Author Topic: 7 month old wakes up at night and sometimes wants to play  (Read 2267 times)

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Offline Jalpa83

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7 month old wakes up at night and sometimes wants to play
« on: January 20, 2014, 20:28:06 pm »
Hi everyone!

This is my first post so bare with me, my 7 month DS is a really poor sleeper at night, and I really don't know what I can do.
This is a rough guide to his routine,
7-7.30 wake, give bottle (but usually only drinks 3 oz)
8-8.30 breakfast,
9.30-10 nap, (this varies, sometimes it's 2 hrs other times it's can be 45 min)
12 lunch
2-2,30 nap this one usually bigger 1.5/2hrs
4 wake and given bottle (only has 3oz)
5.30 dinner
6.30 bed time routine
7-7.30 bed

He goes to sleep himself but sometimes if he's really upset then I give him his dummy
Sometimes he has a catnap if his naps have been affected but was starting to get his sleeping longer is the last nap and then he was grumpy when I would wake him up.

Days are usually not so bad, but nights are really hard! DS is awake at around these times, 11, 2.30, 6 he uses to drink milk and was planning on night weaning but in the last few days he's drinking may 1-2 oz and refusing the rest.

I have a few concerns, 1) I'm worried he's not drinking enough milk,
2) night wakings are getting difficult and I have a toddler so don't get chance to sleep during the day.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.



Offline creations

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Re: 7 month old wakes up at night and sometimes wants to play
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2014, 21:37:01 pm »
Hi Jalpa and welcome to BW :)

Sorry to hear you rand your Lo are not getting a good night sleep.
Can I just check how many milk feeds you are giving in the day time?  Usually at this age there are 4 milk feeds in the day (plus often a night feed too making total 5) but your post only shows 2 (7am and 4pm), perhaps you forgot to mark the others on?

It may help to make the first two A (activity) times a little longer just to even out the day a bit otherwise there is a long time between waking from his second nap and his bed time.  On just 2 naps you'd expect closer to a 3hr activity time.


Offline Jalpa83

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Re: 7 month old wakes up at night and sometimes wants to play
« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2014, 23:39:43 pm »
Hi sorry forgot to mention the other 2 feeds,
One is at about 11 or 11.30 and one is before bed at about 6.30-7.00
I'm really struggling with extending the A times, sometimes he's really tired after 2 hrs, if that happens then I have to adjust the day and give him 3 naps.
So what I'm not sure about is of he's ready for 2 naps yet, but then the last nap he's can sometimes sleep for 1.5 hrs and is very cranky if woken up earlier. I also thought that the reason for night wakings and sometimes playing at night could be because he's sleeping too much during the day.

Offline Skadiver13

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Re: 7 month old wakes up at night and sometimes wants to play
« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2014, 00:11:15 am »
So what I'm not sure about is of he's ready for 2 naps yet, but then the last nap he's can sometimes sleep for 1.5 hrs and is very cranky if woken up earlier. I also thought that the reason for night wakings and sometimes playing at night could be because he's sleeping too much during the day.

Hi hun this is all true. A lot of lo's HATE being woken from a nap even a CN and will always be grumpy even if they aren't really tired. My LO hates it now even though he didn't when he was little.  Just the way it is. I alwasy do a silly dance and sing a silly song when I have to go in and I am sure to wake him slowly.  I would still cut that CN to no more than 30 min if you do offer it. The playing in the middle of the night can certainly be from too much day sleep or just not enough A time before Bed.
My dreamed for Angel Baby DD (other than dreaded 40min naps) Born 4/30/16
Reflux, MSPI, Love my Spirited,textbook little munchkin DS Born 5/17/2012



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Offline Jalpa83

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Re: 7 month old wakes up at night and sometimes wants to play
« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2014, 02:20:25 am »
Thank you for your replies,

So I think I should try and aim for longer A times?
Tonight has been bit better, LO woke up at 11 had 3 oz bit then went straight to sleep, but then woke up again at 2, tried patting him to sleep and thought was succeeding when he started screaming, so offered him a bottle and he took 3 oz.

I'm still concerned about the small amounts of milk he's taking, the 11am feed in lucky if I can get him to even have 2oz, should I still offer him 4 feeds during the day? What could I do to encourage LO to drink more milk in one go, lately he's gets so frustrated when I offer him a bottle that he just clamps his mouth shut.

What can I do to try get LO to sleep longer during the night?

Offline Skadiver13

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Re: 7 month old wakes up at night and sometimes wants to play
« Reply #5 on: January 21, 2014, 02:25:35 am »
Hi hun have you offered a faster flow nipple? Has he always been like this or is this a new thing.
My dreamed for Angel Baby DD (other than dreaded 40min naps) Born 4/30/16
Reflux, MSPI, Love my Spirited,textbook little munchkin DS Born 5/17/2012



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Offline Jalpa83

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Re: 7 month old wakes up at night and sometimes wants to play
« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2014, 06:14:45 am »
Yes he is on a faster flowing nipple, he's always been like this, his milk intake during the day was always really bad and he would make up with it at night, but in the last week he's not even drinking at night!
Unfortunately he has never sttn, the longest stretch I've ever got is 5 hrs but that's usually 7pm- 12pm
But that is very rare.

Offline creations

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Re: 7 month old wakes up at night and sometimes wants to play
« Reply #7 on: January 21, 2014, 09:43:55 am »
I would reduce the night feeds to just one per night to encourage a better intake at the remaining feeds.  Can you offer water for the second NF/NW instead?  That way he might be more inclined to take his calories during the day.
Is he taking a lot of solids?


Offline Jalpa83

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Re: 7 month old wakes up at night and sometimes wants to play
« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2014, 11:16:50 am »
His solid intake is pretty good, last few days he's bit cranky during meal times but I would say he prefers his solids more then milk.
I've tried offering water in the second night waking but doesn't seem to work. The problem is tht he doesn't drink very well in the first NW so then I just think he's hungry when he wakes up again, it's probably not the case, I think he's waking up from habit then hunger.

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Re: 7 month old wakes up at night and sometimes wants to play
« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2014, 11:51:53 am »
Hmm, might be worth cutting back on the solids a bit to up the milk intake if you are concerned about his total day oz/ml.  At this age milk is still his primary source of food and it's what will see him through the night so if he doesn't get enough in the day then he may well get hungry at night.  Either way having two small night feeds could be upsetting his hunger rhythm rather than having one good feed.


Offline Jalpa83

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Re: 7 month old wakes up at night and sometimes wants to play
« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2014, 13:45:05 pm »
I think u're right, I was wondering the same thing about solids, so today I've made the portions a bit smaller, it's like he's off his good at the moment, I'm wondering could he also be teething?? Maybe that's the reduced appetite? But the night wakings have been on going from birth! It's so hard to try and find a solution, when you haven't had a good nights sleep!