Will I Ever Sleep Again

It will get better I promise. If I had a dime for every time I've heard a mom complain about sleep issues at 5 months, I'd be rich! It will pass! don't worry too much about the solids - she doesn't NEED them right now, and it won't help her sleep any better.

I'd take him to the doctor. It sounds like it might be an ear infection. Teething should be allieviated by Tylenol or Motrin enough (in my experience) for the baby to go back to sleep, so I'd guess something else is going on.
Good luck!

tell sitter to keep him up more. As for the eating not so bad. Better he feeds more at night so he will be full more. Also he can be teething and honestly just as they get into a routine poof changes.

Hang in there, go to bed as soon as you put him down.

Hi,

I AM SO SORRY about your sleep deprivation--I remember it well.

My darling sweet son was an absolute beast with the teething. Infant Motrin really, really helped. it lasts 8 hours--actually for my son, only about 6--but still--it helped all of us get just barely enough sleep to function/

good luck.

Good luck L.. I had one good sleeper (out of 4) and she is now 13! My baby (8 months) has a sleep schedule like your son. She has good nights and bad nights. I work as well and sometimes I don't know how I get through the day. There is a product out there that has helped us get through the teething nights. It is called "CAMILIA" distributed by the company "Boiron". You can find it at a health food/nutrition store. If they don't carry it ask if they can order it in. I get mine through my chiropractor. It is great because she likes to take it and most of all...it works!

Yes you will sleep again, try motrin and teething tablets

Hi L.,

I'm sure that you'll sleep again once those teeth start cutting through the gums. This too shall pass. I have a recommendation for a teething soother. Take a wash cloth, cut it into quarters or halves. Wet it and then freeze it. When your baby is fussy this may help because it will give him something to gum on and he won't choke on it. Make sure than any loose threads are removed prior to wetting the cloth! Best of luck!

F. L.

The second you hear your baby stir, pop three teething tablets into his mouth (Hyland's). What also works very well is a dose of motrin before bed. It totally works.
Good luck!

feed him cereal such as baby brown rice or baby oatmeal, before he goes to sleep. my son is eight months old and stop liking his bottle about two months ago. he needs more food. try some diffrent types of baby food. also watch out for sweet potatoes, they can cause gas.Instead of a bottle try a sippie cup. if he is teething he is going to scream and drive you crazy. use some teething products. hylands make good teething tablets and disney make good teething drops. they sell both in pathmark and walmart. do not forget baby tylenol. add baby formula to his cereal so he has enough calcium. also try the stonybrook farms-yo baby yogurt. also try a bath before bedtime,it will relax him.

Hi L.,
I feel for you! I am a first time mom, my little girl is almost 20 months now but she didnt sleep through the night until she was 9 months old!!!!!! She was a terrible, sleeper. She was up every few hours for the first six months and like you, I had to go back to work. It was VERY difficult especially when I would hear other moms talk about their babies and how they slept through the night at 8 weeks.

At the time, I thought the same thing, "will I ever sleep again" and the answer defintiely is yes! And to be honest, by 9 months, I started to get used to less sleep but it was VERY nice to be able to sleep through the night. And we tried everything to help her sleep and just one night she did it! So, hang in there, it will get better!

K.

This is normal baby teething behavior - though that may not feel helpful when you need sleep. Does your partner get up to help at nighttime?
Mainly I think you just have to do your best to cope - teething doesn't last forever. we useda homeopathic teething spray (camomilla) that seemed to calm Louis down and let him sleep. Your wee boy will get his appetite back when his mouth isn't so sore. Rally as many helpful people as you can so that you can get a bit of rest. It will happen!

I agree with the Hylands Teething Tablets suggestions. Also consider Bach Flower Rescue Remedy. They work differently on different kids; some will conk out immediately because their pain is relieved, mine doesn't fall asleep but does get more chill and definitely feels better. Then again, i've never tried them in the middle of the night.

If he's eating solids already, try to find an allergen-free freezer waffle or bagel (try a natural foods store, larger giant eagle, larger tops/giant, or any wegmans) and slice it up lengthwise, let him chew it on it still frozen. Sometimes it helps soothe the gums a bit, distracting him from the pain and maybe letting him think about eating or sleeping. (Tey it until he is old enough to bite pieces off. Then try something else!)

