I need help with recent 5am night wakings

[Lªuren]

Hi
For the past 5 nights DS has woken up at 5am, before this he was sleeping through from 8 - 7am, very occasionally (once a week)       waking at 5am to talk or moan but was able to put himself back to sleep with no problems.

Now he wakes and fusses but will not go back to sleep and starts to cry and cry so I end up having to go through to lay a hand on him to re-settle, this does not work as soon as he sees me or DH he wants to play, how did he figure out how to get us through  I don't go straight to him at anyother time    We are now in a situation where he did it 3 nights in a row, the only way to get him back to sleep was to bring him in with us. After the 3rd morning of this, I thought a habit must have formed so I decided to try wake 2 sleep, I never got that far as the next night he slept through again. Although the past 2 mornings we have seen him again at 5am.

Can anyone help with this? Last night I resorted to sleeping on his floor with him from 5am (I wouldn't get in the cot  )instead of bringing him into our room.

I start work in 2 weeks and need sleep, I know he can sleep through and he falls asleep as soon as he is with us.

How old is your child?
6 months

What’s his/her daily routine?
Wake 7 (although recently waking at 5am ish  Shocked, but we put him back to sleep)
E 0730 7/8oz
   0815 cereal & fruit
A
S0930/1000 for 1 – 2hrs
E 1200 6/7oz
   1245 Veggies E 1600/1630 6/7oz
A
S 1330/1400 for 1 – 2hrs
E1600
   1645 Veggies
A
S sometimes catnap, more of then not he is up from his 2nd nap – his choice will not always nap.
E 1900 10/12oz bottle 1st half
A bath
E1930 2nd half of bottle
S 2000
no d/f

What’s nap routine?
I put in his cot at the first signs of tiredness and leave him (Dh does the same) there are some occasions he starts to fuss and we need to lay a hand on him or if he sees us he will settle. I make a point of not going out everyday so he naps in his cot and doesn't get into bad habits.

How long are naps?
1 – 2hrs

What's bedtime routine? Time?
1st half of bottle, bath, 2nd half of bottle, story, bed

Do you bottle or breastfed?? bottle
How much? or how long?  Every 4/4.5hrs – 20mins-45mins

How many wakes per night? One habitual at 5am every morning, not to feed had previously slept through.

What’s your LO like when waking at night? How long is he/she up? Sometimes when he woke in the night before he would fuss and go back to sleep after 5mins max. now if we don’t go he starts crying, tears and all - this can be up to 30 mins (not CIO the whole process of talking, fussing, moaning then crying takes this time).

When you go to him/her is she fussing or crying? Or is it a mantra cry? Only if proper crying

What have you tried to settle?? Lay a hand on him
What do you do for A time and how long is it?
2 – 3hrs (3hrs his doing, usually 2 on the dot!)
Tummy time
Playing indep.
On mat with toys,
rocker/bouncer
out in buggy for walk

Are there developmental issues such as teething or milestones?  he rolled once a fortnight ago

Have you introduced cereal? Why, how much, and how many times a day? (for LO’s under 6 months)
Yes, veggies & fruit, from 4 months DS is also on hungry baby formula and takes full bottles, we looking for more earlier and waking up hungry.

Do they have a prop? If so what is it?  no
Do they have a lovie? No

He only puts on about 2oz per week will all this food and formula, HV says he is really active and is burning it up. His formula intake has not dropped, although HV says I can drop it to a pint - I am still following him on this one.

This is the routine we have followed for a while, even when he was sleeping through. I tried to listen out for neighbours setting off at 5am or heating coming on but there is nothing to wake him.

Hope I haven't missed anything

TIA
Lauren
 

[Kimberly®]

Sounds like your LO has hit the separation anxiety stage.
I'd recommend that you introduce a love, maybe a stuffed toy or blanket. Sleep with it in your bed for a few days and then give it to him, your smell on it may help.
Try to resist letting him sleep in your bed, I know its hard, but if you start that its a hard habit to brake. Instread try pu/pd to settle until wake up time. I realise thats a lot of work, and a lot of sleep lost, but if you do this for a few nights the hope is that he'll sleep on his own.
Your routine and your naps are solid, your on the right track.
Have you calculated the amount of food he's taking in by oz?? It has a section in the new book telling you how, if you don't have the new books I can look it up for you. I have to wonder if its a growth spurt and maybe he needs more food.

[Lªuren]

Karita thanks for getting back to me.

He can take between 28 - 33oz of hungry baby formula in the core day, I haven't fed him at night for about 6 or 7 weeks.
His solids are; 
Breakfast 2 icecubes of fruit mixed with a little cereal to thicken, he hates baby cereal.
Lunch 3 icecubes of veggies and meat or chicken (Heinz first meats)
Dinner (same as lunch with no meat) I have jsut started veggies at tea about a fortnight ago, previously he has yogurt and fruit.
I feel like I am stuffing food in him, but he keeps opening his mouth 

I've never done PU/PD successfully, would wake 2 sleep also work?


Has he not hit Sep/Anx  early?


lauren
 

forgot to add, he started to make the awful whining sound to get our attention last week, when he is either bored, wants picked up or has had enough foo?

has this anything to do with Separation anxiety?

[teezee]

i agree at this age a lovey would probably be very helpful!  worked like a charm with my lo - and DO get all the good mommy smells all over it - will let him feel close to you and secure!! 
i was thinking it may also be a milestone thing.  my lo was doing this early waking thing at about 6 months and then at about 8 months...she did stop on her own...eventually... ...no really it wasn't THAT long! and just when you go to him at 5 am - make it very unappealing to be up at that time - keep it dark, no talking, no eye contact, etc.

