My baby is a horrible night sleeper! - Infant Care (up to 18 months old) Message Board

KeltoKel · 04-21-2007, 05:25 AM

My 5 1/2 month old son is just a horrible night sleeper. He goes to bed at 8-8:30 p.m. each night without any problems. Around 11 p.m. (it is like clockwork!) he starts to wake. You can hear him fussing, tossing, turning, until he fully wakes himself up. I go in as soon as I hear him fuss and give him the pacifier and put my hand on his back so that he doesn't fully wake. From this time on - sometimes he is awake every hour to hour and a half!!!!

Is this teething or just a baby who doesn't want to sleep? I am at my wits end. I feel like such a bad mother b/c last night I yelled, "GO TO SLEEP!" I was so angry! This has been happeneing for about 2 months straight.

We had 3 nights last week were he slept right through to 4 a.m. without a wimper. But now he is back to waking up. UGH!

I am hoping someone can sympathize and offer me some support. I get an hour of sleep here - and hour of sleep there and it is really starting to get to me now.

athome1 · 04-21-2007, 06:13 AM

I can feel your pain! Both my boys were the same way! I had to take the monitor and shut it off. This allowed me to not be disturbed by the whimpers. They would eventually put themselves back to sleep. Sometimes I would put them in their swing to sleep if they kept waking. Some might not agree with it, but it gave me and my boys some shuteye. My youngest is 2 and still wakes up at least 4 nights a week whimpering. I have to go in and cover him back up and rub his back for about 2 minutes.

Good luck!!!

KeltoKel · 04-21-2007, 07:54 AM

Well, I have tried turning the monitor off, but then DS will fully wake up and be WIDE awake and ready to play if I ignore him and let him stir. He doesn't seem to be going back to sleep on his own. That is why I run into his room when I first hear him - to try and keep him sleepy so he will go back to sleep.

Ugh, I can't imagine going through this for 2 years!!!

MissChicopea · 04-21-2007, 10:22 AM

Most babies don't sleep through the night. It's a survival instinct. At 5 1/2 months they're still doing so much growing that night time feedings are important. Are you nursing? Breastmilk does digest more efficiently and faster so I would try doing some nursing when he wakes up.

I try to look at the world through our babies eyes. At 5 1/2 months you are your baby's world. He doesn't understand that you're just in the next room. So when he stirs and you're not there to reassure, it can be scary. You want your mommy. You want to feel comforted. It's natural.

One thing that has helped out our sleeping situation is co-sleeping. When DD wakes up or stirs in the night, I'm right there. I don't have to get up and out of bed, I can turn to the side and nurse her and she falls back to sleep. If she isn't looking for food, sometimes all she does is reach out with her little hand, feel that I'm next to her and she'll fall back to sleep.

KeltoKel · 04-21-2007, 02:30 PM

Thanks Misschic.

Actually, I never had to co-sleep with DS because he was a decent sleeper, but I have started bringing him into bed with me - esp. at 4 a.m. when he doesn't want to fall back to sleep. I want him to fall asleep in his crib each night and don't want to co-sleep exclusively. I feel it is important for him to sleep in his crib. However, I am not opposed to bringing him to bed with me when he won't fall back to sleep.