6 months old - night sleep issues...

[~Belinda~]

Does anyone have any answers why my DD is not sleeping from 6pm-10pm then will eventually drop off only to wake sometimes at 11pm and maybe 4am but she settles quickly. She will have a bottle, then solids and a bath, then bed between 6-7pm. Then she will sleep for half hour and wake, sometimes screaming every half hour.

Through the day, she will have 2 x sleeps. AM is about 1hr, sometimes 1.5hrs and PM is the same. At times, she will want 3 x sleeps through the day.

Her gums are fleshy and red and she seems to be getting her top teeth, this has been happening for about 6 weeks now, just red cheeks, irritable etc. In my BABY LOVE book though, it states that teething does not cause sleep issues. She is also very aware of her surroundings now, trying to say Dadda and Mumma and is becoming a real little person with her own little personality, could it be developmental?

Just wondering whether anyone else has experienced this behaviour at night.

Thanks for your help.

[Olive]

have you tried doing solids say around 4pm, bath at 6pm then bottle? may be enough to relax her with the warm bath and warm milk!
your doing so well belinda!! 6 months is also a big developmental time as well

[~Belinda~]

I forgot to add, I've been keeping a log book and just jotting rough things down, since I've been on this new sleep routine. It seems like a pattern. She seems to wake around 7.30pm on average and not settle until 9.30-10.00pm, I've just looked back in my book this morning. Hmmmm....do you think I should just get her up until we go to bed?

AJP, I might try solids at 4pm then. Yes I'm thinking it might be developmental. Thanks for another tip!

[Liz]

In my BABY LOVE book though, it states that teething does not cause sleep issues.

Oh my lord - there goes that books credibility! LMAO. Teething is the main culprit of sleepless nights around here!

It is very normal for a baby to wake frequently. Both my babies have had 'late' bedtimes (9-10pm) it's just the way they were/are. It's only recently that DS has started going to bed around 8 (7.30 if I'm lucky hehe). That evening time has always been our best time for playing and bonding coz daddy's home and we can all relax and spend time together.. I say enjoy it

Babies go through so many changes in their first year, growing, development, teething, etc etc.. they can need extra comfort at these times, or extra feeds. It's completely normal. i have found my kids have more wakeful/unsettled times when reaching a milestone like crawling too.

I will add my kids have always woken frequently for feeds, so we haven't ever really 'slept through' so the unsettled times I'm talking about are very frequent wakings and being very upset.

If you are coping with the waking, then just try to ride it out. Things change all the time with bubs. Only you know what your baby needs, and it sounds like your meeting her needs very well Don't worry about things she 'should' be doing.. like going to bed at 7pm

[~Belinda~]

Liz, perhaps I didn't explain myself properly. I would love if she stayed up with us!!! But she wants to sleep by 6pm! I don't "have to have her in bed by 7pm" if you know what I mean, that's definately not the issue here. She rubs her eyes constantly, she whinges and is generally so tired by this stage. After her afternoon PM sleep, I make sure she doesn't exert too much energy in her jumperoo or anything so she doesn't get tired either and can stay up. But she's falling asleep by 6pm like I said.

When I do re-settle her every hour after 6pm, she'll settle quickly but wake up again. That's fine but I have actually TRIED getting her up to sit with us and she starts rubbing eyes again, gets whingey etc. So it seems to me like she wants to sleep but can't. KWIM?

[Liz]

Aah yep - I know what you mean Have you tried playing music in her room, so there's a kind of constant noise? Perhaps the 'awake' household is disturbing her? It's a tough one. Has she always done it? or is it recent? It could be developmental and could change again next week.

I usually find by the time I've worked out what's causing the restlessness and have a plan ready that it's all changed again LOL.

[~Belinda~]

Liz, yes she has classical music playing in her room, it sounds really relaxing. It is recent, since the new sleep routine has been implemented, maybe the last 10 days. Before this, she used to sleep in her bouncer in the lounge room with us whilst we would watch TV and she would sleep from say 7pm until we went to bed at about 10pm. Quite comfortably actually. She hasn't been in her bouncer though now for about 6 weeks. Before this routine in the last 10 days, she was sleeping in my arms!

Maybe it is developmental, hard to say isn't it? LOL

[~Belinda~]

AJP, true. Just wondering whether anyone else experienced this really. First time Mum and all

[Liz]

Hmm.. perhaps it's too quiet for her then? Maybe stick a tv in there and let it blare so she thinks she's in the loungeroom with you! LOL.

We went through stages where DS would only sleep in his pram, and it was handy coz I could jsut quickly rock him back to sleep if he woke. Can't remember when that stopped - but it obviously did. I just did whatever worked at the time

It is hard. You don't sound terribly worried about it, so that's good. I'm sure she'll settle soon

[Olive]

id just ride this phase out belinda,
in that i mean keep doing what your doing, you know what she wants and thats obviously sleep, she jsut needs some help from you for teh first few hours to resettle!