6 Month old still not sleeping through - he has Routine, Naps and not working!

[steffie.b]

Oh My Word this being a new first time mum is hard hard work!!!

I have a 6month LO, who was breastfed for first 6 weeks then bottle fed. I am such a "routine routine" type of person, I believed having a baby and getting them into a "routine" would be a piece of cake for me...oh how wrong!! My LO wakes between 6-7am (which is great) he comes into my & my husband bed for morning cuddles and kisses, then has a feed...occasionally (because the night before has been so bad) he falls asleep for an extra hour with us. We get up, we wash, nappy change, outfit change and then our day begins. He has a morning nap which lasts 30-45mins. Then play time, walk or whatever then bottle and 12-1pm (Big Sleep) range from 30mins-2.5hrs depending. Then play, walk or out into town. Bottle 3-3.30pm then nap at 4pm for 30-45mins. Bedtime routine commences at 18:20, bath, cuddles, bottle, book, lullaby, then time for bed. In his cot in his room right opposite our bedroom. We put him down 7-730pm, if he stirs do the PU/PD the shh shh...then the joys of midnight-6am starts, we can be into him 5,10,15,20 times doing the shh shh PU/PD. As I stated earlier I am a "routine" person and cannot get why he is not sleeping through, He absolutely is getting enough food in the day, enough naps, enough fresh air, playtime and wind down time. HHEELLLPPPP !!!!!!
He will only sleep on his side, he has no soother (stopped that 7wks ago and he is fine without it) It's not hunger cry, or pain, or nappy change....I know it might seem i'm going on, but i'm giving as much information as possible so "SOMEONE" can tell me what I can do.!!!! 

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me.....mine and my husbands ears are all open!!!! THANK YOU xxx

[pinkladyangel]

Have you started solids yet? Apparently digestive system kicks in early hours of morning. Our lo (same age) used to do the same. He used to wake at about 2 then every hour after that. I did out of curiosity give him a feed (bottle) one morning at about 3 and he went on to sleep through the rest of the night. He still sometimes wakes between 3 and 4 for a feed but then usually goes off again. I was worried it would become habit but touch wood it hasnt yet. He also slept a little longer when we started solids. Can only offer you experience sorry lol

[katie80]

Hey there

So... can you give us an idea of his routine using an EASY format?  I sort of get the picture from what you described, but not fully. 

Something like this...
W/E 6-7am
A
S 9:30-10:15am
E 10:30am
A
S 12-2pm
etc etc

Ideally around 6-7mo, you want to get a LO sleeping 2 solid naps on around 3hr A time to get the day evened out and the best chance at a good night.  What you're doing with a CN, long nap, CN is what my DS did from 6-8ish mo, but as you have it the last A time of the day is pretty long after a 45min nap, so I'm guessing he probably goes to bed OT most nights and that won't help the NWs. 

Is he an independent sleeper, i.e. you can put him down on his own and he will go to sleep?  You mentioned that you do some shh/pat and PUPD... do you use these techniques to get him down during the day as well?  How long have you been trying them for?

Waking that often in the MOTN is often an indicator of discomfort or hunger as well, as PP has said.  Have you started him on solids?  He doesn't have any history of reflux, does he?  Is he teething at all?  Have you tried giving him a feed to see if he sleeps any better?  It's not uncommon for FF babies to still have a feed at this age.  (How many oz is he getting during the day?)  There is often a growth spurt at 6mo as well, so even if he wasn't hungry before, he could be now.

Sorry for all the questions... just trying to get a clearer picture!

[steffie.b]

Hey, Thanks for getting back!!

At 3 weeks old, he has always had his EASY routine Bath etc, laid in his cot awake between 18.30-20.00 in the dark, on his own and we used to watch him looking at the camera then go to sleep. He has always been a good baby at teaching himself to go to sleep, even though he has only ever liked going to sleep on his side at very early on. Our camera has a lullaby on and he would more often than not drift off to sleep on his own. Fidgeting would start, arms thrown up, we thought he needed winding etc He does have a history of reflux, we raised the mattress, tried gaviscon (made him to constipated), gave little and often feeds instead. At 4 months I couldn't take anymore of the groaning, fidgeting, arm throwing right next to me (in his own crib/moses basket) so we put him in his nursery with no soother, but would have the camera on him so we could check him. Stopped the dream feeds a week ago, as I believe it was doing more harm disturbing him to feed, even though the room was completely dark and the bottle straight in - would make me unsettled and he is not crying in the night through hunger, Just wanting to be put back on his side, rubbing his eyes, groaning and if we don't get to him in time and he's crying we do the shh'd /PUPD,  Between 4-6 months he has been on 180ml-210ml (6-7 fluid oz) First feed 7-8am, then 11-11.30 then 3--3.30, then 6.30-7 then bed. Started weaning him on baby rice 5 days ago, taking to it very well. During his naps in the day we rarely need to use the shh/PUPD.
Thank You !! 

[katie80]

So, is he currently not taking any meds for reflux?  Does he still show any of these reflux symptoms? Reflux 101 - General reflux information. Waking that many times in the night can often be discomfort.  Have you spoken with his dr about the possibility of reflux playing a part in his sleep?

When you dropped the DF, did he up his milk intake during the day?  Have youe tried feeding him at any of the NWs to see if it helps him sleep longer?  As for weaning with solids, the cereals can be more difficult for some babies to digest, which can cause disruptions in sleep.  Tracy recommended to start with easier to digest fruits and veggies like pear, squash, and sweet potatoes.  And, it's always best to give them earlier in the day when you start, so their tummies have time to digest. I'm thinking though, that the NWs have been going on for awhile before solids, so that's likely not the main issue, but still some things to be aware of and try.

I do think the NWs are mostly down to routine, probably going to bed OT and maybe some reflux discomfort.  We don't recommend PUPD for babies who have uncontrolled reflux as it can aggravate the acid in the tummy, so sticking with shh/pat will likely be your best bet for now.  If you could give me a sample of the times your LO wakes and naps for a couple days, we can try to tweak your routine a bit and see if it helps the NWs.