Ds is 4 and half months and since about 7 weeks has been a good sleeper,if up in night only once but the last say few weeks hes getting worse and worse,he started waking once in thenight always then twice which wasnt too bad as it was roughly 1am and then 5am which isnt really night as my DD wakes at that time,lately like this past week hes waking every HOUR!!!i just dont know what to do!!We have all had a cough and cold so at first i thought it was that but he hasnt had any symptoms and now we areall pretty much over it im just not getting any sleep,i feel so cranky its awful i feel im taking it out on my DD nearly 3,i think too since weve all been sick theres been a few sleepless nights because of DD etc as is and now a week of this i feel at my wits end!!I dont know what hes doing!ok so he did this say 3 nights ago pretty much all night up every hour,then the next night and from then on hes done it till say 1am so say im putting him to bed at 7.30 then he wakes at 8.30,9.30,10.30.11.30.12.30.. then finaly goes off from say 1am but then only 3 hours max or so,i just cant work out the problem im wondering if he has a sleep issue like cant settle himself?but why start now?so then i wondered if he hungry(hes bottlefed)so the other night he fed at say 8.30 then ive just been popping the dummy back in everytime as dont know what else to do and so instead i thought maybe hes hungry so i offered some milk and guzzled down but not a full bottle i just dont know whats wrong and i cant go on like this im so exhausted i mean newborns at least your getting 2 or 3 hours between but every hour?what the little man??then when we wakes i think maybe i shouldnt give his dummy but not sure what else to do,hes not really overally for the dummy he usually just has a feed then goes to sleep its only if im out or some day sleeps he might have the dummy to get himself off any ideas to try?and if its a self settling issue has anyone got any good books or anything they can reccomend please thats not awful and making them scream?i just feel for him too because hes like got bags under his eyes hes so tired himself!!
My baby has been what they call a happy chucker but at times he's really had reflux as he's been in pain. I have been giving him some Infant's Friend from the chemist. Also some days I have been giving him a couple of baths, one during the day, and before bed, he finds it relaxing.
Do you go out much, that can be soothing as well for them in the car or stroller?
i'm pretty sure around 4 months is a horrible time for sleep - there's lots out there on dr google about '4 month sleep regression'. could be a wonder week or growth spurt as well.
how did he sleep after you gave him the second bottle the other night? maybe give him a feed at 10.30 or 11.30, even if just a small-ish one?
i think he's still awfully young for self-settling. the only books i've really read are pinky mckay books & the no cry sleep solution as i could never bear to let my DS cry either. the pinky books didn't really give me lots of ideas but did reaffirm to me that i was doing what felt right.
ETA - i BF so i know it's different but my DS was feeding every 2 hours around the clock still at 4.5 months so maybe he is needing a bit extra?
I too was going to say it's definately the age for some sleep regression. Yours does seem a little excessive but every bub is different. Can you sleep in his room for a little bit, be there if he stirs and hopefully settle him without too much fuss. Maybe it's a seperation thing and if he hears your voice still in a sleepy state he will not completely wake?
Honestly in my experience these 'moments' of bubs going a little hay wire are really quite short lived but in the week or so that you're living though them it seems like it may never end. I don't know how many times i've come out of a complete upheavle by one of my little ones thinking.... if i'd know it'd only last this long i wouldn't have gotten myself so worked up about it Do whatever works to get him to sleep so you get your sleep and then hopefuly he will be back to his 'normal' self soon enough.
It's the age for it. And they can certainly be feeling ill without too many visible signs - it's quite likely if everyone else was sick.
Hang in there
Self settling is one of those things that we tend to bang on about in the West, but it's actually not really normal for babies to sleep alone or unaided. they do all learn in time, when they're developmentally ready. it's quite normal and natural for them to need help to sleep in the early years. Just all different, that's all.
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