5 month old started waking at night... any ideas??

[RhianMillar]

My beautiful baby Joe has slept through from 7pm till 6 am from about 2 months. He's never been a great day sleeper (lots of walks and car rides) but at least I could count on his night sleeps. About 6 weeks ago he started waking earlier 5/5.30am which wasn't ideal but I could live with it!

However things have gotten worse and worse, he started waking numerous times at night (starting at 10pm for the last 2nights). Sometimes he will resettle himself back to sleep and other times he won't and I have to feed him back to sleep. He's put down by 7pm awake and falls asleep by himself. I've stared weening as he's quite big for his age bit he is still walking so I don't think it's hunger.

Any ideas why he's started doing this? Bit at a loss really and it's getting me down as I feel it must be something I'm doing wrong.

Thanks in advance ladies xx

[McPhee]

Well you're very lucky.

My 6 month old is up 4/5 times in the night

My bet is teething pain.

[pumpkinsweetieMasPudding]

You could try giving him a later feed and changing him later.
Try to limit his nightime feeds as he will expect them every night iyswim.
Just slowly cut his nightime feeds out, so that eventually he will be having none at all.
When you do feed him, keep the lights low and tend to him quietly so he knows it is nightime.

I found the above to work with all of my 4dc, in time i hope it works for you.
Don't worry there is no right or wrong ways to parent x

[pumpkinsweetieMasPudding]

And like Mcfee said, it could be teething pain?
The sachets are very good

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Try googling 4 month sleep regression. It's either that or he could be teething or just cold. My dd is 5 and has been waking early, I've put an extra blanket on her bed and she's slept till 8 the last 2 mornings.

Think the most likely cause is the weaning though. His gut could be too immature and the indigestion is waking him or he could be filling up on solids and not getting enough milk and its making him hungry, or possibly both.

What is he having to eat and is he having his usual milk an hour before?

[waterrat]

you are definitely not doing anything wrong - it appears to be very common (happened with all my NCT friends) at 4/5 months that babies who have previously slept through start waking more- breastfed and bottle fed so nothing to do with that. It probably is partly hunger - the small bits of food he will be eating aren't going to fill him up as much as milk, make sure he gets enough milk.....perhaps a big feed at 10/11 - I introduced a bottle from DP at this time, so I could get a block of sleep - its bloody exhausting though!

I think - just my theory! - that at this point they are just more wakeful, they have come out of a phase where they were sleeping deeply and now they are like adults in a way, they wake a lot at night and just need to learn how to go back to sleep .....I know it seems a long time, but if you keep letting him settle himself (and make sure he has enough milk of course) he will gradually start sleeping longer stretches again -

my DS took until about 7/8 months to get back to normal.....but...I think I made it worse by continually feeding him back to sleep - I'm not saying that is wrong, do whatever you think is right, but I was overdoing it! but then again - you have to do what gets you the most sleep! they do grow out of it.

putting him in his own room was v helpful but we did wait untli 7 months - next time I would pribably do earlier - I would rather sleep on floor next to his cot than have him in our room waking so often -

advice we had from HV was wait until they are properly established on solids - not little pieces, but actually eating meals - then give a dream feed at about half 10 and try to push them through till morning with patting/ stroking in cot - I have to admit I felt that was too harsh but I did find the patting/ not picking up too often from the cot bit v useful in helping him fall asleep - picking him up when he was tired got him really upset, now a few pats and he rolls right back to sleep most of the time.

we did keep going with the patting/ shhing and got him further and further through without much upset - so, first I aimed to get him to sleep till 3 - then till 5 - then he started sleeping till 7 on his own - recently.

sorry, what a long post! - anyway, you have my sympathies - its very normal, its a developmental phase, and just keep doing whatever you need to sleep as a family, they do grow out of it once eating proper food

[ZuleikaD]

He's probably hungry - I'd just feed him. Most babies are still having night feeds until solids start to take over from milk at around 10 months, so he's very normal.

[RhianMillar]

Thanks for the advice ladies, I'm breastfeeding so it's diff

[RhianMillar]

Thanks for the advice ladies, I'm breast feeding do difficult to tell exactly how much milk he is having. Still offering the same number of milk feeds at the moment as we are still in the early stages of weening. Although he does seem to really like his solids do maybe he's having too much and then maybe not drinking enough milk at feeds?

Think I'll try offering a couple of top-up feeds tomorrow before naps to see if that helps! If not then I'll try the teething sachets.

It's so nice to know that others have been through this too x Will keep you all posted

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Extra bfs in the day could well be the way to go, have a look at reverse cyclingon kellymom

[endoflevelbaddy]

My DD did exactly the same at this sort of age having previously slept through about 10 hours at night, and I took it as the final cue to start weaning, which it looks like you've already started. It worked for us but it is still considered early weaning and isn't for everyone.
I did find she rapidly wanted to move on from a few spoonfuls of baby rice with a bit of bm or formula (she was combine fed) for breakfast to 3 (albeit tiny) meals a day on top of milk to keep her feeling content at night. Once we got the balance right she was back to her usual sleep routine within a few weeks, so you could maybe try an extra 'meal' at tea time if you're comfortable with that?

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

It could also have just been coincidence end and nothing to do with giving solids. 4 months is a developmental leap and a sleep regression.

[RhianMillar]

Well Joe decided to surprise me completely and sleep right through from 7-6!! Gave gripe water after his tea and then calpol after bath before bed. I think or must be teething pain that was waking him so I'm going to get some sachets today. Hoping last night was not a fluke but guess we'll see!!

[ZuleikaD]

Very small thing, Rhian, but in general we don't name DCs on mumsnet to avoid identification.

[RhianMillar]

Thanks for letting me know, new to the forum so didn't realise this!!