HELP! 5 Month Old Still Wakes Every 1 1/2 Hrs!

Gas could definitely be the problem. My son was also gassy and he kept waking him up also. Is he on breastmilk or formula? If it's breastmilk then perhaps you need to make changes to your diet, figure out what it is you're eating that's giving him gas. I couldn't eat broccoli or onions. If it's formula, consider trying a different brand of formula. Or maybe like my son, your son could be a little lactose intolerant so try soy formula instead of regular. I also use to give my son some gas relief drops before bed - just in case and he usually did sleep longer then.

K.-
I am sorry with what is going on! I think that there is definitely a high possibility the gas is keeping him up...My baby is almost 7-months-old and he was incredibly gassy (still is depending on my diet). I breastfeed and I had to omit dairy--after omitting dairy for even 3 days I was able to sleep--but it takes 2 weeks for the protein from cow's milk to leave your breastmilk-aahhhh! What a difference! Two other suggestions: Baby's Bliss Gripe Water is a gift from heaven-it's worth $10 at Huckleberry's or Other Mothers on the Southhill and we swear by it for sanity :) !!!! Also-we make sure to get a minimum of 30 minutes outside fresh air every day! We use Lacto-Free infant formula for our rare bottle days :) Oh sorry one last thing-we started him on rice cereal in the evenings. Good luck! I thought Jace was high-needs but after I learned what to do with his diet-he's a peach--easy easy baby!

If he awakens because he's uncomfortable, as with gas, find out what it is and then treat that. Have you talked with the pediatrician? There are prescriptions meds for babys to treat gas and gerd. My two grandchildren had heartburn and spit up a lot. They slept best in their car seats because it kept their head up.

And it's also important to find out if they are allergic to anything that they're eating. When my granddaughter was just a few months old the pediatrician tested her for some allergies that are common at that age. She tested positive to milk products, soy, and peanuts. She was bottle fed and had to use a non soy, non milk formula. And it was that she was actually allergic to milk and not lactose intolerant.

You might try some of the treatments used for colic. My friend's son who had colic slept best on his stomach. Just be sure the crib is free of puffy stuff in which he could burrow his head. If he can lift his head and especially if he can roll over there is very little danger of suffocation.

hi there,
my son did the same thing until very recently, and no he does not have a problem with gas. may just be a matter of time, because all of a sudden at about 6 months he has started to take longer naps during the day, and sleep much longer stretches at night. i did try to start stretching out the time between feedings during the day. the busier i keep him, the less it seems he constantly wants to eat. i don't mean cutting back on food, just eating less frequently. Starting solids has also helped us stretch out the time between feedings. Also, your baby might be teething? My son started waking again every hour or so when his first tooth was coming in. anyhow, it may still just be a matter of time. good luck!

Did your pediatrician give any feedback?

I don't know if this helps...one of my daycare moms & a few daycare dads signed up for Parent-Baby swim class...another daycare parent tried soothing Johnson & Johnson bedtime bath...one of my daycare moms cut down on naps as they were up with their special needs son until as late...another mom cut down or eliminated carbonated beverages, spicy foods...other daycare parents tried soothing lullabies...I even played one of the children's lullabies put together by one of the ladies who sang at our wedding so I could fall asleep better...many nights I'm kept up my daycare stress, puppy with asthma attacks or
child's Winter coughs.

Hey there. My first son did the same thing. His naps during the day were about 15 minutes long and he woke up every 1.5-2 hours at night to eat, even at 3.5 months old. The doctor told us at 3.5 months old to start him on baby food, something that will give him some substance so he won't wake up so hungry all night long. That worked great. He started to eat less often during the day and was much happier.
He also was a very gassy baby and seemed every kind of formula we tried made him sick. Finally we switched to Soy milk in the dairy fridge aisle and the pediatrician gave him zantac wich stopped the gassiness and his horrible throwing up.
Zantac is a very cheap prescription and REALLY helps with gassy babies. Both my sons were very gassy and both had to be put on zantac because of it. It has mild side effects, (we had no side effects with either child) and works great.
After changing his milk and getting him on zantac he was a breeze of a baby as well :)
Hope it gets better for you.
H.~
SAHM of 2 sons, 4 and 1

Well, I am sorry for the problem you are having... But is he brestfeed? if so... Give him a 6 oz bottle of formula before bed. my son is two months old and i give him one bottle of formula before bed... he sleeps all night. good luck.

-C.

Your son sounds a lot like my niece - she's really sensitive to some foods. My sister has completely cut out dairy, and has to go really light on store-bought breads and pasta. Mylicon gas drops (or equivalent generic) really helps with the gas, which sounds like it could be part of your problems.

Once you get the gas under control, if he's still having trouble sleeping, he might just be hungry and ready for solids. My 5 1/2 month old sleeps much better if I give her some solid food a few times a day. Start with cereal mixed with breastmilk (rice cereal is usually the first food, it has the fewest problems with allergies), and add foods as he's able to eat them. Give a few days between new foods, just to make sure he's not going to have problems with a specific food.

Hope this helps.

I know that everyone says not to do this but I had a baby like yours and at 2 months he cried all the time and wouldnt sleep so my mom said he was hungry and put a small amount of Gerber rice cereal in with his formula.You have to use a faster flow nipple.My son usually eats 5-6 oz of formula but when I give him cereal I use 4oz of forula and water and mix in about 2 Tbls of cereal(thats already mixed with water)and I just spoon it into his bottle and shake it up.My baby now only wakes up once at night and is happy most of the time.Igive him the cereal once in morning and once before bed.