Seeking help PLEASEEEE!!

[charchar33]

 

Hello im wondering if anyone has some advice, I have been reading some of the posts on night wakings and I have my own situation I think... lol...

My 6 month old, wakes a few times in the night. most of the time it is to feed, he will drink a 7 ounce bottle. he just started solids and eats them like a champ so and eats 5-6 7 oz bottles maybe 8oz throughout the day ....

When he wakes, he wakes sorta calmly then goes CRAZY, screaming like mad.. when we offer the bottle sometimes he will refuse, then we leave him for a min and offer again and he will take it... im so confused.. I know it might sound sorta simple but its really not lol..

He SCREAMs when we are putting him down for bed, and screams before all naps, like he just hates sleep? he does usually fall asleep with the bottle but doesn't NEED it I don't think , cuz he can fall asleep on his own, just did again now.. his naps are so short, 20 min? and wakes a few times in the night, I just feel like im doing something wrong?

ANy tips welcomed PLEASE!!!

[charchar33]

bump? any thoughts, also last night he woke up 3 times and ate almost a full 7 ounces each time, should a 6 month old be eating that much at night, what can I do ? when I offer just the soother, he cries harder and wont take it? pleaseeee help

[Uglybethy]

Of course you have to feed a hungry baby but there should be a way you can tank a six month old up during the day so he can go 10-12 hours without feeding at night. Unless its the growth spurt of course. Sounds like to could be but just to be sure Can you post your easy and your answers to the questions outlined in the post labelled "all posters please read this first" (or words to that effect) so we can see things in more detail before we offer any advice?
Best wishes
Beth

[charchar33]

hi ok here goes,
so hes 6 months old, wakes anywhere from 1-4 times a night id say, when he wakes he fusses then cries and by then time I get his bottle ( he his bottle formula fed) hes freakingout HOWEVEER, he does not usually even open his eyes,
I try the soother first always, and sometimes it will give me another hour... he has slept 6-9 hours before but lately (last month or more hasn't been good at all)

im sorry I don't know all the terms yet so forgive me
He wakes around 9-930am
has solids (just started last week or so ) around 11ish?
plays till 1130-12 then has a bottle and sleeps for anywhere from 20 min to 2 hours ( he has NO pattern , never has)
so say up at 130?
plays till about 4 ish
bottle then naps for maybe an hour or so
up again till about 830-930 then we do either a bathand a story and its bed time.?
has another bottle goes o bed,

wake up again around 12-1
screams eats 4-7 ounces back down for 3 hours and repeat .. sometimes its 4 hours

it doesn't seem like he has enough bottles during the day but its sort of a prop for him, to fall asleep but then sometimes he doesn't need one and will fall aseep on his own in his crib a swing or the car

I just feel like I don't know what the heck im doing wrong...

please help.. and let me know if I forgot any info... he was born at 36 weeks 6 days.
hes a happy guy, he loves the jolly jumper could stay in for hours... but cries a lot about sleep time.. please help.

[charchar33]

we are at an hour of screaming ... hes exhausted, had a bottle, been sorta asleep and up again. im losing my mind

[Uglybethy]

Oh goodness, you must be feeling exhausted all the time!
Am I right in thinking he has three bottles during the day and then two to three overnight?
Does he have a bottle on waking up in the morning and then after naps?
It may be that you can start to shift some of the ounces he has overnight into daytime feeds by "tanking up". Not sure if you have the baby whisperer books but Tracy talks about tanking up and adding a dream feed to make sure our little ones get the milk in during the day and have the night time for sleeping.
She basically suggests taking the oz he has during the night and adding them to the following day's daytime feeding so they don't wake up hungry during the night. So either give bigger bottle or add extra bottles during the day. It may take a few days but if you know he's getting the ounces during the day then you can begin to challenge night time wakings more effectively. Or he may stop waking at night because he's not hingry anymore....
Perhaps it's a place to start?
Sending you hugs
Beth

[Uglybethy]

Also with less interrupted night time sleep he may nap for longer during the day too?

[charchar33]

thank u so much for replying!!!! I will def start that.

he does not have a bottle upon waking up, but I am now gonna offer it to him and after every nap , like u said even if its just a few ounces each time and then his full ones throughout the day, maybe itll fill him up, im gonna look into getting that book!!

[Uglybethy]

Great! Let us know how you get on.
There are two books... The secrets of a baby whisper and the baby whisperer solves all your problems. Both excellent but the solves all your problems is more for troubleshooting and captures the essence of the first book really well, so if you only have time or money for one then I'd go for solves all your problems....
Both are by Tracy Hogg and Melinda Blau.
Good luck with it!

[charchar33]

ok perfect,thanks

just another thing to add too...
So when its time for nap, he just freaks out screams like a crazy person like someone is hurting him? doesn't want the bottle or soother, I just don't get it. doesn't stop when u pick him up either, but eventually he will stop and take a bottle. its so frusterating I just don't get it???

why does he scream so much

[Uglybethy]

What's his transition out of activity time to nap time like? Has he previously been ok but recently started screaming? If so what's different about now vs then?
Sorry more q's!!

[Layla]

Hi there,

Sorry just wanted to also ask - does he go down to sleep independently? Most babies do really well on a 7-7 schedule and I noticed he's awake for a long time (longer than 3hrs) before bedtime, which may be another reason he's waking up so often at night.

When he wakes early from a nap, have you tried to resettle him or do you pick him up right away?

[charchar33]

only sometimes he goes down on his own, sometimes hes rocked, soother, bottle. and sometimes he will nap in the later afternoon for a bit or early evening but it really doesn't seem to affect how he goes down.
he can be just getting tired, overtired, not tired lol. it just doesn't make a difference. although *knock on wood*
last night he was only up twice, and he ate 7 ounces each time. but I did try offering more throughout the day and that obviously must have helped his night but well see how tonight goes, my husband is putting him down as I type.and hes very quiet not screaming so well see....

oh and yes I have tried to resettle him but its like once hes up hes up I sometimes just leave him if hes not crying and let him just relax in there.. that helps sometimes.

[Layla]

Good to hear he slept a little better at night. If it were me, I would probably work on independent sleep as that may be another reason he's up so often at night

At 6 months, he could be doing 2 or 3 naps. If he's not taking the last nap, try and put him down for the night earlier so that he's not awake for too long before bedtime. We were down to 2naps at this age, with A time around 3 hrs. Other babies can only comfortably stay awake for 2.5hrs, in which case he would probably need 3 naps, ideally 2x1.5 hr naps and a catnap. If he doesn't know how to go down independently, that may be another reason he's not able to sleep longer. You mentioned he screams before naps; that could be an indication of needing more A time; you could try an extra 10mins to see if he will go down better