Author Topic: Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old  (Read 3934 times)

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Offline Tangles

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Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old
« on: July 29, 2006, 00:12:32 am »
My son is 4 months old and wakes probably 2 to 3 times a night (1 time if I am lucky).  He does usually settle however when I give him his paci.  He has slept straight through in the past but when he hit 3 months (I assumed due to the growth spurt) he started waking at night.  I think he may be teething now however... he has red cheeks, drools, bites down on everything, had the runs a little, clingy.....

His routine at the moment is generally:

Wake between 6:00 am and 7:00 am and feeds
Awake for 1.5 hours and then naps for 45 minutes (yes he is a 45 minute wonder)
He feeds every 4 hours without fail

His awake time is spent either playing with me on my lap or in his play gym or swing.  If the weather is good (winter here at the moment grrrr) we go outside.  His awake time goes from 1.5 hours in the morning to anywhere up to 3 hours for his 2nd or 3rd nap.

He has 3 naps a day which all go for 45 minutes although sometimes he can have a 1.5 to 2 hour nap (much to mum's delight)... unfortunately most of the time this will only happen if I am out and about and he is in his pram :( 

His bedtime routine depends on when his last feed is (6:00 pm or 7:00 pm - changes due to what time he wakes up).  If he woke at 6:00 am, his last feed is at 6:00 pm, he then has a bath at about 6:45 pm and is generally asleep by about 7:30 pm.  If his last feed is at 7:00 pm, he will have his bath before his feed and has his bottle at 7:00 pm and goes to sleep generally straight after his bottle.  He has a dream feed at 10:15 pm.  His first night waking occurs anywhere from 1:30 am to 4:30 am and he usually has 2 to 3 a night.  He is formula fed (no solids) and has about 8 oz (5 bottles a day).  Regarding putting him to bed, if he has a 7:00 pm bottle I put him to bed sometimes alseep because he zonks it.  However, if he has a 6:00 pm feed, I put him to bed awake and he usually cries for about 5 mins, I give him his paci and he falls asleep.  Sometimes I have to do this twice but not normally.  The same goes for his naps.

When he wakes during the night and is generally just grunting (with eyes closed).  I do (which I am going to change tonight) pretty much jump up as soon as I hear him and put his paci in because I don't want him to wake entirely and worry that if I let him go he may wake fully and I wont be able to get him to sleep.  As soon as his paci hits his mouth he is out straight away so he normally doesn't wake up entirely.  Sometimes when he is groaning he lets a few rippers go LOL so I figure it is wind sometimes waking him up.  I know that some people say to take away the paci, but I have read that helps reduce the changes of SIDS so I don't know what to do.

He does not have anything other than his paci to help him sleep.  I worry about using a lovie because they say not to put blankets or toys in their beds to reduce the risk of SIDS.  Once asleep, he spits his paci out pretty much straight away normally. 


Offline Tangles

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Re: Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old
« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2006, 02:34:04 am »
Just bumping up for advice still :)

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old
« Reply #2 on: August 11, 2006, 16:11:38 pm »
So sorry for the delay  :-\  We've had a lot of vacations going on lately around here.  ;)

I think that you have several different things going on right now. It does sound like he's teething - have you treated that at all? Also I would bet that the paci has become a prop. Whether or not you get rid of it is entirely up to you, but if you decide to keep it make sure that you are prepared to get up at night and replace it.

You're definitely right that it's time to stop jumping up right away when you hear grunting. He won't learn to sleep independently unless he learns to self-soothe and put himself back to sleep. It might mean some rough patches for you but in the end it will be SOOOO worth it!

Do you feed him at night other than the dreamfeed?
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline Tangles

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Re: Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old
« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2006, 11:32:15 am »
I certainly think he is teething because the times when he has become rather unsettled at night, I have given him Panadol and he has gone straight back to sleep and has not woken until the morning.  I don't know if the paci is a problem or not.  When I put him to bed at night, he doesn't have it in (mind you he has zonked it my arms after his last bottle).  However, he usually sleeps from 7:30 pm straight thru until his dreamfeed with no wakings.... I then give him his DF at 10:15 pm and he goes back to sleep again without his paci..... I only use the paci if he wakes during the night (and for day time naps as well).  I don't mind him using a paci because I have read that latest research shows that it reduces the chances of SIDS plus if his his gums are sore due to teething, I think this helps.  I will probably work on perhaps giving up the paci at 6 months. 

