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Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler.

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler.

Sleep

Confusing

18 replies

CornishDoll82 · 04/02/2016 20:58

My 7 month old has always been a decent sleeper and from very little when she's gone to bed she's not awoken for at least a few hours and for the last few months she's slept through.

However the last few nights she has woken up an hour after going to bed (bed at 7ish) crying. The previous nights we fed her some more and she's then gone back down but tonight she's just crying every time we put her down.

She's a mixture of BF and formula now. Tonight she's drunk 11oz in the last couple of hours so I seriously doubt she's hungry...

Any ideas?

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FATEdestiny · 04/02/2016 21:06

Could she be poorly? Cutting teeth?

CornishDoll82 · 05/02/2016 08:59

She kept waking tonight so we gave her Calpol but it didn't seem to make much difference, she just kept waking and grizzling until we held her - she finally slept at 11. She has never been like this before.

Now she won't go down for her first nap either. Same as yesterday. I don't understand why her sleep is falling apart. I'm so stressed out!

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FATEdestiny · 05/02/2016 09:38

Assuming you have checked all the regular things - not hungry, not thirsty, clean nappy, not too hot/cold and this is a recent change (ie she was sleeping OK before) then I would assume medical if it was me.

What do you think it might be?

GenevaMaybe · 05/02/2016 09:42

What's her routine like in the day?

CornishDoll82 · 05/02/2016 12:29

What do you mean by medical? She seems fine in herself most of the day. I thought it might be a development or growth spurt or even separation anxiety ie when she wakes she realises now that we aren't there. When she finally went to sleep at 11 she slept through till 7 so am assuming there's nothing deeply wrong with her!

Geneva she was a good napper but it has gone to pot in last few days too. She just doesn't really want to nap much and at the times she went down before she's no longer interested. I don't know if I am keeping her awake too long or putting her down too soon. What a minefield

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GenevaMaybe · 05/02/2016 20:42

Yes it is really hard. At 7 months you'd be looking at 2 naps a day, one in the morning of between 45 mins and an hour and another around lunchtime for 2 to 2.5 hrs. She's probably overtired right now and that's why she is hard to settle. How is weaning going?

CornishDoll82 · 05/02/2016 21:31

She's keen to try and eating a little bit but gets bored quite quickly. Today she slept two hours and just would not go down to sleep after 1:30. She got hysterical when k tried

She went to bed fine at 7 but has just been awake an hour crying again. I have no idea for what reason.

I thought it was meant to get better at 6 months but she is getting worse

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GenevaMaybe · 05/02/2016 21:55

Do you mean she slept two hours in the morning but then not again for the rest of the day?

CornishDoll82 · 06/02/2016 07:41

Sorry, yes, she slept for an hour at 9:30 and an hour at 12:30 after huge battles to get her down. In the afternoon I lost the battle and she wouldn't sleep!

She went to bed at 7 and went straight to sleep but woke at 7:45 and then was fine when held but cried whenever we put her back down until we gave her Calpol at 8:45 - then she was asleep within 15 minutes and went right through till 7am.

As she calmed with Calpol this makes me think it was pain, probably teething, but this has been happening for quite a few days and I can't see teeth. Also wouldn't she have woken in night if her teeth hurt, once the Calpol had worn off?

I'm wary of keep giving her Calpol a lot

I'm also wondering maybe I am just putting her down too early?

There's so many variables!!

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figginz · 06/02/2016 07:46

I vote teeth. Does she have any visible bumps? Mine falls apart when hers cut through and weeps for hours at night. You could try putting her back down for a really early "catch up" morning nap if she wakes up grumpy?

GenevaMaybe · 06/02/2016 08:08

You're definitely not putting her down too early. She was overtired and woke after one sleep cycle at 7.45.
If she hasn't napped well in the day then do an early bedtime like 6.30.

Today you could do nap 9-10 and 12.30 - 2.30 then bed 6.30.
I would do teething powder before the lunchtime nap

confusedandemployed · 06/02/2016 08:09

Could well be teething - try baby Nurofen instead of Calpol. Much better for teething pain.

GenevaMaybe · 06/02/2016 08:49

Agree, nurofen is the biz but only with food and 6 hours between doses

CornishDoll82 · 06/02/2016 10:08

We just had to fight again to get her to do her morning nap and she's only just gone down.

geneva she has never ever done a 2 hour nap. Hour and half is max but almost always 1 hour.

Do you think it could be separation anxiety - that she's worried we won't come back when we put her to bed? As soon as we pick her up she stops crying and falls asleep. She's also started to get very distressed when we even put her in the cot and I've definitely noticed her becoming more attached to me and her dad.

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GenevaMaybe · 06/02/2016 10:13

I think she just wants to fall asleep on you and is fighting settling in her cot. What's been happening for the last hour?

CornishDoll82 · 06/02/2016 10:19

Well I tried feeding and settling her and she kept screaming so I gave up for 30 minutes then my husband settled her by rocking and ssshing. She then went down in the cot awake with him patting her.

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FATEdestiny · 06/02/2016 11:16

What do you mean by medical?

I meant poorly or in pain in some way. Babies are quite easy to distract from illness and pain when awake and playing (unless it's really bad pain), so it is not unusual that you will only get signs of a medical issue at sleep times.

My 16 month old has had only two periods of being significantly in pain for it to disrupt her sleep. On both these occasions we found the cumulative effect of medication was more effective than dosing just before sleep time.

We tried on very bad days giving both calpol and ibruprofen together before sleep. This didn't prove that effective in the moment. However if I gave three 4-hourly doses of calpol over the course of the day (morning, lunchtime, bedtime) then the cumulative effect was more helpful at sleep times. Bear in mind the calpol bottle recommends not to dose for more than 3 consecutive days.

Do you think it could be separation anxiety

Are you / were you staying with her until she goes to sleep?

Was she going to sleep in her cot?

Does she have a means of comfort she can access herself - comforter toy, blankey, dummy?

CornishDoll82 · 06/02/2016 17:31

I was feeding to sleep which she seemed fine with as she's never had a night waking problem.

She's always slept in cot

No she hasn't comforter, but I have one I could introduce. I was just nervous about introducing a crutch

Today we've had some naps

10am - 1 hr
1:30pm - 45 minutes
4:30 - 30 minutes

So she has napped but she has fought every single time screaming and crying until suddenly falling asleep. Is that normal!!

She also has a snotty nose so I guess she might not be feeling 100%

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