6 month old only sleeps 7 hours at night

[Liland]

Can anyone help? My 6 month old only sleeps 7 hours at night.

During the day, he has usually 5 150ml bottles (plus an extra for each bottle he throws up again), and suffers with severe reflux, cmpa, and feeding aversion. He wakes, plays, feeds to sleep (40 minute naps usually, but one of 2 hours at random) for each day time bottle. He has no set bed time, it's any time between 7-9, depending on the day's vomit and such. He co sleeps with me (wont go in the cot) in a blacked out room, and stirs or wakes after 4 hours for a small feed of around 60-90ml. Then he gets up for the day around 3 hours later.

It's not the 4.30am start that's the problem, it's the total amount of night sleep. It doesnt seem right and he seems tired. I am tired...

Any ideas please? Sorry if this is garbled, I am feeling it a bit.

Are you weaning him? Sorry if I missed that bit. I was wondering whether this was a new thing or whether it's always been like this?

Weaning can throw their sleep haywire for a bit, but equally by weaning you can settle some issues - both my DDs had reflux and weaning really helped to settle it as food is obviously heavier than milk.

Also, when you say he's up for the day at 4.30am, what do you mean by that? Do you mean he just won't go back to sleep? Whenever that happened to me I just kept the lights dim, didn't talk to the baby and picked up and put her down as many times as it would take (on occasion 2 hours 🙈).

And lastly, for you. A lack of sleep can be very rough going, especially if you don't have the support. Is there someone else who could be doing one of the night feeds?

We've been trying for months on paediatrics guidance. His feeding problems are so poorly managed that he cant handle anything with flavour, it's apparently too rich and just comes straight back up again (that's what the drs think anyway). I've been doing baby rice once a day for a week or so as it's the only food that he doesnt chuck up immediately, but not sure how much goes down. He gets bored pretty quick (whereas he loves the purees) so I'm having to give up quite soon into each attempt for fear of causing an aversion to solid foods.

He did used to sleep a little longer, maybe 9 hours, until about a month ago. But he's never been a 12 hour a nighter, even when he was having 3 or 4 night feeds.

I think he's hungry, but he just won't take any more milk during the day, and at night it's even worse - no tears at least, he just wont have it. Whether I dream feed him or wake him, he wont have more than 60-90ml.

For the love of God, wean your baby. My eldest was like this with reflux and he refused to feed. I weaned him at 4 months old under medical supervision. He was a much happier, less high maintenance baby.

I also hate to break it to you, but both of mine went through a stage of waking up very early at around six months. So I wonder if it's developmental.

When I say he's up for the day, he just wakes up and lays there and babbles and plays with his feet and pokes me in the face! Occasionally he'll fall asleep if I ignore him for an hour, but not at the moment. Its different to his night wakings (he does 3 mornings at nursery and is now always with cold, so up more for comfort) when he generally needs a cuddle or a dummy and is upset. I do stay in bed with him and keep the lights off.

Yes, DP often keeps LO asleep in another room until the night feed and then drops him through to me. LO will sleep on his own for the first part of the night, when he's full I'm guessing, just not the second. DP does take LO for an entire night once or twice a week as well, but suffers more than me with the tiredness. We're both working full time.

@Fatted I'm trying my best, I'm not sure what to do next. I was planning to start today mixing small amounts of puree with his baby rice to see if we could ease his tummy into getting used to it?

Hi OP - I posted a thread recently about my 6 month old's awful sleep and lack of routine, and a few people recommended the Little Ones sleep programme. I bought it, and I can't believe the difference to my DD's sleep, it's astonishing. I know sleep routines aren't everyone's cup of tea and it's not cheap (£40), but just thought I'd mention it as an option that is working well for us!

You have my sympathy - it is exhausting

Sorry OP if I sounded harsh, it wasn't meant that way. More just a suggestion to make your life easier. I know how hard it is with a difficult fed refuser! I'm also surprised it's not been mentioned to you sooner. The first thing I was told to do when my DS was going on hunger strike was to wean.

It won't necessarily help his sleep. But if he's a bit less cranky and grumpy over all it can make life easier.

What's his schedule like? What are his naps like?

6 months was hellish with us as DS was up farting all night due to weaning and he was learning to sit up so was practicing at 3am every morning.

Have you tried some bits of finger food as well OP? He's unlikely to actually swallow much of them for a while, but just thinking there are maybe a few more bland options (toast, pasta). Could try weetabix as well? Oatibix is more gentle on the gut than the normal stuff (and basically has the texture of baby food 🤢).

@Fatted I know, I'm over sensitive as it has been like a battle since birth to keep him fed and gaining, with very little appropriate medical help :(

Paediatrics have had us trying to wean since 17 weeks, but we've had breaks for a milk challenge, or every time he initially threw up his purees, they told is to give it another week.

@Spam88 I havent tried finger foods yet as he's only just 6 months and I had the fear! I've also a little nervous about trying gluten, probably unfounded though? I suppose we could try a bit of well cooked pasta later though.

@Yogurtcoveredricecake It's wake, 1 hour play (omeprazole given in this time, you cant feed milk for 30 minutes after), bottle, sleep 45 minutes, wake, play for 2.5 hours, bottle, sleep for 45 minutes. Each day is different because he brings up about 2 bottles a day (can be during the feed, all the way through to 3 hours after, no pattern which bottle it will be) and then wants another bottle within 30 minutes of each chucked up bottle. He takes anywhere from 120-180ml at each feed. One of his naps is 2.5 hours. Around lunch time he has baby rice. Bed time is after he's had (and kept down) around 700-750ml, usually after 5 bottles.

I dont mind the lack of sleep for me, or the no real schedule, or even the vomit everywhere all the time! It's just the feeding and I'm worried he's not having enough sleep for himself.

So he's having five naps a day between 45 minutes to two hours? If so there's the problem. At that age aim for around 14/15 hours sleep in a 24 hour period. So DS generally sleeps from about 7:30/8pm to 6:30/7 am. Nap at 9ish 60-90 minutes, Nap at 12:30/1ish about an hour, nap 4:30 ish about an hour. Bath about quarter to seven, final feed then bed between 7:30-8pm. He has four feeds a day can't say how much as he's mainly breastfed, 7:30, 11:30 (he has his main meal of the day at this point too) 3:30 (and a snack, usually fruit/veg) and then last feed around 7:15/7:30. He's seven months.

If he is having five naps a day he might not need as much sleep overnight

LO has a feeding aversion, he only feeds when going to sleep. I dont encourage all these naps, he just starts eye rubbing and getting pink eyes and grumbly. If I were to try to keep him awake after the feed he would explode.

I think its definitely feeding related though. For a very short while w moved to 4 180ml bottles, and one of those nights slept 11 hours with a night feed. His milk is forever being messed with, like now, he's having a nutramigen alfamino mix (slowly moving to just alfamino) because the gp thinks his allergies and reflux isn't under control.

He couldn't get the pasta down and threw up. He did eat a couple of pea puffs successfully though.