OK, crying himself to sleep is NOT an option, please help me! 5 mo old won't sleep longer than 3 hrs at night!

Question

My son is now almost 5 months old & still will NOT sleep longer than 3 hours at a time. He's been on solids for a while & gets a full bowl of rice cereal before bed along with 3 or 4 ounces of formula. Letting him cry is not an option because we have a room mate that works long hours & gets little sleep as it is (not to mention we tried it once & he cried for an hour & a half before we couldn't take it anymore). He's not hungry when he wakes up, he just wants to be held. We try to not pick him up, by just patting his butt & rubbing him & talking to him, but that rarely works & when it does he'll wake up an hour later. We have a night time routine & he falls asleep well, just not long. He gets put in bed anywhere between 10pm-11pm & will only sleep until 1am or 2am at the latest. He wakes up & goes back to sleep & sleeps until 4...the only until 6:30 or 7 & then he's awake for the day at 8am. He takes 20 minutes naps (3) throughout the day & won't sleep longer there either. HELPMEPLEASE

Answer 1

maybe bed time is too late try an earlier one maybe he is getting overly tired before bed time my boys went to bed at 8-9 pm when that age.( one is only 9 months old ) his bedtime is still by 9pm and it works alot better...Maybe he is eating too much before bed time cut out the cereal and just use milk for a night or two see how that works out...

Answer 2

Well, I'll start with the bad news-my son did this very same thing and really didn't sleep through the night until he was 2 years old-sorry! Now, on the positive side, that was 11 years ago and now I see, with my 7 month old, that there are a bunch of new methods out there. Have you tried Elizabeth Pantley's "The No Cry Sleep Solution."? Also, I am not a fan of crying it out either, and most advocates of this method say not to try it until 6 months old, but I know that one night is not long enough if you decide to try it again. It is supposed to be long the first night, then gradually diminish each night. Definitely try the book, though, it worked for us and my 7 month old has been sleeping through the night (11 hours) since 5 months. Good luck!

Answer 3

For my son, I'd give him a warm bath and a bottle right before bed. I have a night light on near his crib and turn on soft music that plays most of the night. Also the smell of lavender helps with sleep. Either a bath with lavender scented soap or even lotion afterwards. Lavender air fresheners help too (the ones you plug in). If he still wakes up in the middle of the night, I'd go in and rock him in my arms for a few minutes to comfort him until he's sleepy enough, then put him back to bed. I'd leave all the lights off and I wouldn't talk to him at all (except for maybe a lullaby) so he understands that it's not time to wake up and play.

DON'T let him nap as you get closer to afternoon/evening. That will make him tired and more willing to sleep longer.

As far as your roommate goes, white noise can work for them too!! I know when I have my fan running in the summertime, I can sleep through the night with no interruptions. It would help to have your roommate further from the baby to try and cut down on the noise, but I know that's not always possible. Worst case scenario, ask your roommate take some Tylenol PM or something similar until you're able to get this resolved.

Answer 4

Hi I am a single mom with 17 week old twins... and crying/sleeping was a huge problem... but now we have fixed it. I suspect that your son too tired to sleep. I have put the twins on a schedule. they go to bed b/w 6 and 7 pm with a routine ( that is only altered on special occasions)...bath, book, bottle..bed... they nap twice during the day( 1-3 hrs)...they get one bottle during the night and wake up b/w 6 and 7 am.... it took about a week to get it down,,,a lot of sleepless night for myself ( wondering why I was doing this at all!!!) just when you are about to jump off a bridge the kid gets it and you start getting sleep too!!! I was following a book called " healthy sleep habits, happy child" by a Dr. Weissbluth... it really helped us... the kids seem to sleep a lot and are happy and active when they are awake. It affects your social life a little but it pays off in the end... I am also wondering if he is not too full before going to bed? Try the book...it gives all the brain developement changes and reasons why kids sleep the way they sleep and what to do if you have probs..... good luck... I feel your pain

Answer 5

Take him to his pediatrician and find out what's going on with him. He may have an allergy or some sort of problem that is interfering with sleep.