Good luck! Teething is no fun for anybody.

Argh! Isn't the timing the worst? (I have a 5.5 month old too). If you're sure it is teething, it is time to meet your new best friend, Tylenol. (After checking with your ped, natch.) A couple of other things that have helped my munchkin-- suctioning out his nose (because he has the stuffy nose the doctors *swear* isn't teething related) before he eats and sleeps, feeding him cold bottles out of the fridge, and the teething tabs you can get at CVS, etc. And if you have a partner, make him/her get up some of the time. On bad nights we take turns, one of us sleeps in the guest room from 10-2 (with no monitor) while the other one is "on duty" and then we switch. That way each of us gets atleast 4 uninterrupted hours. Good luck!

Hi L.,
Thought I would want to share my empathy of your situation. Let me tell you something. You are not alone...

I am mother of three children, age 16, 11 1/2 and 3. My oldest one is getting ready for college within two years. He was and still is challenge/difficult-raising child. He has turned into a fine young man and is an advanced honor student at private school. My daughter is getting into pre-teen exploring stage and approachs new experience with social skills and have mood swings from time to time. Her behavior is not tolerance acceptance! My young ones is about to get into "screaming fits" while we serve for dinner every night. My husband and I are trying to approach different way to keep him cheer up. He was so easy baby until now... It was unpredictable as he turns into "late 3 dare-devil" toddler stage. It is not "pretty" picture where we have two older children sitting with us and had to tolerance with his behavior. When he is in good mood, he is so adorable and witty-smart toddler! I love them all so much!

I do know how much frustrating you have to deal with your toddler's teething stages. While my babies had their teething, I did use my thumb scrubbing their gums and it help them to feel calm and comfortable. Those numb "Ojoin" teething medicine is not a magic! You may consider in giving small dose of mortin-Infant medicine (of course, follow Pediatric doctor's instruction).

Here is another issue for you to consider possiblity for your child to have ear infectious while teething.
When my babies got their ear infectious due to ear/nasal tubes inflamed and the tubes blocked liquity drainage. It created some infectious in their ears. It happened to EACH TEETH comes out, and infectious went away. They took amoxicillian (anti-boctics) medicine and it definitely helped them to sleep through nights.

If it doesn't work out for your baby, I would recommend to visit your pediatric doctor(s) and raise your concerns. Doctors should check your baby's ears closely... sometimes teething can be inflamation through their gums that cause ear/nasal tubes closing and develop infectious. It may be different for each child. Who Knows?!

Dr explained Age 0-2 years old babies, their ears/nasal tubes are attached to each other and it easily generate ear infectious because liquidity couldn't drain down through throat. After they reach age 2-3, their ear/nasal tubial gradually move down to throat position and the infectious is much less issue. DR showed facial diagrams. That was my third baby's visit. I finally got right answer after my 16 years of raising children. It made sense.

I hope you would be able to find better solution in no time. I pray. Your baby defintely get much better around age 1 after the teething is over. Beleive me. So it is is half way to get there. Hangin' there! Yes, it is alot of work and love-nuturing requirement for your children. You are going to be a great mother!

I babysat from age 3 months to 11 years old kids when I was only age 13-15. I thought I did gather enough mothering skills. Once I became a mother, I realized that my approaches were different according to their personalities and grown-up stages. Definitely you will have to go through their stages on your own chapter(s).

