Author Topic: 4.5 month old night wakings - 2 hours to settle!  (Read 1939 times)

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Offline ThomasTheTank

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4.5 month old night wakings - 2 hours to settle!
« on: October 16, 2013, 18:12:55 pm »
Hi,

Hoping to get some help on my 4 1/2 month olds night wakings (he'll be 5 months next week). We were doing so well for a few weeks! !2 hours sleeps and consistent naps (1st around 9am for about an hour, next around 12pm for 2 1/2 hours, 3rd around 4:30 for 30 minutes, with a 7pm bedtime). But then out of nowhere we went way off the rails and I can't figure out why.

Starting a few nights ago he started waking at erratic times (first night 5am, then 2 nights at 3am, then a night at 12am, then last night 10pm) and not being able to go back to sleep for 2 hours. He has a very distinctive mantra cry (my last post was a question about it) and when he wakes, he immediately starts doing that cry and trying to suck his thumb to go back to sleep. We've been leaving him, but the problem is that he'll do it on and off for an hour! He'll fall asleep but then wake back up 5 minutes later and start all over again. So we've been going in (either after about 45 minutes or when he starts escalating) and putting our hand on him to try to settle him back down... that seems like such a long time but I worry that we'll just disturb him if we're in the room! He still does the same cry when we're in the room but I don't feel quite so guilty if I'm in the room with him. I tried feeding him and he doesn't want it. Checked his temp, diaper, etc.

I've thought about several things it could be:
- Needs more awake time. I don't think it's this because he's crying trying to settle himself, not babbling or wanting to play.
- Too much awake time. I don't think it's this because when he was doing his good sleeps he was at 2 hour awake time and we're the same now.
- Prop. He goes to sleep without swaddle or paci and always settles himself for bedtime. It usually takes him 5 minutes or so to go to sleep and a little crying.
- Teething. I have no clue how to tell if this is what the problem is! He does seem a bit more grouchy during the day, wanting to be held more than usual, but I'm attributing this to being so tired from the night.
- Developmental. He isn't turning over in his sleep or during the day. He does sometimes turn himself to a 90 degree angle in the cot. He's working on turning himself from front to back during the day (he can do it by accident but now he's really focusing on it).

Our Easy looked like this today:

- awake and E 7:15
- S 9am - 9:30 (I tried settling him around 8:40 bc I was worried he was overtired from the night but maybe a mistake bc he woke happy)
- E 11am
- S 11:45 - 2:15 (AP'ed this as desperate for some sleep myself! Tried settling him at 11:30 but he kicked around happy as could be for 15 minutes before going off)
- E 2:45 (usually 3pm but he cried for it early)
- S 4:10 - 4:45 (in the pram)
- S 7:10 (took him longer to settle tonight although he was fairly happy up until I put him down to sleep)

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I know it's a phase and I know lots and lots of babies have sleep problems around this age but I was hoping we would avoid it because we've been so diligent about letting him always settle himself to sleep and not jumping up the minute he made a peep at night. Thanks in advance!




Offline ThomasTheTank

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Re: 4.5 month old night wakings - 2 hours to settle!
« Reply #1 on: October 16, 2013, 18:15:25 pm »
Should also add that he's nearly 18 pounds so have wondered if it's time for solids? But he won't take the breast so I don't know...

Offline ZacsMumme

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Re: 4.5 month old night wakings - 2 hours to settle!
« Reply #2 on: October 16, 2013, 18:59:44 pm »
Sounds like the 4 mth sleep regression ;)
http://www.babysleepsite.com/how-we-sleep/4-month-old-sleep-regression/
And developmental wonder week leap (google wonder week 19)
There is also a huge GS at this age. Do you think he has had it already? If not try feeding at the NW and see if it helps get him calm and another stretch of sleep.

What first A time have you been giving him usually? - I think at this age a lot of LOs make the jump to 2 hrs.

Really...it's a terrible age ::)

***Sara***
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DS1 - Our sensitive soul. Silent reflux.

DS2 Our cheeky chipmunk. Reflux, MSPI.

Offline ThomasTheTank

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Re: 4.5 month old night wakings - 2 hours to settle!
« Reply #3 on: October 16, 2013, 19:24:26 pm »
Thanks for the quick reply! I thought that the 4 month sleep regression could be avoided if there were no prop associations.. is that wrong? As for the GS, I'll try feeding him right away when he wakes tonight. I tried that a few nights ago and it didn't work. Had the boob out right by his face but he just wanted to suck his thumb and seemed annoyed that I picked him up.

Does the wonder week actually last only a week? I think I'm going to attribute it to that tonight.. I find it much easier to deal with night wakings when I know the cause! Like 'poor baby, he's sick' is much better than 'why are you doing this!!!'

His first A time is 1hr 45 to 2 hours. Just tried settling him earlier today so that I could hopefully cross overtired off my list of things that could be causing this!

And thanks for the comment about it being a terrible age.. nice to have confirmation that this won't last forever!

Update: he ended up waking again right as I hit the go button on my initial post so it took him over half an hour to settle to sleep tonight (with me going in 3 times to reassure him).. very unusual! So of course he woke up at the 40 minute mark but fussed around for 2 minutes and went back to sleep. I'm afraid it's a sign of bad things to come tonight!

Thanks goodness for this forum!

Offline ZacsMumme

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Re: 4.5 month old night wakings - 2 hours to settle!
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2013, 00:46:35 am »
I think the regression still occurs ;) it's when things start to become props ie paci, breast...

The wonder week is a developmental period - the week is usually the end of the fussy period, once they start to do new things - I think the fussy period is between 14/15wks through to 18 or so. The. Around wk 19 they show new skills. Sleep is often affected.

Hugs...how are things going today?
***Sara***
https://www.facebook.com/tomiandroo


DS1 - Our sensitive soul. Silent reflux.

DS2 Our cheeky chipmunk. Reflux, MSPI.

Offline ThomasTheTank

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Re: 4.5 month old night wakings - 2 hours to settle!
« Reply #5 on: October 18, 2013, 09:12:12 am »
Thanks ZacsMumme! The night I posted he slept 11 1/2 hours solid! But last night he woke up twice (midnight and 3am), fussed around for a couple of minutes (not to the point of needing me), then fell back asleep for about 10 minutes, then woke up and fussed for about a minute, then fell asleep for good. That same pattern for both wakings. So I'm hoping we're on the upswing. Fingers crossed.

For anybody else reading this, I found this website that is really helpful on WW19: http://www.whattoexpect.com/forums/february-2010-babies/archives/wonder-week-19-info-from-the-book-9.html

Now what's next... 3 to 2 nap transition, solids, longer awake times! I'm sure I'll be back on here posting with some sort of question on one of those things  ;)

Offline ZacsMumme

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Re: 4.5 month old night wakings - 2 hours to settle!
« Reply #6 on: October 19, 2013, 20:55:06 pm »
Glad things have improved! Yes, ww19 was the worst of all of them! ;) :(
Hope things remain a bit more settled for you :-*
***Sara***
https://www.facebook.com/tomiandroo


DS1 - Our sensitive soul. Silent reflux.

DS2 Our cheeky chipmunk. Reflux, MSPI.