Help/any tips? Sleepless nights

Deanne Shehane · October 2011

Well, my son STTN(7 hours) starting at about 6 months and that lasted until his first cold at 8 months. He is 9 months old and we cannot get him to STTN anymore. We have no teeth although the texture of his gums have changed some but I do not see tooth buds. He has had an ear infection but he has been cured of that twice and it didn't change anything. We use a noise maker on "rain" and have since he was born. At school, he takes anywhere from one to two 30 min to 45 min naps. He would rather play. He is a very happy baby and has a sweet disposition 99% of the time. This does not seem like enough napping to me. He has slept in his own bed since he was 4 months old(transitioned from the bassinet) which is where I would like him to sleep. He is all over the bed and restless. He wakes himself up even more by sitting or standing up. And he will cry for over an hour. The longer you let him go, the longer it takes to wind him back down. Sometimes it is almost like he has a nightmare because he is so disoriented. The only thing I have ever given him to go to sleep is Advil but only when his gums seem to be bothering him. Anyone try something that worked? I have left him for over an hour crying(this was torture) to see if he would fall back asleep. We usually end up giving him a bottle in the middle of the night because it is the only way to get his milk intake in. What are we doing wrong? Sorry I am rambling, HELP.........

bumpuser260585 · October 2011

Try reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby. It is pretty clinical, but will give some good advice.

Do you have a set bedtime routine every night? You don't necessarily have to bathe him every night if you don't want to, but brushing teeth, read a book, rock for a few minutes then lay him in bed.

Also, make sure he isn't getting over tired before you try putting him to bed. At the first sign of drowsiness, start your routine. Don't wait until he is a crying mess, because then he isn't going to want to sleep.

Also, try not using the noise machine for a night. We used a humidifier for the first few months J was in his crib & he did okay. Once we stopped using it, he actually slept better. Some babies just don't want the noise.

Also, are you waking him up to eat or just feeding him if he wakes up? If you are waking him up, stop. He will eat when he is hungry during the day.

Good luck, I hope it gets easier.