Meanwhile, don't let him take more than two naps per day (morning and afternoon). Play with him a LOT in the evening, wear him down and get him really tired, then slow up at least half an hour before bed (and get him to bed by 9:00!). Give him a warm, relaxing bath, and keep the energy levels in the house low.

Find some soft music and let it play, but if that stimulates him, then get "white noise." A fan blowing by (but not "on") him will provide some calming, for example, or you can spend the money on a white noise machine. (I don't recommend that).

Whatever you do, your roommate is going to have to be a bit more accommodating (ear plugs would help) and just deal with it.

Answer 6

I have a 13 month old who still wakes up during the night. The boy doesn't sleep and rarely naps. We have tried everything as well. People or going to give you lots of advice as if there is something they did to get their wonderful child to sleep. (it's all bull) All children are different and I think we were just unlucky. The main thing is for you to get some rest. He doesn't need a nap but I DO. As long as the baby is healthy, all I can say is good luck, pray, and hope he/she grows out of it. After about a year, he wakes up once, I give him something to drink or a pat and he is back to sleep within 5 minutes.

Answer 7

That sounds like my son. I couldn't let him cry because we shared a house with others as well. I just endured it. I know that's not the answer you want to hear. Try to make sure that he knows how to fall asleep on his own. With my daughter (5 months) I make sure I wake her up if she falls asleep nursing (the end of our routine). Then I put her in her crib. She's tired and usually falls asleep without a fuss. I have to admit that when she was younger I let her sleep in her swing at night. It helped her fall back asleep on her own. She was sleeping through the night at 3 months. She's backtracked some, but only gets up once a night now. I think the biggest difference between my kids and their sleep habits is that my good sleeper learned how to fall asleep on her own, the other needed help even for naps. Try to keep your son from being dependent on the presence of something (pacifier, bottle, etc) or someone to fall asleep.

I also recommend Dr Ferber. How to Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems. It's not a simple let them cry it out technique like everyone thinks it is. There's more to it than that. There was very little crying when we tried it with my son and it helped enormously.

Answer 8

My son started sleeping through the night at exactly 6 months, and it coincided with two things - solid foods and he discovered sucking his thumb... sounds like those kinds of things aren't working for you.

I understand you need to look out for your roommate, but maybe they could wear earplugs for a couple of nights while you let the baby cry it out? I mean, if nothing else is working, I think that's all you've got left.

I know this might be unappealing, but it might work for a while... what if you let him sleep in your bed? that might get him used to sleeping through the night.

Maybe he is either too hot or too cold in the middle of the night to stay asleep? I'm just trying to think of anything I can...

The thing that really gets me is the short naps during the day! That's horrible! If my son takes less than an hour nap I am dissapointed! :)

Answer 9

Put him to bed at 7 or 7:30 and let him cry. Stay in his room, or come in at 5, then 10, then 15 min intervals. If this is all he is sleeping, it is because he has not yet learned to self sooth, also, he is so wound up that he can't sleep.

If your roomate works long hours, just work on this problem when he is not home. Also, we let Maya cry when she was this age because she was doing the same thing. And it took hours! It was aweful, but on the 4th night, she went right to sleep and slept till 8 in the morning ! It was amazing.

Answer 10

Well, a baby his age should get about 12-14 hours of sleep within a 24 hour period. He may be one who fights it and doesn't want to miss anything. But you said it yourself...he only cries b/c he wants to be held. AND b/c he knows that crying will get you to pick him up. Of course, an hour and a half and still not giving up is one determined little monkey! Have you talked to the pediatrician about this? I would try to keep him up all day, and put him to bed a little earlier at night. Try changing his routine a little or changing his sleep patterns...and maybe try that Lavender bath soap and give him a warm bath before bed time. That usually helps my kiddos.

Answer 11

My 6 month sleeps with me and my husband. When she was 2 months old she woke up only once per night. Now she sleeps all the way through. I think knowing that we are there helps her a lot. She doesn't sleep through the night if she's in her crib. If you do try sleeping with the baby, make sure your guy is in agreement. Oh, and my friend had the same problem and started to sleep with her son and he slept through the night on the second try.
PS: The doctor said it was fine, as long as you don't sleep like a zombie