thread: growth spurts and unsettled baby

  1. #1

    Apr 2009
    central coast
    2,298

    growth spurts and unsettled baby

    I never had any issues with my previous children they were fabulous easy babies.
    But our little miss is pushing her mothers patients she has been a good sleeper since we brought her home and has self settled pretty good the only issue was the reflux and we got that sorted.
    She has only woken once during the night for a bottle and gone straight back to sleep Usually about 3-4am now all of a sudden the last 2-3 days she has been playing up when tired not wanting to self settle she will cry when i put her to bed where she normally just goes to sleep we have had to fight with her and settle her in bed with some controlled crying and me soothing her in between and now has started waking every 2 hours during the night for no reason she is not hungry i dont even need to pick her up i just put her dummy in and she goes back to sleep.
    I dont have a problem with dealing with this unsettled behaviour i will hopefully ride it out but i want to know WHY NOW when she has been so good when do babies normally have these growth spurts?

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Mar 2007
    6,900

    I would say it's just coz she's 'waking up'. When they're newborns they're so little and sleepy that they can't help but go to sleep when they're tired. But they when they get a bit bigger they are able to keep themselves awake for longer. She's probably just realised 'hey! I'm not all snuggled up inside my mummy anymore!' and it's strange for her being alone in her cot when she's been part of you for so long. I imagine that would be pretty scary for a baby. Have you got a sling?? Life saver for me. DD2 is napping in it now.

  3. #3

    Apr 2009
    central coast
    2,298

    Thats not an option for me unfortunetly i am going back to work soon so i dont want to get her use to be carried or rocked to sleep we do it when she is awake or in playtime but when she is tired its straight to bed so that is why i settle her in bed or her bouncer 1st then bed but it just seems weird that she will go down fine snuggle into her blanky and then within minutes start playing up i can hear her now she has been crying off and on for over an hour now i will go in settle her she goes off to sleep then 5 minutes later starts up again it is so not like her and she will be 13 weeks on friday her sleep pattern has gone from good to bad and we havnt changed a thing.

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Mar 2007
    6,900

    Oh ok.

    FWIW, I just think she's a normal baby. Both of mine have done the same thing. At night I co-sleep from the first wake up because I find they slept a lot longer that way and I got more sleep.

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Feb 2011
    New South Wales
    216

    We had a very similar problem with our bub around that age- our self settling, all night sleeper stopped sleeping through and boy was it a rude shock for mum and dad! She is now almost one and has just started sleeping through again with some encouragement.
    I have heard there can be a four month sleep regression (well, that's what I blamed!!)...maybe it has come earlier for your bubs??
    I guess whatever you choose to do, consistency is the key.
    Good luck, and sending easy sleeping vibes your way.

  6. #6

    Apr 2009
    central coast
    2,298

    Thanks i guess i will just have to ride it out and yes what a rude shock never have i had a fussy baby

  7. #7
    Registered User

    Feb 2010
    on a big patch of paradise.
    3,720

    Sounds like me with DD2 but it hit at 5 and half months. Perfect sleeper till then and now she wakes up about 4-5 times a night. I am riding it out too. We have ended up doing a lot of co sleeping which helps a bit. I did find that she liked some sort of noise when she was sleeping so majority of the time during her day sleeps I have the radio playing or a musical toy. I guess it is not to bad, it always feels worse at 11pm, 2am, 4am and 6:30am when I am up again and DH is happily snoring next to me.
    DD1 is the best sleeper, we never had any issues with her.

  8. #8

    Apr 2009
    central coast
    2,298

    LOL yeh i know what you mean my DH sleeps through it all.

  9. #9
    BellyBelly Life Subscriber

    Jan 2006
    11,633

    It's pretty normal baby behaviour, sorry ferrals
    Sometimes it's just a short phase - developmental leap, growth spurt - sometiems it might be an illness or due to some other change that's thrown her out of whack. But a lot of the time it's really just her being a baby. Babies do like to be carreid and cuddled. Doing it won't make them 'reliant' on it, they already feel that need, but it will meet that need and allow them to settle down again more rapidly.