Can't Get 6 Month Old to Sleep Anymore

Hi H.,
There's a lot of great advice here about other things that could be causing your baby's lack of sleep, so I won't go there. However, if you do these things and narrow the issue down to teething pain, I can tell you that Tylenol has always worked best for fever reduction, but it is the Motrin Infant Drops that work better for pain relief.

The few periods where we've had to turn to medicine (which I try to only turn to on a limited basis), the difference has been like night and day, between Motrin Infant Drops versus Tylenol Infant drops, when our son, Connor, who is now 22 months old, has dealt with teething pain.

I've heard nothing about teething tablets, but I have heard people recommend Orajel for babies. I would caution against using Orajel though, since I've read in multiple sources that giving Orajel is not recommended because it numbs the entire mouth, tongue, throat area, which can cause a baby to suffocate/choke due to the lack of feeling if their tongue happens to fall back and block their breathing.

I H. this helps!

Good luck!
D.

a lot of babies seem to go through this stage at 6 months. i think it's a combination of teething and growth spurts. There just seems to be a 6 month funk. tylenol makes kids hyper so give it during the day. Ibuprofen makes kids sleepy so give it at night. You might trying playing some white noise on a continuos cd for a while. see if that helps her stay asleep. Good luck

Hi H., its R.
My baby boy is going through the same thing, I am not sure if it is teething or what. But, Motrin does work best at night and I have used the teething tablets and they seem to work too.
He sleeps with us and I love that but now I am back to being exhausted because he is waking up a couple times in the night, I may have to start with the tough Love advice, if my heart can take it. :( Let me know if you find out any other advice, I would like to try anything.

If you truly think it's just because of the teething, then just know that it's just a short time and then this season in her life will pass. The other thought is that she's starting to get used to waking at certain times and is maybe enjoying what happens when she wakes. Basically I mean maybe she woke up b/c of her teeth, but then she got cuddled and put in bed with mom or whatever and enjoyed that, so now when she is in the lighter sleep part of the night, she wakes and you go to her. You didn't say what she does when she wakes up...is she fussy, crying, or just awake? Either way, just know that this too shall pass and do what you need to to get through it!

walmart carries (at least use to) homeopathic teething tablets in the section where the childrens tylenol and stuff is. They just melt away quickly. I think it was "Hyland's" brand. I gave them to both of my babies and they did wonders!!! H. this helps and they still carry them!

Hylands teething tablets!

I think you are right. My two did this also. It will pass.

About the teething tablets, they are completely safe. Doctors don't always know everything and your daughter is YOUR child. You don't need your doc or the nurse's permission to use them. They are homeopathic so they work differently than regular meds. If you read up on how homeopathy works, you will probably feel much better about it. Then you can educate your docotor and the nurse too. And Tylenol definitely has more potential for harm since a person's liver has to work to get it out of the system. I'm not against Tylenol or anything. I use it for my kids occasionally. I just wanted to make the comparison. I can think of tons of meds approved by the FDA that have done more harm than good. SO I think that is a horrible reason to advise against use. The doc needs to do some research for himself/herself, it sounds like.

Another great option I found out about with my second is something called a teething necklace. It is made of Baltic Amber and helps with the inflamation and pain of teething. Babies don't chew on them, the amber releases oils into their skin that helps. I thought it sounded crazy, but it really seemed to help my dd. I got dd's on ebay for less than 15.00 incl. shipping. I have several friends that have used them for their kiddos as well as the teething tablets with fabulous results.

Also, I live in Arlington, but I grew up out in E. TExas. I went to Carlisle HS in Price. It is about 10 min. outside of Henderson. WE want to move back out there to Tyler and build a house. It is so beautiful.

Good luck with your little one Momma. Sounds like you have great mommy instincts, don't ever hesitate to listen to them!

My son did the same thing at 6 months. He wasn't teething he just got his first tooth yesterday at 13 months. My pediatrician gave me some tough love advise. He asked if I had fulfilled all my son's needs, go through the list: hungry, dry, sick? Once you have given medicine, a bottle and changed the diaper (all things you do before they go to bed) then it is time for them to sleep. So we did the cry it out method. The first night he (and I) cried for 30 minutes, but he stayed in his crib and I stayed in bed. The next night it went down to 20 then slowly he would wake up and cry for a minute and then go back to bed. The doctor assured me that there is no loss of bond or anything when you let them teach themselves how to go back to sleep on their own. I know it sounds hard, but it actually was one of the best things that we did.

I think it's great that you're asking for advice! Sometime areound 6 months they change up their schedule, she may not be needing 2 naps or as long of a nap. Could be her nap is too close to night time also? Lots of different scenarios. If you're giving tylenol it shouldn't be a pain issue, sounds more like a "too much daytime sleep" issue. It seems that just when you get them figure out babies change on us! Just my thought from afar....good luck to you with your precious baby girl

Hyland's teething tablets - you can find them at just about any drug store/Wal-Mart, Target etc. Mix them in her food like cereal or fruits or veggies. And if those don't work Motrin. Motrin reduces swelling & helps pain, Tylenol only helps the pain.

freeze several gel type teething rings. feed her cereal prior to putting her to bed for the evening. good luck.

It sounds like the 6 month growth spurt. There is another at 9 months. I feel your pain. Hang in there. It will be over soon.

It's normal for babies who once slept through the night to stop sleeping through the night, especially when they're teething. My daughter is 15 months old and was up three times the night before last. She's working on 4 teeth at the same time :-(
Have you tried teething tablets? We use the Hylands brand and get them at Walgreens, CVS, or even Wal Mart. They work really well for us. We don't give Tylenol, because we tried it once and it didn't work well..so we go with the more natural teething tablets. We get up with her when she wakes, hold her, and she goes back to sleep within a few minutes. We also offer her a sip of water or she nurses, and she's back to sleep immediately. I think they are just looking for comfort because teething is uncomfortable and probably scary for them to go through!
And just so you don't get your hopes too high...my daughter's first two teeth were the easiest ones that she got. Since then it's been really hard for her! I just don't want you to expect that your daughter will have a progressively easier time, in case she doesn't!

Try motrin instead of Tylenol. Sometimes one will work better than the other. Our pediatrician said it depends on the person which one works better. My son wouldn't sleep at the age on Tylenol but only woke up occasionally on Motrin.

Now that she's six months old, you can give her Motrin. In my opinion, Motrin works better than Tylenol for aches and pains. Good luck!

I would try the Motrin if it works better. I think this will end once she cuts that tooth. However, many more are on the way. Good luck! I'm from Tyler, but live in Denton now!

H., most mother's would disagree with my advice, but it worked for me. I used to rub rum or some alcohol on my kids gums and it would help numb it. It worked wonders for us. Sometimes, I would put it on their binky and let them suck on it. Now my kids are 11 and 7 and there has been no adverse affect on them. All those gum rubs did not work for them at all.

Also, I used teething tablets, it can be found at Walmart and they are in a very small bottle, you may have to ask the pharmacist for them.