5 Month Old Sleeping - American Fork,UT

Maybe it is his teeth that are bothering him. They do usually cause them pain more in the evening hrs. than daytime only because you are rocking him, he's not up and being occupied so he feels the pain more. As well he may be getting to much sleep throughout the day, if so try and keep him awake longer (I know its hard) but he then may be ready to sleep when its time. I know this started prior to changing his environment but you now have I take it which will cause him more stress. I know when my son was his age and we changed his environment, I would get him to sleep, go to put him in his crib and I would say I would get within 6in. of having him down, his eyes opened and he screamed. He would not, it didn't matter what I did, go back into his crib. It was tough going. Try what I've said. Rub his gumbs as well prior to feeding and perhaps this may help him to close his little eyes. Good luck and I hope this works for you.

Welcome to your baby giving you his opinion! We too have a baby boy who is almost 6 mos old. These last few weeks have been rough - almost every nap be puts up a fight. I can't say that he HAD been sleeping great, and now it's changed, but I can say that as soon as he THINKS he's being put to sleep, he starts arching his back, squirming and screaming.

Because of this, we've started to let him Cry It Out a bit. We have been "teaching" him that he can't always be held, rocked to sleep or carried around.

Sometimes when it's time for his nap, I put him in his bouncy chair. He goes through his normal PO'd spell, and I just keep going about my business saying, "You're ok" or "I'm still here", letting him see my face, maybe smiling at him, but NOT picking him up or "rescuing" him. I think he's starting to get it. He's learning to self soothe. Once he starts to settle down, I will pick him up and move him into his crib. He may fuss a bit, but usually he falls asleep within 2 minutes now.

I don't know if you have him on a schedule...for naps and bedtime, but that really helps our LO to not get so overtired. He seems to be better about "expecting" a nap, and knowing that I'm not going to come in and save him. So he settles down faster each time. And if he wakes too early from a nap, I don't run in to get him. I listen to his cry and sometimes leave him so he can fall back asleep again. If they get overtired, then they seem cranky all day and really fight sleep HARD. If you don't have a naptime or bedtime routine down, its good to have a few cues to help him understand what's coming. Even if it's as simple as closing the blinds/drapes, turning on a sound machine and singing one song.

I'm not big into the CIO methods where you just walk away and leave them entirely. I have found that BEFORE bedtime or naptime staying close to him so he can see me while he winds down works well. But in the middle of the night we've been letting him either CIO or my DH helps him. I breastfeed, so as soon as he smells me, he wants to eat. We have been working to go down to 1 night feeding. So if he wakes other times, we've been letting him fuss a bit. If it goes on too long or escalates my DH will go in to help him.

I hope this helps you. Feel free to msg me if you like.

I have just read, and am witnessing it with my daughter that since I have not taught her how to go to sleep on her own (I always nurse her to sleep for the past 15 mo) that after time they will need more to get to sleep, that it just wont work anymore. I was a big beliver in not reading those sleep books, and nursing her to sleep was the only way to go: but now I see it is not working and we are now rocking, walking, singing and sometimes nothing works I actually have started reading the books and they make sense. I wont let her cry it out so I am not talking those books, I cant do that. I knwo you say it started before moving, but sometimes they can feel things (stress, change is coming) so it still could be that. I would also try talking to your dr. bc maybe it is something that you dont know: belly aches are hard to tell. I wish you luck, I know how hard it is to get sleep!

Hmm. I know you are not looking for recommendations but my daughter is almost 6 mos old and she sleeps 10 hrs a night. We feed her a bottle at 7:30 and then swaddle her lower half and put her to bed at 8 pm. She is usually asleep by 8:15. Could it be by then he is over tired (signs of this are flailing of arms and legs)? You could try the pick up/put down method by the baby whisperer. You put the baby in the crib and once they start crying you pick them up right away but once they stop you put them right down. This can go on for an hour but it lets the baby know you are there to help them go to sleep. This worked extremely well for me. I was a habitual rocker in the bouncee and then I would carry my daughter up to her crib already asleep but I wanted to break the rocking habit. It took 3 nights and I never rocker her again.

try feeding him a little more, could still be hungry. Try motrin as opposed to trylenol or teething tablets. Just ssay this cause when my daughter was teething she got worse at night right 1-3 weeks before the teeth were about to actually break the gum. Good luck.

Google "wonder week." week 19 is a really rough one.

Meg,
Oh dear. It may be that you need the advice you refuse to listen to. :)
Try a bottle with more in it and slip a pacifier in his mouth before he's asleep but while you're still rocking.
And from a mother who rocked her first born to sleep every night and every waking in the middle and bottle/nursed them to sleep... and who's second child I did it differently (no sleeping while eating if it at all can be helped) I very very very very very (did I say very) much prefer the second method. She's a better baby for sleeping for others (my mom and in-laws, even sitters!!) and it is a lot less hassle. More time with our other daughter, um, more time with the husband and oh! More time with ME!

I do hope you find your answer. I know how frustrating it can be to have a fussy baby when you know it isn't something you can put your finger on. :) Good luck!
V.

It sounds like there is a lot of change happening for the little one I am sure he is catching on to that. Can you try to implement some kind of standard return that you can keep going while you move and try to get him away from swaddling. We use a CD a light up turtle with stars and we rocked him to sleep until he was about 8 months then he started to just soothe himself to sleep. Hang in there it will get better. I think he just needs consistency in his sleep plan. Good luck

have you changed formula? could it be bothering him? my dr. told me that food reactions can show up later in the day (they build up over the course of the day).

the fact that you sing and rock him sounds good as it could be a nice bedtime routine that you could use for years ahead ( i myself use a lullaby CD, as some nights i am just not up for singing).

once he gets used to his bed routine, it will help to settle him. also, it would not hurt to keep swaddling him if it calms him. my dr said a baby can't self-soothe until 6 mos, so your little guy is almost there1