I don't know what to do

[inscotland]

My little boy is just over 6 months. Since Boxing Day it has been hell getting him to sleep at night.

Bed time is 6.30 and his routine has been bath, bottle, bed since he was little.

Roll to Boxing Day when it took me until gone midnight to settle properly. He'd nod off for a bit then wake, be very upset, nod off again and wake again.

His first tooth came through about 10 days ago so I wondered if that was the problem but things have not improved.

Now it is still bath, bottle, teeth, bed but he needs to be in my arms to fall alseep and then put into the cot. Usually he will now only sleep for 40 minutes before wakening again. Usually we then have a struggle to get him back to sleep. Last night was 10 pm. Only once or twice has he either not woken or I just nip in, stroke his head and he is off again.

I lie on the bed with him and leave him there once he is asleep until 10.30 when a feed him and put him into his cot but my worry is that he's gone from being able to self settle to this and I don't want him relying on sleeping with me or is that ok at this stage?

Is it just his teeth? We are giving calpol most nights and he has been pretty grumpy but sometimes I don't know if he is now wakening through habit because not all of time he's grumpy and upset. Sometimes he wakes after his 40 minutes and is full of beans again.

Did your 6 month old change his sleeping? I don't know if he's telling me he just needs an extra nap and should be up later at night?

He's just a short napper 3-4 40 minute sleeps a day but even they are getting to be a struggle.

Any help?

[sandra79]

it is so hard when they have been good sleepers, my son went thorough similar around 7 months but through controlled crying & sticking to a routine he sleeps from 8-7, he only has 1 2hour nap now though. Mabye try keeping your son up later? or introduce supper/porridge, we used the bedtime milk at that point & it seemed to help. Teeth will always unsettle them but ive tried to stay with their usual routine with both my kids & it seemed to work.