My son just turned 5 months old and has been having troubles sleeping. He used to only wake up 2-3 times a night to eat but now he is up every 2 hours (sometimes more). We have had a good routine for him since he was a few weeks old and he used to do so good with it. He wakes up screaming in pain and kicking his legs down on the bed. We have tried the pacifier and he will just spit it out after a few minutes and then start crying again a little after that. We have tried cry it out (which we don't like and did not work for him ... it made things worse) so please don't suggest that. We have tried everything we can think of and are at our wits end trying to figure out what is wrong with him. He just went to the doctor to make sure nothing was wrong with him and the only thing that was wrong was he had a bit of a cold (congestion). No ear infections and they said it doesn't look like teeth ... but we think it might be the teeth. He has had all the symptoms of teething for a while now and you can see the imprint of his teeth on the bottom so we feel as though it could be that. We tried teething drops, teething tablets, tylenol, and mylicon drops but nothing seems to be working for him. We do not know what is going on with our little man and would like some suggestions as to what could be wrong with him and what to do to help him sleep. We feel so bad that we aren't able to make him feel better when he is crying late at night ... that and we need some sleep as well because these long nights are getting very frustrating for us. Thanks for any help and suggestions!
Thanks everyone for your suggestions! A lot of it was helpful. He has been sleeping better the past few nights so hopefully it will last. We are convinced that is a mix of teething and gas bubbles. He has pretty much always had issues with gas bubbles since day one. We have been giving him the teething tablets and mylicon drops to him about 30 minutes before bedtime and it seems to be working pretty well.
I did want to address some questions that some of you had though. We are not using Orajel because babies can swallow too much and I don't really want his mouth to be numb when he breastfeeds. We used to swaddle him but around 3 months he started hating it so we do not do that anymore. He does have a great schedule and normally gets a good amount of sleep. He goes down at 7:30 and wakes up for the day at 8 or 8:30. He hasn't ever napped great ... about 2 or 3 (30 min.) naps a day but the past few days he has been sleeping longer. So he gets the right amount of sleep most days. He does not need more food ... he eats plenty. The only reason we are starting rice cereal next week is for the different taste and textures so he can get used to solid food ... not because we think he is starving. And I will most definitely be making his food as much as I can when he starts eating solids. I do try to feed him more during the day but he is at the age where he is easily distracted … even in a dark, quiet room. He did not have any big changes in his environment. He does get a nice relaxing bath before bed with Johnson's Sleep soap cloths and lavender lotion. We have tried teething rings and cold wash rags and it works great during the day but it's a little harder to use those during the night. And we have used the saline to help clear up his nose congestion and it seems to work okay. I just figured I would answer some of your questions about what we have and have not done. Again, thanks for all your help! If I have any more problems, I definitely know where to come to get some great tips :)
reflux or food allergies cna be the culprit or even low blood sugar making bad dreams, mostly likely reflux
J.
I think it was about 7 months when my son just was not interested in breast feeding. I think he was growing and not getting enough from breast milk. Maybe try giving him formula before you put him down at night and see if he sleeps better.
First, get the Ferber book and try sleep training. He should not be waking up at all during the night at this point, unless he's hungry, sick or teething. The other thing you might want to consider is introducing solids. My son stopped sleeping through the night at five months. We increased his solids to twice a day and he started sleeping through the night again without a problem.
Hi,
Have you increased the amount of milk he is getting? During hte day you can also increase the amount of cereal. Usually, the sleeping relates to hunger. My older daughter had teeth early and was done by 15 mos. so, the teething sounds like and option too. I know this is tought, but it will end...I promise:) Try a warm bath at night because the way you described the kicking it could be growing pains (massaging too if you have not done that by the under knee area). If it appears to sooth him then you may have found your answer. PS the congestion is most likely not a cold and teething! My kids were always congested when teething with no other symptoms of a cold! I alawys new they were getting a tooth by the congested because when they were done getting a tooth or teeth (my older one got them in sets)I knew. My older one had to have a humidifier in her room until the last tooth! I bet about sixth months he will have more than one tooth! With my older one I started giving her a tablespoon of vanilla ice cream to numb her gums (I did this a nine months because she got her one year molers at 9 mos!) when she would wake up at that age because the drugs didn't work either. Good luck!
