5 month old waking every hour and I'm scared it's a bad habit

[Rachcxx]

Hi I really need your help. My 5 month old is uch a content happy baby. He has a solid bedtime routine, bath, massage, bottle bed by 7.30pm. He goes straight to sleep on his own in his cot. Usually he'd jst wake up once for a feed at 4ish then go back down. He is now waking up every hour. When I feed him he necks the bottle goes to sleep on is own again but then wakes up. I'm really worried he's enjoying th attention and knows il com to him at every cry. Is this teethin? He sucks on his dummy so hard too which makes me think it's his teeth. If I attend to him every hour will he get into a bad habit or is It a phase? He will only go back to sle if he's fed and that's only or an hour? Please help !!!!

If there's a chance he is actually hungry I'd be tempted to increase the quantity of the bottles during the day to see him through a bit longer at night, but even then I can't see why he'd suddenly be hungry every hour during the night. It sounds as though something is waking him like teething, and that he's got used to having milk to comfort him back to sleep so now it's a habit - if I woke up iin the middle of the night and was offered a nice hot chocolate to make me sleepy again I'd probably get used to that as well!

Thank you for your message. I only feed him around 2pm and I just do whatever I can to get him back to sleep. His fists are in his mouth al day long and he cries every so often. My friend reckons he needs solids to see him through the night but the guidelines say 6 months. He never usually woke up just recently which makes me think it is his teeth because he can self settle

I hate to say this but I think he's probably very hungry. (I apologise, as my son also had fists in his mouth constantly from about 3 months and my mum said he was hungry - wasn't keen on the advice as wanted to continue breastfeeding - but she was right!). I was breastfeeding and wasn't producing enough. As soon as I started mixing breast and bottle he slept through the night. My DS is 7, but I remember I started rice etc just before 5 months. Can't quite remember all the details now, but I am sure it's fine to start introducing stuff. Children are all different.

Just started my DS on solids at 17 weeks. The same age is not going to be right for every single baby- how odd it woud be if it was!

I'm not a believer in solids will get your baby sleeping through theory, does he seam hungrier in the daytime also?
Milk has heaps of fat and calories, once you start weening they eat mashed veg and fruit/ or bit of finger food which ever way you are going to do it. Mushed veg has considerably less calorie content than milk.

My DD became really unsettled in the night at this age too and i found info on The Wonder Weeks. She starting waking up every couple of hours and I breastfed her to sleep. I may well not have helped by feeding her to sleep but didn't know what else to do. The theory behind wonder weeks is that they are at a developmental milestone and their brains are working overtime. There are things you can do to help consolidate their learning and help them through it. There's a fair amount about it if you do a search.
Importantly, we got through it, she's a good sleeper now. It doesn't go on forever.

Sleep regression at four or five months is really really common :) www.mumsintheknow.co.uk/chester/help-my-four-month-old-wont-sleep/

Well he slept for 7-6 last night and I didn't do anything different so I'm thinking it could be his teeth. I might up his bottle intake in the day but he's a sicky baby so I don't know whether that will make his sickness worse I was going t try and hold out to give him solids but from what people have said to me he is more than ready to be weened. I'm just not sure how to do it as they say take it slow. I might start baby rice every morning for a week then move onto something else. Do I give it him after his morning bottle and how many spoonful? Thank again for the advice made me feel better

Our baby is four months and slept through until this week. Wake four times last night

I would try giving solids just before bed time and see if it helps. Something basic like rice or porridge.

It's not about solids at all. It's a normal thing that happens as the brain develops. The first 3 months after birth are pretty much the '4th trimester' and a newborn has different sleep patterns to an older baby.

This wakefulness is evidence that your baby is beginning to interact more and start to make sense of the world.

Google 'wonder weeks' and '4 month sleep regression' to understand what's going on.

Introducing solids before his gut is ready, or changing milk from breast to ff or from first milk to hungry baby etc will only cause him problems in the long run.

Does he sleep beside you? Having him close so you don't get too disturbed if possible, is one way to go.

If you start introducing solids ( I think it's time, at 5 months mine was given cooked apple puree/butternut squash, banana and I really didn't want to rush things) do it daytime. Gluten (porridge) is a big no-no to start with. Teething is likely to wake him but at 5 months it's possible that milk is not enough. Also pp said that fruit/veg puree not going to give him loads of extra calories but you have to start is somewhere.

Iv moved his cot to the other side of the bedroom because I thought his dad was waking him as he's a loud sleeper. I also put my perfume on his comfort last night as he seems to sleep better when he's sleeps on me ( he only sleeps on me in in the day when he's had a bad night) that seemed to help. Its difficult with the solids because I don't want to cause any damage but I don't think milk is enough, he's on 7oz every 4hrs in the day and 9oz before bed x

He also weights 15lb 14 x

Please join us on the Sleep Regression Thread.

We are pulling our hair our and sobbing together

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/sleep/1955346-The-dreaded-SLEEP-REGRESSION-support-and-solidarity-thread?