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Original poster

Baby won't sleep!! So tired!

30 replies

C4ALR · 21/05/2014 04:07

My ds is 6 months old and doesn't sleep day or night.

As a newborn he had colic for 12/13 weeks cries every waking moment, now at 6 months he is still quite a grumpy hard work baby, don't get me wrong he is full of smiles and a lot more content than what he was just doesn't sleep and I am so tired now I just want to keep crying.

In the day he cat naps for about 15/20 mins sometimes every 2/3 hours but sometimes only twice in a day, in the evenings I put him to bed asleep between 7 & 7:30 but he only has an hour then he's up again for 2/3 hours. Normally he has a feed around 12 which takes ages for him to settle cos he does this silly moaning noise (I'm unsure if he's in pain or just moaning) he then wakes again at 3 and like tonight he is wide awake and has been for an hour now! He will finally go back off nth probably not for at least another 30 minutes then he will be awake again to get up between 6 & 7.

I'm just so tired I want to keep crying but dh doesn't understand, he says sleep wen he does in the day but I can't because he doesn't sleep,
I think ds is grumpy because he's tired I'm grumpy because I'm tired and I don't no how to solve it, should I take him to the doctors Incase there is a reason for this?

I just need some advice please ladies x

OP posts:

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makeminea6x · 21/05/2014 04:16

Sending you , sounds tough.

What do you do to make the naps happen? More sleep in the day might help? I know that's a really annoying thing to say. But are you doing everything you can to make them happen - trying slings, buggy, car rides etc?

Original poster

C4ALR · 21/05/2014 04:26

I walk if I know he's tired but fighting it, slings don't seem to work and he cries in a car seat so I try to avoid them situations anyway if I can help it,

He is laying on me now eyes shut sooo tired but moaning and wriggling around I'm thinking about phoning a doctor tomoro, Surely this isn't normal at 6 months old if ur tired u sleep, could there be something keeping him awake my dh thinks it's his teething but I'm not convinced

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AnythingNotEverything · 21/05/2014 04:28

People say that sleep begets sleep so, like PP, it's be interesting to know more about naps. Some babies don't need them, but many find they help with nighttime sleep.

Has he always been like this? There's a huge 6 month sleep regression which knocks everything sideways. It seems to end as quickly as it starts, so hang in there.

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AnythingNotEverything · 21/05/2014 04:29

Just seen your update. Have you tried getting him to nap before he's really tired? We often rush out for a walk at the first eye rub

Original poster

C4ALR · 21/05/2014 04:32

Obviously as a tiny baby he slept alot more because they do but it feels like he's never really slept for the last couple of months, i know he's tired but he just won't give in I didn't think babies would fight there sleep this young

OP posts:

Original poster

C4ALR · 21/05/2014 04:34

Iv tried everything well it feels like it, iv even tried just laying him in his cot and soothing him or putting his mobile on but he just gets upset as he's used to feeding to sleep if we're at home or falling asleep in buggy if were out :)

OP posts:

Original poster

C4ALR · 21/05/2014 04:41

Now 2 hours later ds has gone back to sleep so I am going back to bed befor he wakes again.

I will check in the morning for any replys

Thank you :)

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CaramellaDeVille · 21/05/2014 05:37

My son was just like this and for us it was over tiredness. I had to work so so hard on daytime naps and eventually better sleep at night followed at around 8 months. It was very hard work, lots of walking, rocking and soothing during the day and a nap schedule (I wasn't a routine lover so it was a real mental shift).

It sounds like over tiredness to me OP.

AnythingNotEverything · 21/05/2014 07:51

I'd forget about getting him to self settle (unless this is really important to you at this point) and just concentrate in good quality daytime sleep.

At about 5.5 month DD fell into a pattern of naps (10ish, 1ish and 4ish). She's now 7 months and I still feed/walk/drive her to sleep at these times.

I think more sleep is the priority. I wouldn't worry about the method, at least until you've got the energy to tackle that if you choose to.

Original poster

C4ALR · 21/05/2014 08:30

I agree about him being over tired because iv tried keeping him awake after about 3o clock to see if he sleeps better and he doesn't il try and get him to sleep more, I'm not a routine type of person much and I'm out doing things most days but maybe a week focused on him sleeping is what we need!

He wakes up so happy wen he has had a good sleep but it only last about an hour or so because then he gets tired again.

My dh said forget about self settling just do what ever we can to get him to sleep

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NickyEds · 21/05/2014 09:11

I agree- don't worry about self settling at the moment. DS has always been a good sleeper during night but was getting over tired in the day and we were having absolute meltdowns in the evenings trying to get him to sleep. I spent a week just focusing on his day sleep-just watching for cues etc and worked out he needs to sleep around 2-2.5 hours after waking. So when it had been around that, literally the first yawn, I'd feed him to sleep and let him nap on me. Now I'm gradually getting him to nap in his cot.
I really think sleep begets sleep- I get a bit sick of people saying "that baby won't sleep tonight" when he's asleep in the day-I think that's really only for older children. I'd let him nap after 3 if he gets tired.

AnythingNotEverything · 21/05/2014 09:18

Absolutely agree about late naps. DD often has a good half hour nap before her dinner. I think it gives her the energy to eat well and fill up before bed.

smokeandfluff · 21/05/2014 09:19

Is he otherwise ok-feeding well, gaining weight, peeing and pooing ok? If he is it may be overtiredness.

