Night Awakening

Updated on July 13, 2010
A.H. asks from Island Park, NY
4 answers

Hi . My son is 6 months old and is the happiest most delightful little guy. However, he will not stayasleep or nap more than 30 min. He goes to bed fine and wakes up crying every half hour with his arms and legs flalling. He seems to be able to soothe himself and calm down. I am not sure why he is waking up and we are going to the PED this week. We have tired everything - treatment for reflux, white noise, humidifier, cry out method, sleeping on belly. even hainv gin my bed which he does a little better. His belly is full and he is clean and wants to sleep just cant. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!

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So What Happened?

Thank you all so much for your recommendations and expertise. We swaddled him for the first 4 months and he slept pretty well. We went through numerous swaddles and found the miracle blanket was the best to hold him. Whenever he got out of the swaddle he would wake flalling. At 4 months the MD said no more and we have been struggling since. WE have tried different bedtimes, temperatures,and all of the other things that were suggested. He was doing a little better but the past 2 weeks he wakes up pretty quickly after we put him to sleep even though you would think he is fast asleep for the night. I think he starts flalling and running in place and just doesnt know how to soothe himself. I am in the process of ready the book Healthy Sleep Habits, etc. The pacifier worsk well but when it falls out he wakes up screaming. This happens about every half hour. So we are going to the PED tomorrow for his 6 month and hoping he can help us fifure out why he is waking all the time. He is such a happy cute little guy and sad that he wants to sleep and cannot - no to mention he hardly ever cries so to hear him cry all nite is hard. I am exhausted too being back at work full time. He slept him bed iwth me last nite and was still up often and i had to help him back to sleep. He tries to sleep on his side so maybe when he gets stronger he will be more comfortable. Thanks again and I will let you all now what the peds say :)

More Answers

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N.N.

answers from Houston on

You defnintely have tried it all and I am feeling for you. I'm just going to start from the beginning and hopefully something will help. How is his night sleep compared to his naps? Does he night sleep in the same place as his daytime naps? If all his sleep is in the same place and his night sleep is fine, then he may know that you will go to him during the day.
Health- is he sick? congestion? ear infection? gas? etc.
Naptime routine- keep a consistant routine to signal to him that it is time for a nap. Change diaper, close blinds, sing lullaby, etc.
Timing- avoid getting him overtired. Try starting the naptime routine 15-30 minutes earlier. Look for sleep cues.
Growth spurt- at 6 months, he may be having a growth spurt. Extra feedings for a few days may help.
Environment- too cold/hot? turn on/off fan? darken room? age apropriate transitional toys in crib? My son loves the Halo sleepsack. It's a zippered blanket that stays on him and he nibbles on it to soothe him to sleep. Maybe the airvent is blowing directly in the crib and disturbing him?
Does he like a pacifier?

When he cries, do you go in and soothe him back to sleep or go in and end the nap? If the latter, he may want your company instead of sleeping. CIO works but it is dependent on how consistant you are with the method and which method your child responds to. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child is a good book to read. My son did not respond well if I went in to soothe him no matter 5-30 mins into CIO. So, I put him down and watched the viedo monitor until he finally soothed himself to sleep.

Sorry to be redundent. I hope something helps your son gets some sleep.

C.M.

answers from New York on

Have you tried swaddling him? I see Heather had the same thought.
The fact that he flails indicates sudden wakefulness. If he is somewhat confined, not tightly swaddled like newborns, but loosely so he doesn't fully awaken because he's flailing, he might drop back into sleep better.

Good luck!
"Grams"
from the Pocono Mts. of PA

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H.C.

answers from Hartford on

Did you try swaddling him? There is some reflex where their arms flail out and they feel like they are falling, I'm not sure what age that stops, but it's worth a try, just make sure the AC is on.

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D.P.

answers from Raleigh on

What time are you putting him down for bed? It sounds like a classic case of overtiredness- night waking, short naps, wanting to sleep but can't, etc.Try pushing bedtime back and start a bedtime routine around 6:30 or 7:00, and see if this helps over a period of a few days. Once night time gets straightened out, nap time should follow. Good luck!

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