Restless Baby

[DeneseC]

Please help!  My baby has never slept well.  He's only slept more than 3 hours at a time perhaps 10 times and he's almost 6 months old!  I feed him only once at night, so he's not conditioned to wake up to be fed.  People tell me to 'let him fuss' when he wakes during the night, which can sometimes be 4 times in one hour, but he instantly is screaming crying.  I've let him cry up to an hour before and he doesn't let up.  He's on a schedule during the day, has a consistent bedtime and nighttime routine, and I put him in his crib awake.  However, I do often pat him close to sleeping, but if I don't, he starts screaming crying, even at naptime.  What am I doing wrong?!

[Kimberly®]

I don't think your doing anything wrong. Your LO just needs some help learning to self sooth. When he wakes at night if he's only fussing and not screaming leave him, thats him learning to settle, if he starts to cry or scream go to him right away.
Have you tried wake to sleep yet? you can try this, set your alarm to an hour before he usually wakes and gently rouse him to semi consciousness, make sure he isn't wide awake.
Try PU/PD to settle him, it takes time, patience and persistence but it works.
'WHat else have you tried??

[DeneseC]

Karita,
Thanks for your help.  We've tried the 5-10-15 minute trick but it hasn't worked.  I've also tried changing my diet (so he won't have as much gas), making the room lighter, making the room darker, putting him down earlier and later, having white noise, putting an article of clothing that smells like me in the crib, putting a toy in the crib, having my husband put him to sleep instead of me, etc.  When he wakes at night he fusses for only about two minutes and then starts screaming.  Now during the day when I leave him by himself he's starting to cry more.  When I was able to swaddle him, that worked, but now he's too big, and his hands shoot straight to his face and pull out his pacifier, and his legs kick like he was running a marathon.  I honestly think sleeping on his stomach would work, but he learned to roll over and won't stay that way now. 

How does the waking him up thing work?  Does he put himself back to sleep since he's already sleeping?  The problem with us for that is that his official wak-up time is 7, but often he's fussing between 5 and 7 and would probably just completely wake up.  But I'll try it tonight.  Any other suggestions?  Thank you so much - I'm starting to go crazy (and get sick often) from lack of sleep.