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Sleep

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Original poster

PLEASE PLEASE HELP.5 MTH OLD WONT GO TO SLEEP!!

14 replies

mum2oliver · 01/08/2004 19:24

My 5 month ds is a perfect routine and has been for a good time now.He goes down at 7pm after his bottle.I have to go in and get him up at 8am
to give 1st feed.
HELP me now though.
He has just started going mad in his cot at 7pm.
I put him down and he does what I call his attention cry but he slowly gets more and more worked up.He then screams outrageously! It is then so difficult to settle him.I just cant work out why this has suddenley happened.It has been going on for 4 days now.I try to put him back in his cot but he goes crazy when I place him down.
When pupd is done when do you pick up if the baby cries as soon as you put him down.You would surely be picking him up and putting him down constantly.Im really confused????

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mummytosteven · 01/08/2004 19:44

could you try settling him/giving him attention without actually picking him up - talking to him, stroking his face/tummy, that sort of thing. also have you tried putting some music on when you put him in his cot?

joanneg · 01/08/2004 20:11

could he be teething? Ds used to be a great slepper - but when he had spells of teething he would suddely be a nightmare.

Original poster

mum2oliver · 01/08/2004 20:23

yes always put music on.
it has to be something like teething.
how much sleep does 5 mth need?
coul it be that he isnt ready to go to sleep?
maybe he needs a bit less. mmm?
could it be that he is frightened he might miss something as he is getting older and more aware?

OP posts:

mears · 01/08/2004 20:32

Has he got an ear infection?

eldestgirl · 02/08/2004 02:56

Is he on solids yet? Maybe he is he still hungry? The Powers That Be have changed the guidance on when to give solids, saying 6 months rather than 4 (they changed the guidance between my two boys) but I found that bous need something solid in their tummy to sleep on around about 4-5 months. My very hungry youngest son goes ballistic if I try to put him down on not enough grub.

strangerthanfiction · 02/08/2004 13:15

I would think about an ear infection too as it can be really painful when they lie down. Maybe take him to the GP to rule that out?

As he's been such a good sleeper (a 13 hour night is bliss in my book!!) I would imagine that there's something else going on. But I think 5 months is a bit early for 'separation anxiety' type things to start. I think it's more around 7+ months. And as this is a fairly recent thing I'd do whatever you need to to calm him down again and see if it just stops of its own accord.

clary · 02/08/2004 13:20

Could be solids, I think the new guidance is misleading; IME ssome babies do need solids before 6mo (like my DS2). But crying for food with mine at least was more a waking in the early morning (like, 3am) type thing rather than refusing to go down. Mum2oliver, doesn't sound like he's getting too much sleep to me, would expect 11-13 hrs sleep. Sounds like you have a good bedtime routine as well. Could it be the heat? Or yes, it might be teeth. Any other signs? (dribbling, red patches on face, gnawing at hands). If it is teeth try Calgel or Calpol.

Ixel · 02/08/2004 13:25

Have his daytime naps changed at all? Or could it be the hot weather? my ds gets like that before getting a summer cold (although I never realise thats what it is until the snotty stage appears!). Also, he'll go to sleep fine during the day, either in the cot or the buggy, but it is harder to settle him at night. Sometimes we can just settle him in situ, other times he comes onto my lap for a bit. He's teething now, but other than that, the only time he wakes up is if the dummy falls out and he realises and panics! We trieed pupd when he was about 6 months, but it is a nightmare... for it to work, you'd have to pick him up about 70 times a night for the first 3 nights!

wellsie · 02/08/2004 13:36

mum2oliver, where does he sleep in the day, is it in his cot or wherever he crashes out? It could be that if he's not sleeping in his cot during the day he's now starting to realise that cot=long sleep and no mummy for a while.
If it's not this then I guess it could be one of those nasty ear infections that I keep hearing about but yet to experience [worried icon needed]

Our DS is 7mths and sometimes behaves the way you describe your DS, but I think the reason is often wind (DH is very good but useless at getting the wind up!) So I usually go in, pick him up and rub his back until I get a huge burp.
Anyway, thats just us but it might be worth trying.
Hope I've helped.

Judd · 02/08/2004 17:58

May sound daft, but have you been out in the sunshine and fresh air a lot the past week or so? I found my dd got a lot more tired and grouchy at bedtime if we had been outside for the whole afternoon. Maybe try more winding down time or even a bit of an earlier bedtime?

clairabelle · 02/08/2004 18:07

No advice but sympathy. Ds 8 months has just started doing the same. Weather?

moosh · 04/08/2004 15:48

Could be the weather, I think it is so hot for the tiny ones to settle sometimes. I have to gently rock mine with the fan at the moment as ghe just gets too hot if he is left to go to sleep by himself.

Original poster

mum2oliver · 05/08/2004 20:15

Well when it happened on the 5th day id had enough,usually I obsess about not rocking him and just shushing and patting his back but this time I picked him up and carried him downstairs.He looked at me and began to laugh.He shook with excitement!!So we played around for a while until he showed some more signs of tiredness and he went down like a dream.
Poor ds he just wasnt really tired!
I now get him up at 7.15 and he has half hour less naps in the day and he has gone down fine.
Silly mummy he just wanted to play!!
Thankyou for all your comments.

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Piffleoffagus · 05/08/2004 20:22

I would also try a little bit of calpol before bed to eliminate pain such as teething etc
If it works then you know what it might be.
Sounds very stressful, my dd did this last summer just as she started teething, her sleep was diabolical, some babies just get it worse than others I guess...
Good luck

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