Still sleepless after over a week

[brittsy]

We started my 16 month old on 3 hour Easy over a week ago.  While we seem to be making some progress with his days, he continues to wake up constantly at night.  Last night he woke up 5 times.  I fed him one of those times, but the other times he had rolled over onto his tummy and woken himself up.  I don't swaddle him at night b/c I found him fully swaddled on his tummy one night and this made me think that this was a potential SIDS hazzard.  He is eating about 30 OZ of expressed breast milk and formula durring the day and also gets fed once in the middle of the night.  I don't think he is having a growth spirt b/c he just had one about two weeks ago.  In fact his night time wake started happening at the time of his growth spirt and has not stopped since.  Prior to that he had been sleepling 5-6 hours straight.  Any ideas?  I feel like he is begining to sleep better durring the day than at night. . .   

-Sleepless in Boston

[Noelle]

Hello 

Can you please post what a typical day looks like?  That will allow us to help you better.  Also...I'm thinking 16 months is a typo?

Thanks! 

[brittsy]

Sorry-- 16 weeks.  We put him on 3 hr easy 9 days ago to try to help us with his night waking problem.  Here is his schedule:

E  7:00 -- Wake and feed (5 oz formula or expressed breast milk at every feed)
A 7:30  -- tummy time to practice rolling the other way
S 845 (1 1/2 hours) (still working on naps lasting this long.. .but can usually get him back to sleep after 45 min w/ shush-pat)
E 10:00
A 10:30
S: 11:30 (1.5 hrs)
E: 1:00
A: 1:30
S: 2:30 (1.5 hrs)
E: 4:00
A: 4:30
S:5:30  Catnap (1 hr)
A:  Bath 6:30 to 7:00
E:  7:00 Eat

Today we are starting to do the transition suggested in Tracy's book to a 4 hour EASY and will be gradually adding 15 minute to his Activity.

We are also going to get one of those "sleep positioners" that are supposed to prevent rolling over.  Any thoughts on those?  Thanks for your help.  We are desperate for sleep.

[jessica5]

If it's any consolation.... you and your 16 week old are farther along than I am with my almost five month old.  I've been trying the 4 hour EASY with her, but it just isn't working.  She seems to really need three naps.  Her schedule is very similar to your son's, but her cat nap is in the morning and she takes two longer afternoon naps at 11:00 and 3:00.  Since I've given up on moving towards the 4 hour EASY, my daughter (who only weighs 13 pounds) seems to finally be eat

[jessica5]

.... OOPS!  I was trying to hold my daughter and type.  She seemed to think I should send an incomplete message 

I think I was writing about eating.  By using the 3 hour EASY, my daughter has FINALLY started eating 20 ounces or more a day.  She's also been sleeping more at night.  I know that we're supposed to work towards a 4 hour EASY by four months, but I wonder if that's different if you have a small baby?  I wonder if my daughter is sleeping better at night because she has more daytime meals now.

Maybe your son got into a habit of night waking because of the growth spurt and doesn't want to give it up.  I think I've read that you can try gradually lessening the night feeding by an ounce each evening, until he doesn't have a feeding. 

Good luck!

[brittsy]

Jessica5--

Does your lo also roll over at night?  I just purchased one of those sleep positioners. . .I'm trying it out now and will let you all know how it works.  My son is also a lousy eater (which is why I have to pump to get him breast milk) and on the smaller side.  He is around 13 lbs too. . .He too has trouble with one of his moring naps, but seems to want to sleep all day for his evening catnap.  Perhaps I should switch them as you have.  I'm thinking he might not be ready for 4 hr easy yet too. ..Do you still feed your daughter at night too?

[Noelle]

Hello again!! 

Thanks for posting your schedule...

The first thing that stuck out at me is the mornig "A" time.  I'm wondering if it's a little long which might be the reason you're having some issues with it.  I would try putting him down a little earlier and see what happens 

Is he able to put himself to sleep independently?  Does he use a pacifer?  Sorry for more questions.....my thinking is if he doesn't fall asleep on his own, that's why he's waking...doesn't know how to put himself back to sleep.  Sometimes (not all the time) the pacifier can become a habit where they wake and scream for it each time.

