WWYD - Baby wakes halfway through nap

[Perogi]

I've got a little guy here who will be 6 months at the end of Sept. He goes to sleep really well - swaddled, soother, snuggled for a minute, then put down awake and falls asleep on his own. BUT he wakes up after about an hour - every.single.time. Often I can go in and pop the soother back in his mouth and he's back to sleep but it doesn't always work. And it's annoying :tongue_smilie:

 

I realize that he's waking up as he's transitioning from one sleep cycle to the next and I was hoping he'd outgrow it but it's been going on now for a couple of months. It's gotten more frustrating since we've started school at the beginning of the month and I need that nap time to get a good bit of teaching in with my other 3 kids. I had hoped that at the very least it would get better when he got old enough to put his own soother back in but I don't want to wait around.

 

To complicate mattters (quite a bit), we are fostering him, and after 4 months of no contact, his mom has surfaced and now has visits with him 5 days a week, for an hour each day. This is week 3 of his visits and it is really messing with his sleep habits. Each day that he has a visit he misses a nap because he's off at a visit. Instead, he gets a cat nap in the car on the way to the visit (about 20 min) and a cat nap on the drive home. Then he's fussy and irritable because it was just enough to take the edge off and he won't go to bed but it wasn't really enough sleep. It's also had an impact on his nighttime sleeping. Previously, he would go to bed around 7pm, I'd feed him again before going to bed myself, around 11pm, and he'd sleep until 7am. Now, he's often waking and crying between going to bed and when I go to bed and he's sometimes awake every couple of hours at night.

 

Furthermore, the visits happen at a common access centres where he plays with all the toys the other babies play with at their visits so he's being exposed to a lot of germs - he is just getting over an ear infection and now has a cold.

 

So - all that to say that his little life is complicated and there may not be an easy solution. But it's making things hard on the family and I'd like to think that somehow I can help make him into a good sleeper.

 

I've never done CIO and I don't know if it's appropriate here. First because I don't know how it would work mid-nap, and second because I don't know if it's a good idea considering all the other circumstances of what this little guy is going through. On the other hand, he almost has to learn to sleep well regardless of the circumstances precisely because I can't create and maintain a wonderful routine that encourages good sleep habits.

 

Help?

[fairfarmhand]

I don't think I would try CIO with a child who is a. that small and b. is undergoing so much upheaval in his life. Is there any way for his mom visits to be scheduled at a different time of day?

[TXBeth]

IMO 6 months is too young for CIO, especially for a child with a lot of stress in his life. If Mom's visit times can't be changed, and you can't get him to nap before she comes, I don't know what to do about that. But for the other days...have you considered that maybe he only needs a 1-hour nap? None of my kids were taking 2-hour naps at 6 months old.

[Perogi]

I don't think I would try CIO with a child who is a. that small and b. is undergoing so much upheaval in his life. Is there any way for his mom visits to be scheduled at a different time of day?

 

6 months is too young for CIO? I almost thought I had missed the boat because most of what I read says 3-4 months. Like I said though, it's not something I've done before.

 

I know what you mean about the upheaval. That was a concern of mine as well. But I'm just finding that sleep being compromised is also harmful to him, kwim?

 

No chance of visits being at any other time. I tried to get all morning visits as his morning nap is usually shorter than the afternoon one but I only got one in the morning. Basically, the access centre is really busy and when the worker requests 5 visits the centre finds 5 spots and assigns them. Now that the schedule is set that's basically what it will be now and forevermore.

 

Not long ago I had 2 brothers for a few days - ages 1 and 2 - and for their whole lives they have had visits 5 days a week in the afternoon. So - no afternoon nap for them. It's sad because we know enough about sleep to know how important it is to development and these are generally an at-risk population to begin with.

[Year Round Mom]

This is random, but is Baby constipated, by any chance? When was solid food introduced? I introduced homemade solid food (veggie) right when my Baby turned 6mo, only one ice cube shaped serving at lunch and one at dinner and she quickly got stopped up. She stopped sleeping well. To top it off, 6mo is when they go through a growth spurt. AAAAAND she cut her first tooth. All that to say, is there something else going on physically that could be hindering sleep? Especially if they were sleeping well before?

 

I stopped giving solids to DD, gave her ice chips to suck on in the mesh thingy during our meals, and gave her additional feedings (nursing sessions) to get her through the growth spurt. She's sleeping better now...

[Year Round Mom]

Just reread your initial post! Sickness definitely can hinder naps! Does Baby feel better sleeping in a swing or a rock-n-play? Maybe you could move one into his room just until he feels better? I know rock-n-plays are not good for long-term use (flat head issues) but when DD had a cold, she couldn't breathe well on her back, so she slept in the rock-n-play. I think ear infections are uncomfortable when lying down?

[Year Round Mom]

 

So - all that to say that his little life is complicated and there may not be an easy solution. But it's making things hard on the family and I'd like to think that somehow I can help make him into a good sleeper.

 

I've never done CIO and I don't know if it's appropriate here. First because I don't know how it would work mid-nap, and second because I don't know if it's a good idea considering all the other circumstances of what this little guy is going through. On the other hand, he almost has to learn to sleep well regardless of the circumstances precisely because I can't create and maintain a wonderful routine that encourages good sleep habits.

 

 

Last post (I think!)

 

You can make him into a good sleeper! You are his caretaker, the one he looks to meet his needs, to show him love. Awesome!

 

Another thought: Does Baby act hungry or full after feedings? If Baby hasn't started solids, does he need to? Does he need more formula at each feeding?

