Advice please! Baby's sleep pattern has changed.

[TanyaMichelle14]

I know babies sleep patterns change as they develop but I was not expecting this. My son is almost 5 months, and though he was never great at napping he did do it and got what he needed. Three weeks ago he began getting up twice in the night again. Before he was sleeping through for a full 15 hours. And then he began finding it impossible to sleep for longer than 10 minutes. This leaves him cranky, tired, fussy and is affecting everything. Even his appetite has changed. Can anyone give me advice on how I can help him to nap?

[FATEdestiny]

Could his hunger levels have changed?

[blushingmare]

Teeth? Sounds possible. Maybe try dosing up on Neurofen half an hour before naps and bed?

My DS had a similar upset around about the same time (not that he was ever sleeping through anyway, but his sleep got even worse). He's just improving now (at 8mo) and it's mainly because I've started putting him to sleep on his tummy now. I probably wouldn't have done it much sooner than this due to SIDS risk, but feel confident he's big enough to manage it now.

For naps when it went tits up at 5mo I just rocked him in his pram to get him to nap and he naps pretty well like that. I haven't tried to get him back in his cot for naps as it's so easy to get him down in the pram, is no hassle having him sleeping there and I can't be doing with putting in the work to get him back in his cot, when it'll only go and change again in a few months anyway. From experience with DD, who was a terrible sleeper (and now is brilliant aged 2!), it became much easier to get her to settle for naps in the cot when she went down to just one long nap a day when really tired after lunch.

In general you just need to be prepared to ride out these changes and do what's necessary to survive them until the next change comes along.

[PotteringAlong]

Google 4 month sleep regression!