5 month old waking 2 am, 4 am and 6am

[Sleepymum1]

Until 3 weeks ago my little one was sleeping 6:30pm ish until 7 am with us waking her at 10pm for a feed. Around 3 weeks ago she started waking at 2am, 4 am and 6 am and she is awak for ar least 1 hour if I try to settle her in her own cot - I hold her until she falls asleep then put her down. If I bring her to bed she will fall asleep quickly on me and I can try to doze while sitting up. ( I know this isn’t the safest but I am so tired and it is the only way I can get some sleep). Has anyone gone through this and could suggest anything? We are formula feeding.

Look up ISIS safe cosleeping.

I imagine it's sleep regression. Pretty normal for lots of babies, but more difficult if you were used to yours sleeping through (mine didn't sleep through for years). Definitely look up safe cosleeping; you'll need to adjust your bedding/clothing/bed set up to be safe. Over tiredness may lead to problems otherwise.

Thank you, I really would prefer not to have to co sleep and have her sleep on her own.

I understand that cosleeping is not for everyone long term but at the moment you are cosleeping and you are not doing it safely. Cosleeping is not unsafe as long as it is done safely.

My 4.5 month is doing something similar. It really is hard especially as I had got used to her sleeping through. It's been 2.5 weeks since we had a decent night. I don't have any advice but your not alone and fingers crossed this is just a phase x

I apologise, I wasn’t clear in my original post she falls asleep on me then I can move her on to bed next to me so long as she is close she will stay asleep. I remove blankets and pillows etc. when she comes into bed. I understand co sleeping works for many parents - I just don’t sleep well when she comes in as I am worried about her being in the bed with us.

My 4.5 month old is doing the same. But he has never slept through. He is in his own cot and room and DH and I tag team it to try and cope. I totally understand you letting her sleep with you you'll do anything to get some rest. We personally stuck with once he's out our room he won't be coming back!! So I now sit in his room with my hand firmly on his back slightly bouncing him into the mattress and he will go off eventually. We also found white noise has helped to settle him back. Hope it gets better soon and she starts sleeping again!

There is a 4-6 month sleep regression. You just need to wait it out. It will pass.

Have you tried a dream feed?

Mummy2pickle - what do you mean put your hand in their back? Are they on their front or back or side? I will try re introducing white nois.
Sonicboomboom - how long does the regression last?
EvilDoctor, yes, we feed at 10 pm, this used to work.

Thank you all!

definitely sounds like the 4 month regression. How do you normally settle her to sleep?

Fortheloveofjames- this is where I fear we have gone wrong. I will do whatever it takes to settle her. Bottle, pacifier, rocking/bouncing. Typically at bedtime we have a bath and a massage, I then put on a music with stars that project to the ceiling while feeding her. Then hold/ rock her to sleep then put her down. She sleeps 6:30ish until 10pm with generally no problem.

I've had the same problem with both of my girls (2.5yrs and 5.5 mth old). It's probably due to the developmental phase/growth spurt that they are undergoing at this age: their senses are more fully developed, they become more sociable and aware and start to experience separation anxiety, teething has also likely started to progress beneath those gums and they are often experimenting with sitting up, rolling and putting things in their mouths. Hence their brains are wired and constantly stimulated so they find it hard to switch off and wake often at night.
My 5.5mth old has been waking every 2 hrs then every hour (up to 5 times between 8pm-7am) and not napping well through the day. This amounted to about 4 weeks of sleep deprivation (for both of us) but last night she only woke up twice so I'm hoping she is coming out of this phase. That is until the next one begins!

4 month regression apparently marks a permanent change in a babies sleep, in that they have to try and actively go to sleep instead of it just happening. At this time baby wakes between cycles- which is normally 2 hours at night- much more after midnight. Now that baby is waking more between cycles they need to get back to sleep, which if they can’t do on their own then they need whatever method you use to help them get back off. What are day time naps like, have they changed at all? I sympathise, my DS has been a terrible sleeper from birth and went through a particularly brutal phase of being up hourly for weeks- it felt like torture. I’m BF and he would only feed back to sleep. Never took a bottle so it was always me that had to get up. What changed the game for me was DS learning to go to sleep on his own. Now he goes down wide awake and takes himself to sleep. He can also do this at night, as there’s been times he will wake, babble for a bit and then go back to sleep. I’m not saying it’s solved all the problems because we’ve had teething in there which has caused more wake ups, and he still wakes on the night for feeds but for his ages that’s totally normal, but when there’s not something going on he genuinely sleeps much better than he ever did.

