Sleep help - 6 months old

[deborah_r]

Why is my almost 6 month old now waking me every two hours at night to eat? I try the pacifier and he rejects it 75% of the time during the night. He does not even eat every 2 hours during the day (usually 3)...I am a zombie after 3 nights of this...

We co-sleep by the way but he used to go 4-5 hours without eating. He goes right back to sleep after nursing about 95% of the time.

He is not crawling or doing much of anything new that I am aware of. He's been out and about during the day Friday and Saturday, but he usually does pretty well with that and takes his naps where and when he can get them.

Help, help!

[DDowning]

Oh Deborah - Its sounds just like what I'm going through now with DS! He started this about 2 weeks ago! DH and I are a wreck and getting next to no sleep. I feel as if I have a newborn again! I have no advice other than that I sympathize with you!!!

[Rachels]

Could he be teething or going through a growth spurt? Abby starts waking like crazy when either of those things are going on. Hang in there! It will pass.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[flagger]

Try offering plain water in the middle of the night. That is what we have done when Cocoa started night waking again and within 3 days she was back to sleeping through the night.

Cocoa did it last night about 11pm, and didn't take any water, but was crying in the pain OMG this hurts cry. A little Motrin did the trick and she slept until 7am.

HTH

[houseof3boys]

Deb I think he has just hit his 6 month growth spurt. That is in our future soon as well, so I feel for you with the lack of sleep! Should be over soon though....or at least keep telling yourself that. :P

[Momof3Labs]

I'd agree that it sounds like a growth spurt, in which case he needs your milk, not water. If you've ruled out growth spurt though (because it goes on for more than a week or so) then the water trick is probably reasonable.

You could try offering to nurse more during the day and see if you can get him to take more then, so you can all get some more sleep. But, honestly, there's a good chance that by the time you get something figured out, he'll be sleeping at night again!

[JenaW]

Deborah
I could have written your post. Carter is doing the exact same thing. Unfortunatley, it has been going on for a while. I have started only nursing him every other time and letting him try to comfort himself back to sleep in between. I know he can't really be hungry becuase he usually goes right back to sleep within minutes of latching on. I wish I had the answer for you.

Jera
Mom to Carter ~ 05.13.03

[lizajane]

we had the 6 month growth spurt followed by 2 teeth. we had not quite a month off from night waking when the next two teeth started. last night was the first night in 2 solids weeks that he did not wake up twice.

fear not. it will end!

[Jen in Chicago]

We are going through the same thing! I pulled out Dr Weissbluth on the way to work today. I can only offer sympathy, and will be checking this for ideas during the day.

Jude is 100% bottle fed as of a week ago and I was hoping the formula would allow him to sleep more, did not happen. Last night he was up around 12, 2-3:30 and another time (I was a zombie and don't remember the time and neither does DH). I know we should let him cry some, but I just can't do it (that is my problem with Weissbluth.) What is really usual is he would feed, fall asleep and we would put him down. Now putting him down wakes him up and he is INSTANLY in "play time" mode. Mom and Dad do NOT play until after 6 am. He kicked that darn Ocean Aquarium on and off (new trick) so many times I almost went and turned it off last night.

As per Baby 411 I am thinking of going to buy Ferber over lunch today.

[cchavez]

Add me to the list....last nite was terrible. Diego usually only wakes up once a nite.....he was up at 10, 12 and 3 and then ready to start his day at 5:50!!! The worst part was that he woke up crying each time. He usually does not cry at nite. He is 6.5 months and has 2 teeth. I don't know if is a late growth spurt ( he did not have one at 6 mos), teeth or the fact that he is rolling and scooting so he wants to practice his new skills all nite long.

We also lowered his crib mattress and we were wondering if that is throwing him off??? Whatever it is, I hope it does not last long.

I actually have bags under my eyes today....I haven't had those in awhile.

[deborah_r]

Well here's an interesting update. He woke up repeatedly from 8pm to 2am. Finally at 2am he was so awake and wanting to play that I felt it was my presence making him want to play (co-sleeping). So I swaddled him up like I do for naps (legs and body, not arms) and plopped him in his crib. I turned on the Aquarium and I don't know what happened after that because I slept like I haven't slept in months! Woke up at 6am when he was yelling and playing in his crib. That's the longest he's slept in his crib during the night since the first week he was home.

Maybe he's trying to tell me he's ready for his own space? When he didn't want to be rocked for naps anymore, he let me know it, and now I just put him in the crib for naps and he goes to sleep.

Yesterday he rolled over from back to tummy, which he's been trying to do lately. Once he did it once, then he did it like 10 times (I love that they do that!) So that could be something that's keeping him from sleeping I guess.

[Jen in Chicago]

What would we do without the Aquarium! I love it and hate it at the same time. Jude kicks it on and off and on and off and.... The good thing is we hear the aquarium on the monitor long before we hear a cry normally.

[Momof3Labs]

Ahhhh, yes, rolling is a huge milestone that, in my experience, throws their sleep for a loop. Hopefully things will start settling down in another week or so.

[houseof3boys]

Guess who was up at 1:30, 3:45, 5:00, 6:00 (finally brought him to our bed because I knew I could not walk to his room once more), 7:15 and finally officially was ready to wake up around 9:00. Each time he was ready to eat and would have none of the paci to soothe himself! Boy was I tired earlier (managed 2 naps with him today to "catch up". All day I cannot get him to nap in his crib though! The aquarium doesn't do it for him anymore and neither does the Symphony in motion mobile. Those were the days.....

Wishing all of us a better night tonight. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