Hi All - thanks for your help. Our little girl Tessa has abruptly changed her night schedule, though her days are still fine. Any thoughts? All our normal tools for settling her back to sleep are no longer working. If you have any advice for some new approaches, we'd sure appreciate it!
How old is your child? Four months and a week
What’s her daily routine? 4 Hour E.A.S.Y. - 7:30a – 7:30p – generally right on the button and thriving with this.
What’s nap routine? – two 45 minutes to one hour naps morning and late afternoon, one two hour nap mid-day
What's bedtime routine? Time? Bedtime routine is getting a swaddle (still seems to like it, but wondering if this is part of her change?), some quiet sitting time with Mom or Dad, then to sleep, usually with a pacifier that she spits out after a few minutes of soothing. She goes down between 7:30 and 8pm. She is a very good self settler and hasn't needed more than a low-key sleep routine.(until the past few days!)
Do you bottle or breastfed?? Bottle. Normally – 4-6 oz four times per day in daytime, then two 4 oz bottles at night, sometimes a little more.
Last two nights – 5-6 oz four times per day, then two or three 4-6 oz feedings at night, sometimes two – two and a half hours apart! Last night she took a full six oz. just a couple of hours after having 6 oz. before bed.
How many wakes per night? Normally – two – 12a-1a and 4a – 5a, on the button. Last two or three nights– up screaming every 2 – 2.5 hours.
What’s your LO like when waking at night? How long is he/she up? We let her self-settle, and most of the time if she isn;t hungry this is fine. If it moves into a full cry we try to be right there, especially when we know it is likely a feeding. Right now she is so off we have tried to let her cry a little longer and self settle- - up to five minutes but not working. We have been doing some shush pat the past few nights but it only works short term.
When you go to her is she fussing or crying? Or is it a mantra cry? No – right now she starts by fussing, but it accelerates into a screaming cry, and that is when we go to her.
What have you tried to settle?? Pacifier – will work for about two minutes then cries again; shush/pat with her in the crib, pick-up and rock and shush, but cries when you put her back down. We finally took her into bed with us last night and she slept for five hours, but when she woke up again around 4a, she was wide awake and nothing soothed her for over an hour when a swaddle, a pacifier and lying down with Mom put her to sleep, then back in the crib alone once asleep. (We don't like doing this - it was a last resort)
What do you do for A time and how long is it? She sits with us and plays – practicing standing, airplane, etc. Or she lies on a blanket with a favorite toy – and she is starting to roll over (last 4-5 days), so we put her on her tummy to roll back, etc. She also sits in her swing with a mirror toy sometimes. She has become very very verbal in the past two weeks as well, so she will talk away as well.
Are there developmental issues such as teething or milestones? Yes – she has had a number of changes in the past seven days – starting to turn over, finding her thumb (vs. entire hand) to suck, is grabbing her feet now, etc.
Have you introduced cereal? Why, how much, and how many times a day? (for LO’s under 6 months) No – just formula.
Do they have a prop? If so what is it? If anything, a pacifier, but she uses it minimally – she soothes with it when upset then spits it out or else uses it to fall asleep, then spits it out.
Do they have a lovie? Not yet.
Thanks for any advice/insight? We are so tired we can't think clearly!