Would agree with your dh, forget about self settling, just do what you can now to help him nap. Once hes not overtired you could try working on self settling.Apparently babies release stress hormones when they are overtired which makes it harder for them to fall asleep. Ds is 6 months and naps are generally easiest around 9, 1 and a cat nap at 4.30

Andcake · 21/05/2014 09:21

Sounds tough - mine was a nightmare around 6 months - despite my natural instincts I introduced a routine of trying to get him to nap
on the 234 schedule which basically means try and get him to nap 2 hrs after morning wake, 3 hours after waking from that nap then 4 hrs after waking from that is bedtime. I heard that this is what nurseries try and do - not sure if thats true.
I would tend to lie down with him on the double bed for the morning time slot - just because if he refused the afternoon nap at least we had doen that one. Even if he fought the nap then I would get a little rest (its hard not to dash around doing things the 2nd they drop off) and then the afternoon one would be in his buggy - I walked miles. The schedule didn't always work but it made me feel i wasn't desperately looking for sleepy cues. I agree with the forget about sleep training and self settling just get him to sleep.

The constant grumbling could be overtired, or it could be medical so might try and see a GP/HV just to get his ears etc checked. it coudl also be teething - have you tried calpol!

ForTheLoveOfSocks · 21/05/2014 09:26

Is he in his own room? You could be disturbing him.

Have you tried calpol? He could be teething

In the day, could you try putting him in his pram and facing a blank wall while rocking it? Sometime when over stimulated it can help to go to sleep.

Fx you get to the bottom of it, unhappy baby and sleep deprevation sucks

NCISaddict · 21/05/2014 09:28

I wonder if some babies just need a strict routine and we have been so conditioned to thinking that a regimented schedule is bad that we don't consider it.
Maybe he's just one of those children that need to be put down for naps at 8.30am on the dot.

I remember reading somewhere when mine are small that sometimes you need to be a parent that goes with the flow until they are six months old when suddenly you have to mutate into a dictator with regimented time slots for everything even if it goes against the grain.

Original poster

C4ALR · 21/05/2014 10:13

My ds is breast feeding and feeds well I have introduced some solids the last 3 weeks which he still is playing around with really, he eats abit then plays with the rest, he did drop down a percentile line but the hv wasn't worried I'm getting him weighed tomoro so might have a chat with the hv about it all.

At the moment ds is still in our bedroom as we are in the process of a conversion to make an extra room, we've never been quiet around him though we have always made normal amounts of noise as and when he is sleeping.

I have been told my doctors he is teething but they have been saying that for the past 10 weeks he does hav the signs dribbles loads and always chewing his hands but no tooth coming yet, he seems to have calpol a lot which apparently the doctors say is fine to do, sometimes it helps sometimes it doesn't

OP posts:

TuckingFablet · 21/05/2014 12:14

oh I feel your pain. I've found just spending a day or two at home and watching my dd like a hawk really helped me recognise tiredness signs. if I let her get too tired she will take forever to settle and it's not nice for me or her.
don't worry about where your ds sleeps right now, just get him asleep! my dd always sleeps much better at night when shes had at least two decent naps.
hope he sleeps for you soon

Original poster

C4ALR · 21/05/2014 12:19

I don't think it's so much I can't tell the signs it's more he won't give in sometimes I spend an hour or more feeding him, sshhing and rocking him before he gives in it's crazy!

OP posts:

NickyEds · 21/05/2014 12:51

You know when their little eyes start to roll? DS has started to really kick his legs and flail about at that stage. Do you ever think that it's the physical feeling of falling to sleep some babies don't like?

smokeandfluff · 21/05/2014 14:06

Nicky-its so frustrating when you see them do that-they are almost off to sleep and then just spring awake again. ...

Andcake · 21/05/2014 14:37

I think some have a fear of missing out - particularity around 6 months. I had a phase recently when ds could say bye bye and wave that he was trying to do this just before going to sleep and waking himself up............. the fisher price musical seahorse has helped with this as he stares as it until he drops off but can now turn it on again if he wants to..

CookieTramp · 21/05/2014 20:14

OP, my 6mo is very similar to yours and it had tipped me over the edge into PND. We have tried everything: white noise, alone in cot, co-sleeping, baby bouncer to wear him out, cranial osteopath. All to no avail. He still wakes nearly hourly, sometimes more.

I note the napping advice here. The last few days, his day sleep has improved and I'm going to try and pick it up and run with it. Until recently his naps were 20 minutes and no more but now we're getting an hour. I am trying to put him down for a nap sooner but I resisted that for a while as I was trying to get him to sleep in his cot instead of on me and I wanted to make sure he went off easily and associated his cot with sleep, so I waited until he was really tired. Now he goes off easily earlier and sleeps a little longer and I am still waiting for the nights to improve. It's only been 2 days but fingers crossed!

The whole "sleep during the day when he does" thing makes me crazy. I wanted to scream at people "he doesn't sleep then either!!!" so I feel your frustration if it is your OH saying it!

Original poster

C4ALR · 21/05/2014 20:56

Normally I try and keep ds awake after about half 4 /5 if I can but today iv let him hav a sleep at 6 - 6:15 then he woke himself he has had a good nap this morning for an hour which is very unusual then this afternoon about 2:15 he fell asleep in the car for 20 minutes I got to be honest I got him out and because he began to wake I just cuddled him back to sleep and then laid on the bed with him partly to keep him asleep partly to sleep myself and he ended up having just over an hour, so we will just see what time he goes to bed tonight and how well he sleeps.

How is your pnd now? Are you ok? I feel sorry for you x

OP posts:

CookieTramp · 21/05/2014 21:17

Not really OK yet but started meds last week, so hopefully soon. It is so, so hard, isn't it? :-( never thought we'd still be in such a bad place at 6 months. Me and DH are now taking alternating nights as I hit the deck in a bad way.

Fingers crossed for us both. I feel like the baby will never sleep and to days and nights and weeks and months stretch out bleakly ahead of me. What's wrong with 'em? dS1 was bad but only for 3 months and then a routine sorted him right out. DS2 is impossible to get in a routine as the sleeps are just so short.

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