5 1/2 month old awake almost all day

Babybear70

So my DS is 5 1/2m and he is so busy, and so active that he refuses to sleep during the day. He has always been like this, but it seems like now it makes him super crabby, and even when I get him down he only goes down for about 30-45 min at a time, maybe twice a day if I'm lucky. I'm sure we've already gone through his 4M wakeful, so I'm wondering if he is growing or if he mouth is bothering him...something has to give. He doesn't have much of an appetite during the day so his feedings are spaced way out, but when he gets hungry he is ravenous!! And when I say ravenous I'm talking to the tune of 10oz when he finally goes down at nite nite time. I'm sure it is just a phase, but it is wearing me out and I can't get anything done if he doesn't sleep. Sometimes I can put him on the floor to sit and play with his toys, or on his activity mat, but that is only good for about 20-30 min. Then he wants to be held so he can jump up and down on my lap....it is exhausting!!! I love him dearly but baby you need to sleep!!!

myluckypig

I have no advice but my son is doing the same thing.  Only I think he *wants* to nap longer but with a wild and crazy big sister it is so difficult.  She is 2 and half and doesn't nap so I definitely understand not being able to get ANYTHING done...eeek.

Meery82

Sounds just like my 5 1/2 month old son! He does all the same things you mentioned, plus he cant get enough of his jumperoo. And I know he is tired because he will nod off in it frequently. He will even bounce with his eyes closed. But if I put him down for a nap, I'm lucky to get 30 minutes out of him! He's so high maintenance!

jc0n15

My baby is the same way. However she sleeps all night long, like 12 hours. So the doctor said that I would only get cat naps out of her. I would rather get a good night sleep then get things done.

unaveragejane

DS has always been a cat-napper (30-40 minute naps) but I can usually get at least 3 naps out of him in a day...sometimes 4. It has helped me to watch the clock and be sure to put him down around 2 hours after he last got up. I do a routine (diaper, sleep-sack, story, song, crib) and use white noise and a paci. He will fuss a bit sometimes, but usually he's out within 2 minutes of going into the crib. DH does not use the routine and tries to get him to nap in the bouncy seat while he's watching football on Saturdays. Needless to say DS does not nap much when DH is in charge.

I'm not sure about the eating. My DS has always spit up a lot, so our pedi recommended feeding smaller amounts more frequently. DS is now up to 6 oz per feeding about every 3 hours for a total of 36 oz. (If he eats less in a day, he's up a lot at night.) Maybe by the time your LO is tired, he is also hungry and can't sleep? I don't know, but it might be worth a shot to try giving smaller feedings more frequently.