Sleeping FAQ

Sleeping FAQ: 6-9 months – Night Waking

My 7 month son has started to wake at night, but I am slightly confused as to why

My son, who is just 7 mths, has slept well through the night since eight weeks. But, for the past three weeks, he has been waking in the night. He does not wake every night- it has averaged out as one in every three nights. Although I have found similar questions on the website and have posted a question on the message boards, I feel I have tried every suggestion given and I am running out of ideas.

We originally thought it was teething as he did not seem that well in the day for the first week, but it is not every night and most of the time he seems quite happy once I go in and check on him. I give him a dose of Calpol if his cheeks seem a little red. Then, sometimes he settles straight away and other times he cries for ages.
From the suggestion of other Mums, I thought about temperature of the room, but it has stayed constant and doesn’t seem to be a factor. And, I thought about a growth spurt and therefore increased his protein at lunch (as you can see he eats quite a lot). From what I have read, he is getting the right amount of protein.

The only other two things I can think of is just habit- but wouldn’t he wake every night through habit? And, I have always been very strict when I go in- I check if he is alright, give a quick dose of medicine if I feel it is necessary and then put him back.

I still have to tuck him in because although he can roll from back to tummy really well, he usually gets stuck on his tummy and gets cross! He can get back, but not every time. He is an active baby and I wondered whether he gets frustrated that he can’t move around? Should I experiment with this?

As you can see I am stumped and would appreciate some advice.

My son has 6ozs of formula at 7.30am and 6.30pm. He takes 6ozs at 2.45pm.

Breakfast at 8.10am: ½ to 1 weetabix mixed with formula and 2 cubes pureed pear or 5 tsps Ready brek with pear. Toast fingers offered.

Snack at 10.30am: water and Cow and Gate biscuit offered
Lunch at 11.45am: 8 cubes of protein recipe- lamb, chicken or fish, 2 cubes of vegetables added. Yoghurt for dessert, or grated cheese offered if still hungry.

Tea at 5pm: 8 cubes of a carbohydrate recipe such as mixed root medley or vegetable broth with mini sandwiches. 2 cubes of fruit puree or yoghurt for dessert.

He naps at 9-9.15am and 12.15-2.30pm. He settles at 7pm.

It can be difficult to always pinpoint exactly why your baby is waking, especially when it is not at the same time or even every night. Teething can cause night waking, especially as the tooth is breaking through the surface. If, when you give your son a dose of Calpol, he settles straight away you can be pretty sure that it is not his teeth bothering him. It takes about 20 minutes for a pain reliever to work, so a baby suffering with teething pain would still be grizzly and distressed until the effect began to be felt.

As you appear to be aware, a baby of this age is beginning to need about 2ozs of protein in his diet each day so, by watching his intake, you can see if this could be an issue with him. Adding grated cheese to vegetable soups at teatime is a way to make sure he is getting enough protein through the day.

The most likely cause though seems to be his inability to fully roll in both directions yet. This can happen and, even if quite active by day, he may find it harder to do so in his sleeping bag at night.

Practice rolling with him in the day so he becomes really competent doing so both ways. Until he is able to do so at night, you may need to resettle him if he gets himself into an uncomfortable position. When you first hear him in the night, leave him for several minutes to see if he is able to get himself into a more comfortable position without needing your help. If you go into him straight away he may begin to associate you with settling back to sleep again.

Continue doing as you are doing now. Lie him down in a comfortable position and then let him settle himself back to sleep.

Once you are happy that he is able to roll both ways without too much trouble let him begin to find his own sleeping position. Once he is able to do this with ease he may start to sleep on his stomach. This is fine once he is over six months of age.

Some mothers do find that their babies move around so much in their cot and bang the sides that they decide to pad the edges with rolled towels or blankets. Tuck these well down the sides of the mattress to prevent your baby being caught up in them. Once your baby is moving around a lot at night it would be best to dress him in a warmer sleeping bag with a tog rating of 2.5 so you will not need any extra blankets in which he may become entangled.