Hi Ladies!
My 7 month old son has always been up at least 2 times a night, with a few times of only waking once or going all night without waking. He goes to bed quite well usually by 9 PM, and his first waking usually happens between 1 - 3 AM. But for the past week, he is not wanting to go to sleep at 9 anymore, he wants to be awake and goof around. When I do get him to sleep, he wakes again about 10:30 or 11 PM (Right when I'm starting do doze off!!) and cries like he's hurting. Last night, when I tried to comfort him, he was arching his back, like he did not want to be held. I nursed him a little bit (though I'm not making much milk anymore)and he started to fall asleep, but the SECOND I lay him in his crib, he wakes up and fusses. This new sleep pattern has been going on about a week now. I thought it may be teething pain or maybe an ear infection, since he had a runny nose last week (gone now). I give him some baby Tylenol, and soemtimes it seems to help and he goes backl to sleep and other times he still cries like he's hurting. I'm not one for co-sleeping, for many reasons, but I have been bringing him into my room and having him sleep in a rocker on my bed when he's being really loud, so as to not wake the rest of the house. I really don't want him getting used to that though, and want him to sleep comfortably in his own room. he's been in there since he was 6 weeks old and has done fine up until now. Any suggestions on how to handle this or what it could be? I'm going to make him a bigger bottle tonight and see if that helps, maybe he's just really hungry, since he's been chowing his cereal, fruit and veggie meals. Also, he seems to be dropping his morning nap, and just taking a long afternoon nap. Is he too young for that yet? I can't remember when my first son dropped to only 1 nap a day, but I could have sworn he was older then 7 months! Thanks Ladies!!!
Same with the other moms. My daughter was going to bed late and we began puttig her down and hour earlier (8 pm) then we began paying attention to her sleep signs. Within 2 weeks she was going to bed at 7 pm and sleeping until 7 am. She's now 9 months and sleeps 6:30-6:30. I know that's not typical, but 9 pm for bed seems way to late. Try an hour earlier (as suggested) and then inch it up earlier from there.
Good luck!
Sorry to hear you're having sleep issues - they are never fun!
Have you considered that he might be over-tired? At that age, my daughter was going to bed before 7p every night. And if he's not getting enough rest at night, that may be effecting the morning nap as well. I highly recommend the book 'Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child' for detailed advice on sleep - it was a savior for me!
Hi there!
A couple of things - 9 is really too late for a kiddo to be heading to bed. My son has sensory issues and got so overwhelmed and over-tired if he went past 7:30. So we started quiet down time at 7 to prep him for bed - dimmed lights, final meal all cuddled up, soft music if needed. Babies do need a lot of sleep and if he's dropping his morning nap then going to bed earlier is a good way to compensate (plus it gives you some time for yourself in the evenings). If it continues or gets worse I'd suggest getting him in for a behavorial appt. My son started doing the exact same thing and it got so bad I had to spend hours getting him to sleep only to wake up over and over and spend an hour sometimes to get him back to sleep. His sensory issues have been diagnosed and he sleeps so well now, even still takes a nap at age 4.
Also remember that every child is different (my second NEVER had sleep issues!). I hope things work out!
Hi A.,
I have a 7 month old daughter with the same kinds of issues going on right now. I posted my question a couple of weeks ago. I put my girl to bed between 7:30 and 8:00 every night. She still does the strange wake up thing a couple of hours later (she slept through the night for months in her own crib). I thought teething, ear infection, but I think it boils down to separation anxiety. She wakes up screaming like she's being hurt, but the instant I walk in to get her she stops. So, I've been hearing from everyone: "It's normal and it will pass!" Good luck.
I agree with the other posters.....you could be putting him to bed after he's gone in to baby-over-load-mode. Try to start a nice warm bath by 7:30, get in jammies, read a book together and cuddle and put him to bed by 8....sometimes routine is all you need to fix this problem...it worked with ours....that was our big sleeping issue...I didn't realize that a 6 month old needed a routine.
J.
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