When she wakes up is hungry, are you feeding at all. There is also massive leaps and growth spurts that go on a round the 4-6 months that can require extra feeds when previously baby may have not needed them.

Make sure you’re looking after yourself too!

ForTheLoveOfJames - she can only nap now in her own cot in a dark room. And will wake after 40 mind unless I hold her the whole nap. How did you help your little one learn to settle themself? When she wakens she is not hungry even by 8 am she could take or leave her bottle so hunger isn’t the cause but I do keep checking.

She keeps waking in her stomach (her new trick) and she can’t get back over.

Glad to hear you are throwing them it now!

*through it now! Not throwing them!!!

I think it's normal for her age I'm afraid. Something to ride out.

My almost 5 month old DS was an ok sleeper before waking at 1am and 3.30am but now it's awful. Last night he woke up at 11.15pm and didn't go back to sleep until 12.50am. Then he woke up 40 minutes later and went back to sleep about 2am. Then I stopped looking at the time but he was awake 3 more times between 2am and being up for the day at 6am

He also only naps about an hour a day. It's tough but it will end. That's the only thought getting me through today. I have a bad sleeper 2 year old too, who does sleep through most of the time... now.

My DS will only nap in his cot too, even now. He will only sleep for 30 mins in pram or car, absolute max. It means I’m tied to the house more than others but tbh, id rather that for a better nights sleep. Before I know it he’ll only be needing one nap, and I’m really really hoping the older he gets the more he’ll sleep when out and about.

Sounds just like him, for the first 15 weeks I held him for ALL NAPS or had him in the sling. Throw in that with his hourly wakings meant I was exhausted. I know when they are little our job is to meet their needs but Omg some days it was a struggle to get to the end. I just decided one day to try putting him down in his cot. At first he would only do 30 mins, within a week he was doing 45. Then one day I rocked him for 20 mins and put him down asleep. I decided to go for a very quick shower, no more than 7-8 mins. When I came out I checked on him and saw he was awake. I went over to resettle and his wee eyes started to shut. I’d clearly missed the crying in the shower. He went back to sleep for another 30 mins. After this on the next nap I went cold turkey and placed him down awake after a cuddle. He protested for about 7-8 mins tops and went to sleep. I just continued to put him down awake and at first he’d protest for 10 mins on and off but gradually he started to just chatter and make himself comfy, then go to sleep. He will occasionally still let out a cry but he’s always done that, even when I used to hold him and he still does in the car/pram. He’ll let out a little cry when he’s tired, it’s his way of winding down. Now even if he wakes during his naps early he always goes back to sleep. It’s not for everyone and leaving baby to cry is a personal choice but DS had colic - due to what I now know was CMPA- for the first 12 weeks and cried for hours no matter what I did so I could more than handle 10 mins when I knew he was tired. I was just always going to him at th slightest grumble and was never giving him the chance to self settle. Does she have a dummy?

Ah so sounds like it’s also linked to development but normally if it’s just due to rolling she would go back to sleep quicker if you put her back on her back. The waking due to rolling you will have to ride out till she masters it!

I would aim to try and get her settling herself, using whatever method you are comfortable with. Also, I would make sure you get enough help and enough rest yourself.

Thanks, but I’ll never get comfortable with my DS. Babies are either good sleepers or not, I’ve got one that’s not haha. But, on the bright side I’ve been through stages where I don’t think it can get any worse so at least I know I can cope.

Sleepymum1

Have you tried getting her to suck a dumny while in the cot? Actively suck, rather than it just sitting in her mouth. Sucking is natures natural sleep insurer in babies.