6 MO NW 5-8 times. Help!

[Soriah]

Hi!  My LO was sleeping through the night until her fourth month when all of a sudden, she started waking up several times throughout the night.  She is now nearly six months old and is still waking up anywhere from 5 to 8 times a night.  We just introduced the DF two nights ago but it didn't seem to make any difference.  Until then, I was nursing her every time she woke up, thinking it was hunger but for the first time last night, I waited four hours from the last time she fed before nursing her in the middle of the night and used shh/pat to get her back to sleep until then. She is on a 4 hour EASY that goes more or less like the following:

A 7:00
E 7:30 (BF)
S 9:00
A 11:00
E 11:30 (BF and solids)
S 1:00
A 2:30/3
E 3:00 (BF and solids)
S 5:00 (CN)
A 5:30
E 6:30 (BF and solids)
S 7:00
E 10:00 (DF)

I really don't know what I'm doing wrong so if you have any suggestions, I would really appreciate it!  Thanks!

[katie80]

Hi Soriah,
I'm glad to see you over here as your routine would be the next thing I would've asked to see on your PUPD thread. GM edit: this thread http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=232257.0

The first thing I notice is that she could probably do with a bit of stretch in her A times as she's likely a bit UT and that could be contributing to the NWs.  She's also getting close to the age where it's common to drop the CN (6-7 mo), and that will likely help with the NWs as well. Some babies like to follow a 2-3-4 pattern of A times and others like them to be more even, at 2.5/3-3/3.5-3/3.5.  You'll have to see what might work best for her.  What I'd try is to at least start adding some A time in the middle of the day, to get that middle nap to 1:30 pm.  You can do this in 15 min increments over a few days at a time. This will push the CN and BT back a bit, but that's pretty normal until the rest of the day catches up and you are able to drop the CN.

The other thing I notice is that she's getting three solid meals already.  6 mo is pretty early to be on three meals, unless you're doing strictly BLW.  What types of things is she having?  They could be playing a part in the NW as well.  Unless there's a medical reason for her to have all three meals, I'd drop back to 2 and offer them earlier in the day, maybe at breakfast and 4 pm.  That gives her tummy plenty of time to digest before BT.

[Soriah]

Great, thanks so much Katie. I'm really struggling with these NWs so I'm willing to try just about anything (minus CIO).  As for solid foods, we started her with some pureed fruits (banana, pear, apple, apricot) and baby cereal (rice, oatmeal).  Although the number of times she is waking has may have increased since we started solids, she was waking a number of times before then too. I'll try going back to feeding her twice.  As for sleeping, it has really been a struggle trying to catch up on her sleep debt as until a few weeks ago, she didn't have any type of routine and consequently OT which I thought was the reason for her NW before.  I guess I han't even considered the possibility that she is UT.  What if she shows signs of sleepiness in the late afternoon?  Is it better to keep her up until BT or give her that CN so she doesn't get OT?  Also, doesn't the 2-3-4 or 2.5/3-3/3.5-3/3.5 A pattern mess with her E times?  Thanks again for your help!

p.s. I noticed you're from ND.  Although I now live in Brazil, I'm a native North Dakotan too.  Cheers!





 

[Soriah]

Katie, my husband also just reminded me that she sleeps a longer stretch when she first goes down, sometimes sleeping 5 hours in a row (w/DF).  She starts waking up frequently after that.  Do you think that means anything?

[Soriah]

Oops, you can disregard that last message.  She woke up nearly every hour when she was first put down last night:)

[claire1982]

Is she having a lot of wind? My 4 month old twins are suffering a lot from just 2 tsps of rice porridge a day, it seems your baby has a lot of solids during the day....They actually sleep better with just milk....Im wondering what the guidelines are about how much they should have at 6 months...but maybe just breakfast and dinner? or try just milk for a couple of days?

Another thought...teeth pain? my daughter (nearly 5 now) was a complete nightmare when teething and its a bit annoying that you dont know until they come through! lol

Hope things get better for you!!

[katie80]

Oh shoot.  It definitely sounds like something might be up with her. So, up until a few weeks ago, she wasn't on much of a routine, and not napping much during the day? Now, she's on the routine you posted here and sleeps well for her naps, it looks like? And she did STTN for awhile at one point? Any teeth you notice might be coming through?  One more question ... was her routine the same yesterday?

As for solids, those fruits look pretty innocent.  Apple can be a bit tougher to digest for little babes.  You might try some sweet potato and butternut squash as well. The cereals can go either way.  Lots of people start with them and it's said that rice cereal is not too tough to digest, but I've also read of lots of LOs who've struggled with it, so just something to keep in mind.  Oh, posting the same time as Claire, so there's an example. They're probably not the main reason, as you say she had NWs before, but I would cut the late meal just to take that factor out.

In terms of the routine, if she's only been on it for a few weeks, she may not be UT, but we can tinker with it a little.  She will likely need the CN for a while yet, and yes it's better to give her that, even for just 20-30 min to get to bedtime rather than push her too far to get to bedtime.  The other thing to do during the transition is an early bedtime when the CN doesn't fit in.  Most LOs will still sleep til their normal wake-up even with an earlier BT when they're in a transition of dropping a nap.

Also, doesn't the 2-3-4 or 2.5/3-3/3.5-3/3.5 A pattern mess with her E times?

Yes, technically, it does.  But, once a LO is taking some solids, if you offer them about an hour after a BF, they act as a bit of a snack/second meal, so BFs can start to be farther than 4 hr apart.  The other thing you can do is offer a top up BF about 20-30 min before a nap to see her through til the next feed.

Katie, my husband also just reminded me that she sleeps a longer stretch when she first goes down, sometimes sleeping 5 hours in a row (w/DF).  She starts waking up frequently after that.  Do you think that means anything?

Before your most recent post, I would have thought this was likely UT again, but now last night throws a bit of wrench in that. Was anything different yesterday?

[Soriah]

Good news.  You both were right!  I cut down on the solids, only giving her fruit/veggies in the morning and cereal at night and she has been waking up only twice for the past few days!!  Although I'd love her to sleep through the night at some point in the future, twice a night is so much better than 6-8!!  I guess now I'll try to pay attention to see if she's waking up at the same time each night to determine if it is habitual waking, as the book suggests and go from there.  Thanks so much for all of your help!!

[katie80]

Great! She will sleep through at some point, you're right. Come on back if you have any more questions.

[claire1982]

awesome! Im just using banana and that seems to be working okay but they are not sleeping for longer yet...sigh..lol