.  This has been happening since the beginning of December when he was 5 mths and I started him on a 4 hour EASY.

He has a consistent bed time routine of bath, BF and quiet cuddling.  He is able to fall asleep on his own and he has a lovie.

I thought it was due to OT as some days he doesn't nap enough.  He usually wakes at the 35 min mark for his naps and I have to use shh/pat to get him back to sleep so I thought he wasn't getting enough nap time.  However today, he actually had too much nap time (4.5 h) and he still woke up 2 hours after going to bed.

I have also tried to make sure that his CN is not too late as I thought that might be the cause but the timing of the CN wasn't making a difference either.

I increased his A time from 2h to 2.5 h and I also tried keeping his last A time before bed shorter (e.g. 1.5h) and putting him down a little earlier and he still wakes up.

Here is what a typical day looks like:

E 7:00 BF
A 7:30 - 9:30
S 9:30 (I aim for 1.5 hours but he may sleep anywhere from 35 m - 1.5h, a good nap is 1h 10m to 1h 20m)

E 11:00 BF
A 11:30 - 1:30
S 1:30

E 3:00 BF
A 3:30 - 5:00
CN 5:00 - 5:45

A 5:45 - 7:00
E 7:00  BF
S 7:30 bed time

He will wake around 9:30 pm and we have to shh/pat to get him back to sleep.

E 10:30/11:00 pm (he wakes for feeding so I am usually not able to DF)
E 3:00 - 4:00 am

Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.  I am stumped!

[Tweakster]

Hi there it sounds like you are doing all the right things.  Is there something happening in his room at that 2 hour mark i.e. is the heating or cooling kicking in, does someone in your neighbourhood come home and cause him to wake etc. - sometimes it can be an environmental issue we are not aware of.  Do you use white noise in his room?  Sometimes that can help to drown out these conditions. 

Have you tried wake to sleep (W2S)?  It can be useful for true habitual wakings.
When he wakes is he crying or playing?

I am also thinking that his 35 min nap might be undertired.  Have you tried another increase in A time in the morning slot?

[B J]

Thanks for your input.  His waking seems to happen regardless of what time he goes to sleep so I don't think there is something environmental. If he goes to sleep at 7:00 he will wake at 9:00.  If he goes to sleep at 6:30, he'll wake at 8:30.  It's really puzzling.  I do have white noise that plays all night long.

I tried W2S one night and it didn't work, but I will try it again.  Should I do it an hour before I expect him to wake?  I had tried W2S with his naps too, but it didn't work.  I will increase his A time this morning and see how his nap goes.  Thanks!

[Tweakster]

Hi there, yes I think I would try 1 hour before the waking.  Let me know how it goes!

[B J]

I tried W2S the last 2 nights and it didn't work.     He woke up at the exact same time the last 2 nights -- 2 hours 20 min after falling asleep.  He is whimpering when he wakes up.  Luckily he has been able to settle himself back to sleep the last 2 nights.   I actually put him to bed early the last 2 nights as he didn't have a cat nap.  It seems to be happening regardless of whether he had a day of decent naps or not.   I'm at a loss....don't know what else I can do!??

[Tweakster]

Hi there, in your original post you posted a typical day, can you post what your actual days have been like the past couple of days...include wake times, nap times and total length of naps and the time he was asleep for bedtime, along with your NW times.

We need to dig a bit deeper.

[B J]

Here is his routine from the last 2 days.  The nap times are when he actually fell asleep.  I have started to extend his A times longer than 2.5 h.  He also has NW in the middle of the night.  They are more sporadic and differ each night.

