Deciphering sleepy signs

[MrsHD]

I've posted before that DS, five months, has been the proverbial little sod about naps just lately. As I write he's grizzling upstairs having just had a feed, been rubbing his eyes and shoving his face into my shoulder - until quite recently that would have indicated he was tired and would go for a nap of 45 mins or so. No longer. Now we get prolonged grizzling which often escalates into screaming which sometimes results in a nap after 5 mins or so and sometimes plainly isn't going to stop so I go and get him.

Am I reading these signals wrong? Could they all of a sudden not mean he's tired and he wants something I'm not picking up on? Or could it be he's tired but really doesn't want to sleep as he has so much toe-sucking to be getting on with? He's not a child who'll just drop off on his playmat but he does sleep in the car. If anyone can help me work out what my son's up to I'd be very grateful!

Could he still be hungry?

My DD is 4 months and does the same kind of thing when she is asleep. I have worked out that if she doesn't settle although she is clearly tired it's because she's still hungry or she has some wind. Resolve one or both of these and I have a sleeping baby. Could either of them be the same for your DS?

Sorry not when she asleep but when she is sleepy

I will watch this thread as my DD (4.5 months) has started doing this. She used to be really good at getting herself to sleep but now she really fusses, gets herself all upset and more often than not I have to rock her to sleep.

She shows all the tired signs too, rubbing face, etc. I've decided that she still is tired but is now more aware of things going on around her so she's fighting sleep as she doesn't want to miss anything!

After a lovely month of her going to bed and getting herself to sleep all by herself around 7-8pm, the last two nights she has been grizzling/crying/screaming on and off until 10pm. I'm sure I must have lost some weight the amount of times I went up and down the stairs!

when mine got to the rubbing eyes stage it usually meant they were overtired and a nightmare to get to sleep. The knack was trying to catch them before they got the that stage.

Hmm. Well he went to sleep earlier, then three hours after he woke from that nap was showing signs so just put him down and he went after about 2 mins grizzling. All great for 10 mins or so til a huge (and quite fantastic!) Army chopper flew a few feet above the house (on its side, no less, big thrill for Mummy!) and now he's woken up. DH tells me that's the price of the thrill I get from the jets and helicopters!

Throckenholt, I would willingly put him down earlier but I've been reluctant to do so as we've had so much fuss - I've been waiting til I'm really sure he's sleepy. Ah well, will just keep doing what I'm doing as it's worked better today. DS is now old enough that I can start to put things down to 'a phase'!

I would try putting him to bed after 2.5 hours and see how it goes. Mine at that age often only managed 2 hours awake, and sometimes less. But if I left it too late then they were a nightmare to settle and got really grumpy.

Hope you don't get any more helicopters

For what it's worth, my 5 month old DS is doing the same at the moment - used to self-settle reasonably well, or if not would fall asleep on breast, fairly predictably after 2 hrs awake. Now it's 2.5-3 hours awake and eye rubbing, mad shoulder nuzzling and sucking, grizzling, closing eyes, screeching etc. but can't drop off. When I eventually manage to feed him asleep, he stays that way for anything from 5-20 mins before waking up and crying, still clearly tired, then staying awake for another 2 hours or so and then overtired and more and more difficult to settle.

I'm putting it down to 'a phase' too as he just seems so excited about the world around him and his increasing vocal ability and physical mobility (and the toe-sucking, yes!). Though evening bedtime seems to be getting earlier as a result - he conked out at 6.30 today.

My DD is still like this at 11 months.