Baby waking in the night - advice

madwoman85

Hello,

My son is nearly 15 weeks old and at the beginning slept really well... He was sleeping through the night from about 8 weeks and then again in his own room from about 10 weeks.

However in the last couple of weeks he seems to be waking about 5 or 6 times a night...

I realised at first that he must be hungry so I have upped all of his day feeds, however it hasn't stopped him waking! He doesn't seem as distressed though and he isn't finishing al his bottles like he used to, so I don't think it's that anymore.

He isn't really crying as such just more whingeing... Any ideas what is causing this and how I can help him sleep through the nnight better?

He is generally awake most of the day with a nap in the morning, around lunch and then a short one around tea time usually...

Any advice/tips would be gratefully received!

Thanks
A tired Madwoman

MrsTinks

DD did this too - was a solid sleeper with maybe 1 wake up in the night then suddenly started this waking loads for no apparent reason :huh:
We started dreamfeeding which really helped... when the last of you goes to bed (in our case between 11 and 2am...) you do a bottle for them but instead of picking them up or actually waking them you just nudge them ever s slightly till them open their mouth. They usually don't wake up all the way Give them the bottle without turning light on or talking to them at all.
If they wake during the night try to leave them for a few minutes before going in - DD has taken to at least once a night waking up or making loud noises (not really crying...) and then settling again within 30 seconds - but if I got up I'd wake her all the way IYSWIM
Should you need to go in then do it as quiet as possible, no talking, pref no light (I use the bathroom light at the end of the hallway...) and then settle them down again (small bottle if you REALLY) need to

I don't know if it was just a short phase or if the consistency worked with DD but she did stop after a couple of weeks and has been sleeping through since and she's now 8 months (and now we sleep from 8pm to 8am - love her!)

Ms_Piggy_2

madwoman85 wrote: »

Hello,

My son is nearly 15 weeks old and at the beginning slept really well... He was sleeping through the night from about 8 weeks and then again in his own room from about 10 weeks.

However in the last couple of weeks he seems to be waking about 5 or 6 times a night...

I realised at first that he must be hungry so I have upped all of his day feeds, however it hasn't stopped him waking! He doesn't seem as distressed though and he isn't finishing al his bottles like he used to, so I don't think it's that anymore.

He isn't really crying as such just more whingeing... Any ideas what is causing this and how I can help him sleep through the nnight better?

He is generally awake most of the day with a nap in the morning, around lunch and then a short one around tea time usually...

Any advice/tips would be gratefully received!

Thanks
A tired Madwoman

This is the CLASSIC time for a four month growth spurt which often results in a very wakeful baby!

At four months they have SO MUCH going on: they start to really take notice of their surroundings, to 'play' and to start to move/roll. There's so much going on in their brain, it's no wonder they wake lots!

It WILL pass, honest!

there is no evidence whatsoever that starting solids or giving extra food will result in longer sleeps - it's an old wives tale!

JBD

Does he have a dummy? Personally I would try and get him to settle with a dummy rather than keep feeding him as this can get into a habit .Also My oldest was well into teething at this age and this did cause him to wake quite a bit so teething gel and even calpol were quite helpful.

robin_banks

Ms_Piggy wrote: »

This is the CLASSIC time for a four month growth spurt which often results in a very wakeful baby!

At four months they have SO MUCH going on: they start to really take notice of their surroundings, to 'play' and to start to move/roll. There's so much going on in their brain, it's no wonder they wake lots!

It WILL pass, honest!

there is no evidence whatsoever that starting solids or giving extra food will result in longer sleeps - it's an old wives tale!

You shouldn't even contemplate starting them on solids at 15 weeks though.

madwoman85

Thanks for all your replies...

He does have a dummy which we use to settle him, but within the hour he is awake again... It is just a vicious circle to be honest...

Will try leaving him for a short time and see if he settles himself, otherwise might try the dream feed idea.

Thanks!
Mad

madwoman85

robin_banks wrote: »

You shouldn't even contemplate starting them on solids at 15 weeks though.

Don't worry, we aren't even thinking about that yet!

Glamazon

I've just dropped the Dream Feed cos he was only taking about 3ozs so I try to incorporate that into his daily feeds!
Jack was sleeping through from about 12weeks around 17 weeks he started waking for a bottle at 5.30am (this was the start of a huge growth spurt!) but the last 3 weeks (every since he's darn injections!) he has been waking at around 3am EVERY morning!
He's not hungry, it doesn't seem to be his teeth. This morning it took a cuddle and his dummy and 45 minutes later :eek: he went back to sleep!
He just seems to like being awake at this time!

rnc

JBD wrote: »

Does he have a dummy? Personally I would try and get him to settle with a dummy rather than keep feeding him as this can get into a habit .Also My oldest was well into teething at this age and this did cause him to wake quite a bit so teething gel and even calpol were quite helpful.

Ours had a dummy which turned into a complete nightmare :mad: - she kept waking up wanting the dummy put back in. As that was how she went to sleep, so when she hit the light stage of sleep and realised it wasn't in, she fully awoke.

We tried *many* things, including the Elizabeth Pantly "No Cry Sleep Solution". While that helped a bit it didn't solve it for us. So we finally went cold turkey I'm afraid.

After a few traumatic nights her wakings went from 12 to 2. She has a pookie blanket which she cuddles into (it has practically turned into a dummy replacement to be honest!). However, it is vastly easier for a young baby to grab and manoeuvre compared to a dummy which is quite fiddly. We have got this one : http://www.mamasandpapas.com/product-comforter-crumble-bear-once-upon-a-time/758016000/type-i/
She now rarely wakes and if she does she grabs her blanket and often manages to get back to sleep herself :j

Nick

madwoman85

rnc wrote: »

Ours had a dummy which turned into a complete nightmare :mad: - she kept waking up wanting the dummy put back in. As that was how she went to sleep, so when she hit the light stage of sleep and realised it wasn't in, she fully awoke.

We tried *many* things, including the Elizabeth Pantly "No Cry Sleep Solution". While that helped a bit it didn't solve it for us. So we finally went cold turkey I'm afraid.

After a few traumatic nights her wakings went from 12 to 2. She has a pookie blanket which she cuddles into (it has practically turned into a dummy replacement to be honest!). However, it is vastly easier for a young baby to grab and manoeuvre compared to a dummy which is quite fiddly. We have got this one : http://www.mamasandpapas.com/product-comforter-crumble-bear-once-upon-a-time/758016000/type-i/
She now rarely wakes and if she does she grabs her blanket and often manages to get back to sleep herself :j

Nick

I must agree, Jake seems to wake wanting his dummy, although he does go to sleep at first without it?!

He has the same comforter blanket, so will try leaving that in the cot with him - I am always worried he will smother himself with it though! :eek:

Dribblekitten

Not too much to add to the waking, but we have that comforter (Mr Miggins we call him) and it really helps my daughter settle herself, she smushes it into her mouth and I think it helps her to get to sleep.
She's had it with her since birth but only around 4 months started paying attention to it, and she actively seeks him out - once she has him she tends to settle - not always, but if she doesn't have it it makes things worse (if that makes sense!).