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6 month old sleep issues

11 replies

wokeupwithasmile · 15/10/2013 07:57

Hi all,

My lovely six and a half month old has been going through a rough patch. He usually would sleep at least three hours in a row since birth, never had colics, and in the previous couple of months often did eight or nine hours of uninterrupted sleep.
It all changed four weeks ago. Now he goes to bed with a good feed at the usual time, nine, but until a couple of hours later he wakes every ten to thirty minutes screaming, often really loud. Then, during the night, the same thing happens, every two to thee hours.
We ssshhh him to sleep again, or when it is really loud I latch him on and he goes back to bed after a medium sized drink.
He never does that during his day naps, about four of forty minutes throughout the day. We started him on solids a few weeks ago, he loves them. He has one meal - usually what we have for dinner - around seven thirty, and then my milk on and off until nine.

Has this happened to your child? Do you have any ideas? I thought it was the six month growth spur, but it is a bit too long I think. Or teething, but then should he not cry during the day, too?

Thank you!

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ZuleikaD · 15/10/2013 08:04

DS2's (6m) sleeping is all over the place at the moment - in fact nights have been so bad that DH has been looking after him from 8-10 so I can get two hours sleep in a row before plunging into the completely unpredictable nights. But it has been getting better - he no longer wakes for feeds every 40 minutes during the night, so I'd say there is probably light at the end of the tunnel for you as well.

Our nap schedule is different from yours - I found that if he had a really early nap then it borked his naps for the rest of the day, so his first nap is now about 8.45 (approx three hours after waking) for an hour, then down again at 12 - he sleeps for about an hour and a half for this one - then a final short nap about 4ish. Bedtime is at 6.30. He sometimes has a wakeup at 8 but brief and DH can cuddle him back to sleep.

You could try reducing the naps and bringing bedtime forward - at 6m he probably doesn't need to feed all evening. But my plan is just to ride it out. Only another three months to go before things really settle down - 9m is key IME.

MiaowTheCat · 15/10/2013 08:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

gretagrape · 15/10/2013 09:07

What about if you gave him his solids earlier in the day?

I give my 6.5mo his food at around 11am - it gives me a good chance to see if anything affects him in terms of wind/upset tummy etc. Just this week he's had banana for 3 days and all 3 times he's woken up with really bad wind from his afternoon nap when on other foods he's been fine.

His digestive system is still so young and getting used to solids, so giving it in the evening means if there are any problems it's going to be during the night that you find out about it!

wokeupwithasmile · 15/10/2013 11:30

Thank you all, I knew I was not alone in this!
I do not think it is the food, because he has the same (bananas, veggies, bread etc) during the day and does not show any sign of bad digestion. Dh and I have dinner when he comes back from work at 7.30ca, and ds eats with us mostly because he wants food rather than because he is hungry, so giving it to him earlier would mean for us to have to eat hiding in the kitchen!
I'd rather not change his sleeping schedule until I have to. So far we have allowed him to have his own schedule, and given that I am on maternity leave I do not need him to sleep at some times rather than others. Plus it all worked well until 4 weeks ago, so I am not sure that is the issue.

What I do not understand is why he wakes up screaming at night but not during the day. It is not just turning and tossing, he basically almost wakes up because of his screaming, rather than he screams because he is awake. I am wondering if it is something 'psychological' rather than physical?

OP posts:
ZuleikaD · 15/10/2013 11:56

Sometimes they wake up yelling, sometimes they don't - it can be related to a developmental burst but often not. People have suggested some things you could change, but if you don't want to change anything (when your baby clearly is changing things) then there's not much else to suggest!

wokeupwithasmile · 15/10/2013 15:08

Zuleika I find your first message much more helpful and less patronising than the second.

Sometimes they wake up yelling, sometimes they don't
Well, I wrote that he was not doing that and now he does, so the above simply shows that you are disturbed by the way in which I do not listen to you, rather than meaning anything at all in my case.

People have suggested some things you could change, but if you don't want to change anything (when your baby clearly is changing things) then there's not much else to suggest!
Hum, let me see. My son cries at night, he did not do that previously. The solution is to slap him awake during the day so that he does not have his usual nap/s, those that have been in his routine for months and that I have never worked to change or to control because I do not need to and he is fine with them. Getting him to sleep at 6.30 instead of 9 will also be fun, but I suppose I can let him cry for a couple of hours until he gets used to it.
Otherwise I can make him eat at 5.30 and when we eat at 7.30 I let him cry for food because I should not give him the food that does not upset his stomach at 12.30 but that he can't digest at 7.30.
Sounds good.

I came here to discuss one issue I have and to see whether others were going through the same. If you are not pleased with the fact that I do not take your comments as THE WORD then you are free to leave this thread and let me see if someone else is instead interested in discussing this.

OP posts:
ZuleikaD · 15/10/2013 16:25

I don't believe anyone was suggesting that you slap him awake? I pointed out that at this age babies are usually in the process of switching to a different nap routine. If you check on NHS and baby sleep websites you will receive precisely the same advice.

You said that your baby was doing things now that he was not doing before - therefore things are changing, whether you want them to or not. You want to keep doing the things you have been doing, and you seem annoyed that they no longer seem to work. If everything you're doing is fine, then what's the point of asking for suggestions?

And in passing, I agree with gretagrape in thinking that 7.30 is too late for a six month old to be eating solids. The latest I would give solids is 5.30 and I re-suggest that he should have an earlier bedtime. I would suggest that at 7.30 when he's still up and crying that he is crying for sleep, not food.

gretagrape · 15/10/2013 17:26

Not going to get into an argument as obviously everyone is free to take/ignore advice as they see fit, but I don't think a 6mo should be crying for food - almost all of their calories/nutrition should be coming from milk - at this stage food is about taste, texture, fun, developing technique; not about filling them up.
Also, it's quite feasible that food eaten and digested happily at lunch could cause issues at night - if I eat a heavy dinner at lunch there are no issues because I'm more likely to be upright so gravity helps digestion. If I eat the same dinner an hour and a half before bed chances are I'm going to end up with belly ache.
It is recommended that first foods are eaten early in the day, not just to aid digestion, but because if your baby is unfortunate enough to have any allergies you're going to notice problems when they are still up and about, and if serious, while GP is still open.

gretagrape · 15/10/2013 17:28

Sorry, forgot, just seems like a big coincidence that you are saying weaning and sleep issue started at pretty much the same time....just thought it was worth exploring.

gretagrape · 15/10/2013 18:05

Oh, and as free as you are to ignore advice, it's not polite to insult people who with the best of intentions have taken time out to reply to you - just ignore it quietly.
Some of us have had rocky roads with our babies, and for me at least it's a massive morale boost to think that I could possibly have something to offer that might help someone, rather than being the one asking for help all the time.

Alexa007 · 15/10/2013 18:12

When I started giving my dd dinner she would wake at 3am and be awake for hours. Same food as at lunch.
I stopped giving dinner for a few weeks and when I introduced dinner she slept fine. Her digestive system obviously needed time to mature. Agree with other posters, try this first.

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