Okay, I've come across this question a million times it seems....?

Question

and now I'm asking it. I'm desperate. My little baby is 5 1/2 months old, and he wakes anywhere from 4 to 8 times a night. Now I've had 4 other babies, but he is very different from them. He has never developed any patterns schedules none of that. I love him to death, but now i'm beyond sleep deprived.
Any suggestions on getting my little one to be able to sleep at least a little more consistently through the night?
With 5 kids, I'm becoming very fried. So is my poor husband.
I love my little doll but he just doesn't sleep well.

I've tried cereal in his bottle and he hates it. Totally refuses to eat it. I do get up and feed him when he is hungary, but it seems like he just never reaches a good sleep. He doesn't nap a lot during the day either. I'm confused and the doctor hasn't offered any suggestions. (I was there just today.)

Answer 1

Make sure you have a firm bedtime routine. Whatever you do before you put him down, do the same thing each night to develop a pattern he can adjust to and learn from.
Try letting him sleep less during the day so he will be more tired at bedtime. Put him down later at night, if normal bedtime is 8, then keep him up until 9.
Try a co-sleeping arrangement. Either buy a co-sleeper, or put his bed next to yours. If it's a crib, leave the side against the bed down. It can help him feel more secure than a fully enclosed bed away from mom.
Try a bottle of water instead of food for one feeding in the middle of the night. If he's not really hungry, but just wants the stimulation, it can avoid any excess tummy aches that may be contributing to poor sleep.
Make sure you are giving him plenty of cuddle time during the day so he isn't trying to make up for it at night. It's hard with other kids around that need you too, but do your best to try to find some extra time that's just for him.
Try a relaxing warm bath before bed with lavender, or a massage with lavender. It's a calming scent that may help.
When he wakes, make sure you pin point the area of discord. Is he hungry, cold, hot, etc.. Take care of the issue with minimal effort. Don't let him do several things when a blanket will do the trick.
If he's just wet but not dirty, maybe leave the diaper alone so he gets used to sleeping in a less than clean diaper. As bad as this sounds, if you are using good diapers, then they will keep the moisture away from his skin enough that the risk is little to none for him. A child that wants to be changed every time they pee isn't a very sound sleeper.
Try not to use food as a sleep method. If you can, keep him awake until the feeding is over then use another techinque to put him down.
If you walk/rock him to sleep, make sure he is truly asleep before laying him down. If he is still twitching, smiling, grimicing, irregualr or deep breathing, he's still slightly awake.
Or try laying him down before is he is asleep. Get him to the point to droopy eyes, then ley him down. Stay with him in contact and in view. Rub his arm, hand, chest, back, etc.. so that he knows you are there and close.
Have plenty of cotton balnkets to try different bedding wraping. Tight, loose, not at all. Each child has their own preferences. Try to stay away from heavy pjs. It's better to have him in a onesie and plenty of blankets for tempature adjustments.
Make sure that there are no noise distractions, some babies are sensitive to noises. Even a squeeky bed spring can be the cause.
White noise, however, can be soothing. White noise is a quiet repetitive noise, like a fan or water sounds. A recorded tape works fine. It can remind them of the sounds inside the womb.
Try to keep light down as much as possible. If you have a nightlight or very bright alarm clock numbers, make sure they aren't facing into his bed.
Try leaving one of your worn shirts as a "bottom sheet" in his bed so he smells you all night long.
Make sure the room tempature and humidity is constant. If you don't have central heat and air, try space heaters and window units.

I'm sure I am forgetting something, but it's a start.

Answer 2

Being a Mother of 5 I am sure you know much more than I do. First of all I have to say being sleep deprived is the worst! I feel for you.
Have you tried a routine with your son? I read the book "The Baby Whisperer" and I swear by it. She suggests a strict routine that she calls EASY (Eat, Activity, Sleep, You time). When he wakes up feed him breastmilk or formula. Let him play and when you see that first yawn pick him up and rock him (or another routine such as a book but in a quite room away from the other kids) and lay him down, let him fuss a little, the crying may just be releasing some energy. At bedtime get into the routine of bath, bottle and book and bed. When a baby knows what to expect they are happier and really seem to understand the pattern. Are your other children being loud when he really should be sleeping? If you can make it a strict rule that sleep time for your baby is quite time for everyone.
Have you started solids? It sounds to me that he's ready for breakfast, lunch and dinner with bottles and breastmilk in between. When a baby starts solids they really don't need an extra feeding in the middle of the night. My daughter was in the habit of waking up to eat. I would wake up with her and just hold her. I know all the experts say not to pick up the baby but it worked best for me. When she realized that she wasn't going to be fed she quit waking up in the middle of the night.
I hope that helps. I know that when I am sleep deprived I can't think straight. I hope it gets better and very soon!

