Hi all -
My 7.5 month old hasn't been a super sleeper ever, but recently he's really had us stumped and feeling sleep deprived all day.
Here's our typical sleep situation: We put him down around 8 in his crib. If he wakes again before I go to bed, I'll feed him and put him back in his crib. If I make it past 10pm without falling asleep and he hasn't woken, I'll dream feed him and put him back in his crib. The first time he wakes after I'm asleep he comes to bed with us, and usually he's there until morning. Occasionally when he won't settle after eating in the middle of the night we put him in his carseat and bounce the carseat on top of the exercise ball, which is as close to a magic bullet for sleepytime as we have for this kid. He usually wakes for the day between 6 and 7. He naps well throughout the day - he's transitioning between 3 and 2 naps per day, so his schedule isn't as predictable, but generally naps for a total of around 4 hours.
The last few nights have involved some interval of prolonged crying in our bed, lasting upwards of 2 hours. He doesn't seem to be in pain, per se, and he doesn't have any particular teething symptoms (he already has the two bottom teeth, but no more). We have given him ibuprofen while at our wits end, to no effect. He cannot be soothed; he cries *harder* if we pick him up or pat him. When he wakes all the way up, he sits up or tries to pull up on us and this will calm him down, but he is SO SLEEPY he literally keeps falling over. If we lay him down he resumes crying or cries harder. I nurse him on and off through this madness, and he pulls off to cry or stare into space and then will pop back on for a suck or two. When I'm empty and I put my boob away he cries harder. The carseat trick hasn't worked.
I feel bad for the little dude but I also feel bad for us. We are crazy zombie people during the day. We are ready to put him in his crib and put in earplugs (OK, not quite, but another week of this and we will be).
Any help?
My 7.5 month old hasn't been a super sleeper ever, but recently he's really had us stumped and feeling sleep deprived all day.
Here's our typical sleep situation: We put him down around 8 in his crib. If he wakes again before I go to bed, I'll feed him and put him back in his crib. If I make it past 10pm without falling asleep and he hasn't woken, I'll dream feed him and put him back in his crib. The first time he wakes after I'm asleep he comes to bed with us, and usually he's there until morning. Occasionally when he won't settle after eating in the middle of the night we put him in his carseat and bounce the carseat on top of the exercise ball, which is as close to a magic bullet for sleepytime as we have for this kid. He usually wakes for the day between 6 and 7. He naps well throughout the day - he's transitioning between 3 and 2 naps per day, so his schedule isn't as predictable, but generally naps for a total of around 4 hours.
The last few nights have involved some interval of prolonged crying in our bed, lasting upwards of 2 hours. He doesn't seem to be in pain, per se, and he doesn't have any particular teething symptoms (he already has the two bottom teeth, but no more). We have given him ibuprofen while at our wits end, to no effect. He cannot be soothed; he cries *harder* if we pick him up or pat him. When he wakes all the way up, he sits up or tries to pull up on us and this will calm him down, but he is SO SLEEPY he literally keeps falling over. If we lay him down he resumes crying or cries harder. I nurse him on and off through this madness, and he pulls off to cry or stare into space and then will pop back on for a suck or two. When I'm empty and I put my boob away he cries harder. The carseat trick hasn't worked.
I feel bad for the little dude but I also feel bad for us. We are crazy zombie people during the day. We are ready to put him in his crib and put in earplugs (OK, not quite, but another week of this and we will be).
Any help?