Tonight I will try not to jump up as soon as I hear him.  The problem is, sometimes his nappy is really really wet... I have been told that the wet more when teething ..... so I need to change his nappy about 2:00 am.

The DF is his last feed for the night and he doesn't feed again until 7:00 am to 7:30 am. 

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old
« Reply #4 on: August 18, 2006, 16:19:20 pm »
Yes, teething does make the nappies worse!  ::) 

Not feeding again at night after the DF is pretty unusual for a 4 month old - are you sure he's not hungry?
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline Tangles

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Re: Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old
« Reply #5 on: August 21, 2006, 05:12:48 am »
I don't believe he is hungry because he goes straight back to sleep once he either has his nappy changed, his given panadol or gets his paci......

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old
« Reply #6 on: August 21, 2006, 16:12:12 pm »
Wow, that's great for you then! How are things going now?
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline Tangles

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Re: Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old
« Reply #7 on: August 22, 2006, 03:16:11 am »
Good yes, that he doesn't require a feed at night.  You probably think I have no right to complain.  I would however prefer if he slept perfectly and had one feed in the middle of the night... rather than these constant wakings.

No teeth yet  :'( I really am dying for one to come thru so that I know it has been all worthwhile!  I don't like to give him Panadol all of the time and only do it if he will not settle at night.  A couple of nights ago, he was great.... he only woke at 5:00 am and I changed his nappy (it was very, very wet) and he went back to sleep until 7:00 am.  I was hoping that it was the start of something good... but no.  Last night was pretty bad.  He even woke up a couple of times between his 7:00 pm feed and his DF (not usual) and then woke probably about 4 or 5 times during the night.  Generally, I put his paci in and he settles straight away.  If he wakes up rather quickly after I have given him his paci, I know that it is his nappy so I change that and that does the trick.  He certainly is not waking up for my attention as he really doesn't wake up.  When I walk in, his eyes closed but he is crying - which to me sounds like a painful cry.  I don't talk to him when I go in... I just put his paci in and he chews on that and goes straight to sleep.  He goes to bed at night after both is 7:00 pm feed and DF without his paci because he goes to sleep in my arms straight after his bottle.  No keeping those little peeps open!

I guess on a brighter note, since his nights have been so restless his naps have been longer... yesterday his 1st nap was 1 hr 20 mins and his 2nd and 3rd naps were 1 hr.... this morning his morning nap was 1 hr and 35 mins....... Still I would prefer to have my 45 minute wonder napper back if it meant he would sleep thru the night without any wakings.  He can settle himself without his paci though.. he has done it before.  For his nap this morning and yesterday morning, he actually woke after 45 mins... I heard him cry out suddenly and that was it.  I was told that sometimes giving a baby a DF can make them have night wakings because you disrupt their sleep which could be the case, but I am ot going to stop the DF until he is on solids and I am waiting until he is 6 months old... I can handle another month and a bit if I have to. 

Offline GKirk

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Re: Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old
« Reply #8 on: August 22, 2006, 13:04:01 pm »
Hi-

Just wanted to let you know that my ds is doing the same things, he is 4.5 months old and he goes to bed at 7pm, with a df at 1030.. he wakes everynight at 3am for his paci!! and sometimes he cant settle back to sleep.. if i leave him there he gets hysterical i am unsure what to do!! So.. you are not alone!

Offline litomi

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Re: Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old
« Reply #9 on: August 22, 2006, 13:10:55 pm »
Do you want to extend his A time? Try to stretch it a little bit 1hr45min, up to 2 hrs? See if it helps him to have longer naps.

