MY HUSBAND AND I ARE LOOKING FOR SUGGESTIONS...OUR 4 MONTH OLD SON HAS STARTED HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING AT NIGHT. HE HAS BEEN ON A GOD BEDTIME ROUTINE SINCE HE WAS 1 MONTH OLD AND WAS ONLY WAKING UP ONCE A NIGHT TO EAT BETWEEN 2-4MONTHS. HOWEVER, IN THE LAST WEEK HE HAS STARTED WAKING UP SEVERAL TIMES THROUGH OUT THE NIGHT. HE IS A BREAST MILK BABY -- BOTTLE FED. WE HAVE ALSO STARTED FEEDING HIM RICE CEREAL AND BABY OATMEAL DURING THE DAY.
HE HAS NEVER BEEN A GOOD NAPPER, BUT IT NEVER SEEMED TO EFFECT HIS NIGHT TIME SLEEPING BEFORE. ALSO, WE HAVE NEVER GOT HIM TO FALL ASLEEP ON HIS OWN.
WE ARE OPEN TO ALL SUGGESTIONS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE HEART FOR THE "CRY IT OUT" METHOD.
First of all,
I don't think that any babies that age will stay on a routine. Babies by nature are ever changing, going through growth spurts (wanting more breastmilk), he could even be starting to teeth.
My oldest got her first teeth at age 5 months. You say that you are bottle feeding breastmilk (or are you just nursing and bottle feeding). Sounds like you may need to increase that. Remember that a lot of things like this are a phase and "this too shall pass".
Jennifer L.
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My little guy has never been a good sleeper (yet - I'm still hopeful!) so I didn't detect any change in his sleeping habits around 4 mos, but I think I read something about how a baby's sleep changes around that time. I've been reading 'No Cry Sleep Solutions' by Elizabeth Pantley & 'Good Night, Sleep Tight' by Kim West. I mentioned these two books in a posting late last week, but I promise I'm not getting paid to advertise for them! ;) They are just two that don't involve crying it out. The one by Kim West might involve some crying, but at least you're there in the room or nearby, and can comfort your little one if your little guy gets too worked up. I also don't want Noah to have to cry himself to sleep; call me too sensitive, but I've been looking for alternatives to that.
In any case, maybe take a look at those in a bookstore to see if it might fit your needs - I think one of them might mention the change in the sleep patterns...perhaps that might be of some help.
I have a six month old son, who at about that age did the same thing. I was told by the doctor that it was simply a growth spurt that he was going through, and that it would probably be temporary. Sure enough, it only lasted about a week or two. He is now back to his old schedule. Sorry this does not really help your problem, but hopfully its a temporary situation.