6 month old has gotten off sleep schedule

[kdm1984]

The little guy slept great through the night for most of his fifth month, but in the last two weeks, he's been up most nights except for one. We tried shortening his naps in the morning and afternoon, but that hasn't worked. We've also tried to allow him to correct it naturally (which he's been able to do before), but that hasn't worked, either.

Any ideas? Husband usually does overnight duties, but we gave them to paternal grandpa last night so we could have a break and sleep. LO didn't sleep for grandpa, either.

[Aerynne]

I have never had a six month old sleep through the night consistently. I have heard good things about the No Cry Sleep Solution, though.

[ECingMama]

Might be heat-related.

Or teething.

Is he crawling?

[MegMarch]

Sleep isn't really linear. There will be changes through the next few years stemming from things like teething, developmental leaps, growth spurts, etc. That doesn't mean it isn't dreadfully hard to go from reliable sleep to interruptions through the night That's around the age I start co-sleeping with my first. If that's something you want to explore, several of us here can guide you towards ways to make it safe and also not keep you feeling trapped at bedtime.

Best ways to get a kiddo to sleep better naturally are lots of time outside and/or in the water, ime.

You may want to put them on a little potty at the first wakeup. Sometimes that bit of a breeze on their bottom is enough to stimulate them to pee and that will allow them to get back to sleep more deeply.

[kdm1984]

Not crawling yet.

Thanks everyone!

[2sunshines]

yea my kids would do a bit of jumping around like that too. Sleeping well for a time then "revert" to lots of night wakefulness. It was usually due to a big change in their bodies (they are going through so much!) - teething is a huge culprit. Growth spurt which in turn causes a higher feeding need was another one....

When your ds is up at night is he crying? In pain? Hungry? Just up and want to play? I'd deal with these different cues differently.

[kdm1984]

We got full empirical proof of teething yesterday -- blood from the mouth, yanking on the ears without a temp, and lots of fussing over pain. Poor little guy! He did sleep a little better last night. We're giving him Tylenol as indicated by his pediatrician.

[MegMarch]

Personally, I think advil is better for mouth pain. I don't know the current guidelines for age or weight with it though. Sleeping with the head propped up or even held in arms can relieve a lot of pressure on the jaw.

[ECingMama]

Originally Posted by MegMarch

Personally, I think advil is better for mouth pain. I don't know the current guidelines for age or weight with it though. Sleeping with the head propped up or even held in arms can relieve a lot of pressure on the jaw.

Yeah, dye-free Motrin much better for pain than Tylenol. Can be used at 6 months according to package. We really limit (as in there is none in our house) Tylenol.

[2sunshines]

Awww, poor baby. Glad you figured out what was bothering him. Teething is so so so hard for our little ones.

[Singingmom]

This is one of the many times you’ll be glad you parented him through a phase or a needy time gently and thoughtfully. I’ve found that those times continue all the way through the teenage years.

[marbles]

100% what she said ^^ it is so worth it, this won’t be the last time you afterwards have a lightbulb moment. Also agree that past sleep isn’t an indicator of future sleep. All of mine went up and down (and still do it in a different way) but my youngest would sleep all night from 5 weeks on unless she was learning something. Then she would wake up in the middle of the night and practice/play for a couple hours before going back to sleep. It was so tiring but now she's 7 and sleeps all night without me.

[Soliloquy]

Babies always have a good reason for waking in the night. I'm so glad you figure it out and gave him some pain relief.


Babies can also start waking in the night when they go through developmental milestones. Just like big changes in our lives can give us a little anxiety, it happens to babies, too.

[Aerynne]

Originally Posted by Singingmom

This is one of the many times you’ll be glad you parented him through a phase or a needy time gently and thoughtfully. I’ve found that those times continue all the way through the teenage years.

So so much this! When my kids are not acting like they used to or like I think they should, detective work while being gentle works so much better than trying to lay down the law. I hope he feels better soon and you can both get some sleep!

I also find advil very effective for teething pain. Also these https://www.amazon.com/Babyganics-Si...s%2C243&sr=8-6

[kdm1984]

Originally Posted by Soliloquy

Babies always have a good reason for waking in the night. I'm so glad you figure it out and gave him some pain relief.


Babies can also start waking in the night when they go through developmental milestones. Just like big changes in our lives can give us a little anxiety, it happens to babies, too.

For sure! I found this good resource on developmental leaps, and he definitely is going through this one:


https://wellrestedbaby.com/blog/2019...r-weeks-leap-5


He's been protesting when DH and I leave rooms, and he flung his pacifier halfway across the room from his crib today, hitting me in the foot, lol! He's sleeping better now and is becoming this increasingly communicative and expressive little fellow. Just needed to get through the first part of that phase, apparently. I know six months is a really big time for babies, and I'm seeing it firsthand.