Offline MomInOhio

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Re: Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old
« Reply #10 on: August 22, 2006, 13:49:04 pm »
Hi! I have the same problems and DH and I are getting EXHAUSTED!!!! Our dd is on the 4 hour EASY routine, and does well with that, though recently ALL of her sleep has been disrupted. She is 4.5 mo's old, and for the past month her night wakings have been crazy! We weaned her from the swaddle, b/c she kept getting out and getting mad about it, so now she's got free arms, but the night wakings are still happening. So, we've ruled out the swaddle. Last week at her 4 mo. old dr. visit, the dr. said she didn't think she was teething from what she could feel, but we're not so sure. She drools like crazy, and has really wet diapers at night too.

Anyway, she's up a few times a night, and lately some of her naps have been pretty disrupted as well. When she wakes at night, it takes a while to put her back to sleep with either shhh/pat or PU/PD. It's getting really frustrating and we need sleep badly!!!!

You are all not alone in this, and I'm glad to see I'm not either, but for all of our sakes, these babies NEED to sleep!!!
When our dd was born, she was 9 lbs, and everyone said, "Oh, a big baby, she'll sleep better b/c big babies sleep better." That's nice. But not ours!!!
Any ideas???

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old
« Reply #11 on: August 22, 2006, 20:23:19 pm »
4 months-ish tends to be a time of almost guaranteed sleep disruption since they start on a lot of developmental things like rolling about that time.  :-\  Sounds like there's a rash of it going around, eh? Plus it sounds like you ladies are dealing with teething as well.

When our dd was born, she was 9 lbs, and everyone said, "Oh, a big baby, she'll sleep better b/c big babies sleep better." That's nice. But not ours!!!

Now that's funny. There sure are a lot of myths that go around.
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline litomi

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Re: Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old
« Reply #12 on: August 23, 2006, 00:38:40 am »
My DD is 4 months 1 week. She soothes herself by sucking her fingers... when she wakes up at night, she settles herself by sucking her fingers. Is he relying too much on his paci?
Paci doesn't really reduce the risk of SIDS....

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old
« Reply #13 on: August 23, 2006, 16:21:58 pm »
Actually there is recent research that shows that paci use does reduce the risk of SIDS. Of course it's no guarantee, but nothing is!
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline motherof3

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Re: Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old
« Reply #14 on: August 23, 2006, 18:41:31 pm »
Lord what is it with these babies. :-\  My dd is also just over 4 months and getting up through the night after almost 2 wks. of sleeping through the night.  She takes 32ozs. of formula during the day and a 6oz. dream feed at 10:30pm, so I can't imagine that she is hungry.  She wakes up not really screaming but rolls over on her back and then can't get back on her stomach.  So I go in and roll her back over and give her her thumb (she is a thumb sucker).  Usually I have to do PU/PD a few times also.  How do I know if she is hungry?  She usually would wake up b/w 4-4:30 am for about a week and now she is getting up at 5am and then 5:30. This morning. :(  So I don't know if this is a habit or if she is hungry?  She also has reflux and I am increasing her Prevacid b/c of fussing/crying and arching her back during feedings.  So I don't know if these could be bothering her.  She is a great napper during the day usually two 2 hr. naps and one 45min-1hr. nap.  Could she be getting too much sleep during the day?  ???

I was going to try W2S but I am worried it will just desturb her too much and we will still be in the same boat.  I am dying for a good nights sleep.  My dh can't help me at night b/c he gets migraines and his medication knocks him out.  :-\   

TIA for any advice.  It is kindof nice knowing that I'm not alone, even though I wouldn't wish this on anyone :-\.
Jackie 3/10/01
Payton 9/23/03

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old
« Reply #15 on: August 23, 2006, 19:39:35 pm »
If she wakes up again after going back to sleep then she is likely hungry. Also, LOs usually have a coughlike quality to their cry when they're hungry.
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline litomi

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Re: Frequent Night Wakings - 4 month old
« Reply #16 on: August 23, 2006, 21:57:21 pm »
My LO usually wakes up around 3:30, settles herself back to sleep and wakes up half to one hour later, cooing. (She seldom cries for hunger, cooing is actually her language.) So, instead of waiting her to wake up fully... I DF (2-3oz) her once she's settled back to sleep. It worked....