Does the boy just NEED to eat???

[Maggie and Nathan's Mommy]

Nathan is 6 months old and slept through the night at about 9 weeks.  Recently, about the past month, he has been waking either at 5:45 and not going back to sleep (about 1 night a week) or he wakes around 3-5am (about 6 days a week).  At the 3-5 am wake I have been feeding him and he will pretty much go back to sleep and sleep until 6-7 depending on the waking.  He drinks the whole bottle quickly and falls back asleep easily.  However, mom does not fall back asleep so quickly   Over the past month, he has learned to roll over, sit up, had 2 teeth pop through and a double ear infection.  However, we are over ALL that now and he just will not sleep through.  It is not at the same time every night also which is confusing!!

SO does he really need this feed ??   how do you know??

Our day: This schedule will change due to the nightwaking but this is a rough guide

6am bottle 6oz
7am solids
8am nap

10am  bottle 6oz
11am  lunch
12pm nap

2pm bottle 6oz
4pm nap
6pm dinner and a little milk (just to wash it down!)
7pm bath pjs bottle
7:30 bed

Well, of course he does not always take 2 hour naps.  Usually 2 naps are 1-2 hours and the third is 45 min.  but these can happen at any nap.  So if he naps short, I try to keep the food the same, but he only stays awake for 2 hours.

I have tried to settle him only a few times because it is easier to feed him and go back to bed.  When I tried to settle him he just kept fussing.  He does not really CRY at the waking more of a whine fuss grumble!!  He uses a paci to go to sleep most of the time.  This is starting to upset our schedule.  Because he is not really interested in eating when he first wakes in the morning because he just ate an hour or so ago

Anything would be appreciated!!!

[linfran]

OMG, I was just about to post EXACTLY the same thing for my ds, who is the same age and has also learnt to roll over (plus has been ill and is trying to pop through the next three teeth).  I had thought it was a growth spurt at first but it's going on too long in our case.

DS started solids (on medical advice) at 15 weeks because of his size and he's getting the same amount of milk as your lo and about five dessert spoons of fruit and veg and lunch and dinner and the same amount of rice cereal at breakfast - I am concerned about overfeeding, as he takes an 8oz bottle during the night. 

I reckon they must need the feed otherwise they'd just have a couple of ounces and then not bother with the rest, plus if it was habit they'd wake at roughly the same time each night.  My lo sometimes likes a paci to get to sleep and if he's going to settle during the night the paci would normally do the job in minutes but he's like your lo, keeps grizzling.

He has just started daycare and I though it could be that but it's been going on before he started so I guess not.

Is there anything else anyone can think of?

[Maggie and Nathan's Mommy]

Anything??

[Colin Macs Mom]

6 months is a really tough time for sleeping, unfortunately. With starting solids (for many), the developmental things that start happening, the 6 month growth spurt and teething that's a LOT!! I think it's reasonable to expect a waking or two during this phase, but there are things you can do to help ease them. Make sure that you're feeding gentle foods for dinner that won't cause gas or tummy upset. For the developmental things, make sure that the LO gets tons of time to practice the new skill during the day. If they want to do nothing else, go with it. They will master it faster that way and also get the urge to practice out of their system - hopefully!

As far as the night feedings go though, many need at least one feed for quite some time, even up to a year. You'll know when it's not needed - LO will take less and eat much more slowly. A hunger cry usually has a coughlike quality to it so that might help you determine if that's the reason for the wake. 

[knackered]

Hey guys - up until 5 nights ago my 7 month DS woke at least once, more usually twice, looking for food. I assumed that these were hunger wakings but I couldn't make him eat more during the day. I always did the DF as late as possible (about 11pm), thinking that would make the liklihood of just one waking greater. After reading something on this site, I decided to move his DF half an hour earlier and that night he slept straight until 6 am!!! I've done the DF at 10.30 every night since and the earliest he's woken has been 5.30! This morning it was 6.30! Isn't that amazing??!! I don't know whether the same would happen to your LOs but it's worth a try? I think the 11pm feed broke into a sleep cycle and this then disturbed him for the rest of the night. Though it could of course be conincidence!

Let me know if this has any effect on your babes.

Anna x

[Colin Macs Mom]

Anna, that's great, good for you!! Isn't it funny how sometimes the smallest change is all that's needed?

[linfran]

It's just so frustratin gas he'd been sleeping 8pm to 7am and just when you think you've got it sussed.......

[Colin Macs Mom]

LOL, I know! As soon as things get straightened out and everyone gets comfortable again all hell breaks loose.