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Sleep

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Original poster

Why won't 6 month old sleep?!

38 replies

LandBsMum · 24/04/2010 20:48

My ds is 6.5 months old and just won't sleep at night!
He has 3, sometimes 4 naps through the day in his cot. He eats well and is starting to sit up and is nearly crawling. I still feed him before bed and once through the night, but through the day he is on solid foods and really enjoys them.
He has bath and feed at around 6 - 6:30 and goes to sleep then no problem at all. But he wakes every night around 11ish and I can't find a single way to settle him. He cries and cries and whether I cuddle him, pat / stroke him, leave him, shush him... nothing works. Most nights he will cry until around 2ish, then sleep till 4 or 5am, then it all starts again until I crawl out of bed with him around 6 or 7am.
He is such a happy little boy through the day, but I really dread nighttimes with him.
Does anyone have a magic wand?! I can cope with tiredness for me, but I hate that I am short tempered with my elder dd.

OP posts:

ruddynorah · 24/04/2010 20:49

have you tried feeding him?

Habbibu · 24/04/2010 20:50

What happens if you feed him at 11?

Original poster

LandBsMum · 24/04/2010 20:55

(can't believe you have responded so quickly!!)

I've tried feeding him - he loves the feed but as soon as I wind him and put him back in the cot he starts crying again.
In fact, as soon as he has had his fill of milk he starts straining to look round, trying to climb out of my arms to touch his dad, trying to sit up and move around - anything but relax!
It definitely doesn't relax him back to sleep

OP posts:

thisisyesterday · 24/04/2010 20:57

how often does he feed during the day? i would just feed him at night tbh

Habbibu · 24/04/2010 20:59

Ah - ds does this; but your ds may still be hungry at 11, if he's crying till 2. Does he need winding still? ds settles better if 1 shh and pat as I feed.

Am sympathetic, though. ds wakes every 2 hours or so at night (sometimes worse) and yes, I hate that I snap at dd. I just hope he'll grow out of it!

thisisyesterday · 24/04/2010 20:59

hang on, just re-reading. so he wakes at 11, and cries until 2am??

that's 3 hours crying?

then again for a couple of hours in the morning?

i really, really think you need to feed him at night. and i think he is perhaps sleeping too much during the day and that's why he wakes fully at 11... because he isn;t tired

Habbibu · 24/04/2010 21:00

Does he have no milk feeds in the day? ds still definitely needs his.

thisisyesterday · 24/04/2010 21:02

habbibu, that's what i am wondering too. OP reads as if he only has solids...

preggersplayspop · 24/04/2010 21:04

What does he eat and drink during the day?

At this age my ds was still waking several times during the night for milk.

Habbibu · 24/04/2010 21:05

preggers - when did your ds stop?

Original poster

LandBsMum · 24/04/2010 21:05

Thats kind of the problem - I do feed him through the night - at least once, but sometimes more but that doesn't settle him at all.
Through the day he has what I think are normal naps - around 40 mins on average at 9am, 12ish, then 3ish...
He eats solid food at 5ish or just after ready for bath at 6.
I can't think of a way to give him more food or more sleeps - hes pretty contended through the day.
Habbibu - I don't think he needs winded - his burps can rival his dads!!

OP posts:

Original poster

LandBsMum · 24/04/2010 21:08

Food wise - he has been on solids for a few weeks and eats really really well.
He drinks water or weak juice with meals. I started back at work 2 weeks ago so can't bf, and he has refused formula from day one!

OP posts:

preggersplayspop · 24/04/2010 21:09

Erm, I'm not sure you want to know that, Habbibu.

thisisyesterday · 24/04/2010 21:09

but he really needs to be having milk during the day too.
milk is their main source of nutrition until they are at least a year. so it may be that he is waking at night because he isn't taking enough milk during the day.

am pretty sure all of mine were down to 2 naps a day by then, tho my memory is not that reliable!!!

habbibu- mine didn't stop waking for milk at night until he was nearly 2!!!

preggersplayspop · 24/04/2010 21:11

If he's not getting the bf during the day then sounds like he may be waking up to make up for it at night?

They still need quite a lot of milk at this age.

Habbibu · 24/04/2010 21:12

Have you tried other formulas? I gave dd formula a bit after 6 mo - she hated Aptamil, but would try others.

Original poster

LandBsMum · 24/04/2010 21:13

Then I guess I may need to jump to the next question - How do I get my ds to drink milk when not from a boob!!
Whether expressed or formula he Just won't have it.
My dd refused all milk at 15 weeks and nothing would convince her to have it.
My parents say I did the same too.
His daytime naps are really easy - as soon as he sees the cot and the curtains closing his eyes close...

OP posts:

Habbibu · 24/04/2010 21:15

He won't drink it from a cup? We used a little shot glass at teh start with dd and ds with expressed milk - they just sort of lap it a bit. Have some quite funny photos as a result. Interesting that both your dd and you did it - did your dd keep on breastfeeding?

Original poster

LandBsMum · 24/04/2010 21:15

Oh - tried ALL the formulas from ALL the cups and bottles and spoons and everything on the market! He likes boob, but nothing else!
But I would think if he wanted milk then getting it would settle him - and it really doesn't!

OP posts:

preggersplayspop · 24/04/2010 21:16

That's a whole other topic!

I never managed it, but I started back at work when ds was 11 months at which age its easier for them to cut down to morning and evening and several bf during the night.

Have you tried various cups - spouts, open cups, straws etc etc?

Does he have lots of dairy based food to compensate?

6 months is very young not to be having any milk during the day at all.

thisisyesterday · 24/04/2010 21:17

well, you could try and fit more breastfeeds in?

one when he wakes up, before breakfast
one as soon as you collect him from nursery
one before bed

you may even have time for another one mid-evening depending on what time you pick him up from nursery and when he goes to bed

i have a 10 month old who still feeds approx 4 times during the day and 2 or 3 times in the night which i dont' think is that frequent tbh! at the same age ds2 was feeding at least 2 hourly round the clock! killed me lol

have nursery tried giving him a bottle? sometimes they take it better from someone else

Original poster

LandBsMum · 24/04/2010 21:17

Habbibu - dd refused bf at 15 weeks and never went back on. I had to 'hide' milk in solid foods for her - but too much and she would even refuse that.

OP posts:

Habbibu · 24/04/2010 21:17

x-post! Well, dd did the whole "I've fed, and I appear to have mainlined espresso" thing too, which is a PITA. So, if you feed him at 11, is he just as difficult to settle - does he still cry?

preggersplayspop · 24/04/2010 21:19

If not hungry then is he maybe uncomfortable in another way then? Have you tried Calpol - if he is teething (molars are a bugger) then the pain may get worse at night. Perhaps he wakes hungry then can't settle due to teething pain?

kveta · 24/04/2010 21:19

LandBsmum, my DS is a similar age (will be 7 months next week), and still sleeps fairly badly (normal night is 9-1, 2-5, 5.30-7). he only has 2 naps a day though, and has feeds normally at 7, 9.30, 12, 3.30, 5, 8.30. We can often omit the 9.30am feed now, but any more than that and he is not happy, and will not sleep. he is also on 3 meals a day. I'm going back to work on monday and will see how he adapts then (am working 9-2.30 so only replacing 1 feed with formula hopefully!)

I think your DS probably needs more milk feeds (although hopefully not as many as my DS does!!) during the day - can you express or try different formulas/cups? also this may be of use?

it could also just be a reaction to you returning to work that has made him sleep badly? or reverse cycling?

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