Long MOTN Wakings - Suggestions?

Caz1221 · January 2014

So apparently, we "fixed" one sleep-related problem only to have it immediately replaced by another. LO was taking 1-4 hours to go down at bedtime, but we've finally gotten it down to under 30 minutes on most nights. However, now LO is waking in the MOTN and refusing to go back to sleep. She used to go right back to sleep with minimal rocking. For MOTN feeds, I keep lights low/off and try not to stimulate her at all except a diaper change. I use the tranquil turtle to help get her back to sleep after she eats since it works so well at bedtime, but no dice.

Yesterday, she was up for the day at 5 am after only 6.5 hours of sleep total overnight. One night last week, she got up at 1 am and refused to go back down until 4:30 am. Today, she got up at 3:30 am after 6.5 total hours of sleep and is still up (it's now 5:30 am). She has been refusing her usual morning nap for about 9 days as well.

She is clearly not getting enough sleep (yawning, rubbing her eyes) and falls asleep while eating or rocking but won't stay asleep if I put her down. I'm at a loss - she has slept great in her crib since she was 8 weeks old and still does from bedtime to the first MOTN waking. Has anyone else dealt with something like this? Was it a phase that eventually passed? Did you do anything to help LO get back to sleep?

rh10264706 · January 2014

Have you tried putting her back in her crib awake? At bedtime I have to nurse/rock to sleep but after a motn feeding I can just put him back down in his crib awake. He doesn't cry or anything, just sort of talks to himself for 2 minutes then falls asleep.

Throw3ks · January 2014

No advice as were going they pretty much the same thing too. I'll be following to see gear others say. Here's to some rest hopefully!

Caz1221 · January 2014

Thanks! I have tried putting her down awake/not fully asleep, and it used to work for MOTN wakings, but it doesn't any more. I have tried putting her down and leaving the room, staying in the room but not touching her, staying in the room and patting/shushing/hand on her chest or stomach/holding her hand, with and without the tranquil turtle light projector (which puts her right to sleep when I rock her at bedtime), etc. I give her some time to settle and let her talk to herself, but she always starts to cry, at which point I go to her and have to pick her up because nothing else soothes her.

She STTN for about 3 weeks in December, and it's like she forgot how to go right back to sleep after MOTN feedings because she didn't do them for that period of time.

pb&jojo · January 2014

I had this problem a while ago. Mine would sleep in the crib great the first part of the night, but once she woke it was a no go. Do you have a rock n play or swing that your lo might fall asleep in after motn waking? It's worth a try,

Caz1221 · January 2014

Thanks for the tips! We do have a swing, but she's never liked it. Maybe now is the time... We don't have a RNP but would buy one if necessary. Because she has done so well in the crib until just recently, we've been trying to avoid going "backwards" in terms of where she sleeps (especially if it's just a short-lived phase), but I don't think I can take many more nights of this!

ETA: In case anyone is wondering, I finally got her back to sleep at 6:45 am after feeding her a second time.

cinderin · January 2014

I would skip the diaper change during motn feedings. I just change right before bed and in the am - when he is up for the day.

thoughtfulmommy · January 2014

We went through this. I would just lay him on a mat on his floor in the nursery and lay beside him. He did it for about six nights then he stopped and went back to sleeping right after his feeding.

I guess I don't have advice. We kept it dark and quiet. All the rocking in the world would not put him to sleep. He was always awake for 2-3 hours.

I just took it as a regression and went with it. It passed and we are getting much better sleep now.

Speshul · January 2014

This just happened last night. Usually she goes back down with a pacifier or feeding. Not really sure what to do with this myself. She is miserable and angry the next day if she doesn't get a certain amount of sleep. Hopefully it will be just a phase.

BelhurstBride · January 2014

DD1 was like this. I usually did what @msspeedymarie suggested but also used the swing. I'd rock her until she was out cold and then slip her into it.

Though she was never really a good sleep. Her phases went from crappy sleeper to even crappier sleeper.

pkaren · January 2014

I know sleep training is generally frowned upon here and I'm totally prepared to get flamed, but my DD was a HORRIBLE sleeper and was exhausted all day (both of us), so I had to do something. I read the Sleepeasy Solution and implemented their plan. DD used to take hours to get to sleep, would be up at least 4, sometimes as much as 9 times a night. I had been nursing and rocking her to sleep and she did not have the ability to self sooth herself to sleep. Basically, you let them cry, but check on them at timed intervals. I know people say babies cry for a reason and that you need to attend to them, but DD was crying and needing me to put her back to sleep. I was lucky and the first night only cried 13 minutes. By night four there was no crying. She also used to wake up at 5am every morning. Now (last night was night 5) she's sleeping 12 hrs! I wake her for dream feeds at 10:30 and 3am, so I'm not letting her starve or anything. She wakes up happy and is much happier throughout the day. She used to get so cranky and over tired and would be miserable by late afternoon. I have a video monitor and I know that she wakes occasionally in the night, she might cry for a second, then goes back to sleep. I highly recommend the book. We're both much more rested and happier.

