DS will be 5months next week and has been off night feedings since 3months. But he still wakes 2-4times a night.
His usual bedtime is between 730-8pm. He normally needs to be woken up from his catnap. He still takes the odd 45min nap a few times a week, usually the 1st nap in the morning. But will make up for it later in the afternoon with a 2 to 3hr nap.
8 out of 10 times he is able to go to sleep on his own. I can put him down wide awake and just leave the room. Most of the time if he wakes early from his nap, I can do shush/pat or use a dummy to get him back to sleep for another 45min-1hr.
Sometimes if he's really OT, I hold him and shush/pat till his eyes close and his breath gets slower and put him down. I dont wait till he's fully asleep 1) because he's SO heavy now 2) because I dont want him to start getting used to that. usually when I put him down like that he'll fuss a little but be tired enough that he'll go to sleep with some more shush/pat.
I have a white noise machine that makes ocean wave sounds and has a timer for 45min. I also have a Fisher-Price Rainforest light and sound machine that goes on the side of the bed. I turn on the machine and leave the room. I dont turn on any music, just the light show. It distracts him from the fact that I've left the room and he falls alseep from looking at it.
Even though I'm not as diligent about getting DS to sleep on time during the day, I always take extra care at bedtime to ensure he falls alseep on his own. DF between 10-11pm
NW#1 2hrs 30min after bedtime, shush/pat gets him back to sleep.
NW#2 at 2:19AM dummy + shush/pat usually does the trick or a diaper change (but that usually gets him wide awake). If he wakes, he coos for a bit and then shush/pat, dummy or both gets him back to sleep.
NW#3 at 4:15AM This is the one that is most difficult to get him back to sleep. I think it's due to hunger now, but I really dont want to start feeding again at this time. Will try shush/pat + dummy to settle, but usually it only calms for a bit and then he starts to fuss again. This will go on for about 30-45min till 5am, till I get up and change his nappy. For some reason, whenever I change his nappy he becomes wide awake. He coos and then shush/pat gets him back to sleep 30-45min later and he will sleep again till 7am.
He's still wearing mitts at nap/bedtimes because when he's tired or self-settling he starts rubbing his head and face like crazy. He rubs really hard and the times when I tried not to use mitts he made really deep gashes in his head and face, PLUS it wakes him up.
That is my problem, DS is really an angel baby. But his rubbing just always ends up waking him up and if i'm not able to settle him within 15min, he'll get really frustrated and cries out loudly. But the minute i put him on the changing table, he starts cooing.
I could keep going on forever, but I'm hoping someone could shed some light on the NW and how to get DS to sleep longer through the night.
It's really hard to get more ounces into him because he's not a hungry baby. Even if the DF was at 11, he still is not hungry at 730 and can't take a full feed.
I'm forever bending over his bed several times a night to hold down his arms so he doesnt rub himself awake. My back kills and i'm sooooo tired.
