Seeking Advice on 6 Month Old That Won't Stop Tossing and Turning

This is all totally normal. My daughter does the same thing, and has been since she was about 4 months old and could roll over. She is a fabulous sleeper at night and for naps, and doesn't appear to be tired during the day or when she wakes up. If he is happy during the day and not grouchy all day long, rubbing his eyes all the time, or yawning all the time, he is just fine. My daughter started to be a lighter sleeper the past few months (she's 11 months now), and she seems to be moving around a lot more now, and wakes up even if you just open the door. We turned the monitor down so we can hear her crying or talking, but can't hear every move she makes. We sleep a lot better now, and so does she now that we aren't checking on her all the time! Tell your husband to relax and not worry- and if that doesn't work, talk to the advice nurse at your son's clinic or to your pediatrician if you have an appt. soon.

Your baby sounds like a fabulous sleeper! My six-month-old son has just started sleeping through the night, but he's always been a squirmy sleeper. Your husband can rest easy. It's perfectly normal.

my daughter does this as well and has pretty much since she was able to move. i think he sounds fine and normal, but i'm not a doctor! when we travel i sleep in the same room with my daughter at my parents house and i get very little sleep then b/c she is so restless in her sleep. but she is happy during the day and well rested, so i didnt worry about it.

this sounds normal to me. Turn a fan on in your room and shut the babies door untill its cracked and yours too. may drown out little noises and able your husband to sleep. You will hear him cry if he needs u. (we have 2 fans going)

I have twin boys (6-1/2 mos old) and they both snuggle up to a blanket when they sleep and have done so since they were a month old. Sounds to me it is definitely a comfort thing. They LOVE to snuggle up with their blanket . . . as soon as I put one up to their neck they grab it and pull it up to their nose, their eyes close and out they go. I think some use it for security, you should definitely try it.

I have a 7 month old and she is the same way. I have learned to ingonore the tossing and turning also. She is always in a good mood and sleeps through the night. She takes naps during the day some are long and I figure that she is catching up on sleep since she is restless through the night. I thought she was like her dad and I since we toss and turn a lot. I work from home and my husband works outside of the house.

Welcome to the noisy sleeping child club!! My son was sooo rambunctious in his sleep he only was allowed in our room for 1st night after he came home from the hospital. He continually flopped his arms and legs for the first few months until he was able to roll around and increase the noise level. Fortunately, he was our second child so I had no problems sticking him in his crib early. (My daughter was in her bassinet in our room for 4 months--1st child and quiet). I would still discuss it with you pediatrician even if it is just to make your husband feel better because restlessness can also be a sign of sleep apnea. However, it sounds like your son is well rested and there is no mention of snoring so this is probably less likely. Good luck!

Hi T. - it looks like we are similar in a lot of ways. I am a full-time working mom of one son who is now 8 months old. When he was around 3 months, he started having very restless nights. The only difference between my son and yours is that sometimes his restlessness would wake him up. I asked the doctor about this and he said that sometimes babies will have restless nights because of growth spurts.

I also know that we have gotten used to sleeping in our room and turning off the monitor so we don't hear all the little sounds he makes at night. However, one weekend we went to a friend's condo and had to sleep in the same room as him. He was the loudest sleeper and kept us up all night! He kicked his feet, rolled from side to side, sighed, hiccuped, passed gass and made all sorts of noises, all while sleeping soundly. Of course, my husband and I didn't get much sleep at all!

If your son is healthy and taking regular naps, then I wouldn't worry too much about how he sleeps. You should let your husband call the doctor to put his mind at ease though. The doctors are there to help answer the parents' questions.

Good luck and congratulations on such a well-rested baby!

Hi,
Your son sounds perfect. I have an 11 month old. He was very restless, w/out crying until that age or maybe 7 months. It eventually goes away. He does have a little stuffed animal with a very small blanket stitched to it. He also is a pacifier junkie, he goes to sleep with one and I put a couple others in his crib. Sometimes he wakes up with a different pacifer in his mouth. We had to close the door to his bedroom because of his restlessness, this helps us sleep and him from being disturbed. You can ALWAYS hear him if he cried. My guy takes two naps and sleeps 11.5 hours at night also.
Don't sleep with a monitor in your room. Everything will be amplified, and your husband probably listens to the monitor. My husband would put a monitor in our room when I worked late, I am not sure why because our son's bedroom is right next to ours. We can hear the clock tick on the monitor. I turn it off when I get home. We can both hear him if he cries or coughs anyhow.
Good Luck, eventually he will sleep more soundly.

S.

My daughter (now 16 months) has also always been a "restless" sleeper. As a newborn, she slept in our room in a bassinett and I would hear her moving around and think she was awake and hungry. I constantly checked to see if her eyes were open and she was awake or if she was just moving in her sleep. Then I read that babies spend more time in R.E.M. or "active" sleep than adults. During this time, they will move around a lot. I think it's totally normal. We have a white noise machine in her room that blocks out noise for her but also blocks her little noises from us. I know that when we are traveling and have to sleep in the same room as her, it is much more difficult for us to sleep. I would check with your doctor, though, just to make sure everything is OK.

Hi. You should get your son into see his pediatrician for the best answer. I'm not a nurse or doctor, but in my experience my nephew(he lived with us) as a baby did the same thing. He ended up having a breathing problem along with allergies. The poor little one must be tired. I hope it's nothing. My thoughts are with you. God Bless.

My son who is 10 months old today, sleeps with a little stuffed animal that is a bear head with a little blanket "Body". I used be so nervous about it that I would take it away when he fell asleep but now (and probablt has for 3 or more months) sleeps with it all through the night. I have also used the zippered sleep sack and still do on cold nights. I agree with the others, if he is not crying don't worry. (Or let your husband worry and you just sleep!)

Hi T.,
Honestly this sounds like more of your husbands problem then your son not sleeping well... If your son is waking up well rested & in a good mood I would not worry. He WILL let you know if there is a problem. My point is... sometimes first time Daddy's worry way too much. My husband still does, & our daughter is almost two :) And they make you worry as well. It sounds like you are doing a great job as a Mom! So don't fret, get some sleep & good luck to you!
S.

I am the mom of 2 little ones (21/2 and 13 mos) they were/are restless sleepers. We always use the baby "sleeping bags" that you zip them up in a night so you don't have to worry about them kicking covers off or smothering in a blanket. My kids love them. I say as long as you son is waking up happy and is sleeping soundly, count your blessings and get some sleep.