Author Topic: 6 month old waking at night!!  (Read 1772 times)

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Offline benb's mama

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6 month old waking at night!!
« on: October 05, 2005, 23:38:34 pm »
I need help! My ds has been on easy since week 3 and has been sleeping through from around 7p to 7a from 3 months old...however in the last couple of weeks he has started to wake at least once in the night, sometimes more. It is always at a different time so I dont think it is habit, and I have been increasing his food intake so I dont think he is hungry. I have been leaving him for a while before I go in just incase he goes back to sleep himself, which he sometimes does but always eventually wakes up properly and I have to go in. I have been putting the dummy in his mouth and he goes staright back to sleep, but now i think maybe I have created a need for the dummy when he wakes up??

I am very confused and would like to go back to having sleep filled nights as I have just gone back to work, but I dont know how to fix this problem!! Below is his typical day, I would appreciate any help!

E  7am (Bottle then solids)
A  7.30-9/9.30
S  9/9.30- 11

E  11am (Solids and bottle)
A  11.30-1pm
S  1pm-2.30/3pm

E  3pm (Bottle)
A  3.15- 4.30
S  4.30-5.15

E  5.15 (solids)
A  5.30-7 (including bath)
E  7pm (bottle)
S  7.30

So this is what usually happens give or take, last night he woke up at 1am and moaned for about 5 mins but went back to sleep (I didnt go in), that happened again at 3am and then at 5.15am when I went in because he hadnt gone back to sleep after 10 mins and was getting distressed. I put the dummy in his mouth and he went back to sleep until 7.10 am.

I know that using the dummy has probably created a problem, but I know he can self soothe without it becasue he does it a few times in the night before I have to go in and put it in.

He naps preety well and always puts himself to sleep at naps, although we do use the dummy for naps. This has never seemed to be a problem though and for night time sleeps he always goes to sleep really easily without his dummy....Like I say I would really appreciate some help!

Offline Jamasco

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6 month old waking at night!!
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2005, 00:03:30 am »
Hi benb's mama,

My dd just turned 6 months and she is waking once a night too because she is teething.  I know she is cutting a tooth and she is uncomfortable so sometimes that wakes her up.  Normally she is an excellent sleeper and very rarely wakes up but lately this has been the case.

Could he be teething?
Janis

Offline neet

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Night waking
« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2005, 10:45:48 am »
I too have the same problems, but our 6 monther has been doing it since birth.  we have only seen 1 week of complete sleep and that was the week he was cutting his firth tooth!  We are now back to early waking between 3.30 - 4.30 am......have tried letting him go, but he goes and goes and goes without going back to sleep.  stopped the dummy, but am thinking now i may need to introduce it again.  I need help too as i havent had a full sleep for months! the early starts are too intense too.  ethan only sleeps 3-4 hours a day too, then goes to bed at night at 7pm, so he cant be getting too mucb sleep.  his days are sometimes 14 hours long!  As your little one is only just starting to wake now, i to am sure it is caused by teething.  good luck, and we too are open to suggestions.
Mother of Ethan, baby No. 1

Offline benb's mama

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6 month old waking at night!!
« Reply #3 on: October 06, 2005, 23:46:45 pm »
yes actually he is getting some teeth I have just noticed....wasnt sure how much that would be affecting him but I guess it must be. He did have a better sleep last night, didnt hear him wake until 6.30am, but then it was DH's turn to get up to him, and I think he turns the monitor down so we cant hear him!! :roll:

So hopefully it will only last while he is getting his teeth? although a friend's baby hasnt slept a full night since cutting his first teeth 3 months ago! :shock:

Offline Jamasco

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6 month old waking at night!!
« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2005, 23:56:08 pm »
neet,

My dd is not a great napper although now that she is getting a little more active at daycare she is napping better there.  But she too goes to bed at 7:00 p.m. and wakes up anywhere between 5 and 6:30 a.m.  I am noticing lately that putting her to bed a little later (more towards 8 pm) may be helping her sleep a little more into the morning hours and not the wee morning hours!  Did you try putting him down later than 7 p.m.?  Does that help any?