Hi A.,
well my thought would be that he is teething if you hadnt tried the orel gel try it. it works really well for my daughter.i was told that their gums get swollan and white but my daughters gums didnt they seemed normal she had all the symptoms of teething(at 5months) she was still sleeping threw the night but during the day she would be craby i didnt even know that she was cutting until she put my hand in her mouth(she was 61/2 months by then) but until 2 days ago she has been getting up more then she use to and like she is now 7months but as soon as i put the gel in her mouth and wait a few minutes and then a bottle shes out...you can also start putting him to sleep with the cereal in the bottle with the milk it will help him go to sleep and sleep threw i started my daughter at 4months i didnt kno if i could but my doc suggested it, even though she was fine its jus the next step...but it could also be that your son has gas my daughter has woke from that a few times jus try rubbing his stomach and moving his legs from his stomach and down if you think that is it if nothing else has worked...hope this helps i would love to her how it goes good luck
I didn't see tylenol or ibuprofen in your list of things to help the teething.
I'm not saying it is perfect but pain is pain and it might help.
I understand wanting to avoid it, but for teething and our kids nothing else worked.
Good luck getting back to sleep.
Hi A., I remember my son doing the same thing at about 6months of age. I thought I was going to pull my hair out. I took him to the doctor, begged my mother for relief and did the best I could to maintain our schedule. I think it was a combination of things. I believe he was having digestive upset from the change in food and the desire to eat more because he was growing so fast. Also teething may have been an issue, I really can't remember. What I did to get relief for all of us was to cuddle him really close to me at the times he was most upset. Also, we all would take a night so the other could sleep, including my mother, god bless her soul. It didn't make all the crying go away, but I think it helped when we were well rested and could deal with the crying. After about a few weeks of the constant crying, it seemed to resolve itself. He finally was okay. We never truely found out what ailed him. Sometimes when we get frustrated, the baby can pick up our feelings and then they react to that as well. By having my mother step in a night a week and take over so I could sleep was one way I could get the needed rest I craved as well as a quiet house for the night. I am glad the doctors didn't find anything wrong although it is sometimes more frustrating to deal with an unknown problem than a known one. Good luck.
We had a similar issue at 4 months with our son. Don't despair, it will get better. Some very supportive friends and our doctor suggested Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Weissbluth. Don't give up on it because part of it is focused on letting baby cry it out, as there are other suggestions if this is not your cup of tea. He offers two ways to handle a baby who is not sleeping, you just have to figure out what is right for you and your little guy. Good luck. And really, it will pass.
I went through an almost identical situation with my daughter, at almost exactly the same time in her infancy. Turns out that she was hungry! She wasn't getting enough breastmilk during the day. I went back to work, so I pumped and left it at the child care. I supplemented w/formula (hated to do it, but this kid was a real chow-hound, and with taking two pumping breaks AND going to feed her on my lunch hour, I wouldn't have time to do my job otherwise!)
So, try feeding (nursing) your son more during the daytime. That got my kid back to only waking up once in the middle of the night. One week after she started eating cereal, she slept through the night completely. Good luck and hang in there!
Hi A.,
I feel your pain, as I went through this with all 3 of my kids. It's possible that it's the teeth, however with all of my kids it turned out to be fluid in their ears. I had taken them to the pediatrician many times who said there was no infection, however, I started taking them to an ENT (ear, nose & throat) dr who can use a special instrument (tympanogram) to indicate fluid. The pediatrician can't necessarily see it. As a result, all 3 of my kids have had ear tubes which have worked wonders!! Coincidentally, they all started having sleep trouble once they had their first cold. For some reason everytime they got a cold it settled in their ears and they couldn't drain it. Anyway, hope this helps and good luck!!
