Suddenly not sleeping well.

Meggabaee

Since my daughter was about 4 months she was sleeping through the night. As soon as she starts rubbing her eyes I put her down. Regardless of if it is for a nap or for the night. She will be 6 months on Friday and two days ago she started getting restless during the night. Not only would she wake up but she would scream and nothing would calm her down. First time I just figured maybe she was hungry, but then once she was full, content and went back to sleep she woke up two hours later! She just got over being sick. While she was sick it was like all she wanted was her pacifier. Now she just wants to chew on it...but if it falls out of her mouth she cries. I can't see anything poking out, but I am thinking it could be teeth coming in? I guess I just need some other opinions.

luvmygirlss

It could be sooooo many things. Don't you wish babies came with manuals lol??? 

• Could be teething: if she is also experiencing restlessness during the day, excessive chewing, drooling, gets really upset when you put your fingers in her mouth etc. 
  
• Maybe a growth spurt: Is she eating more? 
  
• Change in sleep requirements: Are her naps too long? 
  
• Developmental "stuff": Is she trying to master a new skill?
  
• Hard time fall asleep: Does she know how to fall asleep on her own?

Just throwing out some ideas, it may take some investigative work. Good luck!

eggmankate

Has anything changed or been disrupted in her daytime sleep? I learned in my sleep class that when there is a problem with nighttime sleep the first thing to look at is that morning nap. Usually babies between 3-6 months go down for their morning nap about 60-90 minutes after first waking up. Apparently the morning nap can set the stage for how the rest of the day goes. 

Also, are there any sudden changes in naps during the day? Over the weekend we had a party in the afternoon and my poor 3.5 month old DD did not get an afternoon nap--she went about 6 hours without a nap during that day (I thought she'd fall asleep in the car, but she didn't). That night she woke up very erratically when she's normally a very consistent nighttime sleeper. I could tell it was related to the disruption during the day. Just a few thoughts...