E 7:00
   9:00 solids
S 9:50 - 11:50 (2 h, woke up at 35 min, used shh/pat to extend nap)
E 12:00
S 2:55-3:25 (1 h, was not able to extend nap)
E 4:00
CN 5:35-6:05 (30 min)
E 7:00
S 7:25 bedtime
NW 9:40 woke up (was able to get him to settle back to sleep himself)
E 10:40 (woke for feed)
NW 3:40 am (was able to get him to settle back to sleep himself)

EW 5:55 woke up (settled back to sleep on and off)
E 6:40 wake & BF
   8:30 solids
S 9:20-10:45 (1h 25m)
E 10:45
S 1:25-2:25 (1h, not able to extend nap)
E 3:00
CN 4:55 - 5:30 (35m)
E 6:45
S 7:10 bed
NW 9:05 woke up (was able to get him to settle back to sleep himself)
NW 9:48 woke up again (was crying harder this time on and off, couldn't get him back to a deep sleep)
E 10:30
NW 12:15 am (used shh/pat to get him back to sleep)
NW 1:15 am (was able to get him to settle back to sleep himself)

[nobrega]

Hi!
Maybe it is due to the solids. Did he start solids at 6 months?
I also have a 6 months baby who use to sleep very well and now he wakes up in different times every day.
It is hard to have a social life at the evenings when you don't know when your baby will wake up.
Is your baby teething...
Or showing any signs of gas...

[B J]

He didn't start solids until 6 months, but I've noticed the NW has been happening since he was 5 months.  And with the solids he isn't eating very much yet, sometimes he hardly wants any.  I have wondered if he is teething, but he doesn't show any signs of discomfort and doesn't get cranky very often.

My husband and I would like to be able to go out in the evening, but with the NW we haven't been out at all!!

[nobrega]

Hi BJ,
I know exactly what it is like when you want to go out with your husband but you can't since we don't know when our baby will wake up.
As for the teething my baby started having some sleep problems before his teeth came out. He used to sleep 7 our strait with out waking since his first teeth came out he never slept well any more. Some times teething problems appear way before the teethes come out.
My baby had no sign of teething during the day the problem was only at night.

[Tweakster]

Hi there, I think you might have something with the teething.  Some LO's can handle it well but it doesn't mean that the discomfort doesn't wake them up at night.  Have you offered pain meds before bed to see if it makes a difference?  

Do you have to extend all naps or does he ever do a 1.5 hour nap all on his own?

[B J]

I haven't given any pain meds as I was scared to give it to him not knowing if it was teething.  We tried gripe water but I don't think it did anything.  I will give the pain meds a try tonight.

I pretty much have had to extend all naps.  Once in a blue moon he will make it through a nap without waking up at all.  Usually he wakes up at 35 or 45 min.  Sometimes his waking is brief and if I shush/pat right away he is able to go back to sleep.  I have been sitting in his room for each nap so that I can catch when he wakes up!  I have extended his A time to 2.45, sometimes even 3 h.

[B J]

I gave him Tylenol before bed last night, and he slept through his usual first waking at the 2 hour mark!  He didn't even wake up for his next feed, so I was able to do a dream feed at 11 pm.  He then slept until 3:50 am.  He used to get fed around 3 or 4 am, but the doctor told me I can stop, so he has gone cold turkey for a week with no night feeds.  I guess the meds had wore off and he was used to waking up at that time.  He also woke again at 4:45.  But he just whined at both these wakings and eventually put himself back to sleep.

So it seems like the Tylenol helped, but I can't give it to him every night??? Has anyone tried teething tablets?  I am reading mixed reviews on whether they are safe or not?

[Tweakster]

Hi there, well if he's truly teething and the meds help you can give them as directed on the bottle.  To be honest at night we have had more luck with ibuprofen (infant Motrin) because it lasts longer and is more of a anti-inflammatory. 

The homeopathic remedies did nothing for us during the worst of teething.  But many have had good experiences as their LO's were not as sensitive to teething.  You can try Hyland's tablets & they have a gel too and also Camilia by Boiron.  They are safe and you can get them at Shopper's (I see you are in Toronto!)

If he's putting himself back to sleep they aren't true NW - it's only when they need assistance that we worry about them :-)