Okay so this is a long one!!
So for the past two nights my LO has been so hard to settle at night. He has settled for his daytime naps (self soothed and then in pram).
Wednesday night we put him to sleep (self soothed) and after about an hour he woke up screaming. He’s done this before but after putting his dummy in he goes back to sleep. However he just wouldn’t stop so we rocked him to sleep and put him back down. He slept for another hour and did the same. We rocked him but the minute we put him down he screamed. Even if we rocked him and sat down with him in our arms he woke up and screamed. In the end, I put him in the pram and rocked him up and down our hallway. This took a good hour for him to fall asleep - he wasn’t crying. He slept for a couple of hours. I gave him a feed, he fell asleep in my arms, I placed him down in his crib. He fell asleep for a few hours, woke for another feed and then went back to sleep in his crib.
Last night was the same. He was a bit cranky so had to rock him to sleep and place in crib. He then woke about 40 mins after screaming. We tried to calm him in his crib, then picked up cuddled and put down. But he kept doing the same. I tried him for a feed but he didn’t want it. We must’ve rocked him to sleep 4 times and every time his head hit the crib he cried. Even if he had been asleep for 30 mins in arms. I then gave him a feed at 830 but he didn’t fall asleep so again rocked, out in crib, screamed. In the end I bought him into bed with me where he calmed and fell asleep. This was about 9pm. He has just (5am) woke for a feed so has gone 8 hours without one and he normally would wake up about two/three times throughout the night for one. I’ve placed him back in his crib instead of with me and he’s so far staying asleep.
Important to say he’s 16 weeks, sleeps in the next to me crib, is currently teething, breastfed, has three naps totalling to around 3 - 4 hours sleep. We put him down around 630 as he used to get so cranky - sometimes we rock him to sleep as he just cries which I believe is over tiredness. In the day he’s such a happy boy, he whinges a few times but that’s normally his teeth hurting.
I am worried that we are missing a trick with his bedtime and maybe putting him to sleep too early. His typical day is:
- wakes at 7
- naps at 9. This can vary between 30 mins to 1 hour
- on average wakes at 10 and we have playtime
- naps at 12 for approx 2 hours
- wakes at 2 and we have playtime.
- naps about 3.30/4 and wakes about 4.30/5
- we then normally have our tea where he sits and watches, followed by his bath (every other day as has dry skin), massage, book (if he can handle it as sometimes after the bath he just cries and won’t really settle), fed and then sleep. We aim to put him into bed about 630. Sometimes he falls asleep whilst being fed, self soothes or needs to be rocked
So just wondering if you can help!!
- is this the 4 month regression and if so how long does it last?
- ideally I don’t want to co sleep. I don’t have an issue with it but I’m scared he won’t wean off it and even though I have read the guidelines I just don’t feel comfortable doing it.
- if I do have to co sleep and it is the regression, is it easy to convert him back to his crib after the regression?
- when he normally wakes at night in crib, is he really wanting a feed if last night he has gone 8 hours without one?
-any other sleep tips?
Thank you!!!