Answer 3

This might seem a bit mean, but try to keep him from sleeping during the day. It might help, and then again it might not. He might just end up having an even bigger fit during the day because he's tired and cranky.
Another suggestion would be to ask a trusted neighbor, or friend to come over and watch him for just a couple of hours so you can take a nap during the day.
I tried to sleep when my kids were asleep. Luckily they got into a great sleeping pattern very early, so I didn't have to sleep sporadically for very long. I'm sorry I can't be of more help. Good luck and I hope you and your hubby get some shut eye soon. =)

Answer 4

My first baby was like that. She is almost 12 now. She really never slept! She didn't take naps and would wake up every 20 minutes at night. I don't think anyone believed me until the same thing happened to one of my friends...her baby was like this. It was awful! It must be a personality thing because she has always been really high strung. She walked at 9 mo. and talked really early, too. I've heard that high strung babies often do things early because they are awake so much to practice. Anyway, my next two kids were completely different! They both slept really well. Compared to her, at least. They still woke up a few times a night. I can understand how you can have 5 babies and only now be experiencing this.

The best way to get sleep when you have a wakeful baby is to bring them into bed with you. If you aren't comfortable with that, you can move a crib right up to the edge of your bed with the side removed. That way he will be just an arms length away from you and you can feed him and comfort him without getting up and waking yourself completely up. I am sure that is the only thing that kept me sane during those months...I finally learned to sleep and nurse her at the same time. She learned to latch herself on while I was still sleeping. Good luck to you! I know the frustration and absolute desparation of having a baby who doesn't sleep.

Answer 5

Does he sleep for a long time in the day or is it just short stretches like at night? It sound like something is bothering him and waking him up. A tummy ache, hungry, a noise, an allergy, sleep apnea, uncomfortable sleeping position, lonely, colic. Because you are an experienced mom and you say this is not like your other kids let your doctor know what is going on. In the mean time get some help. Maybe a friend could watch your kids for a couple of hours during the day so you could sleep and be ready for the night shift.
Good luck

Answer 6

my daughter wouldnt stay asleep she is 4 months old. I have found that having a mobile on her bassinet that vibrates keeps her to sleep and during the day I put her in her swing after i put her to sleep instead of her bed that way there is always motion. that works really well and now she started not wanting to go down at night unless she has a bath and a blanket. so I assume when the baby is ready he will make is own schedule. I know how you feel about being sleep deprived- she is my second baby my first slept like it was going out of style. I was crying almost every morning because I was so tired. Someone told me to put her in a car seat (strapped in of course) and place it on the dryer and turn it on let the motion put her to sleep. GOOD LUCK!

Answer 7

Have you started him on cereal? If not talk to his doctor. He may be hungry and need some food at night, or more formula or breastmilk just before bed to fill him up. Also, let him cry or fuss for about 10 minutes before going to him to see if he goes back to sleep on his own. Also, unless told to do so by your baby's doctor, it is not recommended to put cereal in the baby's bottle! It can be a choking hazard. What was ok to do 15-20 years ago is not considered safe now.

Answer 8

Do you put rice cereal in his botte before he goes to sleep at night? You may wish to try that. At 5 months he should take 1 tablespoon per ounce of formula. Or you may wish to increase how many ounces he is getting at night. One other thing you may wish to try is wearing a tee shirt during the day and placing it in his crip or where he sleeps at night. Not near his face, but close enough where he can sense it is there! Good luck! I know it is hard but eventually he will fall into a pattern!

Answer 9

my son didn't like the cereal either.....give him some carrots before his last bottle at night....he's old enough for you to be experimenting with solids anyways.....also try not going into his room when he cries at night..."What to Expect the First Year" has a great little section on it on page....well, I am looking for the page, I'll come back and post it as soon as I find it....found it! the bottom of page 261 in the little box has some tips...and there are some on pages 260-262.....if you don't have the book, e-mail me and I will type it up and e-mail it to you:[e-mail]

Answer 10

If it is not colic then he may be hungry. If he is just hungry add a tablespoon of baby cereal to his bottle and feed it to him do not leave him unattended with it. IT could also be air on his stomach in which case drop a peppermint candy into a 4 oz bottle of water and let it dissolve. It WILL help with the air on his stomach and if he doesn't like plain water he will drink it that way.