My son starting sleeping through the night about 3 weeks ago. He got his first cold last week and was up every two hours. I just figured this was due to him being sick and not feeling well. He is completely better now and is still waking up all hours of the night. We have in the past let him cry for about 5-10 minutes and he will go back to sleep. Lately he hasn't been crying, he has been screaming. It gets to the point were he sounds like he's losing his voice. When I go in there to pick him up he acts like he's scared to death. His eyes are wide open and he takes forever to calm down. The main time this happens is about 1-2 hours after I put him down. Is it possible for a 5 month old to be having bad dreams or is he still too young?
My other question is about his eating. I'm worried because he is only taking about 2-4 ounces of breastmilk or formula every 3 1/2 hours. I feed him about 2 tablespoons of cereal in the morning and again at night. I've told the doctor my concern and he keeps telling me to just pay attention to wet diapers and make sure he always has tears and drool. I just feel like I'm starving my kid but he turns away and refuses to eat. He always seems content afterwards. Has anyone else had a baby that only eats this much? Any advice would help.
Does he have any teeth yet? I know that when my daugher started teething that she would wake up like that sometimes. I have also heard that babies can loose their appetites when they are teething.....just a thought. I hope he gets better for you soon!!
My son has gone through phases of sleeping through the night and waking since he was two months old. I attribute to different things... colds, teething, approaching different milestones, etc. When he stops sleeping through the night, we co-sleep, which also helped me rest easy when he was only takig 2-4 oz in a whole day while I was working. This was right before he broke his first two teeth. He is breastfed at home and bottlefed expressed milk while at daycare. I figured out that he was reverse cycling because he had plenty of wet diapers. He made up for what he didn't eat during the day in the evenings and at night while we were asleep.
S.,
Just wanted to let you know that you aren't alone! My second daughter was the same way. I was always worried that she wasn't eating enough food. She would only eat two or three ounces of breastmilk/formula. When I asked her doc about it he said that same as yours did.
Does your son eat his cereal without a problem? My daughter seemed to prefer her solids. Her doctor told me it was fine as long as I was mixing it with a good amount of breastmilk/fomula. It made me feel better because I knew she was still getting the benefits of her breastmilk and was getting enough food.
I don't really know what to say about the sleeping thing. Maybe he just needs time to get back on track.
Hope he starts sleeping better soon!
Dear S.,
As far as the sleeping goes, try putting him to bed an hour later, playing some soft music, and leaving a little night light on. Then when you do go in, don't pick him up. Simply sit down next to his crib, sing, talk, pat him, or whatever, but try not to take him out of his bed. It sounds like he figured out while he was sick that it was still ok to keep you coming in. Another thing is if you do take him out of his bed, stay in his room don't leave his surroundings. It is important for him to learn that he isn't going to get to keep you up all night every night.
With the eating my 2 yr old was the same way, still is! She just isn't a big eater. I would try to get him to eat some cereal maybe around lunch time, but if not, watch the diapers. I know to us moms that just isn't good enough, but it is true, they will eat when they are hungry.
Another answer to both of these dilemma's is prayer. It will help to pray for your son and to pray for yourself. Pray for wisdom and guidance, peace of mind and heart. He will hear you and answer. God Bless and good luck!
Write me anytime, it always has someone to talk to!
Deb
My daughter will be 4 in Febuary and she has had night terrors since close to birth. They do happen young. My son is 10 mths old and his started at around 2 mths old. It's a different type of cry. And night terrors are totally different from nightmares or bad dreams. You know your baby the best and if u think he's terrified then go in and console him. And it's something worth talking to the dr about. Certain foods can cause it and changes in routines can cause it. My dr told me to keep a daily log of what happened during the day and night to try and figure out the cause. We still don't know why they happen but they don't happen as often with my daughter.
As for the feedings all babies are different. If your dr isn't concerned I wouldn't worry too much. But the fact he isn't eating as much and screaming in the middle of the night I would talk to the dr and see if there may be an ear infection that is left after the cold. Good luck... I hope this helps....
The first thing...about nightmares...if his eyes are open and he appears to be awake...it might be night terrors. Type in night terrors in your search bar and see what info you can dig up...he's about the right age for them.
About the feeding...every 3 1/2 hours...so that's about 7 to 8 feedings a day...at 4 ounces is 28 to 32 ounces a day...it sounds about right...it doesn't seem like much because the amount that he's taking at a feeding is low, but he's taking several feedings...it's possible that if you try to cut back how many feedings then he should take in more at each feeding. At 5 months old, not alot of babies are still eating that frequently...but then again I never breast fed beyond 3 months...formula stays in their system longer.
If memory serves me he should take in something like an ounce per pound a day or two ounces per pound a day...I think it's 2 ounces...so if he's like 10 pounds then he should take like 20 ounces if I'm remembering correctly...your doctor should be able to answer that. Just make sure that he takes the breastmilk or formula if you switch before giving him food...the breastmilk/formula has everything he needs nutritionally...the food is just an extra.
