night sleeping help
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Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=34890
Printed Date: 26 August 2025 at 6:34pm
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Topic: night sleeping help
Posted By: Mum2ET
Subject: night sleeping help
Date Posted: 25 July 2010 at 12:41pm
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Tom's never been the best night sleeper- normally wakes up around 3-6 times during the night, but lately it feels like it is getting worse and I need some ideas/suggestions what to do. He sleeps well during the day, self settles without a problem and on average probably sleeps 5 hr in total during the day. He is swaddled and I leave one of his hands near his face so he can suck on them. At night the room temp is left on 18C and he is a sleeping bag, swaddle and woolen blanket so I am pretty sure he is not too cold. He goes to bed at 6.30 in the evening and does down without a fuss...but then the fun and games being. Last night for example Bed at 6.15 Woke at 9 crying hard out (still had his eyes shut but won't stop crying so I had to pick him up and give him a cuddle, it was only when he opened his eyes that he stopped crying). Once he stoped crying I put him back in his bed awake and he went back to sleep Woke at 11- fed Woke at 2.30 (left to grizzle for 10 mins, but wouldn't go back to sleep so I changed his nap, gave him a feed and went back to sleep). Woke at 4 & 5.15- quick cuddle and then went back to sleep Woke at 6.20 still tired, but refused to go back to sleep.
This is a fairly typical night for him. Any ideas on why he is waking so often???? I don't mind giving him a couple of feds during the night, as he is still so young but it is the early morning wakings that are doing my head in. I am going to try tonight not swaddling him at all and am going to get a comfort toy for him, but honestly don't know if that will make a difference.
------------- Mum to Ella (5) and Tom (2) |
Replies:
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 25 July 2010 at 12:46pm
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Is he having a nightmare for that first wake up? Its like when he sees you he knows its ok? Can you catch that before it happens or is the time kinda random in timing?
Personally I think his night time is 12 hrs which is norm, what happens if you slowly push out his bed time to a little later (like 7) does that help stretch out the morn. We always have expected 12hrs at night max before we start the day, any time further than that is a bonus. |
Posted By: Mum2ET
Date Posted: 25 July 2010 at 12:58pm
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yeah I did wonder if it was a nightmare early in the evening as it has happened the past 3 nights- my poor boy what on earth could a 3 month be having a nightmare about
I have no problem with him starting the day at 6.20- IF he didn't wake up so often in the early morning. If I could cut out the 4am and 5am wake ups, then it won't be so bad..but it just basically means from 4am every morning I can't get any decent sleep (and I go to bed really early at the moment to try and get in some extra sleep).
have tried putting him to bed slightly later but he still wakes up at the same time and it just means he is extra grizzling in the evenings (he wants up his last sleep at around 4.30 after a 45min nap) and falls asleep on me during his bedtime feed. ------------- Mum to Ella (5) and Tom (2) |
Posted By: tiptoes
Date Posted: 25 July 2010 at 1:15pm
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We have trouble with night sleeps too, and those hourly wakings can do your head in.
What's the light situation like in the morning? Is the sun shining through and waking him up? We ended up getting black out curtains just in case that was the problem. ------------- http://alterna-tickers.com">  
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Posted By: Mum2ET
Date Posted: 25 July 2010 at 1:18pm
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no its pitch black in the early morning.
it's annoying...just as I have gotten back to sleep again, he wakes up again.
should also note I have tried leaving him to grizzle for a while, but I can't let him get too loud as Ella is the room next door and is a light sleeper at the time of the morning as well. ------------- Mum to Ella (5) and Tom (2) |
Posted By: yermasyada
Date Posted: 25 July 2010 at 1:19pm
Poor wee TomTom 
Is it possible he's too hot? It's been super warm the last few days, and I made the mistake of leaving Roo's blanket on in his hammock and he kept waking up at 4/4.30am. How many feeds does he have during the day? If he's having plenty during the day, I'd be tempted to only give him the one top up during the night. He may stop waking up if he knows he's not gonna get any boob. The nightmare sounds horrid  The other times that he wakes.... is it proper crying or just tired cries? How long do you leave him before picking him up? If it's just tired cries, it might be worth leaving him in the cot and trying to reassure him with your voice.
Just some ideas love x Huge hugs 
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Posted By: yermasyada
Date Posted: 25 July 2010 at 1:22pm
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Just seen you post about leaving him to grizzle and Ella. Feel free to slap me round the face when I next see you, but maybe it would be worth a couple of days of distrupted sleep for Ella (and obviously you guys) just to try and nip Tom's sleeping pattern in the bud?
