5 1/2 month old waking every 2 hours at night since she was

[Olihvia's Mommy]

My Daughter for the past 3 months has woken up every 1-3 hours at night. She used to sleep beautifully before that. I figured she would outgrow this habit but it's been 3 months already.

I tried everything, I started her on solids, put her to bed earlier, tried later, have her on a pre bedtime routine, She has a noise machine that I just bought her.

The passt few weeks I have brought her to bed with me to sleep. THat is the only way I can sleep with her waking up. I breastfeed.

Sometimes she wakes up every hour. I know she is not hungry then. Sometimes I just have to put her soother back in her mouth. Other times I have to feed her.

I'm at my wits end on what to do with her to help her sleep better. I kwow she can do it.

[Katet]

What is her day routine like?
How does she fall asleep for naps/nighttime?

[Olihvia's Mommy]

Hi there,

Okay, this is her usual day.

She wakes up around 7:30,8 a.m. for the day. She has her first nap at around 9:30,10 for 45 mins. She will sometimes go longer if I am there to soothe her back to sleep after she first wakes up. She will sometimes go 1 1/2 hours.

Then she has another nap around 2 for usually 1 hour or 1 1/2 hours. Then she has her cereal at 6 then bath, then nurse, then bed by 7:30.

She'll usually sleep for 3 hours before her first waking, I usually feed her then. THen it's every 2 hours or hour after that. I try not to feed her unless it's been at least 3 hours. So sometimes I just go to her and put her soother in her mouth, sometimes I give her water :oops: That usually settles her for another hour or so.

THis has been going on like I said for about 3 months. Since she was 3 months old basically.

She was on e.a.s.y. then somehow we got off of it. I have been trying to put her back on but she's not co-operating. She is currently on a a.e.s. routine. In other words she eats before her nap. I don't put her to bed already asleep though. She doesn't always fall asleep at the breast. Sometimes she'll fall asleep, and when I put her to bed she wakes up.

She normally goes to sleep without a problem. Sometimes she has a little bit of crying for about 5 mins before she'll settle down to sleep.

I hope this answers your questions.

[Olihvia's Mommy]

Hi there,

Okay, this is her usual day.

She wakes up around 7:30,8 a.m. for the day. She has her first nap at around 9:30,10 for 45 mins. She will sometimes go longer if I am there to soothe her back to sleep after she first wakes up. She will sometimes go 1 1/2 hours.

Then she has another nap around 2 for usually 1 hour or 1 1/2 hours. Then she has her cereal at 6 then bath, then nurse, then bed by 7:30.

She'll usually sleep for 3 hours before her first waking, I usually feed her then. THen it's every 2 hours or hour after that. I try not to feed her unless it's been at least 3 hours. So sometimes I just go to her and put her soother in her mouth, sometimes I give her water :oops: That usually settles her for another hour or so.

THis has been going on like I said for about 3 months. Since she was 3 months old basically.

She was on e.a.s.y. then somehow we got off of it. I have been trying to put her back on but she's not co-operating. She is currently on a a.e.s. routine. In other words she eats before her nap. I don't put her to bed already asleep though. She doesn't always fall asleep at the breast. Sometimes she'll fall asleep, and when I put her to bed she wakes up.

She normally goes to sleep without a problem. Sometimes she has a little bit of crying for about 5 mins before she'll settle down to sleep.

I hope this answers your questions.

[Katet]

If she isn't falling asleep with a paci or feedign then it isn't a prop problem

What I do think is at 5.5 months if she is only on 2 day naps she is getting overtired. Which is definitely a cause of night waking & it sounds like she can sometimes only get less than 2 hours nap time during the day... my ds#2 is 5mo & he naps 1.25 hours then 2-2.5hours & then 30-60mins & goes 11-13 hours at night with one wake up (occasionally 2)

Her awake time should be about 2-2.5 hours maximum & she really does need to be having 3 naps in the day.
So her routine should be something like this

7.30 wake - feed + cereal
9.30 sleep 1.5-2hours
11/11.30 feed
1/1.30 sleep 1.5-2hours
3/3.30 feed
4.30/5 - sleep 30-45mins
Bath
Feed
7.30 -Bed
If you are BF you could do what I do & offer 1 side before the bath & one after... I find if I do all before, he brings some up & if I do all after he falls asleep before he finishes.

Also the cereal last thing in the day could be upsetting her tummy, so that is why I would suggest having that in the morning. at this age it is food over 24hours not what they take in the PM that helps overnight.

[Olihvia's Mommy]

Thanks,

I will try your suggestions. I guess she is too young to only be having 2 naps. Usually at supper at 6 she is super fussy. It seems she needs that 3rd nap but I have been putting it off thinking she will go to bed soon instead. I will try to get her to nap before that time so she can still go to bed at 7.

The feeding her cereal in the morning may help as well.

She NEVER has had longer than a 1.5 hour nap since she was a newborn. They just have started lengthening in the past month or so. 45 mins is usually all she'll go unless I'm right there and can get her back to sleep right away.

I hope she'll start having longer naps as well. That would be real nice.

Thanks for your suggestions. I'll definately try them.

[Olihvia's Mommy]

Well, I started right away with your suggestions Kate.

I managed to get her back onto e.a.s.y. That is working nicely. It was easier than I had previously thought it would be or has been.

Last night I gave her her 3rd nap around 5:00. She slept 45 mins til around 6. I fed her one side and had her sit at the table with us.
Then I gave her her bath around 6:30 and gave her the other side as well as the 1st side again. she was in bed by 7. She woke up at 10:30, 12, 2, and 5:30 and for the morning at 7:15 or so.

 I fed her at 10:30 and 2 and 5:30. The 12o'clock feed I brought her to bed with me so she would settle without me feeding her.

I was so surprised that she went down for the night one hour after her last nap. She only woke up 4 times last night.  :oops: It's better than every hour or two though.

Today she had 3 naps as well again. I hope this new system works.

The only thing I found that I'm not sure about with her cereal in the morning is, it doesn't seem that she is very hungry when she first wakes up. She doesn't even take much breast then. Will she get enough cereal?

Any other suggestions? Or am I doing it alright?

I do wonder if she is using her soother as a prop. She only uses it at bedtime and naps and when I put it in her mouth at naptimes that is her signal that it's naptime. Her eyes automatically get droopy when I stick it in. At nights she falls asleep at the breast but wakes up kinda when I put her to bed. I don't always put the soother in her mouth at nights. Only if she doesn't want to settle.

How do you know if it's a prop or not?

Thanks so much for your suggestions. You are a great help.