I have a 6 month old son that has always been a great sleeper. From the day he was born we've had to wake him up just to get him to eat (he was born a preemie at 3 lb 10 oz). But for the past 4 days he's just been up all night long, he won't sleep during the day either. He's not fussing or crying or anything. He just won't sleep. His normal routine is to take one 1 1/2 - 2 hour nap during the day, then I feed him around 8:30 p.m. and put him to bed. He usually sleeps until around 5:30 a.m. - eats a bottle and goes straight back to bed until around 8:30 - 9:00 a.m. His sleep has been very erratic over the past 4 days. He won't take a nap during the day then when I feed him at 8:30 and try to put him to bed he will not budge. He's been going to bed around 10:00 p.m. getting up at 12:30, 2:00, and 4:00. He is teething so finally at 4:00 a.m. I gave him some Tylenol to see if he would be able to sleep then. I mean, he's a generally quiet baby anyway, only crying when he is sick. He doesn't even cry when he's hungry (I can tell when he needs to eat). So he hasn't been at all fussy. He went for a check-up last Wed and no ear infections. I'm not sure why he's all of the sudden deciding he wants to stay awake all day. Oh, and he really is tired most of the time, as he rubs his eyes and yawns but he will not go to sleep. Is this a growth spurt, teething or what?
I've listened to all the responses and I must say that I appreciate all of them. I already have a child but it's been 8 years since he was a baby and you kinda forget what you went through. I was looking last night and saw a "bump" on both sides of his jaws. I called my older son's pediatric dentist this morning and asked him about babies cutting jaw teeth before front teeth. He asked me to bring my little one in and by-cracky he is cutting jaw teeth which will cause jaw, gum, ear, and sinus pain. The dentist said it's rare for this to happen but it can happen. He said it would be at least a few more weeks to a month before they will come in and that his front teeth may come in around the same time too. The best he knows to do is to give him Tylenol at the Pediatrician recommended dose as needed. As far as sleep went last night - I have a bedtime routine that I always follow but I did it a little earlier (about 8:00 p.m.). I got some baby orajel and put it on his back gums and gave him a dose of Tylenol. Then I fed him and rocked him in a quiet, dark place and he went straight to sleep, he slept until about 5:00 a.m. this morning. When he got up this morning he wanted to stay awake so I thought we were back to square one because he is usually only up long enough to eat. However, he just didn't want to be held. So I laid him beside me in the bed until he fell asleep (about 10 minutes later) and I picked him up and put him in his crib. He slept until about 9:00 a.m. this morning when I woke him up to take him to the dentist. Now that I know for sure what the problem is I can remedy it with teething rings, orajel, icepops, cold carrots, and anything else I can think of.
Thanks again for the advice.
A.- I would give him some baby cereal at night so he can have a nice full feeling in his tummy so he will sleep all night. That always worked with two.Also put some socks on him under his sleeper so he is toasty warm. If I think of any more ideas I will let you know. Good Luck.
Tawnya
Hello Amanga
Remember to consult your doctor as they say. I have 4 children and I see you have an 8 year old. Every child is different but for me I've noticed these signs to be "growing pains" as I call them. If he's not sleeping during the day
try playing around on the carpet with him for an hour then feed him and remember the 1st burp might not be the only for that feeding. There are so many things to try... find what works for him. Here are some tips:
- different holding positions (my 2 year old likes to be held over my shoulder (as opposed to cradled in the arms)
- try daddy or brother (maybe for night time) My 2nd child fussed at times and was quick to go to sleep with daddy instead (or for that moment) - try brother too.
- bath time at night
- changed diaper in the middle of the night or early evening
- rub the ears (soothing touches) 1 of my girls (age 5) still rubs her arms when she drinks
- they will have their own sleeping routine, during the day they are more aware of new things...
- for teething take a damp wet cloth, cover your finger and gently massage his gums
Happy napping. J.
A.,
I have two boys, one which is now 8 and the other which is
now 8 months old. Both of my boys have been excellant sleepers but when teething they would hardly sleep at for more than a couple of hours at a time. My 8 month old has been doing the same thing for the last 4 weeks while trying to
cut 3 more teeth. He will sleep all night every once and a while but for right now he is very restless and does not seem
to be able to get comfortable. I have been using the teething
tablets which seem to work better than tylenol or motrin. I am no doctor but it does sound liking teething but check with
your peditrician just in case to make sure there is no ear infection, etc.
Good luck and hopefully this will pass and he will go back to his sleeping patterns. (until another tooth is on its way)
B. W
I'm sure it's teething pain. Instead of the Tylenol try Disney's Gentle Naturals Teething Drops. It's homeopathic and doesn't contain caffeine like other teething tabs do. I only use Tylenol as a last resort- if he's had teething drops and orajel and has been rocked to sleep and STILL won't go to sleep after an hour or more- THEN I'll use the tylenol. Be careful using that stuff as a sleep remedy, too much can hurt your baby's little liver. If your baby takes a pacifier, try buying some that have bulbs as mouthpieces, you can fill them with water and freeze them for temporary pain relief.
Sounds like you've been very lucky as far the no fussing thing goes! My little boy gets to where he won't go back to sleep for his daddy- he cries for about an hour until I get up and rock him- and 30 seconds later he falls asleep after being awake for an hour to two hours! Sometimes it's just a matter of finding the right stimulus to remove or the right distraction to throw in. Also try a nighttime ritual- bath, bottle, bedtime story, bed.
It was right around 6 months that my daughter started altering her sleep schedule. She was cutting out naps and changing her bed time. It took about a week for us to get a new schedule worked out and after that things were fine again. I believe that's when she dropped from 3 naps a day to 2 and started going to bed about 2 hours later.
It does sound like he's teething. Try giving him a little ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) before he goes to bed. It'll last longer than Tylenol.
Try a frozen teething ring, too.
If he is teething, that is probably the cause. It could be a growth spurt or a developmental milestone, like crawling. 6 mths is a prime age for any of these causes. If they are the cause it should pass after a week or so.
I would say teething and also he may just now be waking up from being a preemie and a good baby to an active 6 month old.
Hi A.,
It could be teething, and if so, try Infants Motrin instead of Tylenol at bedtime- it just lasts longer.
If he is still not sleeping after that, it could be he is just overtired. Have you ever heard the saying "Too tired to sleep"? That is what overtired is basically. I know all babies are different, but at 6 mos, my son was taking 3 naps a day and did so until he was 1 year old when he dropped to two, and then to one a couple of months after that. Lack of sleep is a vicious circle... It makes them so tired they can't sleep and then it just snowballs after that. Maybe more frequent naps throughout that day will help? Also, you may try a much earlier bedtime. We had the same problem for a while with my son's nightwaking. We switched his bedtime to 7:00 p.m. and after a couple of days, we were right back on schedule. Even now, my son goes to bed at 7:30 and he is two. Anyway, I hope he gets back on track soon! I know you are exhausted!
You answered your own question... He is teething. This is always a sleep interrupter for us. We use teething tablets that are all natural...found in grocery store... when he is just sort of fussy or not his normal self, and save the tylenol for when he is really in pain, as to not overuse it. I'd love to tell you there is some magic remedy, but he will get back into a routine for you, although it will probably be slightly different. Good luck. Oh.. the eating habits also get disrupted during teething time... "patience" my Mom always says to me.. and she's right.
