All of a Sudden Not Sleeping

My 4 month old seemed like that. She is okay now but the doctor found that the formula she was using was not digesting easy for her. She was put on alimentum it worked for a while but then she didn't want to drink it anymore and I put her back on the old formula. she would cry so much I would feel so bad. Her body would get stiff and holding her would not work. I honestly don't know really what could be wrong with her. Good Luck hope the doctor had some good input

Hi, You may not think this is a great solution, but it has worked for 22 months for my niece whose little son is going to be two on July 25th.He has always slept in his crib at night but refused, from the very beginning to nap in the house, in his carriage, crib, swing or baby carrier. So, after his lunch and a diaper change she takes him out to the car, puts him in his car seat, gives him his pacifier, plays some kiddie tunes, and starts to drive around the neighborhood. Usually within ten minutes, at most, he falls fast asleep and stays asleep for at least one and a half to two hours. They live in the suburbs so it is not an area with lots of noise and traffic.

After he falls asleep, she parks somewhere with a view and relaxes. Sometimes she reads or does her grocery and chore list for the next day, or talks softly on the cell phone or just daydreams. When he starts to stir she starts driving and he falls back to sleep. She has done this every day for 22 months and this is the only way he naps. Some days my sister, the baby's grandmother goes along for the ride and drives to the mall. My sister sits in the car while Joshua sleeps and my niece goes shopping. She can get a lot accomplished knowing the baby is being taken care of and she gets mommy time.

I know it sounds a little crazy, but it works like a charm. Whenever I go to visit we let my niece go to the beauty parlor or someplace she cannot take the baby and my sister and I sit in the car when the baby sleeps. Try it, it might work out well for you.

Good luck! Grandmother in Westchester

Have you just started solids? Because my dd does that when i feed her something she cant digest well. And sometimes it takes a little while for a food allergy to present it self. So maybe she been eating this for a while and now is finally showing you that she cant tolerate it.
E.

Definitely consider teething! Whenever my (now) 15-month old had unexplained problems sleeping, I realized new teeth were almost always the reason. It's now the first thing I check! Be very sparing with the anbesol/orajel - too much and it can numb their throats/swallowing/gagging reflex. i heard this from both my ped and my dentist. you can also try a wet washcloth in the freezer, and of course teething rings.

have you tried mylicon gas drops?

my daughter is the same exact age. both my children arent big nappers. the first slept pretty good at night but only very short catnaps in the day. the first thing you need to figure out is if she needs to sleep more in the day? is she super happy all day? there is a good chance her night issues are because she is overtired.

make sure you follow the idea of eat play sleep, vs sleeping after eating, except the night feeding can be however works for you. you may be putting her to nap in the day as she falls asleep when eating, but thats not real sleep, kwim. that sleep will be shorter than if you waited an hour or at least until you see the sleepy cues. those little catnaps will keep her spirits up, but its not enough in totality. at the same time, trying to force her to nap when she isnt tired probaly wont work well.

aside from that, i def think your recent change could have an effect. babies at this age are so much more aware. this alone could disrupt her. teething, growth spurts, general age developments, more activity all could have an effect.
also the whole thing of food. i EBF and have no plans on introducing solids until after 6 months at least, but im not sure where you are with solids yet. that could upset her stomach. on the other hand, if you hear her swallowing vs just sucking, i would think she is hungry. it may be she is upping your milk supply to add a couple more ounces to her daily intake. if she is swallowing for 10-15 min i would think she is hungry.
maybe add a feeding somewhere and work on the naps. good luck.

Hi S.,

I hope the doc appt goes well. My son is 4 months old and has been having both gas AND a different pattern of sleeping for the last 2 weeks. He can't stay up past 7 but wakes up about every hour (sometimes crying and very fussy) until about 10. Then he has his long sleep till about 1 or so, sometimes longer. But he's been waking up at 5:30 due to gas and sometimes having to poop. He used to poop when he woke up (at 9 or so). Now he wakes up to poop. It's probably some developmental thing but I've heard at 4 months infants sometimes regress a little, it's probably nothing to worry about but it's good your seeing her ped! In Max's case it might be the more light and bird noise waking him up. It's so quiet in the winter. Hope you get some sleep soon...

~K.

haven't read the other posts, not sure if anyone mentioned this. works like a charm for me (my baby is the same age and has had the same pattern as your baby):

make a strong cup of chamomile tea, then stick it in the fridge. dip a clean washcloth into it and let baby gnaw on it when fussy. the chamomile is a natural anti-inflammatory and will help if her poor gums are swollen, and it can also help relax the abdominal muscles if she's gassy. plus the nice cold washcloth feels good on teething gums. hope that helps! (plus, it's cheap, easy, and all-natural).

Try gas drops for her! My son was very gassy too! Also I continued to take pre-natal vitamins but was nursing and they make him sick. He would literally throw up. Try the drops. Dr's say they don't work but they worked for me and a few friends!

Hi momma,

try sleeping with her during nap time,

If you wake at 7am then naptime should be 11am
take her to your bed and sleep with her, till she falls asleep

sleep with her til she wakes up and leave the mess

when she wakes cuddle her close, and pretend to still be sleeping. keep a pacifier on hand incase she stirs. and at the first peep pop it in her mouth,
NOT THE BOOB unless she goes bonkers

at night same thing except move her to the crib when she dozes off, and at first peep, RUN to her crib don't let her cry, rub her head nose and cheeks, DO NOT TALK this will stimulate her.

and wait and see if she falls back to sleep.

if she wakes bring her in bed with you and give her the pacifier NOT the boob.

Keep her there til just before morning and then move her back to her crib.

She must wake up in her crib.

then repeat.every day.

eventually she will stop waking up in the night,
always keep 4-5 pacifiers on hand for easy acess.

and around 6 months, start moving her hand up to the corner of her bed to find the pacifier on her own, so she can self soothe.

Never talk becuse it stimulates. just quietly let her kow your there, BEFORE she opens her eyes.

trust me it always works.

and you napping with her during the day will help her feel better, help her return to a better routine, and assist you in your need for sleep.

you'll have more energy in the sfter noon and be able to clean up th house later LOL

M

Do you have her on cereal yet? She could just be humgry. Maybe try giving her more cereal for dinner. I had a similar situation when my son was 3 1/2 months old. As soon as we got the amount of cereal right what a difference. If you are giving her cereal I suggest trying Beachnut Good Evening cereal. It helps them to digest it better so it doesn't upset there tummy. Hope this helps and good luck

S.,
I remember having the same trouble with my son when he was about five months old. It's developmental. When it comes to sleeping, you need to watch for her sleepy signs and put her down for a nap. I like the idea of putting her in the car; that could work. Whatever you decide to do, just be consistent. You may think that it's not working, but if you keep changing strategies, then you'll really never know. It's frustrating, and exhausting. While she's going through this phase, forget having a clean house. Rest when you can, and have others around you take care of your daughter when you first get home. Perhaps you can call ahead to let them know that you are arriving, have your daughter be somewhere out of sight of the door, and you can sneek into your room for a 30 minute nap before you spend time with every one. One final word of advice: This too shall pass. Then, all will be well again for a while. Then, another puzzle to solve will emerge. It never ends, yet, when she is older, you will remember this as the happiest time of your life. :-)