Frequent night wakings in early morning (7 mos)

[steveras]

Hello,

Our little guy has never been a great sleeper, but since implementing a routine (almost on EASY, but he doesn`t like to feed after sleeping - he`s up around 8 AM) and using the techniques from Tracy, we've gotten him out of our bed and into his Crib all night. He's been much easier to put down and we really don't need to use PU/PD at all. But even though he still rarely sleeps longer then 3 1/2 hours in a stretch, the thing that we are struggling with the most is his frequent wakings between 2 & 6 AM. To make things worse, he has recently learned to pull himself into a sit from his belly, so when he wakes, thats how he ends up and he can't get himself back down.

Is there a recommendation on how to handle him getting into a sit? Typically we are just waiting till he cries, then lay him back down (and repeat as necessary), until he is back to sleep. Is there a better way to handle this that encourages him to sleep on his own?

Some more info:
 - What’s nap routine? - He naps fairly well at 10 AM and ~2PM
 - How long are naps? - ~1.5 hours
 - What's bedtime routine? Time? - Some massage, feeding, a little rocking in a chair while some music plays. Between 8 and 8:30
 - Do you bottle or breastfed?? He is breastfed, but he is doing well on solids (two half meals a day - morning breakfast and evening supper) and the odd bottle here and there when mom has other plans
 - How much? or how long? He doesn't eat very long (4 or 5 minutes and usually only one side) but seems to be quite efficient.
 - How many wakes per night? 3 on really good nights, but up to 6 (most between 2 & 6 AM)
 - What’s your LO like when waking at night? How long is he/she up? - ususally not long, he'll often go back to sleep easily enough, but when he's sitting, he can't get back down.
 - When you go to him/her is she fussing or crying? Or is it a mantra cry? - seems to be a little of everything, like he's only half awake
 - What have you tried to settle?? - we have never done CIO or CC. PU/PD is the worst he's ever had to go through
 - What do you do for A time and how long is it? - He does all manner of activities from exploring toys and learning to crawl/stand to jolly jumper/exersaucer and going for walks/swimming lessons. It usually is not longer then 2 hours at a time, but we are consistent with doing a wind down.
 - Are there developmental issues such as teething or milestones? - he is definitely a mover and a shaker, but he hasn't figured out forward crawling yet.
 - Have you introduced cereal? Why, how much, and how many times a day? (for LO’s under 6 months)
 - Do they have a prop? If so what is it? - he doesn't really have a prop, but his soother is pretty important for helping him self sooth. He can put it back in on his own though and does frequently, but he can definitely fall asleep without it too. I have been successful putting him down with just saying "sweet dreams" and putting a light hand on his back the last few days (unless he's a little overtired, then it takes a bit more talking him down)
 - Do they have a lovie? - His soother maybe, but nothing else keeps him comfortable

 - he eats twice a night
 - he had reflux when he was younger, but he doesn't have any symptoms any longer
 - he has two bottom teeth well established, and no sign of more coming yet

Anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks!
Steve

[becj86]

Hi Steve

I'd say he's waking frequently in those hours either in pain, due to his new milestone or because he's undertired/overtired from his naps being quite early in the day. How is he behaving when he wakes - wanting to go back to sleep or wanting to play?

Firstly to the reflux - was he on medication? Is he still? Its possible he needs an increase in dosage with respect to his weight. Despite what  a lot of doctors say, reflux is rarely outgrown this young and can flare with teething.

he has recently learned to pull himself into a sit from his belly, so when he wakes, thats how he ends up and he can't get himself back down.

This is quite a common issue - lots of practice getting back down from sitting during his A time will help. This is a phase and lying him back down when he cries is the right way to handle it. You don't want to be going in too soon and lying him down before he cries or it may turn into a game, but you do need to be responding when he cries. He'll learn to get back down soon

I'm reading your EASY like this:
8 - wake
10 - nap
11:30 - wake
2 - nap
3:30 - wake
?? - Bedtime
Just wondering if you can clarify for us in this format as some tweaks may help discourage those wakings in the early hours of the morning, particularly extending that first A time up to about 3hr (not all in one go, obviously).

[steveras]

Thanks for the response,

He does seem to be in some discomfort in those wee hours, often with gas, but some nights, there is no good apparent reason - he goes back down easy, he just gets back up shortly afterwards. He isn`t up to play (although he has been in the past when he was in our bed). He is on prevacid for reflux and we recently started to wean him off of it, but that has been a big unknown for us - he doesn`t have most of the common symptoms anymore, but there are a few still. I`ve read a little about prevacid dosing and it`s possible he needs more to keep him comfortable.

The EASY schedule you posted is correct, he goes back to bed around 8:30 although his afternoon nap tends to be a bit later (e.i. he is up for 3 hours).

Your insight is greatly appreciated!

[becj86]

He is on prevacid for reflux and we recently started to wean him off of it, but that has been a big unknown for us - he doesn`t have most of the common symptoms anymore, but there are a few still. I`ve read a little about prevacid dosing and it`s possible he needs more to keep him comfortable.

If he didn't have the symptoms while on the meds, it might be that he still needs them. A lot of doctors say that LO's grow out of reflux by 6 months but this is not true of all refluxers and actually it tends to flare up when LO is teething which happens quite a bit from 6-12 months... Check out this board Colic, Reflux, & Crying for more info - the ladies there are very knowledgeable about reflux.

I would say if you can shift your EASY gradually to something more like this:
8 - wake
11 - nap
12:30 - wake
3:00/3:30 - nap
4:30/5 - wake
8:30 - asleep for the night
that those early morning wakings may go, but that has to be coupled with sorting out that reflux discomfort - if he's in pain no amount of tweaking or sleep training is going to help.