Please can you help? He's so tired.

[jojoisamum]

My little boy isn't getting enough sleep during the day. It's gotten worse over the last 4 days that he's been so grumpy, tired and misterable it is affecting us all.

He's pretty good at night. Sleep for 6.30 and we will be up around 12 hours later. He'll have 2 feeds during the night and most nights he will stir a couple of times and we need to go in and sssshhh him back to sleep. Sometimes if we bring him into our bed he will sleep for anouther half hour or so.

During the day though he will only sleep for short bursts of between 20 and 35 minutes. He's more active now he's 16 weeks old and within an hour of waking he's rubbing his eyes again. We've had so many tears this last few days I am done in. We resorted to calpol to see if that would help and it did. He slept for 1 hour today at 2 pm.

We've got a pitch black room for him.
I've stayed in his room to try and catch him but he's either alseep or awake with no coming around.
I make sure he goes down as soon as we have a sleepy sign. Sometimes he will nod off ok others it is a bit of a battle but again only for these short bursts.

I just don't know what to do next. He's so tired and we're not enjoying it. Can you offer any help?

[jojoisamum]

I also meant to say that I think the flat patch on the back of his head is may be a bit sensitive. He's not happy in his bouncy seat or on his play mat for very long. He seems fine on my knee but only if the back of his head is not resting on anything.

He hates the bumbo though. Could he just not like lying on his head? We obviously can't do anything about that yet though.

[meandmyjoe]

Not sure about the flat patch as my ds would never be laid down so never got the flat bit but as for the sleep, I do sympathise.

My ds often used to be tired after only an hour of waking, rubbing his eyes and crying. I never quite figured his day sleeps out to be honest. He never settled himself to sleep and never had a routine no matter how much I tried.

I think 16 weeks is a very difficult age, they are still tiny babies but have lost that newborn ability to fall asleep on a washing line!

You're doing well to get him to sleep as long in the nights. In my experience and that which I have read, most babies go through a stage of refusing/ fighting day sleeps or taking really short naps that aren't enough to make them feel any happier.

I think the main thing you can do is perhaps keep a log in the day of when he gets tired and how often he's feeding. Is there any corollation between the times he feeds and times he needs to sleep? Is there any time in the day when he is regularly tired?

Most babies of this age will need to nap about 2 hours after waking up in the morning. Try not to let him go too far past this or else he'll get over tired and take even shorter naps.

My ds never slept for more than 30 mins in the day until he was over 9 months so was constantly tired and grizzley so I do feel for you.

Do you think he could be starting teething? This effects their sleep massively and makes them extra grumpy and cry a lot.

I say do whatever works, if you think he would sleep better if he naps in your arms then do it if you feel comfortable with it. My ds always had his day sleep on me and still settled himself fine and slept through at night so do whatever you need to do to get through it! Above all, remember it will pass!

[meandmyjoe]

Oh and my ds hated his bumbo too! Actually he hated any kind of chair or being laid on a mat or anything other than being carried in my arms bu he developed fine and is lovely now! He takes 2 long naps of over an hour a day and sleeps in his own cot all night so don't panic, it's just a phase.

[Becky77]

Where are you jojoisamum? Just wondering if you're in London... If so there is a cranial osteopath charity that gives sessions on a donation basis... Sounds like it may be worth looking into due to the sore patch on the back of his head.

Also is he using a dummy? It just sounds similar to my DD when she was using a dummy and now that she's off it she sleeps much better

[moocowme]

if the calpol worked then it could be teething. it usually starts at about 16 weeks for the sensative ones. i would try more caplo about 20mins before nap time.