6 month old...NW...and I don't know what to do anymore!

[MommyAdamo]

Hi everyone,

My DS will be 6 months old next Wednesday and he is a very happy, smiley baby!  He has been eating cereal since 4 months and has been on solids since about 5 to 5 1/2 months.  He already has 2 teeth as well!  He was a little underweight in the beginning (which is strange because he was 8lbs 11oz at birth!).  He is back on track now.

He has been waking up at 2:30am and then again at 4:30am for a few weeks now.  I only go in and move him back into a sleeping position (since he's rolling around the crib like crazy) and pop in a soother.  He goes right back to sleep majority of the time.  After the 4:30am wake up, he gets up almost every hour after that only for me to do the exact same thing!  He's usually in bed by 8:30-9pm every night.

Here is what I've tried:  letting him cry until he cries very loudly.  My husband has to work in the morning so I don't like to let it get to that point.  Now DS knows that if he screams instead of whines, I will come in.  Should I not go in??  I hate hearing him cry especially when I seriously only have to be in his room for a minute or two.  I just don't understand why he is waking up at these times every single night?  How do I fix this?  He slept through the night before, and that seems like so long ago now!

I don't want to seem like I'm complaining because he doesn't keep me up for hours...but I just want to sleep for a few hours in a row without being woken up for something so silly.  Am I a bad mother for thinking like this?

Please help!
Anita

[Colin Macs Mom]

Should I not go in??

No, don't ignore him. He's calling for you for a reason. It sounds like he just doesn't know how to simply go back to sleep without seeing you. Have you tried wake to sleep? Since he's waking at the same times that's a good place to start.

[anna*]

I'm also wondering if he's crying because he needs his soother replaced and can't do it for himself yet?

[MommyAdamo]

I have tried W2S awhile back when he was doing this before.  It did work.  I did it for his naps but I never had to do it for bedtime.  I will try it again....which is NOT fun having to get up an hour earlier!  LOL!

Maybe he does need help getting back down but I'm not sure about the "seeing me" part. usually his eyes are closed when I walk in.  Only if he's been whining for awhile are his eyes open.

I put 3 soothers in the crib and he can put his own soother in...but I think he panics and then gets frustrated!

Thanks for the help ladies!  I will try wake to sleep and let you know how it goes!

Much appreciated!
Anita

[mamat]

That was the exact age that my eldest, now 8, started waking through the night after sleeping through from a month old. I took her soother at that point and all problems were resolved. She needed to get her soother but couldnt do it alone. Maybe time to ween from that?