Cosmic+Love · January 2014

We have been dealing with this too the past few nights. Everyone is miserable. Baby Got Colic still works for us when we are desperate. I try to wait and use that as a last resort.

Hope LO gets back on track soon!

BelhurstBride · January 2014

pkaren said:

I know sleep training is generally frowned upon here and I'm totally prepared to get flamed, but my DD was a HORRIBLE sleeper and was exhausted all day (both of us), so I had to do something. I read the Sleepeasy Solution and implemented their plan. DD used to take hours to get to sleep, would be up at least 4, sometimes as much as 9 times a night. I had been nursing and rocking her to sleep and she did not have the ability to self sooth herself to sleep. Basically, you let them cry, but check on them at timed intervals. I know people say babies cry for a reason and that you need to attend to them, but DD was crying and needing me to put her back to sleep. I was lucky and the first night only cried 13 minutes. By night four there was no crying. She also used to wake up at 5am every morning. Now (last night was night 5) she's sleeping 12 hrs! I wake her for dream feeds at 10:30 and 3am, so I'm not letting her starve or anything. She wakes up happy and is much happier throughout the day. She used to get so cranky and over tired and would be miserable by late afternoon. I have a video monitor and I know that she wakes occasionally in the night, she might cry for a second, then goes back to sleep. I highly recommend the book. We're both much more rested and happier.

Caz1221 · January 2014

cinderin said:
I would skip the diaper change during motn feedings. I just change right before bed and in the am - when he is up for the day.

I would love to skip the diaper change, but a wet diaper distracts her from eating and keeps her from going back to sleep. She's quite the sensitive one about that! Luckily, once she's asleep, she's fine with a sopping wet diaper.

@Natalie2167, I'm hoping it's just a regression/phase that will pass. She was so good about MOTN feedings before she did her 3 weeks of STTN; now it's a crap shoot!

Speshul · January 2014

pkaren said:

I know sleep training is generally frowned upon here and I'm totally prepared to get flamed, but my DD was a HORRIBLE sleeper and was exhausted all day (both of us), so I had to do something. I read the Sleepeasy Solution and implemented their plan. DD used to take hours to get to sleep, would be up at least 4, sometimes as much as 9 times a night. I had been nursing and rocking her to sleep and she did not have the ability to self sooth herself to sleep. Basically, you let them cry, but check on them at timed intervals. I know people say babies cry for a reason and that you need to attend to them, but DD was crying and needing me to put her back to sleep. I was lucky and the first night only cried 13 minutes. By night four there was no crying. She also used to wake up at 5am every morning. Now (last night was night 5) she's sleeping 12 hrs! I wake her for dream feeds at 10:30 and 3am, so I'm not letting her starve or anything. She wakes up happy and is much happier throughout the day. She used to get so cranky and over tired and would be miserable by late afternoon. I have a video monitor and I know that she wakes occasionally in the night, she might cry for a second, then goes back to sleep. I highly recommend the book. We're both much more rested and happier.

I don't frown on sleep training or schedules. We have a lax schedule and it got messed up during the holidays...she was not a happy child. I also agree when my daughter sttn she is much happier (as well as me and my husband). We have done minimal sleep training for naps because she fights them like it is her job, and the sleep training worked. She now has a regular nap time and is happier through out the day instead of just morning.

My coworker had a comfort nurser who would wake up every 2 hours or less. She sleep trained before 6 months to break the sleep association, but kept 2 feedings(one at midnight and one in the early am) and was also successful. I don't judge because she was at her breaking point and quite frankly I would be hallucinating if I got sleep in 2 hour intervals for that many months.

If you do have sleep training questions -- you will most likely get flamed by this board, but the parenting board is supportive and has some people who are experienced in it at different ages. I kinda wish there was a sleep training board so it could be openly discussed.

BelhurstBride · January 2014

There are ways to "sleep train" without CIO! which is what gets flamed. But IMHO too many have too unrealistic of expectations for infant sleep. I mean, just look at what they go through in their first year of life.

Speshul · January 2014

The only thing that bothers me is when people sleep train without picking up a book. Most sleep training books explain what you can and can't expect.

thoughtfulmommy · January 2014

Caz1221 said:

cinderin said:
I would skip the diaper change during motn feedings. I just change right before bed and in the am - when he is up for the day.
I would love to skip the diaper change, but a wet diaper distracts her from eating and keeps her from going back to sleep. She's quite the sensitive one about that! Luckily, once she's asleep, she's fine with a sopping wet diaper.

