6wo suddenly stopped having long daytime sleeps

[vmcd28]

Ds2 is 6w today. For the past two days he has suddenly gone from having a few long sleeps of a couple of hours each, to literally 5 minute naps. He loks shattered, dozes off, then is awake again almost imstantly. He usually starts crying straightaway so needs lifted up. I feel like we can't get on with anything, as he's wanting/needing attention most of the time.
He also had around 2hrs during the night when he struggled to settle after being fed. I had to have my finger in his mouth for over an hour.
I know they have a growth spurt around now, but he doesn't seem hungrier than usual.

He has two little teeth under his gumline so I'm wondering if this is all to do with him teething?

Any suggestions or tips to get him to sleep longer? He looks shattered but just can't stay asleep

you could try putting some numbing gel on is gums and see if that helps. Possibly offer him a dummy as well.

Teething can start quite early. Those teeth move around in the jaw quite a lot before they actually start to pop through and it can be quite unpleasant.

He may want to be cuddled ALL THE TIME. I hate to say it, but DS was like this. A sling, and the sofa with Freeview, was the way forward. Teething can be hell, too, yes.

This too shall pass. It's the only way to survive, sometimes, repeating that.

Thanks for the comments!
I think he's too young for teething gel yet, afaik, annoyingly...

He is quite cuddly, I have to say, but why would he suddenly change his sleeping habits overnight because of this...?

My lo changed to short naps around this age. It went on until about 6/7 months. Apparently it is a stage and quite common.

I tried many things, but the only thing that worked well was swaddling, really firmly.

See here for other ideas...

www.babywhispererforums.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=492431eade934c30fe5bb7759975db96&board=30.0

If his teeth are hurting, then his instinct may be to want comfort? TBH my son wanted cuddles anyway for the first 4/5 months. I think most babies do seem to. A HugABub sling solved the problem for us - most of the time.

My biggest tip for life with a baby is to lower your standards. Just go with what makes them happy, so they sleep more and cry less. It only lasts a year, and then you have a little person you can reason with.

Swaddling was also handy, yes. We used the Ultimate Swaddle because it's cotton so can't overheat, the right size, and looked cute. (Plus had idiot-proof instructions on the label - useful when that sleep deprived). But I'm sure any suitably-sized fabric would do.

teething gels can generally be used from birth. Dentanox defiantely can.

agree swaddling might help. Cuddly babies often find it very comforting. We used a summer infant swaddle pod and a woombie, both of which are cotton and as someone else said, idiot proof (they have zippers so you cant screw it up).

Mine has barely slept for 1.5 hours in short bursts during the day since about week 2. Hasn't affected him, as he sleeps well at night, though still waking twice for a feed at 6 months. I would just not worry too much about it, and watch that he catches up the sleep at night.

Oh -- and after sitting on the sofa for literally hours and hours in the afternoons and evenings with our little fingers stuck in his mouth, and getting absolutely nothing else done, we gave in and bought a dummy. Best thing we ever did.

Oh God, a dummy is in my (not so) humble opinion a mother's best friend.

I was at a specialist, NHS funded, world-leading breastfeeding clinic when the baby was new, and a mother anxiously said, "is it true that dummies interfere with establishing breastfeeding?" And the consultant raised an eyebrow, looked at her, and said, "the only difference between your little finger and a dummy is, you can walk away from a dummy."

DS adores his dummy. His speech is fine. And it cut down massively on his need for Calpol, which has to be a plus.

Thanks everyone!
Re the dummy, ds1 used one till he was six months but I can't remember what age we gave it to him at first. My worry is, won't we just have to keep putting it back in his mouth during the night? I have memories of doing this. The other thing that was putting me off a dummy is that he's so close to sucking his thumb, so we hoped he'd manage that soon. Also, he doesn't always need a finger to suck, but I fear he may become reliant on a dummy quickly, as ds1 did. Have any of you had problems like this?

X

The replacing the dummy at night, yeah, but he slept next to us and tbh he'd cry with teething anyway. At least a dummy you could pop back in if need be, as opposed to walking the floor for hours.

He wasn't dependent until he hit 18 months, oddly. Then nasty teething kicked in so I understand it. And actually he chomps his hands just as readily, but I prefer a dummy as I think it's a habit he will lose with the dummy, as opposed to thumbs which I think will stay with him due to ease of implement.

I suppose like everything maternal, it's horses for courses.

Ours did this too at 6 weeks exactly. I then read in a book that at around 6 weeks they start to fight sleep as they are excited by the world they can see. I started to put him in his basket in a dark quiet room when his eyes got droopy and closed. As quickly and quietly as possible. Whereas before he'd sleep anywhere in the daytime. He's calmed down a bit now at 8 weeks and fights it less but usually gets overtised in the eve and has a big freak out before the night sleep.

Re dummy i find it a lifesaver at times. We might have to put it back in his mouth a couple of times and we do this quite quickly so he doesn't get too stressed. Then when he's in deeper sleep it falls out and he doesn't notice. Sometimes he doesn't need it. This is our experience at the mo but it could all change one day...as things do. I'd still rather have it than not as it definitely comforts him.

Re dummy i find it a lifesaver at times. We might have to put it back in his mouth a couple of times and we do this quite quickly so he doesn't get too stressed. Then when he's in deeper sleep it falls out and he doesn't notice. Sometimes he doesn't need it. This is our experience at the mo but it could all change one day...as things do. I'd still rather have it than not as it definitely comforts him.

There's a big developmental spurt around this time, as well as the growth spurt. TBH, most of the first 3 months is developmental spurt. They mess horribly with sleep as the body/brain are busy learning new skills.

I'd try a sling and going out for a walk - often the only way many babies will settle.

6-8 weeks is when unsettledness peaks for many babies so it's pretty normal, I think.

I wish our little 7 1/2 DS would take a dummy. He will suck on fingers at pretty much every opportunity but totally rejects a dummy. It's also quite a challenge to get him to sleep during the day. Sometimes we seem to need to spend hours with a pinkie in his mouth.

Swaddling (I think the key is tight and containing the arms), rocking/jiggling, shooshing and a quiet relatively dark room all seem to help, though not totally consistently.

As a bonus (if you can call it that) when he doesn't sleep during the day and cries himself into a lather he's usually so exhausted at night that he sleeps really well ;-)