I feel like a new mom! I already have a 2 1/2 year old,but she never had ANY problems teething... slept through the night always.
My now 6 1/2 month old boy-- wakes up every 1.5- 3 hrs in middle of night! Completely happy during the day.
-eating solid foods 2xday
-breastfeeding on demand (every 2-3hours)
He just had his 6mo check up on july 12th... so the ped would have caught an ear ache/infection, right??
How would i know the difference between an ear ache and teething.. or something else?
Can 6mo growth spurt last this long??
He does have both bottom teeth that popped through gums-- but they have been popped up past gums for a week now. Still not all the way grown yet, but doesnt the teething pain go away once they pop through gums? or does pain persist until all the way in/grown?? Could he be cutting his uppers now too? i dont see anything yet.
Nothing seems to work--doesnt last longer than 3 hrs anyway; tylenol, ibuprofen, hylands tablets, etc...
HELP!!
Has he learned to do anything new lately? Like sit up for instance? He really could just be too excited to sleep because he wants to practice his new skill. Or...in my son I notice this..when he doesn't get a good nap in during the day then he will wake up during the night. They just won't sleep well when they are overtired. But in your case, your baby at his age should be having more than one nap a day..
When he wakes at night.... is he just making noises, or SCREAMING or crying??? If not, then try letting him be.
Babies/kids often rustle during sleep. But then they go back to sleep.
Try seeing with your baby.
Listen to his noises and cues.
At about 6 months old, my son as a baby, would wake/stir/make noises... but then he'd go back to sleep, IF *I* did not, interrupt him. But I also knew when it was him needing a feeding (he had a GINORMOUS appetite and I breastfed). So at times, he would be hungry even less than 2 hours apart.
But it was growth-spurts.
Anyway, try seeing, if your son is just "waking" and stirring/making noises, or if he is really just crying/waking/screaming... at which time you do go in and check him.
When he wakes up at night is he crying out in pain? Could it just be a sleep habit to keep waking up? He may not be as good of a sleeper as your daughter. I would think the doctor would have caught at least the beginning of an infection. If pain meds aren't helping then he's probably not in pain. Will he happily take a teething toy/washcloth? Since it sounds like the issues are just happening at night, I'd try ignoring him when he cries (unless he's obviously in pain). He's healthy, eating well, happy during the day. It could just be that he's gotten in the habit of enjoying your company at night and knows how to get your attention :)
Earaches they normally are off balance or tugging. At least for my son they were. Is he drooling? Did the doctor actually check his ears? My sister's child's gums were horribly swollen in the back near his molars and they aren't even close to coming in. I'm thinking that as long as they are starting to come down toward the gums, they probably hurt. I use Tylenol and Orejel and it works. I have heard that whiskey works as long as it is a dab on the gums, but I don't suggest using it. Try using those teething biscuits. They work wonders to help the teeth pop through. Unfortunately you will have to watch him because they do break off and I'd hate for him to choke!
And yes, he could be going through a growth spurt at this age. My son seemed to hit his every 3 months. And how long they actually last depends on each child. Every child is different. I honestly wouldn't keep using the Motrin/Tylenol unless he was running a fever. My kids ran fevers with their teeth but usually only the molars and eye teeth. Now my son, on the other hand, he would run a 99 fever randomly while teething.
Good luck!
Does he take a pacifier? I put about 6 paci's in her crib and starting at about 6 months, she'll wake in the night and put on in herself.
I wouldn't just assume that this is teething or ears. He is waking because it's a habit and he wants what he wants - you! Crying for mommy in the middle of the night and wanting to soothed by nursing is very common. However, he doesn't need night nursings and doesn't need you to come in and soothe him to sleep every 1.5 - 3 hours.
Look into the Ferber method and let him learn how to self-soothe. You'll get to sleep through the night!
Dawn
