need help with night wakings for 6 month old

[Isabella]

hello, I also need advice on the best way to deal with night wakings, especially after in the following order: 3 weeks holiday in UK and lots of activity, growth spurt, starting solids, and lately possibly teething. DS is 6 months, nearly 7.He  used to wake only once around 374 am and have a bf, now he wakes up at 10, 1, 3, then 6! I have started him on dinner yesterday but it did not seem to help? I am desperate for some sleep as I have 2 others...he is still in my room (in his crib). Maybe moving him to the kids bedroom would help? surely he no longer needs the night feeds does he?
sorry for the long post
thanks!

[jess, lukeys_mom]

Hi Isabella,
I split this topic off for you to get some more eyes on it!
x

[Giorgina]

I'm in the same boat with my daughter.  I hope someone has some suggestions.  She was ill for a short while but now seems to be better.  She was/is waking every 2 hours or so.  I can't take this anymore.  She used to sleep through the night (only 1 wakeup to feed). 

[marlowsmom]

My LO would wake if she didn't get enough calories during the day.   Feed him solids at least twice a day.   My LO is almost 7 months and she has a bottle then one hour later she has about 3-4 tblspn of rice cereal plus half a small jar of veggies or fruit.    I usually give that to her in the morning and then in the afternoon.   Usually about 2 hours before bedtime.    She stopped waking up for that middle of the night bottle after about 3 or 4 days of sticking to a solids schedule.
Read this too....   http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=52878.0
Is your LO teething?   I've been told by JAY3 (mod) that teeth often come in pairs and sometimes in fours! 
Is your LO trying to crawl?  He may need lots of tummy time to work on his new skill.  Crawling can lead to NW too.
How are his naps?   Post a schedule so we can see what his day looks like.

[Tweakster]

I think teething is a huge culprit and not necessarily easily detectable.  Yesterday after a full bottle Finn screamed the house down - it was not reflux but he simply just seemed to be upset.  So right away I grabbed the Orajel and slapped it on and he was better almost instantly.  We gave Motrin last night and he was down for almost the whole night - EW at 5 but it was treated as a NW and he went back down for another 45 mins.

[Isabella]

Hello there and thanks for  your replies, sorry I have been so slow but my 4 year old had a small accident at preschool, he squashed his thumb in the gate and had to have surgey so no time for much else.
in the meanwhile I added dinner and that seemed to improve things, but he is still waking up at least twice...last night he would not go back to sleep for nearly 2 hours!
I will try the teething gel and what is motrin? not sure we have it here in italy

anyways , the schedule currently is

7 wake up, bf
8 breakfast (banana or weetabix or a bottle)
9 first nap (about 1.15 hr, lately back to the dreaded 45 mins)
10/11 awake and bf
11.30 lunch baby cereal+meat jar+veg puree
12.30/1 2nd Nap (usually 2hrs, lately shortening, sometimes 1.30 hrs, sometime 45 again!)
2.30/3 bf or fruit puree or bottle if I am out
5ish catnap 30-45mins
6 dinner (baby cereal + veg )
6.30bath
7.30 bf and bed
(will wake around 11, 2 and sometims 5 )
thanks!
isabella

[Angelbaby0405]

Hi Isabella, I have one of those too!!!  My day is similar to yours and started gentle weaning about 3 weeks ago, last week or so onto veg/fruit.

My little girl is nearly 6 months and has started waking at c11, 2, 4 - and quite often the 2 or 4 am involve her properly waking up and not going back for an hour or so, no crying just a bit of noise/playing in the cot until she gets fed up then i need to go into her.  I have just been leaving her until she starts crying then go in and turn her over - have been careful not to pick her up and just stroke her head etc.  eventually she goes back but last night it took from 2 til 4am then I couldnt sleep so am soooo tired today. Her dad got up in the end and I think this helps.

I'm about to read through some threads to see what is out there and will post back what I plan to do.  I am thinking of offering cool bolied water at one of the feeds but have a horrible feeling that the main approach will involve her crying - that makes me sad!!

