thread: Zombie needs help

  1. #1
    Registered User

    Jan 2009
    Hunter Valley
    1

    Zombie needs help

    Hi Everyone,

    I'm only new to this but I need some advice. My beautiful lil man is now just 5 months old and for what feels like the last month, he's been waking up 5-6 a night and he recently stopped sleeping during the day unless i bf him to sleep or take him for a drive ( but these sleeps dont last long)

    I'm still breastfeeding so every time he wakes I give him his boob, and most of the time he's back to sleep within 5 minutes, sometimes I think he's actually having a feed...not to sure cause I'm such a zombie lately. He has been such a good sleeper and was sleeping 12hrs of a night, 2-3 sleeps during the day and going to sleep completely on his own.

    Now when he shows the tired signs I put him down and he plays in his cot with his feet or the blankets and gets really excited when I come back in to resettle him, sometimes its like he's to excited to settle down and sleep and its so hard to calm him down.

    sometimes to he'll roll around in his cot, i've gone into check on him to find him awake and playing but facing the other way to what i put him down, digonally and on his tummy. Actually now that i think of it sometimes when he wakes up during the night i go in to pick him up only to discover he's on his tummy!

    any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

  2. #2
    Registered User

    May 2007
    Perth, WA
    839

    Hi and welcome to BB and congrats on your little man. What you are describing sounds like what many parents got through with changes to their baby's sleep patterns around this age. Babies go from 'great' sleepers in the first months to then changing their patterns around 4 months-ish. I really found my DD (darling daughter) start to change at about 4 months and I actually started having a lot of trouble with day sleeps. DD would only sleep 45 mins at a time and need me to pick her up, often she would only be fed to sleep, or very annoying for me, only go to sleep with the vacuum running (for the entire sleep!!). You are definately on the right track with what you are doing. Watch for his tired signs and put him down. Decide what you will do and stick with it (for months...) ie either leave him, pat him, sing to him etc to get him to sleep. You will need to do this continously, every sleep time. I didn't let my DD cry or do control crying etc because I am not a believer in it nor was I comfy with it. I think some pattern is good- the sleep, feed, play suited us and I can't remember but I think my DD was only awake for about an hour or 1.5 hrs before needing to be put back to sleep at this stage. Do whatever you need to so that your son (DS) sleeps. Feeding to sleep, rocking, singing, patting etc is all a lovely way for him to go to sleep, just be consistent and get yourself into your bed for a nap when he is sleeping.

  3. #3
    Registered User

    Oct 2007
    305

    Hi jac87 and welcome to BB.

    Like KatieRabbit said what you are describing is very common behaivour for a 4-5 month old.

    My DS did the same thing at this age. He was a great day sleeper and had been sleeping through the night from about 6 weeks - I was VERY lucky I thought to have a bfed baby do this. One day I was chatting with an ABA counsellor about something and I mentioned his sleeping patterns and she told me not to be surprised if he started waking more around the 5 month mark. We co-slept through this time though, so maybe that's an option for you. I know it's not for everyone but it may help you get some more sleep.

    Hang in there, it will pass and you are doing a wonderful job.