5 month old is crying uncontrollably at night?

Question

Our 5 month old son has been really good over the past 5 months but as of late he cries throughout the night. He usually wakes up 2 hours after he is put to sleep by kicking, arching his back and flailling his arms & then the high pitched screaming begins. Once he is picked up he squirms a bit & usually falls back asleep. This continues throughout the night every 2 hours. This has been going on for the past 5 nights.

He seems to be teething & we give him some homeopathic remedies, which during the days seem to calm him down quite well but nothing works at night. Prior to these episodes he would usually sleep a solid 5 to 6 hours & then wake up for a feeding every 3 hours each night. He hasn´t really cried much prior to the recent episodes.

He also seems to have lots of gas which we treat with simethicone (in appropriate doses) & this does not seem to help either at night.

We are at a loss since we don't know what to do & no one is getting any sleep.

Answer 1

I first have to ask when is his last meal? Is he on cereal or just breast milk/formula? I ask because maybe he might be a little more hungrier than what he was getting because babies have really fast metabolisms. Try warm cereal just before bed and a small bottle of water. After wards burp baby once and try to get a 2nd burp in if possible. I he has gas at night the lay him over your lap and pat his back gently the pressure on his tummy will help release the air. Have your doctor check him out for any serious problems.

Answer 2

Well, lucky for you that he's been so good up until now. Our son was like that from the day we brought him home. Only just recently(he turned 6 months today) have things started to get easier. However, our son was diagnosed with GERD(acid reflux) and that caused a lot of his problems. We did end up resorting to giving him Zantac twice a day per our pediatrician after I tried massage and Colic Calm Gripe Water(homeopathic remedy) with no results. I mention that because the back arching, etc is exactly what he did when he would wake up. Teething is also possible, which you can use baby tylenol or orajel for, or even let him chew on a frozen washcloth or refrigerated teether to help him go back to sleep. When our son seems to be in pain, I let him sleep with us, since it seems to soothe him best. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

If you have ruled out any medical reason(seen the pediatrician) then some times a small size/age appropriate dose of acetaminophen works wonders to ease the teething pain.That said...It sounds like an ear infection to me...they get worse at night because laying down puts more pressure on the ear drum which hurts like heck!I have raised 4 boys and my second one put me thru that hell for 6 mo. til the doc put him on daily antibiotics for a month to kill the infection.It was horrible I got no sleep for months!!!Please see the doc to rule out an ear infection!!

Answer 4

Our boy did things like this from time to time. I believe that when teething somehow the pain is associated with the ear because of their horizontally aligned eustachian tube. (apparently it gets more vertical as they grow and henceforth can be why many youngones require grommets).

For some reason ear infections also tend to be more painful at night - perhaps it is the change in temperature or humidity. You know, like when you have a cold you feel fine all day but as soon as the evening comes you start hacking and coughing and feeling bad. The doctor should be able to tell you if it is an ear infection and prescribe antibiotics if necessary. Paracetamol or Ibuprofen should help with the pain and paracetamol especially if safe for babies. (Ibuprofen is best to be used immeidately before or after a feed as long term can be bad for their tummies). I know you want to use the homeopathic remedies which is great, but sometimes if they aren't working then you need to revert to more mainstream medicine. Hope it gets better soon.

Answer 5

Is it only happening at bedtime or is it at nap time too? If it is happening when you lay him down, it may be an ear infection. They tend to hurt more when you lay your baby down. I would try to get in to see the pediatrician and get him looked at, he may have something else bothering him other then teething and gas. If nothing else the pediatrician may be able to offer some advice on what to do with him at night. It may be helpful.

Answer 6

call your pediatrician and ask.

don't have him sleep in the bed with you, though. one of you may inadvertantly roll over and crush or suffocate him in the middle of the night. if he sleeps in your room, have a bassinet or something else for him to sleep on.

Answer 7

have you noticed him turning his head alot in a no patern? our little one did that she would wake and cry turning her head alot when she had an ear infection. i know you would of noticed if he was running a fever but our daughter dont always run a fever with hers. but usually her ears ears look a lil red but other than that she would have no signs she would be fine during the day but cry alot at night. but if you think your baby might be in pain rather it be teething, belly ache, ear ache you can always give baby tylenol infant drops just read the box on correct doseage. when our little one has ear aches the dr only gives her antibotics and tells us to use tylenol for pain. well hope ive help a little

Answer 8

i am a mother of a 6 yr. old boy ;) and im advising you to make chamomile tea on the stove top with water. put the water to boil and then get the chamomile tea bag and let it simmer remove from heat. let it cool down . now once it has cooled down just to be just right not too warm or hot. add the tea to a baby bottle and let the baby drink the tea. chamomile tea is known for soothing and relaxing and it also will help his stomach colics. and try bathing the baby in warm water but i do recomend to buy baby wash that has lavender for night time. use this remedy nightly and trust me your baby will sleep comfotable. i used to do thiis remedy to my own son and it worked like heaven to him. any more questions feel free to ask me ;) good luck with the baby and hava patience. god bless you . xj

Answer 9

Its weird that its only at night. His teething maybe causing some sort of sleep apnea. I'd have that checked out first. It sounds like you prefer the homeopathic route so I'd call a midwife.

Past that I can only offer that at that age babies sometimes freak themselves out and can not be soothed. Its kind of a stage they go through that helps them realize that their developing personality is grounded in their physical being. Its kind of the next evolution of the sticking all their available body parts in whatever orifice is at hand - figuring out the limitations of their voice and what their noise making effects. If the midwife/homeopath does not think it is anything else this is the part where you have to teach you son to self-sooth by ignoring his wailing.

Answer 10

Call your pediatrician! They can help with make your sweetie pie better!!!