 

CIO doesn't seem like it'd be appropriate at this stage because he's not feeling well and his routine is off with the visits. First make sure he's healthy, then you can rework his routine (which ultimately may require CIO) to jive with the visits. 6mos need 2 solid naps (2-3 hrs?) and may still take a cat nap (30-45 min). Could you rework your daily routine so that even if he doesn't see his mom that day, he still takes his cat nap then? Typically the cat nap is in the early evening, but if the visit is in the early afternoon, could you switch those two times, so he takes a cat nap every afternoon and a longer nap every early evening? I'm not sure if it'd work, but you could try?

[AnnaM]

What time are you putting him down? Perhaps stretching his awake time would help?

 

My guess would be that he is just restless due to the upheaval going on in his life at the moment. Babies are very in-tune to moods and I am sure on some level the situation is stressing him.

 

I wish I had more advice!

[Perogi]

IMO 6 months is too young for CIO, especially for a child with a lot of stress in his life. If Mom's visit times can't be changed, and you can't get him to nap before she comes, I don't know what to do about that. But for the other days...have you considered that maybe he only needs a 1-hour nap? None of my kids were taking 2-hour naps at 6 months old.

 

I try to work with his schedule but the visits also take place at different times (Mon and Tues 2:15-3:15, Wed 3:30-4:30, Thurs 1:15-2:15, Fri 9-10am) so it means every day is different.

 

I do think he needs at least a 2 hour nap. If he gets up after the hour he's cranky and usually I can get him to go back to sleep just by putting his soother back in.

[Perogi]

This is random, but is Baby constipated, by any chance? When was solid food introduced? I introduced homemade solid food (veggie) right when my Baby turned 6mo, only one ice cube shaped serving at lunch and one at dinner and she quickly got stopped up. She stopped sleeping well. To top it off, 6mo is when they go through a growth spurt. AAAAAND she cut her first tooth. All that to say, is there something else going on physically that could be hindering sleep? Especially if they were sleeping well before?

 

I stopped giving solids to DD, gave her ice chips to suck on in the mesh thingy during our meals, and gave her additional feedings (nursing sessions) to get her through the growth spurt. She's sleeping better now...

 

Definitely not constipated :D He is eating avocado and sweet potato and if anything they have helped his bowel movements - the iron in the formula did constipate him.

 

I don't think there's much growth spurt going. He's not changed the amount of formula he's drinking. He did just cut his first tooth :)

 

Just reread your initial post! Sickness definitely can hinder naps! Does Baby feel better sleeping in a swing or a rock-n-play? Maybe you could move one into his room just until he feels better? I know rock-n-plays are not good for long-term use (flat head issues) but when DD had a cold, she couldn't breathe well on her back, so she slept in the rock-n-play. I think ear infections are uncomfortable when lying down?

 

For his illness I've raised the head of his bed, which has definitely helped. I'm not afraid to do Advil/Tylenol if I think he needs it. For his congestion right now I'm using saline drops in his nose and sucking it out with the bulb syringe as well as running a humidifier in his room.

 

Last post (I think!)

 

You can make him into a good sleeper! You are his caretaker, the one he looks to meet his needs, to show him love. Awesome!

 

Another thought: Does Baby act hungry or full after feedings? If Baby hasn't started solids, does he need to? Does he need more formula at each feeding?

 

CIO doesn't seem like it'd be appropriate at this stage because he's not feeling well and his routine is off with the visits. First make sure he's healthy, then you can rework his routine (which ultimately may require CIO) to jive with the visits. 6mos need 2 solid naps (2-3 hrs?) and may still take a cat nap (30-45 min). Could you rework your daily routine so that even if he doesn't see his mom that day, he still takes his cat nap then? Typically the cat nap is in the early evening, but if the visit is in the early afternoon, could you switch those two times, so he takes a cat nap every afternoon and a longer nap every early evening? I'm not sure if it'd work, but you could try?

 

Again, the visits aren't completely consistent so reworking his schedule becomes a daily event.

 

Before the visits started he was doing a morning and afternoon nap of 2 hours each (with the little interruption where I have to get him back to sleep!) and at times an evening catnap, though he was just starting to drop that as he's able to stay awake a little longer between naps.

 

This mid-nap waking has been going on for 2+ months, long before his visits started. Some other sleep issues are cropping up and I mentioned the visits just to make clear that I can't keep everything consistent for him to support his sleeping habits.

[Perogi]

What time are you putting him down? Perhaps stretching his awake time would help?

 

My guess would be that he is just restless due to the upheaval going on in his life at the moment. Babies are very in-tune to moods and I am sure on some level the situation is stressing him.

 

I wish I had more advice!

 

He is usually awake 2.5 hours between naps.

 

I agree that some of his sleep disturbances have to do with everything going on but the mid-nap waking has been a habit of his since he was about 3 months old.

[msjones]

For us, CIO only happened when all other good-sleep factors were already setting baby up for speedy success: consistent sleep schedule, healthy baby, calm daily routine, good steady nursing, etc.

 

I wouldn't do CIO with a sick baby or a baby who doesn't have the advantage of a consistent sleep schedule.

 

Also, one of my boys would nap for up to 3 hours at that age. The other only ever slept for maybe 90 minutes max. Some babies just aren't long nappers.

 

Good luck with this little one.

[Perogi]

For us, CIO only happened when all other good-sleep factors were already setting baby up for speedy success: consistent sleep schedule, healthy baby, calm daily routine, good steady nursing, etc.

 

I wouldn't do CIO with a sick baby or a baby who doesn't have the advantage of a consistent sleep schedule.

 

Also, one of my boys would nap for up to 3 hours at that age. The other only ever slept for maybe 90 minutes max. Some babies just aren't long nappers.

 

Good luck with this little one.

 

I understand. Before Mom popped back into the picture we had all that stuff going for us.

 

2 of my kids were shorter nappers as well but this boy does need his sleep.