Anyway, just to let you know you are not alone (I always think I am the only one with a baby who does this!)

xxx

[jess, lukeys_mom]

Hi, I'm thinking it is probably tme to drop the last catnap and move to 2 naps. The naps shortening like that are an indication that he's ready for a bit more A time and 2 longer naps, do you think this is possible?

Motrin is ibuprofin. We also can't get it for babies in the Netherlands but paracetamol does the same thing pretty much.

So are you doing any night feeds at all? Such as when he wakes at 11? At this point 1 or even 2 night feeds during the 12 hour sleep stretch are not uncommon for breast fed babies.

[marlowsmom]

Hi Isabella,
Sorry to hear about your 4 year old.   I hope that he is doing better.    The first thing I notice is that your A time is too short.    You need to increase it so lets start with 2.75 hours but your LO may be able to handle as much as 3 hour A time.   If I guess right your LO should be about 7 months now, right?    Start with 2.75 and watch for the sleepy cues.    Try each new A time for 3 days and see how your LO adjusts.    It is also time to drop the catnap.   
What is he doing when he wakes in the night?  Does he cry out?  Get up and talk?  Cry? Is he wanting to eat?  
Motrin is a pain reliever/ fever reducer oral medicine.   It is given every 8 hours.   There is also Tylenol which is given every 4 hours.
http://www.tylenol.com/product_detail.jhtml?id=tylenol/children/prod_inf.inc&prod=subpinf

http://motrin.com/page.jhtml?id=/motrin/products/1_2_1.inc&sec=other

I'm sure you have some sort of similar medicine in Italy.

[Isabella]

Thank you all so much for your support...am finding it tough to cope what with a 4 year old gone back to terrible 2 and LOs night wakings!!! (and my 7 year old telling me I am all for the boys...)
@Angelbaby, am waiting to see what you come up with maybe we could set up a double plan.
@Jess, I also thought the catnap is in the way...what time to give dinner then? does your LO do a 3 hour activity time too? yes I do feed him at night, mainly at 11 and 5 I try to avoid the 2am...also with catnap dropped what is your dinnertime and bedtime?
We use paracetamol in italy but only for fever...do you give it just in case they have teething pain?
@marlowsmom, yes nico is 7.5 months and I was also thinking 2 hrs is too short activity but always worry about him being overtired...I will try your suggestion, sounds good. so when do I put him down, at 2.75 or earlier to start?
nico is a true angel baby, he never cries, just wakes up and mostly goes down quiye quickly, although lately he wants to play and goes back after 1 hour or so...I normally don't encourage play but try and put him back.
will let you know how it goes!
isabella

[Isabella]

hello there,

just quickly, lenghtening A time in the morning has given DS 2 hr naps straight away...but second nap now only 45 mins/1 hour!!! question is, if he wakes up at 11.30, has lunch at 12, what is a good time to put him back down? I put him down around 13.30 as he seems really tired but then the nap is too short...but putting him down later would mean he gets hungry and wakes up early? how do you ladies do this??
thanks
isa

[Angelbaby0405]

Hi Isabella, we have made some progress but still left some issues to sort out.  The main problem in the night was that I was still feeding her and I had read that this can actually wake their digestive system up when it needs to be resting (at her age which is 6 months).  So, from a week ago my husband started getting up to put her back to sleep - we did this for a week until she got used to not feeding.  She didnt have any problem with this (otherwise would suggest doing this slowly) and almost immediately she went from 2-3 NW's to just one...she is def not hungry, she has a BF every 4 hours in the day and breakfast, lunch and dinner (as of this week). and 7.5 oz of milk at bedtime (no DF).  So, our remaining problem is the 4am waking am thinking about do Wake to Sleep (although need to pluck up the courage, may try day naps first).  She is out like a light at 7pm, straight into cot with no dummy and not a peep (after a long standing bedtime routine), so goes 9 hrs, then after 4am has managed maybe one more hour max....and it takes between 30/60 mins to go back to sleep.

Daytime naps have gone off the boil so need to focus on that.

Hope you are coping ok.....

xxx