ds waking up every night and refusing to go back down til the middle of the night

[PinkTinsel]

ok, i'm at the end of my tether!

ds is 4.5 months and falls asleep by himself in his cot at bedtime no trouble, but will wake every night between 10.30 and 12, wide awake and wanting up. he won't settle in his cot even with me there, won't fall asleep at all for several hours no matter how we deal with it, even if i bring him into bed with me he stays wide awake and active.

i feel like i've tried every approach now but nothing seems to keep him asleep, if i feed him while he's still half asleep he still wakes up after the feed and wants up, if i give him his dummy it makes him mad. he's happy enough as long as he's up but has no inclination to go back to sleep, often til 2 in the morning and i'm absolutely shattered.

dp let me have a lovely long lie in today so i'm a bit better rested so if anyone has any ideas tonight would be a good night to try a new tactic as by tomorrow i'll be a walking zombie again, lol!

TIA

Hi Pink - may be a silly question but DS hasn't started sleeping longer in the day has he?

no, to be honest he doesn't sleep much during the day either. not for lack of trying there either but when i do get him down his big sister generally wakes him before half an hour is up. if left to his own devices though he rarely sleeps an hour so i don't think it's entirely her fault. he never has more than 3 short naps or 2 longer ones in a day

it's so frustrating as when he was little he often slept for 6/7 hour stretches at night so i know he can do it!

does seem strange...but as with all things babies...it's just a phase (that is my mantra )Hard when it's driving you mad though....sorry I not much help pink

thats ok JAM, he has me stumped with this one too!

will try chanting 'it's just a phase' at him bhuddist monk style and see does he take the hint

Do you keep the room dark when you feed him.. I found this helped mine...

yep, no lights except a little nightlight to stop me crashing into the cot.

I also found if I stroked down their nose it made them close their eyes and get sleepy...
Sorry I can't be more help..

its just a phase
its just a phase
its just a phase
its just a phase
its just a phase

that worked with dd but just seems to irritate him!

its just a phase
its just a phase
its just a phase
its just a phase
its just a phase

could you try swaddling? and also up his playing/lively time in the day so he is knackered?

lol @
It's just a phase
It's just a phase
know what you mean about the nose thing - sometimes DD loves it and other times she looks at me as if she would slap my hand away and say "feck off" if she could how was DS last night?

well he had a late nap in the afternoon so i let him stay up late til abut 10 and then he went down and stayed down for the night. not a long term solution but better than me sitting there at 2am with a wide awake baby!

he doesn't like being swaddled but i'm going to pick up a grobag for him and see does that help.

he has a big sis only 18 months older than him soget tonnes of play during the day as she adores him and loves playing with him

Glad you got some rest I bet he settles right down over the next few days - my DD loved being swaddled but had to stop at 12 weeks as she would only escape out within 3 mins and then I would panic as she pulled the blanket over her face needless to say swaddling stopped right away..took DD a few days to get used to gro bag but is now fine and it keeps them snug as they can't kick grobag off!!!