6 month old suddenly getting up every 2 hours- HELP

[emmababy]

I have a 6 month old ds who has for the past 2 nights got up every 2 hours. Last night he got up and couldn't be consoled back to sleep for 2.5 hours. I fed him twice, rocked him, tried to let him cry it out, nothing worked. Once I finally got him back to sleep, he woke up every 2 hours after that.

I am exhausted and dreading another night like this! Anyone have this happen?? Any tips or stories greatly appreciated!

 

[MrsTink04]

My first question is always "did you check for teething?" Could it be an ear infection? (no, they do not always pull on their ears when they have one) I always check for if they could be in any sort of pain. I know you can't just run to the doctor in the middle of the night, so maybe give him a does of Motrin or Tylenol and see if that helps. If it DOES help, there is your clue that the poor little man is in pain. My DS started doing this at 6mo when he started getting his top teeth. I kept getting up with him even when he wasn't hurting (because he got used to it) and spoiled him. We ended up doing CIO at 8 months. We have really only had sleep problems with him when he is sick or in pain, though. I hope that helps...I now it's tough!

 

[ilandrazdsw]

Second PP thoughts! The nursing could have eased the teething and ear infection (the sucking). If it is teething, try a little numbing gel on the gums or something cold to suck on. My DS liked a cold wash cloth slightly dipped in orange flavored vodka (no flames please). If he is pulling on his ear, good chance its an ear infection. Try a warm compress held to the ear.

Has his foods or appetite changed? Nursing and changed to formula. Changed formulas or bottles. Introducing foods. If nursing, did you eat something different.

Has he has a BM...could be constipation or gas.

Hope he feels better and you all get some sleep.

 

[erinbee]

I agree with the PP - if it is a sudden change it's likely due to discomfort. At his age teething could be the issue. With my DD, I would give her a dose of Tylenol before bed and that seemed to help. We also used the Highland's teething tablets and those worked as well.

 

[princess pooh]

My son did that for a few days when he turned 6 months old. All of the sudden he was back to waking up every two hours. I'm not sure if it was teething or the introduction to rice cereal that was the issue. I was going to take him to the doctor but it only lasted 2 or 3 days.

 

[3boymthr]

I agree with pp's very possibly teething, ear infection, gas pain or something similar. I wouldn't try tylenol yet as you may be masking symptoms from an infection.

If you tried a new food discontinue it and see if the behavior changes back to his original pattern. I couldn't give my kid's rice cereal - I had to use the baby oatmeal as we had really bad gas and constipation from the rice. Mylicon works great to relieve a baby's gas. I'd give it to my kids when they started fussing and a short while later we'd have a very musical but happy baby.

If he's drooling more than normal or putting his fingers in his mouth alot it's probably his teeth. Also feel for hardness under the gums and check to see if you can see lighter spots in his gums. If you see these symptoms try rubbing his gums with oragel.

Oldest DS had horrible problems with ear infections - we ended up with tubes at 15 months old (argh!). Your DS may also have a problem with his ears that is not an ear "infection" at all. In between infections we had another problem - fluid in the ears and sinuses, which causes pressure and pain when laying down, and is easily relieved when up or nursing. Oldest DS was up constantly crying in the middle of the night. I'd walk and walk with him over my shoulder until he fell asleep. I'd put him down and shortly he'd be up again as the fluid flowed back into his ears.

If he wakes again tonight and you don't see any signs of teeth and didn't change his diet; call your Dr. in the morning. Tell them about change and ask for their recommendations. They may want to see him.

 

[emmababy]

he was at the dr's for his well check. No ear infection, yes teeth are close to coming in.

So, my question is do I go ahead and nurse him or let him CIO? Do I nurse him until his teeth come in??

 

[cogero]

Is he eating cereal yet if not this may also be time to try it a tiny bit. He could be hungry? I would let him nurse a bit to relieve the pressure also since it seems to soothe him

 

[ilandrazdsw]

he was at the dr's for his well check. No ear infection, yes teeth are close to coming in.

So, my question is do I go ahead and nurse him or let him CIO? Do I nurse him until his teeth come in??

Normally I say CIO, but if it is pain that is different than teaching to self-soothe or intertain self for just waking up in the middle of the night. You can still nurse him. Also try to find other things for DS to use to ease teething...rings, toys, a rag. Try the numbing gel too.

If you think it is hunger and haven't started cereal, you could try some to see if that helps...like PP said .

Good Luck

 

[mom_to_2]

It looks like you have gotten some good advice form all of the previous posters...just wanted to say good luck! My (now almost 7 month old) son did this about a month ago...it was horrible but only lasted a couple days until his teeth finally broke through. Interestingly, the orajel only made him cry harder...go figure! (With my first the orajel worked wonders...just goes to show you that they are all different!)