Deaf Mother of three kids

Dear L.,
Your son may have reflux, and the problem might be that you are feeding him TOO frequently. My daughter is 4 months old, and our first 3 months were horrible because of reflux. She would scream all the time, so I would feed her not knowing what else to do, but the more I fed her the worse she would get....she would only take incomplete feedings every 2-3 hours (because she was too full), and wouldn't ever sleep. Once I stretched out her feedings (now every 4 hours), and the pediatrician started her on zantac, she is like a new baby...she sleeps through the night (10 hours), and is happy all the time. I thought that because I was breastfeeding, she would only take what she needed, but she was getting too much for her stomach to handle, and it was backing up into her esophagus causing her pain. She has never had solid food. Maybe since he is getting solids, he doesn't need as much in the bottle. If you are worried he isn't getting enough nutrients, you can mix the formula with his food. I hope this is helpful. I know what you are going through.
J. W

The answer to your question is "yes". WHEN will you ever sleep again should be the real question. As much as the magazines and baby sites and experts say you need to get your child on a schedule, it's not always easy. As you know, you get the hang of one thing, then babyhood throws something else at you. I have 3 kids and I can honestly say that even with #3 it was hit or miss for the first 7-8 months. My only advice is to take it one day at a time, try different tactics, and see what works. If this fails, try to remember that this is only temporary. By the time my youngest was 9 months old, he was on a good eating schedule and if I had gone to bed when he did and woke up my usual time, I still would have gotten a good 7 hours of sleep. Hang in there, and good luck!!

If he is eating from a spoon without problems, why not try feeding him before bed. My daughter got twelve teeth at once and was miserable. I fed her, coated her bottom with vaseline and doubled the disposable diaper--removed the outside of one and put inside the other. She slept for much longer periods of time. She never got a rash with this method and I got more rest. God bless you.

L. - I feel your pain! My son started teething at 4 months & didn't start sleeping through the night until around 9 months. He's 3 days shy of turning 1, has 10 teeth, and, as I write, working on cutting #11. I've tried to give him smaller bottles more often if he's refusing the bottle, and softer food (baby food & yogurt) if he's refusing the solid food. I've also tried a variety of teethers, including frozen washcloths. I've found that having a few different options has helped as different teeth hurt him more than others. Also, Tylenol! Not every mom is in to this, but I'm religious about dosing him every 4 hours for those days leading up to a tooth being cut - it really does make a difference. I've also used Baby Orajel on his gums (the nighttime formula) when I'm trying to put him to bed. It's not long lasting, but it really does numb the area (both my husband & I have confirmed that when we've used our fingers instead of a cotton swab to put it on his gum & then touched our lip/tongue). Good luck!

I feel your pain! My son just finally started sleeping through the night at one year! Once your son turns 6 months (in a couple of weeks) I've been told been by nurses and doctors that it's safe to give motrin (lasts longer than tylonal) and helps both of my children tremendously with teething pain - ofcourse ask your doctor to be safe. You may also want try adding some cereal to his bottle to help him sleep longer. Good Luck, and hang in there - it won't last forever :)

I found myself with my oldest son (who is now almost 4) having the same problem you are describing. I obsessed about the number of ounces of milk he got. I even stopped nursing when he was 5 months old because I wanted to be able to see that he was getting enough. He was the same way with a bottle. And I did find that when he was teething it was even worse. I think maybe the sucking was uncomfortable for his teething gums. At any rate, I have a 9 month old now who I am pleased to say I never worry about the amount of milk he drinks. I figure his little body knows what it needs and I should trust him to let me know when and how much he needs it. As for the middle of the night wakings...I'm with you on feeling the hardship of those. In fact, he is still waking up between 3 and 4 times during the night and feeding him is the only way he'll go back to sleep. I'm considering offering a bottle of warm water instead of nursing him in the night. At the end of the day though, my advice to you is not to worry too much and remember, they're only babies once and it goes by so fast! Just stock up on some good strong coffee for yourself and enjoy those middle of the night cuddle sessions while they last! Good luck!

Do you have anyone at all to help you? Maybe someone could stay over a night or two and help you out. Sometimes just O. night of sleep can re-charge you for the week when you're in that cycle!
Did you check woth your pediatrician to see if it's OK to give him Infant Tylenol for teething pain? Careful with the dosing. That might help him get through the night if it's OK to give him before he goes to bed.
If you try Baby Orajel--just put a TINY amount right where the teeth are coming in. I used to use a Q-Tip to apply it.
Does he like water? Nice ice water in bottle or sippy can help when teething.
I remember my son didn't eat very well when he was teething and I wouldn't be too concerned about that--it will just be for a short time. The babyfood will be OK.
Also, when my son had teething discomfort, I would get about 6 of his little terry washcloths, wet them, wring them out, fold them into quarters, stack them up, put them into a ziplock bag and freeze them. Give him O. to chew on--it really helped my son. Good luck!

