5 month old due naps same time as bottle

[Mummy23boys]

Hi all, I have a 5 month old who from the beginning was never a good day time napper but great at night. He is a short napper because of schools runs etc but he can sometimes do long naps if at home. But the problem is if he short naps, he's usually due his bottle at the time the next nap rolls around. Which he then falls asleep and I put him to bed.

This has happened so many times now I think he associates sleep with his bottle. I'm trying to fix his naps but feel like I'm getting no where. It's a nightmare. bedtime is the worst. With screaming and tantrums until I feed him and off he will go.

This morning has gone like this so far..
Wu 5.45
E 6.10
Back to bed in the hope he'd wake at 8 but he woke at 7.30
School runs and back home
E 10 he fell asleep and now in bed.

Will most likely get a short nap and he will be due a feed at 2pm and most likely a nap too. And the cycle starts again!

Any advice would be great. Im at a complete loss xx

[deb]

Can you post a typical EASY schedule so we can see the bigger picture?

[Mummy23boys]

Yes thank you..

27th
WU 7 and fed
S 9.15 to 10
E 11
S 12.15 to 12.45
E 2.45
S 3.15 to 4
Tried a CN at 6pm but he was hysterical
E 6.45
BT 7
S 8 after lots of tears and tantrums

26th
WU 5.45
E 6.10 and back to bed until 7.20
S 9.15 to 9.40 (he's a very light sleeper so with his brothers in the car he wakes, or even if I take the keys out of the car!) I drove around and he fell back to sleep at
10 to 11.20
E 11.30 and solids at 1pm
Tried to put him down at 2pm and he cried and cried and fought and fought until I eventually got him up at 3.10pm and fed him. He fell asleep after only 3oz until 4.45
Solids 5.30
E 6.35
Bed 7 and cried and cried until I picked him up. THIS happened every time until sleep at 8.05 pm.

Hope all this makes sense. Its a bit hazy. I have a 4 and 5 year old as well! he just woke there now so he had 10.20 to 11! Which means he'll probably fall asleep when I'm collecting my sons! I just can't wait until he can have a longer A time!!

[deb]

OK, my two are up now and getting ready for school so I'm typing fast while multitasking so this may be in dribs & drabs, so bear with me.

The screaming at bedtime looks a lot to me like OT. Probably not a surprise since he's short-napping. Also noticing some pretty early wakings (and just wait till the time change!). Do you do/have you ever tried a dream feed? If he's waking early from hunger he'll be waking for the day already-tired, so OT-->short naps-->more OT.

What's your naptime wind-down routine like? That mightbe another place that could be tweaked, at least some of the time. (Hard to do w/other kids in the house, I know!)

[Mummy23boys]

Yes I do dream feeds at 11pm. I know he's totally overtired. IT'S very tricky with 2 other small boys in the house. Bedtime routine is saying goodnight to all his toys, talking softly to him and then saying "it's sleepy time now, night night!

[Mummy23boys]

Sorry this lil guy hit the button and sent it before I was finished lol. I'm going to introduce a story and see how that goes. he really doesn't like being left on his own. HE was sick for a while so got used to being held all the time and now wants mammy all time! thanks for reading sounds like your just as busy as me x

[deb]

In a pinch could you do babywearing? That's how #2 took a lot of her naps as a baby.

[Mummy23boys]

I couldn't carry him around in a sling unfortunately. He way to heavy and my back wouldn't be able for it. Besides his brothers would surely wake him. Today was another disaster. He slept in car for hour and half which was fine. WELL not ideal but happy he got that sleep at least. woke at 1.50. Fed him at 3 and tried to put him down about 4pm and he was fine for the first 10 mins then cried and it escalated in to full blown meltdown. I tried everything. Eventually I had to take him up at 5.20. Fed him at 6 and tried to put him to bed as he was asleep but he kept waking screaming. I kept picking him up and back down again until he fell asleep around 7.15 when i gave him the last oz in his bottle.That's a long time for him to be awake. I need to sleep train him so bad. I am a prop the bottle is a prop. I'm certain of it.

Dear God how can I fix this? My boys running a muck while I was with him for so long. this just can't keep happening. Am losing the plot here. Hope someone can help x

[Mummy23boys]

Anyone?

[deb]

Sorry, I was away for the weekend, only just now got home.

This is just a shot in the dark, but can you give him some pain meds about 20 minutes before you put him down? If he's cutting teeth or has an ear infection or is in some other discomfort/pain so he can't settle properly, that might help break the cycle. It might not tell you the cause of the pain, but it might help you find out if pain is the issue.

Has reflux been ruled out?

As for bedtime, I hope you're able to get some respite by handing baby off?

Will ponder some more....

[Mummy23boys]

Hi deb and thanks for responding. I'm not sure if he's in pain as he's happy and smiling the whole time he's up. It's literally for all naps and bedtime. I will give it a go tho I've nothing to lose. Last night he had his first NW and I had to feed him to settle him. After waking at 5.45 and being fed he went back to sleep till about 8.30 and didn't nap until 11 after a major battle and fell asleep in my arms. I put him in cot and he slept till 1pm. but would not go down again for rest of day. I had to take him out in car to get him to sleep. 5.45pm to 6.20. BT wasn't too much of a battle for the first time in ages. And I didn't do anything different except a quick bath.

I'm getting so stressed over it. I just want him to be able to settle but it seems he can't. If definitely not reflux that's for sure. He was sick but now fine. I fear it's something I have to ride out until he can stay awake longer and is more active.

What sleep training would you suggest if any?

[Donnarobbo88]

Hi do you have a good bedtime routine going ? Ino it's harder with other children I have three young boys so no how hard it is .
Ino it's the naps that are the main problem I had the same struggles with ds2/3 with the cat naps they were terrible cat naps it wasn't u till I found this site with ds3 and found I was putting him down for naps much to soon he wasn't having proper naps even now sometimes we still get short naps esp if my boys are being loud . But I think a bedtime routine might help and do u have a wind down for nap routine .
We do bath into his clean pjs and his sleeping bag bottle bed every night
For naps I normally just take him upstairs I single twinkle twinkle give him a kiss and a cuddle and lay him down x
Ino it doesn't help now but it will get easier x

My ds2 use to have a bottle for his naps
Ds3 doesn't he does down awake but what I do if his nap is due around bottle time is I will feed him downstairs and then normally as we're going upstairs he will wake up x

[Mummy23boys]

Hi there,
Yes it is so hard with other kids and especially loud boys! I think I do have a good routine for naps and I try to be consistent as much as possible. I sing a short song too, put him in sleep sack and say sleepy time to his toys and to him and turn on some white noise and say see you soon. For bed time it's the same but we say goodnight to everything, even the curtains! Maybe I should give him his last bottle in his room and away from the madness? My fear is he's associating bottle with sleep and that's why he fights with me as he expects it at naps and BT. It's all so messed up. WISH I could get him in a proper routine.

Thank you I know eventually it will get easier. But I think I've aged about 10 years in the past few months! 🙄 x

[Donnarobbo88]

Bless you Hun I no it's so stressful to
I don't really have any advice regarding bottles as we do out last bottle for bed in his room and he normally does fall asleep on that one but semi wakes as he goes down
He does go down fully awake without a bottle for the naps tho.
X

[deb]

We always did last bedtime bottle in his room too. We figured if we had to choose between a guaranteed sleep association and just not napping, we'd risk the association. In the end we only needed it for bedtime anyway.