It is possible he's teeting. Have you started him on oatmeal? Sometimes feeding them oatmeal/rice cereal will help keep him satisfied longer? Is he sleeping on his back? Are you clearing his nose with saline? Maybe a humidifier will help a little.
Nowadays reflux is considered as a cause of this behavior. Did your Dr consider this? Will he sleep in a swing? My daughter has a wonderful swing, Fisher Price, that is round and at an appropriate angle for little babies to sleep in. If he will sleep in it better, it is worth the money, and if he has reflux, as my grandson does, this will take care of that problem. There is nothing wrong with a baby sleeping in such a swing all night long and eventually he will transition to his crib. Is there something in his environment that is upsetting him, such as loud noises or yelling? Does he need supplemental feedings? I believe in breastfeeding, but don't make it into an idol, if your child will be better fed, that is the most important thing. Maybe he is in a growth spurt or your supply is down. I'm sure the other moms will have lots of other ideas.
Check out "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child". About 4 months the baby's sleep needs change. He could be getting overtired. The book will help you know what typeof routnie/schedule would be ideal, even if you skip the cry it out part.
do you swaddle? I have found that to solve this issue in a lot of the cases.
I bet he is going to learn a new skill, that usually disrupts the sleep. My best advise it to NOT feed him when he wakes up, try everything possible but feeding. When you feed him in the middle of the night they get their day and night mixed up so easily and then it's just a monster issue.
Also make sure he is getting at least 2 two hour naps, and probably a third cat nap, and 12 hours at night. Try putting him down earlier, if they are over tired they have worse sleep.
sounds like teething and they like to nurse as it is a natural pain reliever. I would bed share so your child will nurse when they need comfort and minimally disturb you.
Sure sounds like teething to me! All the classic symptoms and he is at the right age. (Congestion is one of those symptoms - their noses run a lot when they are cutting teeth.)
Unfortunately, if the methods you've tried aren't working, you just have to grin and bear it. Tylenol always worked for me, but some kids have a harder time dealing with the pain than others. You could try cold teething rings or frozen bagels. A lot of moms swear by those. Also, I've heard you can freeze a wet washcloth and let them gnaw on that. Otherwise, a little TLC is all you can offer. Know that he will make it through this phase soon! Once the tooth breaks the surface, the pain subsides. Good luck! And hang in there : )
hey there :)
sorry to hear that you're having some sleepless nights. we went through the same thing! the mom that responded before me had really great ideas. what worked for us was starting a bedtime routine and offering a bottle again about 30 minutes before bedtime. my daughter is nine months now and we're finally getting some shut-eye, so it takes a little while to catch on. don't get discouraged, this could just be a little change of schedule for your little guy that he will work out soon.
start functioning like you have a newborn again and sleep when he sleeps during the day so at least you can feel human!
best of luck to you, let us know how he's doing!!
it sure sounds like teething, try motrin 15 minutes before bedtime and tylenol 3-4 hrs latter when she/he wakes up.
it could also be that now there is an ear infection caused by the congestion - they develop pretty fast
my child started teething at 3 months -just when it was time to try sleep training so we never got a break because he continued to wake up 2-3 times until he was a year.
good luck, it's very hard
Dear A.,
Hope you are sleeping better. Have you thought about him having nightmares? This could be possible! Another thing could be that he is hungry. Men just like boys are always hungry and that includes babies. At this time he is growing and needs food and sleep. Try giving more than just rice and please since you are a stay a t home mom AVOID all types of commercial baby food. Just keep it simple and start with fruit and work your way up to vegetables and so on.
You can also consider constipation or maybe even cramps! Keep a journal of what you eat and the days he cries and how intense or often he does it. You will be able to keep a close look at what can trigger his reaction. Also try giving him a bath before bed and if possible give him a massage while you talk or sing to him. Lavender is great for relaxation.
Check the bed for any bugs (you never know).
Hope something helps