Otherwise, his nap schedule looks pretty good.  You could try a 3.5-4 hr routine.  Night wakings can be a sign of needing to transition.  Even with the 4hr, the LO's probably still need a catnap..I would just keep it to 45 minutes.

Wanted to add too that 4 mos is a notorious age for nightwakings, especially because of milestones like rolling over, etc.

HTH, let us know if you have any more questions. 

[jessica5]

My daughter can't roll over completely, yet.... but she can roll around.  I had a sleep positioner for her bassinet, but she mananged to wiggle out the bottom of it a few times last  month, so I stopped using it.  I also have a wedge in her crib..... she sometimes rolls down it  but it doesn't seem to bother her.

My daughter seems to wake at about 11:00 and 3:00 most nights.  The 3:00 is the worst.... she often stays awake until 6:30 (while I am doing shh/pat), when I give up and get her up for the day.  I can't figure out if she's waking for hunger or something else.  I have been feeding her when she wakes at 11:00, for her dream feed.  But I don't feed her when she wakes at 3:00.

And, since I told you that my daughter cat naps in the morning..... she's started sleeping longer in the mornings..... I'm hoping this means she's on her way to a long morning and afternoon nap with no 5:00 PM nap.

I don't know what to do about the night wakings.  I'm on my fifth day of shh/pat with her and, if I don't turn into a zombie from lack of sleep, I will continue doing this until she, hopefully sleeps through the night.

My two year old slept from 8:00 PM until 7:00 AM from three months of age, so this is very disappointing for me that I can't seem to get my youngest to sleep all night.  Good luck and, hopefully, we'll both get a full night's sleep soon!

[Beam79]

Just wanted to add that I got a side sleeping positioner/bolster thing from Jo Jo Maman Bebe and it has been grreat-really helped my LO to settle and mmenas I can do shush/pat easily too. We are trying to work towrds 4 hr easy as my ds is nearly 20 weeks-it is taking a long time asI think he is still too small to hold more than 6oz milk in his wee tummy.....I am getting frustrated at being stuck in between 3 and 4 hr EASY but I guess he will trnsisiton oce bigger..We have to just hnag in there eh!

[brittsy]

We are still having a horrible time.    Please help.  For the last three nights my (now seventeen week old) lo has been waking every hour.  We have not been using PU/PD, but rather shush pat to put her to sleep but this does not seem to have helped hem to learn to fall asleep on her own.  When we tried PU/PD before, we thought it was too stimulating for him b/c he was able to cry through an entire nap w/o ever napping.  But now, since we are so desperate I think we might try to use it again.  Do you agree that we should try again?  I also thing that he is dependnent on his paci and that we need to eliminate that.   I have a question about PU/PD, however.  When we tried it before he would cry for a very long time when we picked him up.  We would actually have to leave the room to make him stop crying.  What do you do in this instance?  Do you put him down before he stops crying? 

Also, when using PU/PD, do you shush-pat him once you get him calm and he is in the crib?

Also, any progress we made on naps seems to have evaporated.  We are very desperate for some sleep.  Please help!

[jessica5]

I'm sorry to hear that you're still having such a difficult time!  We're still struggling, too, if it's any consolation.

I just do shh/pat with my daughter because the pick up/put down technique seems to really agitate her as it seems to do with your lo as well.  My daughter also seems to need some fuss time before going to sleep.  She actually does better and goes to sleep faster when I leave her alone.  Of course, this works for naps and at 8:00 for bedtime, but not for the two night time wakings she still has. 

We gave up the pacifier about two weeks ago because we noticed it was becoming a prop.  It caused extra crying for a few days, but it hasn't been that awful to give it up (I waited until my oldest was one to eliminate hers and it was VERY traumatizing).  Does your son wake up every hour because his pacifier has fallen out and he can't put it back in his mouth?  That was what was happening with my daughter and why we decided to eliminate it before it became a big problem.

Good Luck!  and let me know if you find a way to get your son back to sleep when he wakes at night!