@Natalie2167, I'm hoping it's just a regression/phase that will pass. She was so good about MOTN feedings before she did her 3 weeks of STTN; now it's a crap shoot!

I'm going to give you hope that you can get through it. I tried no diaper change, but worried he was annoyed cause he was wet. So we did diaper change, but worried it would wake him even more. We let him lay in our bed, but he actually doesn't prefer to sleep beside me. I did not want to just leave him in his crib to cry to sleep since he was "content" to be awake.

We focused on naps during the day by staying home and making sure he got a good restful nap (not sure if this is possible for you).

And like I said, he is now back to falling asleep quickly after a feeding. I feel like he was thinking and working through an intellectual growth spurt.

Edit- typos everywhere

Caz1221 · January 2014

@Natalie2167 - thank you! I'm still on mat leave, so I can focus on making sure she naps well during the day. She slept 6:45-9:15 am this morning and just fell asleep on me. Fingers crossed she stays asleep because she needs it!

magdalina.h · January 2014

I've noticed that Alexis sleeps better over night if she has more naps during the day. If I or grandma during the week has to hold her to nap then that's what we do to make sure she's getting plenty of rest.

MyBaby2013 · January 2014

No help here. LO has not napped more than 20 mins anywhere I put him and hasn't slept for more than 2 hours at night in what feels like FOREVER! Hope you figure it out and get some sleep soon!

Revez · January 2014

I swear there was something in the air last night, my whole Facebook feed is filled with (more) sleep deprived moms. We're on day 3 of no naps and extra wake ups at night. The better she naps the better she sleeps.

I have no advice for you OP, only empathy.

BelhurstBride · January 2014

@revez, I noticed the same. I'm sure cold and flu season has a lot to do with it.

DD2 has gone from sleeping 10-12 hours straight to being up. At first I blamed her cold but it's been over a week and she's always up at 11:30, 2 and 5:40. I suspect it's her new normal for awhile.

DD1 has been having a rough go, too. She's ended up in my bed every night for nearly two weeks now.

Michelle N · January 2014

Revez said:

I swear there was something in the air last night, my whole Facebook feed is filled with (more) sleep deprived moms. We're on day 3 of no naps and extra wake ups at night. The better she naps the better she sleeps. I have no advice for you OP, only empathy.

Same here! The only way I could get him to nap today for more than 20 mins is to lay beside him.. and I keep getting him back to sleep when he stirs. It seemed he was up every hour last night, but I was too tired to tell for sure.

BellaOso · January 2014

Caz1221 said:

I would skip the diaper change during motn feedings. I just change right before bed and in the am - when he is up for the day.
I would love to skip the diaper change, but a wet diaper distracts her from eating and keeps her from going back to sleep. She's quite the sensitive one about that! Luckily, once she's asleep, she's fine with a sopping wet diaper. @Natalie2167, I'm hoping it's just a regression/phase that will pass. She was so good about MOTN feedings before she did her 3 weeks of STTN; now it's a crap shoot!

@Caz1221 - Get Huggies Overnight diapers - Life changing for heavy night wetters.

The Pampers overnights aren't as good at holding urine away, but my both my girls are in them and they are both heavy night wetters and they still have dry bums in the morning. I love them

Caz1221 · January 2014

BellaOso said:

Caz1221 said:

cinderin said:
I would skip the diaper change during motn feedings. I just change right before bed and in the am - when he is up for the day.
I would love to skip the diaper change, but a wet diaper distracts her from eating and keeps her from going back to sleep. She's quite the sensitive one about that! Luckily, once she's asleep, she's fine with a sopping wet diaper.

@Natalie2167, I'm hoping it's just a regression/phase that will pass. She was so good about MOTN feedings before she did her 3 weeks of STTN; now it's a crap shoot!

@Caz1221 - Get Huggies Overnight diapers - Life changing for heavy night wetters.

The Pampers overnights aren't as good at holding urine away, but my both my girls are in them and they are both heavy night wetters and they still have dry bums in the morning. I love them

Good to know - thanks!

Carnation77 · January 2014

DS does this every once in awhile. I just put him in the crib and let him watch his mobile for an hour or so and wait it out until he's sleepy again. I figure big people sometimes just don't feel like sleeping, too, so why should I expect anything different of a baby?

I have found that keeping him on a strict eating schedule - which seems to coincide with a sleeping schedule - and getting him to sleep a lot during the day (thank you dishwasher) helps him sleep at night.

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