all of a sudden 10 month DS won't sleep longer than an hour, day or night...

[bohemianbint]

He will go down at 7pm, but the last week or so we've had to go up every 40mins-1hr. The pattern continues all night, we go to bed about half 10pm when I feed him, and then we get woken up roughly every hour until 7am. He sometimes will be shushed and that only takes a few minutes but often it can take 10-15 mins, every hour. It's ridiculous.

He is teething, but even so. We just don't know what to do about it and frankly the sleep deprivation as well as being ill is making me want to knock myself into a coma. He's never slept well but the last week has been shit.

Any suggestions?

[bohemianbint]

help!

[angel1976]

If you think he is teething, can you give him Calpol or Calprofen (I find Calprofen better for night as it lasts longer) just before you put him down? And what do you mean he gets up every 40mins-1hr? Do you give him some time to grizzle to himself and learn to self-settle? My DS often 'wakes up' and moans and cries a bit but I find that if I leave him for a while, he usually quietens down and goes back to sleep. It's hard not to run to them the moment they cry but sometimes it's for their good so they learn how to self-settle. If you go in to shush and pat him while he is trying to go back to sleep, you can end up waking him even more! Of course you go to him if he gets really frantic but if he is just crying out a bit and grizzling, you won't do him any harm to leave him for a while to see if he self-settles. I hope sleep gets better for you soon!

[angel1976]

Your DS is 10 months old? It's very typical for them at that age for their sleep pattern to change. My DS has always been a good sleeper but at 10/11 months, his sleep went bad for a while. Things got way better at about 12 months and he is now 15.5 months old and he more often than not, goes 7-7 without waking. Occasionally he might grizzle and maybe once or twice a week, we have to go in to give him a cuddle.

[bohemianbint]

Thanks for the reply angel! Aptly he's just kicking off now... When he wakes up we leave him for a while to see which way it's going but it generally escalates into a full on screaming sesh. I have recently started refusing to feed him between 7pm-10.30pm. I know he probably doesn't need these night feeds due to hunger, but that makes it harder for me, knowing that it's comfort and I want to withold it, IYSWIM.

Will look into calprofen, have just given nelsons and regular calpol when needed. I could do with turning the taps off at night as well as it's really killing me, but dunno if cold turkey would be the way, or even if it's right to stop totally? Ah I dunno, am so tired I can't think straight or make decisions about anything...

[angel1976]

bohemianbint - I feel for you... DS is a good sleeper so we are lucky. One bad night and I feel like c**p so feel for those who are going through it (though I am about to do it all again as preggers with number 2 - suckers for punishment we are!).

If he is a good size, at 10 months old, he probably doesn't need feeding in the night... Here are my suggestions (based on what I used to do with DS though of course you should do what you feel comfy with!). I also find that you need a plan of action before the night comes. Once you are sleep deprived, it's hard to think straight and be consistent in what you do.

Make sure your DS has a good feed before he goes to bed. Give him Calprofen if he needs it (you only need 2.5ml per dose, I think, and it lasts for 8 hours, so max dose is 3x a day). Before you go to bed (around 10.30/11pm?), give him another feed. Don't feed before then, which sounds like what you are trying to do anyway! If he wakes again during the night, you can probably give him another feed and another dose of Calprofen. I'm sure you have tried everything so hope my suggestions aren't too rubbish! Good luck!

[bohemianbint]

Thanks again. It's all such a pain in the backside as DS1 was also a fab sleeper (went through from about 4m with only 1 feed at half 10pm) which is why it's been such a rude awakening (pun intended) with DS2. We assumed we'd have about 6 months sleep under our belts by now.

Congrats, by the way, when are you due? There's exactly 24 months between mine...

[Umlellala]

I really feel for you.
Anyway it sounds just wrong to me, I think something just isn't right there. Every hour? Def offer paracetamol. Have you tried Oesteopathy - I know it's a bit , but I think it has made some improvement in my ds. There is a donation-only centre in London, I highly recommend. They are also paediatricians so will be able to check him over generally for you. Mine has breathing ishoos - so olbas oil, wet things on radiators, saline drops etc etc.

I too am doing a no feeding between bedtime and til I go to bed (between around 6-10ish) - he's taken to it quite well (though am rocking him sometimes - and he's flippin' heavy!). It's part of my slowly, very freakin slowly approach I guess.

I won't do CC, though have been close to considering but I don't think I can quite justify it. If you think he is crying every hour because he can't get back to sleep by himself (and not cos he is in pain), maybe it would be kinder to try and teach him? I don't know. Totally understand your frustration.

[angel1976]

bohemianbint - Don't scare me, I am so scared this second one might be a nightmare to put to sleep! Thanks for the congrats. There's going to be 20-21 months between my two. The midwife took one look at my very active monkey DS when I went for my first midwife appointment and said 'Are you a sucker for punishment?!!!!'

I don't really do CC either. MIL used to tell me she would shut the door on DH from when he was two weeks old and let him cry it out (suggesting that I do the same! ) I never did... I rocked him to sleep from little and then gently stopped the rocking, moved to patting and eventually shushing and he now goes to bed with a bottle, 'shouts' for me when he finishes, holds out the bottle for me to take, turns over and goes to sleep! Very cute! But I also know we are very lucky...

[Umlellala]

Ahhhhh, you had a great sleeper before!

Both mine have been similar (which prob means it is me) - fine at sleeping, but need my help to get there. And a few times in the night too. Hoping ds will improve soon - he has no dummy so fingers crossed for long-term gain.

(PS Though usually waking two or three times - mine woke loads last night, crying too. not sure what the issue is. Dd didn't settle for ages either... it#s not a full moon is it? )