Yes, you will sleep again.

He is in pain and who else can make him feel better than mommy?

1. Try to wear him out at home so he will sleep better - If he's not run around enough, he could wake up easier. Wearing him out will help to keep him asleep. Also, lavender fragrance could help keep him asleep and relaxed if you want to get a candle/glade/air freshener of any sort.

2. Try Tylenol - I have used Tylenol 3x for teething, and they have all been this past week. He has been so out of it and basically in the same position that you are in with your son. I save the Tylenol until bedtime and it makes him pass out. It seems that he's finished teething (thankfully!) so no more worries. Giving him Tylenol for teething is not a horrible thing to do...it can be helpful and beneficial if it improves his sleep, mood, and lessens his pain.

3. Brush his teeth - When my son got his first teeth, he loved his medicine dropper to chew on more than the teething rings. He now uses a toothbrush to chew on. However, I would use my finger brush and he was able to chew on it and it made him feel a lot better. He also liked to chew on the spoon and bottle tops.

You will sleep again. Maybe have your hubby/family/sitter/anyone watch him for a night so you can get caught up? One night can make a huge difference.

I can't tell you if you'll ever sleep again, but I can tell you that you're not alone. I have a 5 month old who on average gets up every 2 hours....sometimes will sleep for 3 hours, sometimes 1 hour. It has just always been this way. Some babies just don't sleep as well as others! This is one of the major reasons why I could not go back to work. My brain doesn't function that well! So know that there are other babies out there with that sleeping pattern. It does seem like everyone that I run into has babies who sleep through the night............

I agree with Beth. Take him to the doctor. My son acts the same way when he has an ear infection.

Okay, try to put Oragel on your son's gums a minute or two before his bottle. Also, you can give your son Tylenol for the pain at night (make sure you check with your doctor about the dosage for your son's weight).

Sometimes a wet wash cloth for the baby to chew on can help with the teething discomfort.

The problem seems to be more with his actually getting his bottle into him, though, than with pain in between bottles. My guess is that if you can get the whole bottle into him at his feedings instead of just a few ounces (at least at bedtime), then your son's sleeping will be better. He is probably waking not from teething pain but from being hungry. It is a vicious cycle.

As for your lack of sleep... Well, it will get better. I would suggest getting a friend/loved one/husband to watch your son for a few hours on the weekend so that you can just get a little extra sleep. Alternatively, if you can take a day off of work, I would take the day off, drop you son off at the sitter's and then go home to bed. While this is not a long term solution (that will come as your son gets a little older), in the short term it can help immensely. I've noticed it is a whole lot harder to deal with my children's ailments with patience and love when I am sleep deprived. Getting a nap in can help both you and your son.

Good luck.

You will sleep again. My 8 month old did that at that age, and yes, he really was teething. My ped. suggested that if nursing/bottles weren't going well to feed more solids and it would balance out eventually (use formula/milk to make the cereal, though) (as long as he's still wetting diapers). Definitely yes to Tylenol, also Baby Oragel if you can feel the bump of the tooth. Motrin is not ok until 6 months. You can certainly make an appointment to rule out an ear infection, though.

The good news for my guy was, after a long phase of increasingly rough sleeping, my son gave up the night feedings on his own around 7 months and a week later started sleeping through the night.

Other question: what happens if you don't feed him every time he wakes? He may eat more/better the times you feed him if you let him go a little longer between feedings (does he take a pacifier?).

Good luck. This is so stressful, but will (has to!) end eventually.

YES! You will sleep again, when your little one decides to let you. I used to ask myself the same thing and cry begging God for sleep. Let it take its course and enjoy your baby as much as possible (even when you can't keep your eyes open)! It will end soon - it does end! :)

Do you think he might have an ear infection? I've heard that when kids get ear infections, the sucking on a bottle hurts their ears, plus, the waking up all night seems like he might have an ear infection.
Might want to ask the pediatrician.