Nighttime push-ups and whining - why?

[CAM123]

My DS had always been a fabulous sleeper - but for the last month or so (a couple of weeks into weaning), that all fell apart.

Now he's 7 months, he's waking every 2 hours - classically, he rolls onto his front, often does press ups, and (even with his eyes still closed) starts whining which usually escalates into proper crying rather than self-settling.

He acts hungry (dummy alone won't do), but prefers BF to bottle, and falls asleep pretty quickly, so it does feel as if it's comfort he's needing rather than food. He also often insists on co-sleeping early in the morning, refusing to settle back into his cot. I fear we're getting into very bad habits at this rate, but I just want to sleep!

I started him very slowly on weaning, a new vegetable every 3/4 days only, as we've allergies in the family. So it's not as if I've overloaded him with heavy / complex food. But clearly something's up and I really want to resolve it, for all our sakes!

I'm guessing it's something digestive but can't find any causal links to food types / meal timings / quantities or anything. He definitely wants to sleep on his front these days but he's capable of rolling so it's not him getting stuck either.

Or could it finally be the infamous teething?

Anyone had anything similar or know of any cunning tips improve things? It's beyond exhausting and can't be much fun for him either!

I have exactly the same. That sounds identical to my 6.5mo DS. We've been pretty much doing baby led weaning so he eats whatever I do but he's not eating much. I'm putting it down to the fact that he is very nearly crawling and wanting to practise which is also giving him a bit of seperation anxiety. Will look at further responses with interest!

You could be describing my DS! he's 7 months and was like this until he got the hang of rolling at will. He started sleeping on his front a few weeks ago but it wasn't until he had better control that he settled down. He could roll but hadn't quite figured out how to put it to use. Now I put him down on his front and he usually flops onto his back then his front again all night.

In the day he now rolls around the room to check things out whereas before he would occasionally flip about.

Sometimes he'd wake up crying in the night - I'd pick him up and he'd burp. It would be worse if he'd had a big feed immediately before sleeping (I know I don't like being on my front after a big meal). Can you put him on his side so he can digest then flop over after a bit.

My DS also does the early morning unsettled thing - he tends to have a bit of bum wind plus the room is quite cold by then so he prefers being in with us. I've not been able to get him to stay in his cot past 5! So can't help with that.

He has also just cut his first tooth which meant a lot of waking - anbesol helps alot. I didn't realise it was teeth until they started to swell. But looking back he would grind his gums together when I was trying to settle him and bite my shoulder.

Nearly 2 months in and the pattern continues - wakings are usually hourly from midnight to 5am.

Have stopped freeding and allowing co-sleeping, but he still does the sit ups, whining and goes for little sleepy walks round the cot and moves on to sitting/standing or kneeling, holding onto the bars, and wailing if not settled in time, or he wobbles sleepily and stumbles and hits his head on the cot bars and wails further still.

So, despite many friends insisting, letting him cry it out just isn't an option. I'm beginning to think he's quite simply a sleepwalker!!

my DS exactly the same - almost crawling so i think is practising... CAM123 to see it gets worse not better!!!

how did you stop the feeding incidentally - i am contemplating a bit of night weaning soon but am not in the CC CIO camp so can't bear that. should i camp out on his floor and just pat him. (this is wot my sister did and it took 3 night )

(oh, DS also in with us from 5/530). sometimes is i put him on his tummy at 3ish, he'll sleep till 6/630. not particularly consistent.

loving the - is he sleeping through yet - er, not even close!!! and i don't think night weaning will help - as i think he is now waking to practice his moves .

Yup I'm sure you're right and it's practicing the moves rather than any issue. Though it is getting progressively better and he's getting less active at night and gradually better at the self settling.

It's really obvious now I'm putting him down for naps earlier (before he's nodding off) - he lies and half rolls happily and sleepily, but the second he rolls into his front it's like he feels compelled, intentionally or not, to follow through by going up on his knees and now onto his feet and forgets about sleeping altogether. So that's clearly what's happening at night too.

I just sit nearby now (for naps only, not at night) and reposition him onto his back to try to gradually train him that cot means sleep means lying down!! Hopefully that'll carry into nighttimes too gradually...

Ruby, cutting down on the night feeds wasn't too hard in our case but I think I was just lucky - I was BFing but he wasn't taking much, so I guessed it was about comfort not hunger. So I just phased it down to just holding him, then just patting him/rubbing his back, to just repositioning him and running away. I can almost do it in a sleepwalk now myself!

Hi CAM123, DS has been taking more at dinner and sleeping till 1/2/3 am but it is always a massive feed! I think it might be changing though with more eating in the day. He seems genuinely hungry for food at mealtimes now rather than just tasting! At least if he is only on one feed a night I can feel better about weaning him off it, rather than 2!

I know what you mean about feeling compelled - DS seems like that - he can't help but move if he gets on his front sometimes, although if he is really sleepy he'll fall asleep if I change him onto his front from his back - its quite a good tactic actually, although I am a bit as he can roll himself over happily - he just doesn't?! I do it for him .