I have heard that babies do have night terrors. My son has done the same thing a few times. I did notice he sleeps better if we leave a night light on. We tried to turn it off when we went to bed but he would wake up screaming in the middle of the night. I think it's because he doesn't know where he is at.
As far as the eating goes my son eats about 6ozs every 3 hours, but then I have a friend at work that has a son 5 days older than mine and she said he only eats 6 ozs at bed time and eats about 4 through the day. My son also spits up alot and I was worried about that, but the doctor told me as long as he gains weight and has 3 or more wet diapers a day then there is no need to worry.
my little girl had her 1st bad dream when she was about 3 months...she still has them every once in a while...but most likely your son is just experienceing some separation anxiety. when he wakes up crying....go to him, but don't right away pick him up, just talk softly to him and gently pat him a little bit to see if he calms down and give him his paci or lovie or whatever to help him fall back asleep. as far as his eating...as long as he is steadily gaining, is not dehydrated, and is content...then he is fine. if he is hungry he will eat. my dauhgter is 7 months old and still only takes about 4 ounces at a time and only eats a couple of table spoons worth of cereal or baby food a couple of times a day.
If he is screaming like that maybe he has an ear infection. I know when ever my daughter wouldn't sleep thru the night she would always have an ear infection.
every child is different. they start sleeping through the night at different times. too, their sleep pattern might change a couple of times before it's every night they sleep all the way through. if he's screaming that badly and is all wide-eyed, i would assume it's because he's scared. i understand trying to wait a few minutes, but he's not nearly old enough to know that everything is going to be ok. he might feel abandoned or he might be hungry. knowing that it takes so long for him to calm down, it seems to me that he might just be scared. try to be patient through this time that is difficult and exhausting for you and let him call the shots at this time. he definitely needs something if he gets that upset. good luck to you and god bless!
Hi S.,
Yes, it could be bad dreams, my little one's had them since birth, but they were never as bad as the ones your son seems to be having - also check into the ear infection. My 7 mo old had several colds back to back and had a little one that went away on its own and didn't keep her up, but its certainly a possibility.
About the feeding. My daughter is still on breastmilk (and occassionally water if she's at the sitters) and she's still eating just as much as she did at 3 mos. which is 2-4 oz. every 3 hours or so (I'm basically producing 1 oz -1.5 oz an hour).
Her weight's down a little from having 4 colds in 7-8 weeks but the doctor's not too concerned. I'm trying to boost my production with the help of a lactation consultant but so long as her weight continues to go up while she's sick (even if it's a teeny bit) the doctor seems to be happy.
So if the baby's content and the diapers are where they should be and he's gaining the right amount of weight then it should be just fine.
Good luck!
Are you putting your baby to bed when asleep, or still awake? It is normal for babies to wake several times during the night. If he is already asleep when you lay him down, the first time he wakes up the last thing he remembers is being in your arms. Then he might become frightened not knowing how he got there. (My doctor explained this to me) So I had to put mine to bed while they were still awake and teach them to put themselves to sleep.
I can't help with the food question because I breastfeed exclusively for the first year. But the waking at night thing I can sympathize with! I co-sleep with our 6 month old. By one month old she was sleeping through the night and it was heaven. Then her, her big brother and I took a train trip into Chicago when she about 3 months old. It was one of those 100 degree days and we sweat a lot, were miserable and didn't get home till 1am. Ever since she wakes anywhere from 2-6 times at night! We say that King Tut cursed us when we were the museum!lol My daughter does what your son does from time to time with the crying and then the screaming and then not being able to calm her down. It's usually when she falls asleep good and wakes enough an hour or so later and we are still watching TV. Like it upsets her that we are still up. And then I can't really wake her up fully so she just screams. My older son had night terrors and they are like that. You might want to google night terrors and see if 5 months old generally have them. I don't think it would be a bad dream but more likely he wakes a little then scares himself with his own crying, if that makes sense. He fusses, you leave him and then he fusses enough to actually wake himself up and then it startles him. That's what it seems like my daughter can do. I have no words of wisdom on what to do to make it better though. Maybe a night light or a crib music box would help him? My 3 year old still uses her crib music box to soothe herself back to sleep. Good luck!
As for the sleeping part, my 5 1/2 month old has started screaming also. She screams during the day to amuse herself and at night to get a quick reaction. She usually screams during the first 1 1/2 hours that I put her down to bed.
A lot of what you are saying seems like teething. If he is screaming and changing his eating habits he could be in pain from teething. I have found my daughter teething on her hand when she starts screaming at night.
One idea is right before you put him to bed give hime 2-3 teething tablets. This could help numb the gums enough for a restful nights sleep. I hope this helps and good luck.
Take his weight and times it by 2 1/2. That's how many ounces he should be getting (no more than 34 oz.). This also includes other liquids--like cereal. I'm sure he is just fine... he may just be having a weird appetite for now and it may change later. My daughter quit eating so much for about a month and now she's back to her old self... eating just fine. As long as he is content and you do have plenty of wet diapers, you don't have anything to worry about.
I agree with the other post about his sleeping--try a sound machine, they work wonders. Don't pick him up just tap him and tell him it's ok. He may be going through a little separation anxiety as well.
