Author Topic: 9 1/2 months screaming at night  (Read 2167 times)

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Offline lovingdad

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9 1/2 months screaming at night
« on: June 04, 2018, 14:14:32 pm »
Hi there, our baby boy has generally been a good sleeping having dropped his night feeds from 4 months, and aside from a terrible 5 week long regression at 5 months (which came after a terrible spout of bronchilitis) he has slept pretty well after sleep training. At 7 months we used regular reassurance to remove his dummy, and after one painful night he has been sleeping well. His typical routine is:
6.15-7am wake up, 5oz formula
7.30-8am breakfast (ready brek or 3/4 weatabix, maybe eggs on the weekend)
8.30-9am nap for 45-90 mins
11.30am lunch consisting of a protein (chicken, fish, beef or pork) or sandwhich and dessert (fruit, youghurt)
12.30-1pm nap 45-90 mins
2.30-3pm 6oz formula
5.15/30pm dinner, consisting of a protein (different meal from lunch), carbs/veg and dessert
7pm bath time followed by 8oz formula, asleep around 7.45pm
He cut his first tooth 4 days ago and it it causing him alot of pain, waking up screaming, rolling around and not settling unless we rock him and give him a feed (have given 5oz as the weather has been scorching we wanted to keep him hydrated) and calpol. Usually settles between 45-90 mins. I dont know if this is separation anxiety, teething, regression, or a combination of them. Any advice on how to get my baby back to sleeping well would be much appreciated, and if someone has gone through the same thing id love to hear how long this "phase" took.

Thanks in advance

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Re: 9 1/2 months screaming at night
« Reply #1 on: June 04, 2018, 18:18:53 pm »
Hi there
If it is teething it usually comes and goes with longer lasting lower level discomfort (drooling etc, possibly some sleep disturbance too) and then a shorter burst of extreme pain (awful nights, very disturbed sleep and screaming) lasting a few nights before it subsides back to the lower longer term discomfort.  That's how it was for my DS anyway.
If it's pain a dose of meds before BT can help, also saving a dose (ie don't give all the doses in the day time) for a dream meds before you go to bed yourself, may also help as you get the meds in before the worst of the pain hits and hopefully LO can sleep through it.  It doesn't always work of course.

How long has your routine been like you posted?  If that routine has been working for you okay then it's fine to leave it.  If it's relatively new though maybe it isn't particularly suiting your LO?  I see quite short A times in the earlier part of the day (2hr?) but very long before BT (over 5hr?) which isn't what I'd usually suggest to be a good routine.  You could really do with one reliably long nap (1.5 - 2hr) and the shorter nap, but perhaps more spaced out in the day so that you don't have such a long awake time before the night sleep.  Long A time before BT could be leading to OT and that may be adding to the NWs and screaming.  But like I say, if it's generally working for you then it's fine. It may also be that your LO is about to enter the 2-1 nap drop which would mean another routine change...but if you don't have signs of this just yet then it could be another month off.  Things like NW, long happy NWs, and nap refusal can be signs of starting the run up towards the nap drop.

hope this helps


Offline lovingdad

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Re: 9 1/2 months screaming at night
« Reply #2 on: June 05, 2018, 05:28:28 am »
Thank you for your reply. We’ve had this routine for about 2 months and it’s been working well, if he doesn’t have a good afternoon nap we generally let him have 30mins later in the day. We’ve tried pushing his naps a little later but he gets so overtired and just won’t sleep then (very very stubborn)

Last night he woke at 1am, webgave him a dose of calpol and after 25 mins he went back to sleep (we didn’t give him the bottle). I do hope it’s just teething that is bothering him and the pain passes quickly

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Re: 9 1/2 months screaming at night
« Reply #3 on: June 05, 2018, 18:05:54 pm »
We’ve tried pushing his naps a little later but he gets so overtired and just won’t sleep then
When you moved the naps did you try in small steps of 15 mins?  Often they can manage with that.
I wouldn't try to increase both naps at this age but having one of them consistently long each day could help.