Honestly, just ignore me if that sounds stupid. I obviously only have the one bubba and I'm in constant ore of all you fabilicious mammas who have more than one 
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Posted By: MamaT
Date Posted: 25 July 2010 at 1:24pm
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I don't have any great advice I'm sorry, just sympathy. This sounds very similar to my boy. Particularly around 4 months he was waking every hour from 2am and has recently gone back to this. I wondered if it was a growth spurt? Or is he reaching a developmental milestone? Hopefully someone has a great idea for you. -------------  
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Posted By: yermasyada
Date Posted: 25 July 2010 at 1:26pm
| Maybe Ella could have a wee holiday with Grandma & Grandad for a couple of nights and you could focus on Tom's sleeps? |
Posted By: Mum2ET
Date Posted: 25 July 2010 at 1:40pm
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it could be the developmental thing....he has always not been not the best sleeper, but it has gotten worse lately and it probably coincided with him trying to move around while on his tummy and his frustration at not being able to crawl. If this is the case it could be a very long 3 or 4 months
Milliemoo- When he first started doing I tried leaving to grizzle a while (1/2 hr), but it didn't seem to make a difference so I started getting up to him earlier because then at least he went back to sleep sooner. Maybe I should go back to doing that again and try it for a week and see what happens. ------------- Mum to Ella (5) and Tom (2) |
Posted By: Mum2ET
Date Posted: 25 July 2010 at 1:44pm
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re: the nightmare in the early evening- do you guys think it is worth me going in and waking him up slighly earlier and seeing if that stops it??? I probably wouldn't need to fully wake him up then would I? ------------- Mum to Ella (5) and Tom (2) |
Posted By: yermasyada
Date Posted: 25 July 2010 at 2:21pm
| Maybe a dream feed, rather than waking him completely, and then that might eliminate the need to feed him if/when he wakes later in the night, so you can just focus on re-settling. |
Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 25 July 2010 at 3:34pm
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We're going through this too, but always have, Lily has constant growth spurts, every week or 2 she seems to have one and it shows in the weight she puts on too.
Dream feeds work here BUT I have to make sure I go in at the right time other wise it backfires. I can't go in when she is sound asleep, she has to be in the restless sleep if that's what it is called... ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: tiptoes
Date Posted: 25 July 2010 at 6:25pm
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I think going back in for the early one is definitely worth a shot, even just slightly waking him by patting his chest and saying his name and that is supposed to restart the sleep cycle or something like that?
------------- http://alterna-tickers.com">
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Posted By: NikkiCham
Date Posted: 25 July 2010 at 7:07pm
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Check out thesleepstore.co.nz heaps of really awesome info.
And I feel your pain, our 6 month old is doing the same thing! |
Posted By: 1st_Time_Preggies
Date Posted: 26 July 2010 at 8:50am
Oh aren't night wakings the worst! 
I can't offer much advice, but after reading your post the thing that popped out to me is that perhaps your bubs is sleeping too much during the day??? "Apparently" around 3-4 months they should be sleeping no more than about 3-4 hours. At this age my son was sleeping 4 hours max, he is now 5 and a bit months and sleeping 3 if I am lucky! |
Posted By: E&L+1
Date Posted: 26 July 2010 at 10:49am
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I can sympathise too. Esme typically wakes at least twice a night. The last week has been 3-4 times as she has just learnt to crawl and has a cold.
If it was me (and I know it'll mean disrupted sleep for a couple of nights) I wouldn't get up to him if he's just grizzling. He will start to rely on a cuddle or BF to get back to sleep (this is our problem which we are working on slowly). Or if he is grizzling go in but try not to pick him up initially so he falls to sleep in his bed. For the early morning wake up have you tried to have his first sleep slightly later? That can help stretch the night sleeps out too. To help Ella sleep through it would she sleep with some white noise to help mask the grizzles? ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 26 July 2010 at 4:21pm
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I read somewhere average sleep in a 24 hour period for a 3-4 month should be about 14 hours. NB are about 16-18 hours and obviously it gets less and less as they get older. I don't think he's sleeping too much, Lily used to be up for one hour down for 2 from 8am until 6pm and then would wake 3ish hourly during the night as well but it worked out '14 hours'.
She's now only just started to shorten her day naps and increase her wake time and lengthen her night time sleeps. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Mum2ET
Date Posted: 27 July 2010 at 7:47pm
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Thanks for the advice. I don't really want to mess with his day sleeps as I spent quite a bit of time earlier trying to get him to sleep longer than 45mins and personally think 5 hrs sleep during the day is good for him. My 3 year old still sleeps 3 hr during the day (so 15hrs in total). He refused his late afternoon nap today and was an real mess by 5.30.
For the past couple of nights I started leaving him to grizzle a bit longer than usual at around 2/3am and last night he went back to sleep by himself and didn't wake up until 5.45 where he had a good feed and staight back to sleep.....so a definite improvement ------------- Mum to Ella (5) and Tom (2) |
Posted By: yermasyada
Date Posted: 27 July 2010 at 8:29pm
Yay TomTom 
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