Why won't my son just sleep?

[MonkeyBeard]

DS is six months. We've worked hard on his sleep and cutting out the all night snacking, so he now has one feed somewhere between 2-4am. He goes to sleep alone in his room, usually without a dummy unless he's overtired, and can fall back to sleep independently at night.

The past few weeks he's started waking up and crying out every 45-90 minutes from bedtime until after his feed. I've tried pulling this forward, but if I do that he won't go back to sleep and keeps waking up anyway until 2/3am. When he wakes he either falls asleep the instant I touch him, appears to still be asleep but wakes himself up and then needs comforting or just wants a cuddle. I can put him down wide awake after his cuddle, leave the room and he goes back to sleep. The same happens after his feed - wide awake and puts himself to sleep. I hear him wake at 5am every day and he just chatters away for a bit before going back to sleep until 6:30/7.

Is there anything I can do about this before I actually die of sleep deprivation?

[Couldntthinkofausername24]

Could he be a bit chilly. We've had to put the heating on for the first time this year. My son would also fuss about if the temp just wasn't right. He prefers a cold room but cosy clothes and a 2.5 tog bag

[MonkeyBeard]

We've actually put him down in a warmer sleeping bag tonight so fingers crossed that's it!

[grumpytoddler1]

Hmm there will be a few people along in a second to say 'that's normal', which is true but I know probably won't make you feel any better! It could be teething - my son seemed to be doing really well at 5 months, then he started getting up every hour at 6 months when the teething really kicked in. He still isn't a very good sleeper at age 2, he is usually up at least 2/3 times a night. Sorry for being totally unhelpful but at least you know you're not alone!

[MonkeyBeard]

I had a feeling that might be be the case @grumpytoddler1. He has his front two and wouldn't be put down the week they arrived, we ended up cosleeping.

He's just woken up so I guess the sleeping bag hasn't cracked it. Bugger.

[AriettyHomily]

6 month regression, swiftly followed by the 9, 12 etc. As soon as you think you have it sorted they screw if all up again.

[jblue2018]

Gosh this brings back memories.
My LG didn’t sleep more than a few hours at a time until she was 13months old. She was the same, just needed constant touch/reassurance Of my presence ! I suppose they are babies after all and we expect a lot of them. It’s not for everyone but I got a lot more sleep when I let her safely co sleep with me. Like I said we finally cracked it around 13months! Good luck

[MonkeyBeard]

Bum. I had a horrible feeling the phrase 'developmentally normal' might apply. Cosleeping doesn't seem to help this waking sadly - I've partially coslept from six weeks when it's helped so don't have any objections but would rather not if it's not helping. I actually don't mind getting up in the night, it would just be nice to cut it down to once or twice to feel less zombie like! I'll have a chat with DP about how he might help and hunker down for the long term then!

[jblue2018]

It certainly seems normal when I speak to other mums. But some babies do seem to grow out of it earlier ! So fingers crossed for you ☺️

[Lockdownseperation]

For both of mine 6 months was the worst for sleep. Developmental leap, growth spurt and learning to crawl and walk. Cosleeping in the only way I manage to get sleep.

[ikphillips]

We're a few weeks behind you with our second daughter and I'm beginning to wonder whether it's a developmental thing and I'm fighting way too hard to make it worth it! Also tried to cut down 'random' night wakings and feed once or twice in the night (in line with the spacing between feeds in the day) but she still wants to wake up every 2 hours come rain or shine... I'm thinking of giving it another week and then just giving in to co-sleeping, although I've also done a bit of this too and we don't sleep brilliantly... although at least I can stay in the bed and not have to keep getting up to pat her back to sleep!
Anyway not helpful but suffice to say I feel your pain!

[Siennabear]

6 months is still so tiny, it is hard but carry on the co sleeping. It will get better eventually.

[missanony]

Is he really waking up? Or having a bit of a moan in his sleep?

It sounds a bit like he’s overtired. What’s the daytime routine like?

[MonkeyBeard]

He is just having a moan, so we watch him on the video monitor and 90% of the time he wakes himself up

He's dropped his fourth nap and usually has at least one 1.5 hours nap, if not two. Generally has 3-3.5 hours daytime sleep, maybe 2.5 on a bad nap day. He goes down between 7-8 and is up 6:30-7.

[MonkeyBeard]

Is often just having a moan, sorry! Sometimes he does wake right up and cries straight away.

[zaffa]

Ohhhh we had similar. DD was rubbish sleeper as a newborn then got better then started sleeping through and then around six months it all went mad. Also she has never slept as well as she did in her Moses basket but sadly she is far too big for it now 😂
We co sleep now (almost ten months) we weighed up not sleeping versus not having her in our bed after nothing else worked and so we decided to co sleep and it's been much better. She still wakes up sometimes but just goes back to sleep with a cuddle - she does snuggle up to me at night though and often holds me so I wonder if it's emotional as well. I think sometimes she would like to go back to sleeping on me if she could but makes do with the snuggling up instead

Probably not what you want to hear but I'm hoping after one we can transition her to her own bed and she will be ok (currently working on settling her at nursery and her separation anxiety is high so I don't think evicting her from our bed will help!)
Good luck OP x