6 month old waking several times during the night and not napping properly during the day

[Gangle]

DS is 26 weeks on Friday and, in the last few weeks has started waking several times a night, usually at 11pm, 1 and 3 at which point he stays awake for an hour or two, not crying but just being very loud and keeping us awake! I feed him each time on the basis that we're coming up to 6 months so he could be hungry (he previously used to sleep from 8.30 or 9 until 4) but the problem is after the 3am feed he doesn't go back to sleep! I always take him in bed with us, usually at the first feed, which never used to fail to get him off but now he just seems awake and playful! He also seems less hungry during the day, despite me offering him the breast at the usual times. The only thing I am doing differently now is that we used to get up around 7.30 but now because I am so knackered I tend to change his nappy then take him back to bed with a few books and toys and just feed/cuddle for an hour or so until he has his first nap. He then usually have quite a long nap - today it was from 9 until 10.30, probably too long! Is this throwing the rest of the day out of kilter? He only naps properly if I sleep with him, otherwise he will just cat nap for 20 minutes or so a few times a day. Just can't seem to get him to sleep for longer unless I sleep with him or he's in the car. Can anyone help?

[pinkmunkee]

Hi Gangle.I can't offer any fabulous advice, I'm afraid- my DS has always been a terrible sleeper! But I can tell you that there are is a significant developmental spurt that goes on at 6mo-ish and this can disrupt their sleep for a while. It may well just pass without you doing anything. HTH

[nowwearefour]

it is a horrible horrible age and both my dds sleep went out of the window for a couple of months. my only advice is hang in there do what you need to do to get through and persevere with the daytime naps in the cot if that is your long term goal. it will get better as he gets less hungry and through the developmental phase. lots going on for them at this age. it does get better again but v v common for sleep to go out of the window at this age. i'd have thought that sort of length/time am sleep is perfect. another one sort of 2.30-4 should then be enough maybe til bedtime?

[AngeChica]

This sounds really like my DS. He is 8 months and had been sleeping through quite well from about 5 months when I weaned him on to formula and tentatively on to solids (he is 98th centile and a very hungry boy). For the last month he has been very wakeful at night, but is waking from habit / reassurance, I believe, not hunger (he now has 3 good meals a day and we're down to 3 bottles). This has seemed to coincide more with him learning to crawl. There is something I read about called "milestone waking", and I was finding him trying to crawl around in the cot etc but wasn't expecting it to be going on this long... just hoping it will pass as it's knackering!

He used to only catnap in the daytime unless I lay with him or let him nap on me. I also read that if they have a 1 1/2 hour nap that is a good thing as it is the "correct" length of time to refresh them. He has been getting better at sleeping in cot in day time, one thing you could try is what I do, when it gets to 45 mins asleep which is the end of 1 sleep cycle, hover around them and see if you can resettle as thes tart to stir but before they are fully awake again, (eg replace dummy if you use one), they can then go back over for another sleep cycle if you're lucky (doesn't always work though!).