Offline lovingdad

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Re: 9 1/2 months screaming at night
« Reply #4 on: June 08, 2018, 07:13:20 am »
Thanks, yesterday he had a 30 min nap at 9am and a 2 hour nap at 1pm so was only up for 4.5hours before bedtime. He then woke up at 4.30am screaming and settled with calpol after 40 mins, and was up at 6 to start his day. This has been the case for a week now, i dont know if its still the teething pain or the dreaded regression that comes around this point.

The past week he has been up once crying (normally between 3-4, once was at 1am). He settles with calpol and we rock him, and then have to pat and shhh him in his cot for about 15-20 mins (hes up for 30-60 mins normally) and has been waking at 7am mostly. its really taking its toll now :(

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Re: 9 1/2 months screaming at night
« Reply #5 on: June 08, 2018, 08:20:52 am »
He then woke up at 4.30am screaming and settled with calpol after 40 mins, and was up at 6 to start his day.
This sounds like either teething or OT at BT.  If the NW has been at a similar time each night for a week then I'd be more likely to think OT.
4.5hrs is still very long for this age.
Here's the guidance times by age.  It's true some LOs can do long A times but the routine would be nicely settled if that was the case.
https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=84884.0



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Re: 9 1/2 months screaming at night
« Reply #6 on: June 13, 2018, 12:51:21 pm »
So for the past 2 days he has had a solid 2 hour nap and woken at 3-3.15 and slept at 7.30. even then he has till woken up, i dont think its over tiredness. Im not sure if its linked to the sleep regression around this time as he is becoming fussy falling asleep during his naps and at night - before he would fall asleep by himself, and now after 20 mins of crying he will instantly sleep when cradled by mum

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Re: 9 1/2 months screaming at night
« Reply #7 on: June 13, 2018, 17:59:18 pm »
By sleep regression do you separation anxiety? or the 2-1 nap drop transition? Or perhaps something else??

I still think 4.5hr is very long for 9 months.  What does the rest of your day look like? Can you post in the EAS format please?


Offline lovingdad

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Re: 9 1/2 months screaming at night
« Reply #8 on: June 14, 2018, 10:05:25 am »
By sleep regression do you separation anxiety? or the 2-1 nap drop transition? Or perhaps something else??

Yes, either separation anxiety of the regression that happens between 8-10 months as their brain is in overdrive learning so many new things.

Below is the EAS schedule:

6.30am wake up for the day
E 7am bottle (5oz)
E 7.45am breakfast
A 3 hours
S 9.30 - 10/10.30

E 11.30am lunch
A 3.5-4 hours
S 1/1.30pm for 1.5-2hrs

E 3pm bottle (6oz)
E 5.30pm Dinner
A 4.5 hours
final bottle 8oz at bedtime
S 7.30 bedtime

He will be 10 months in a couple of days. thanks in advance

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Re: 9 1/2 months screaming at night
« Reply #9 on: June 14, 2018, 19:13:59 pm »
Is the resistance to sleep at both naps and BT too or is it one of the naps in particular?

To be honest I have rarely seen anything about 8-10 month sleep regression on BW.  I  know there are other sites which discuss a regression at 8 months which it seems is linked with the need to drop to 2 naps but usually with BW routines LOs drop to 2 naps at 6 months so there isn't really an 8 month regression.  Around 8 or 9 months one of the naps might need to shorten as A times increase to be able to fit in the 2 naps and have a reasonable BT but in your routine one nap is already shorter.
The 10 month glitch we usually see we tend not to call regression but signs of the 2-1 nap drop, it doesn't mean LOs drop to 1 nap right away but it tends to mean one nap needs to be even shorter and possibly a later BT.

I can see you moved the first nap later in the morning increasing the A time to 3hrs which is more suitable IMO. But honestly, I still think 4.5 before BT is long.  Some LOs do need one or more of their A times to be above guidance times but generally we only advise that when we see that LO needs it.  Can I ask, what is it that brought you to having such a long A time before bed and the very short A times earlier in the day?

If you are positive that your last A time is suitable then I suggest the NWs are down to teething and you could try medication to help.  Teething can disturb sleep on and off for many months. I didn't know what had hit me in my LOs second year the teething was so bad.  Some don't suffer as badly as others of course.