Just a suggestion.
Janis

Offline benb's mama

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6 month old waking at night!!
« Reply #5 on: October 07, 2005, 00:01:29 am »
yes I have tried putting him down at 8 a few times but it doesnt really seem to make a difference, and with his routine he is pretty shattered by about 7 or 7.30. It is quite good though when he does wake at 6.30 we just leave him in his crib until just before 7 and he doesnt seem to mind too much, just talks to himself!

Offline neet

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6 month old waking at night!!
« Reply #6 on: October 07, 2005, 22:20:25 pm »
Jamasco / benb's mama,

I actually read on another forum to try and put him down earlier as he was getting so overtired by bath / bed time that it couldve been a source of his early wakings.  go figure! they also mentioned only to give him a maximum of 2 sleeps a day, for a total of 2-2/12 hours.  this seemed impossible especially with waking so early.  but yesterday it worked like clockwork.  Up at 5.30, back to bed at 8.00, slept till 9.30, up till midday, slept till 1.00, but i did need to add another sleep at 3.30 but it only was a cat nap of 30 mins. 

so the last two nights i have done this and we have had success.  so, last night, bath at 5, dinner, bed at 6, slept through to 5.30 this morning. Mind you, both bottom teeth are now fully through so this could be making a difference too!  who knows........every day is different. 

i do believe he was sleeping too much through the day thou sometimes.  With regards to your suggestion to get him to bed later, that has not worked either.  He still wakes early, it is habitual! 

Anyhow, this seems to be working at the moment, will however keep note to see if it is his teeth (which i do believe is) and give update when required!  :)
Mother of Ethan, baby No. 1

Offline Jamasco

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6 month old waking at night!!
« Reply #7 on: October 08, 2005, 01:07:07 am »
benb's mama,

Don't ya love it?  Just when you "think" you have them figured out, you don't.   :lol:   That is what our lives going to be like for the next 18 or more years!  I learned over the last few months not to expect and then I won't be disappointed.  I don't expect her to sleep until 6:00 a.m.  For instance, this morning she got up at 5:00 am.  Sooooo, I fed her and I put he back down in her crib awake.  I thought she would get right back up and fuss.  Well, I left for work at 6:30 a.m. and my husband called me at 7: 15 a.m. saying she was still sleeping.  Go figure.

I think the moms who have regular schedules are very lucky but this has never been my child and it will never be.  I go with the flow and if she sleeps 10 hours a night, I consider myself very lucky.

Good luck, let us know.
Janis

Offline benb's mama

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6 month old waking at night!!
« Reply #8 on: October 10, 2005, 20:53:18 pm »
thanks I will definitely try the early to bed thing...I think he is having about the right amount of sleep during the day, normally he sleeps for about an hour and a half twice a day now, although the last ouple of days he has been really unsettled and crying his eyes out randomly which he never does..I think it is the teeth!!

Offline Katet

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6 month old waking at night!!
« Reply #9 on: October 10, 2005, 21:23:46 pm »
I have just scanned the post, will get back with some more comments.

Benb... 2 things, yes keeping up later does often cause more wakings as they are overtired & overtired babies don't sleep as well.
secondly did the wakings start when you returned to work? that is often a factor, he is seeing you less & so his world has been disrupted. Also for a 6mo even on solids going 12 hours without a feed of any sort is exceptional... & if he needs the dummy, my thought is it could be partly thirst driven, so try offering some water at the wakeups.

I think the most important thing around this 6mo mark just before seperation anxiety kicks in is to make sure you are consistent & RESPOND to your lo's crys... CIO or CC may be advocated by some people but the belief by most parents on this site (& I strongly agree) is that it breaks trust & can increase wakings, not decrease. Just make sure you respond in a consistent & low key way.

Yes Teething & mothers returning to work are very much causes for night waking. Every milestone along the way can cause night waking, as can props, such as dummy/paci, falling asleep on the bottle etc. The most important thing is to BE CONSISTENT.  I am battling sleep/feed problems with my 4mo due to a hospital stay & I can tell you incosistencies even for 3 days threw everything out
dc1 July 03, dc2 May 05