Good luck!!!!!

 

[LadyShea]

DS always has night wakings when he goes through a growth spurt...even now at 3 years old. No idea why. Just like adults they sometimes have trouble sleeping for whatever reason, as others mentioned discomfort being a top cause. Teething hurts, if that's the cause it should only last a short time.

I am against CIO, personally, but I would think it wouldn't be recommended when the baby is ill or in pain even by advocates

 

[emmababy]

he does cereal and baby twice a day, so I don't think it is hunger. If he was waking and just fussing or babbling, I would let it go. When he wakes up he is crying and upset. Funny thing is that his eyes are closed!!

I have tried teething rings and such, not really in to them. I put his nuk back in his mouth and he spits it right out. Hopefully this won't last long. Last night was better, he woke at 1:30 and 5:30, but I still nursed him.

 

[NotUrsula]

If it's teething there is a simple way to find out: give him some baby ibuprofen before bedtime. It should last 8 hours, and will let him get through the night without pain.

 

[la79al]

I'm not a huge help probably because my DD has always woken up several times a night. At 6 months she went from every 2 hours to more often and has gone back and forth since then. We have just accepted it as part of life in this house. I nurse her to sleep and nurse her back to sleep when she wakes up at night but that is a personal decision. I tried CIO for about 2 nights and we both got way too upset. If your DS is teething, yes it sucks for him but he's going to be teething a lot in the next year. If you start nursing him through the pain now, you may be doing it for awhile. If his eyes are closed it sounds like it might indeed be pain (or bad dreams). I have not tried it, but I have heard great things about the Hyland's teething tablets. I think they have them at Walmart. Good luck! Our first 2 came in with no problems whatsoever but we have had a few fussy evenings here which I am blaming on the next 2 we are expecting any day now.

 

[HGD24]

Our DD started doing this around 7 months before her first teeth came in and she does it somewhat now with each new set of teeth, about once a month. So not fun when you're used to LO sleeping through the night!

I wouldn't try to nurse him back to sleep as you could then start the habit of nursing in the middle of the night. In the beginning, we made the mistake of picking DD up and rocking her back to sleep - that just created a habit of her waking and wanting to be cuddled and rocked which took a few weeks to break.

Now we use Hyland's Teething Tablets. They're homepathic and work wonders!!!! They contain chamomile which helps baby relax and a few other things to help with the pain relief. We give her two (the disolve instantly) and she's usually calm and alseep within a couple of minutes.

Good luck!

 

[emmababy]

If it's teething there is a simple way to find out: give him some baby ibuprofen before bedtime. It should last 8 hours, and will let him get through the night without pain.

He had a fever last week, and was on ibuprofen, and was still waking up!!

 

[emmababy]

Our DD started doing this around 7 months before her first teeth came in and she does it somewhat now with each new set of teeth, about once a month. So not fun when you're used to LO sleeping through the night!

I wouldn't try to nurse him back to sleep as you could then start the habit of nursing in the middle of the night. In the beginning, we made the mistake of picking DD up and rocking her back to sleep - that just created a habit of her waking and wanting to be cuddled and rocked which took a few weeks to break.

Now we use Hyland's Teething Tablets. They're homepathic and work wonders!!!! They contain chamomile which helps baby relax and a few other things to help with the pain relief. We give her two (the disolve instantly) and she's usually calm and alseep within a couple of minutes.

Good luck!

Where in the store do you find these and how often do you give them??

 

[NotUrsula]

He had a fever last week, and was on ibuprofen, and was still waking up!!

Well, then, the answer is that it isn't teething pain waking him up. (He may HAVE teething pain, but he's waking for some other reason.)

Lots of times growth spurts disrupt their normal waking/sleeping patterns. Mine have a tendency to go off-pattern any time they get sick, and sometimes will stay off-pattern for months afterward. (Essentially creating a new and unpleasant new pattern.<sigh>)

 

[HGD24]

They are in the same aisle as Orajel and things like that. We usually give her two tablets when she's fussy and she's fine for the night. The instructions should say how often if more are needed. I didn't believe in them when I heard moms on a parenting board talking about them, but after a couple of months of teething, decided to try them and was amazed at how well they worked.

Have you tried Infant Motrin? We've found that Infant Tylenol doesn't do much for our DD, but Infant Motrin works really well. Our pedi said some kids respond to one better than the other and it's just a matter of trying them both at different times to figure out which one works best for your LO.

 

[emmababy]

I went and got the teething tablets, so we will see how tonight goes. Please keep your fingers crossed for me!! The doctor said his teeth were close to cutting, so I am hoping this helps him!

With my daughter I was able to let her CIO, but for some reason I just can't with him. I don't know if it is the feeling that he might be my last baby or what, but it just breaks my heart!