[Lªuren]

Update:

Doc says he has a chest infection (started Saturday) and I managed to detect it quick he has been prescibed Amoxycilin to help catch it before it gets worse.  His day naps and wind-downs are still the same.

Two nights ago he screamed for an hour at midnight and finally settled with Calpol and a drink. I was going to put mt t-shirt in, before he was sick all over it   ::)But I think it worked at little, he still woke at 5am, but was very quite and fell asleep again on his own after a mantra cry 

Last night he slept soundly until 0440, he woke starting fussing then slept for 20 mins, woke again fussed then crying he went through to settle him with a hand, he fell asleep then did it again after 20 mins    By this time I was really tired and he was not for sleeping - wanted to play. DH had just got in from work at 0330 and he was also awake by now and grumpy. So I took DS to the livingroom so we could try and sleep on the sofa, so DH could get some sleep.

Tonight I am intending to sleep in the nursery on the floor and try wake to sleep at 4am ish, I don't have the heart to do PU/PD when he feels so bad.

Not sure if the blanket thing is working yet, I though it had the first night , but after last night I don't think it did. He might not even be able to smell it with his cold 

Lauren

[teezee]

  aww hope he's feeling better soon...i wouldn't do pu/pd when he's sick either...hopefully it will all fall back in place once he is feeling better! {{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}}

[Lªuren]

He still has a chest infrction, BUT has slept through the last 2 nights 
The first night I was out and DH did the bedtime routine, ast night I did the bedtime routine and Dh transfered him awake to his cot 

  Lauren 

[teezee]

good stuff and good to hear a positive update!  although he is still not a hundred percent - he must be feeling well enough for it not to affect his sleeping...poor guy...he will be back to 100% normal in no time at all!

[Lªuren]

Oh no - there are back!!!  Last 2 mornings up screaming at 0530.

His chest infection is gone, and back to 'normal'.

He has been sitting on his own for 5 - 10sec, in the last few days.

The other thing he has now started is when I put him down to sleep at 8pm, he wakes screaming 20mins after, I re-settle him - he either starts again or does it 20mins later, same with the 0530 waking.

Dh had to go in the 2nd time this morning (I went in first) to settle him, he ended up taking him out the cot letting him sleep then transfer him back to his cot. He then slept until 8am, we slept in usually he wake again at 0630/0700 to start the day. So our routine is out today.

I introduced a nighttime/naptime bear and this sleeps next to him, I also tried leaving blankets in his cot that had my smell on them. His milk intake has reduced to 25oz from 30oz since the shiest infection. But the 5am waking is not hunger. 


Any more help would be appreciated - I am lost and return to work on Monday 

[KellyC]

Hi Lauren

Sorry you're still being woken up early - if it's any consolation I was up at that time too this morning (though I'd been there since 4!).
Have you considered putting him to bed earlier, even if only temporarily to allow him to catch up with the sleep he's missing with all these early wakings.  Waking 20 minutes after going to bed could mean he's overtired, he's up 6 hours after his last nap - have I read that right?  Zander goes to bed at 7pm and sleeps to 7am ish (though not solidly at the moment!).  Maybe now Calum is older he needs more sleep at night?

Kelly x

[Lªuren]

Hi Kelly its usually 3 or 4 now, he will just NOT go down for any naps until bedtime - even my neighbours are telling me he is hyper. Even when he manages to sneak in a catnap (in the car) he still wakes early.  I was also starting to think he was teething, because everytime I rub Anbesol on his gums today his is ok - his cheeks are really red and his gums bumpy as well. Do you know if there gums go white or red when they push through?

I may have to think about an earlier sleep time, but DH will never see him all week  even now he come home at 6pmish and its straight to our tea then Calums bath time. I certainly can't have a 8am wakeup all the time, because I will need to take him to his grandparent house.

Trust this to happen days before I go back to work 

[JoC]

Hi Lauren,

I too was back at work when ds was 6 months , he is now nearly 7. He was not sleeping through at all, so we bit the bullet and did not feed him, did pu/pd etc. Had terrible night but for last 3 weeks or so... touch wood!!!
Well, a question, does he have toys in his cot that he can reach? My ds did not and a woman I work with said it was good idea, I thought it would distract him, did it anyway...it worked...I can hear him on monitor cooing to toys, then he very often puts himself back to sleep.
Also, if he wakes at 5ish I give him some water, which also seemed to help but in my case I was going from 2-3 feeds in night to none! So slightly different. Also my ds goes mental at times if I go in, so I leave him till he really starts to cry, so difficult to know when that is, you feel you are going in too early sometimes (I think).

[Lªuren]

Hi
thanks for replying.
I haven't fed him over night now for about 2 months - he usually sleeps through, but occasionally has these 5am spells  . He also has a monkey over the side of his cot on on side, but I cover it up so it doesn't distract him and various other bits on the other side, but out of reach. I may try and uncover the monkey tonight 

[Lªuren]

I know this is a guide, but Calum sleeps between 3 & 3.5hrs between 2 naps somedays - could this be the problem 

6 months old:
Night: 12 hours;
Day: 2.25 hours - 2 naps, 1 of 1 hour and 1 of 1.25 hours;
Total: 14.5 hours

[teezee]

he absolutely may be getting too much daytime sleep. try playing with it a little bit and see how things work out.  i know every 'guide' is different, but that's what they are a 'guide'.  my lo needs about 2 to 2.5hrs naps total now or else i have tons of night wakings...at 6 months she was getting 4 1/2 to 5 hrs daysleep which probably could account for the 1000's of night wakings i had to endure in that time. good luck!