7-month old goes down easy, but night wakings every 3 hours

[arialvetica]

We had some regression the last two nights.  Help us get back on track? 

Our routine is basically the same, but he has been eating more solids so I bet his little tummy is at least one reason for the regression.  Daytime naps are still going really well.  It's these darn night wakings that are our source of frustration.

Regression, Night #1
He had a longer-than-usual awake period before bedtime. We tried for a nap at our usual time, but he show any signs of tiredness, so we let him stay up for a longer stretch (about 4 hours instead of his usual 2-3 hours).
8:00 Bedtime (usual routine)
10:30 Dream Feed
1:00 Night waking (Daddy handed him is pacifier and turned on the sleep sheep = back to sleep)
2:45 Night waking (Daddy handed him is pacifier and turned on the sleep sheep = back to sleep)
4:00 Night waking (Daddy handed him is pacifier and turned on the sleep sheep = back to sleep)

Regression, Night #2
8:00 Bedtime (usual routine)
10:30 Dream Feed
2:00 Night Waking (None of Daddy's usual stay-in-crib tactics helped.  By 2:30 baby was FRANTIC. His cries were absolutely heart-wrenching.  I couldn't take it anymore and nursed him back to sleep.  My husband says I just taught him that if he cries longer and louder he'll get his way.  I said I didn't care and I would rather nurse the kid 24/7 than let him cry like that.  It wasn't just fussing or even wailing, it was absolutely the most horrible crying I have ever heard in my life.)
5:30 Night Waking (Let him fuss and calm himself.)
6:00 Still awake, but quiet, so I nursed him. He was still wide awake after that, so I decided we may as well just start our day and plan on an early nap.  He went down for a nap @ 8:00 without a fight.

[katie80]

(((Hugs))), don't worry about feeding him at that 2:30 NW.  Clearly it was a different cry and he was needing some comfort.  He's such a good independent sleeper, I don't think it will cause him to keep doing that to 'get his way.' 

Yes, solids can definitely play a part in NWs.  Are you offering the new things earlier in the day around lunch time?  I usually tried to offer the new foods around lunch time and saved tried and true things for supper in order to hopefully save any issues that happened for day time rather than in the MOTN.

Second, what does the daily routine look like now?  From what I remember, he slept two really good naps before.  If he's still doing that, it may be time for a tweak.  Too much day sleep and too little awake time can often increase NWs in babies this age.  Is he close to 8 mo now?

Finally, what about teeth?  Is he working on any new ones?  Those can often cause some disturbances as well.

[arialvetica]

Thank you--I needed that reassurance!

He will be 8 months old on June 13.   

Last night was a little better!

8:00pm bedtime
10:30pm dream feed
11:40pm night waking (pacifier/shushing in crib didn't work, had to pick him up and shush/bounce to calm him BUT he did calm back down and went back to sleep without nursing)
1:30am night waking (handed pacifier = asleep)
4:00am night waking (handed pacifier = asleep)

Solids: I usually offer new foods around lunch time, but I've done dinner time sometimes too (daddy likes to be home for all the fun!)  I'm actually going to offer fewer solids for awhile because I'm concerned about his recent drastic drop in daytime nursing.

Teeth: I don't feel any new teeth coming in, but it's entirely possible that's part of the problem. He already has two on the bottom and the tooth chart says the top two should come in between 8-12 months, so we're basically right there.

Current daily schedule (roughly)
8am wake, play, nurse, play (2.5 hours)
10:30am nap (2 hours)
12:30pm wake, play, nurse, play (2.5 hours)
3:00pm nap (2 hours)
5:00pm wake, play, nurse, play (3 hours)
8:00pm bedtime routine + bed (2.5 hours)
10:30pm dream nurse (7 hours)
5:30am "night waking" nurse (then back to bed for another 2.5 hours)

Total nighttime sleep: 12 hours
Total daytime sleep: 4 hours

[katie80]

I think it's really all the daytime sleep that's causing the issues.  Solids may play a little part and it doesn't sound like teeth are really in the mix, but that's a lot of daytime sleep to expect a 12 hr night still.  Most LOs around 8-10 mo are getting 3 hr daytime sleep with a 12 hr night. 

You can start to push him to stay awake a little longer during the A times and then still wake him at about the same times as he's currently waking.  I'd do it just one nap at a time, so as not to drastically reduce his sleep and cause him to get OT, and I'd probably start with the morning nap. So, for 3 days or so, push him out a bit so that he's getting only 1 hr 45 min of sleep and let him still sleep 2 in the afternoon.  Then, push a little more, so he's only doing 1 hr 30 min in the morning and hold it there.  Do the same thing with the afternoon nap over a week or two and you should be set.

The other option would be to push one or both naps out and keep them the same length at 2 hr each, but then go to a longer day, up to 13 hr.  A longer day will eventually happen on two naps, before you start the transition to one, but it's generally thought that a 12 hr night works best.  It's up to you, really, and what works best for your family.

What do you think?

Oh and, btw, I chuckled at the tooth chart comment, only because my two have been complete opposites.  My DD got her first two (the bottom ones) at 9 mo and didn't get the top two til 15 mo.  My DS got his first two (also the bottom ones) at 5.5 mo and at 10 mo has all front 8.   And his laterals came in on top before the front ones.  He was a bit vampirish for a week or two. Apparently, we don't follow the charts in this house, LOL.

[ambula603]

Funny to see Minneapolisite post again - we have gone backwards, too.  The past few nights have been the worst ever.  She has been up 5-6 times a night.  I am REALLY tired!

I added some dairy to my diet (since we are only nursing once or twice a day now) and I think the NW are related to that.  Last night she SCREAMED and it broke my heart. It was like she was in pain.  So I nursed her but that didn't help in the long run.

I am just ready for her to SLEEP.  My DD only takes 35 min. naps with an occasional nap being 1 hour.  So I feel like she really needs to sleep at night!  But I don't know where to begin.  Ugh.

[katie80]

(((Hugs))), ambula. It sounds like the dairy definitely bothered her.  If you'd like more specific help on your routine, don't be afraid to post in Naps or General Sleep too.  I have known several LOs who start sleeping better though once their intolerances are under control, so hopefully that will help as well.

How have the last couple nights been, minne?

[arialvetica]

Night #4
8:00pm bedtime
11:00pm dream feed
(one night waking in there, no idea when LOL!)
6:30am awake for the day

Night #5
8:00pm bedtime
10:30pm dream feed
6:00am dream feed
8:00am still sleeping

Notice that Night #5 ROCKS!!!  I took your advice and reduced his daytime sleep a little bit, and what a difference that made!  His nap schedule still needs tweaking (more for my sanity than his, haha) but I think less daytime sleep is the answer.  We were still operating on a 6-month nap schedule, when he's obviously ready for an 8-month nap schedule. 

[katie80]

Notice that Night #5 ROCKS!!!

Totally!   The trick is to just reduce the daytime sleep slowly so he doesn't end up OT.  Well done!

[arialvetica]

Last night was another all-nighter (the good kind!)  Woot!

[katie80]

  Great!!!