Hello! I have a happy, healthy baby during the day and a very restless baby at night. He sleeps calmly usually for the first 3-4 hours at night and then the tossing and turning begins. I usually nurse him after he wakes up the first time. After that he is really not hungry, just really restless. No matter what position I lay him in he turns his head back and forth and tenses his legs over and over for hours on end. He doesn't usually cry, he is just unsettled. He has been like this for most of his life. I have tried getting off milk and caffine, as he is exclusively bf. I have tried letting him sleep with me. I am exhuasted. The first few hours of sleep he is really peaceful is all the sleep I have been getting for months. I can't sleep during the day as I have a 4 year old at home who does not nap. Anyone experienced this before. Could it be a medical issue? He has no signs of anything wrong. I am thinking about moving his bed out of my room and seeing if I can sleep better if I am not constantly hearing him move around. But I don't want to do that if there is sometime wrong. He is not restless at naps or during that first stretch of sleep. Any help, suggestions, or thoughts what be super helpful!
C., sorry you are going through a hard time. You may try a white noise machine. They sometimes help
mix some cereal with your breast milk on a little bowl and feed him just before bed. his tummy will be full feeling and he should sleep better at night. he's ready for some solids.
My older daughter had a lot of trouble sleeping in the same bed with my husband and I. It turned out that she was getting too hot - my husband is like a furnace. But, it took us a while to figure it out. We swaddled her from birth and she was really happy that way, but around 12 weeks is when that stopped working. Then we figured out that she had really bad acid reflux. So, I actually slept with her in a sling in the recliner. But, the best thing that worked for quite a while was putting her in a pappason swing right next to my bed. Ididn't leave it on, but she was seated somewhat upright, not hot from my husband, and still in close reach when she wanted to nurse. It was great!
Can you try using the Miracle Blanket? It's a special swaddling blanket that will keep him really snug. Maybe he just needs to feel more secure when he sleeps. This has worked well for me in the past and many of my friends that I have suggested it to. You can get them on Amazon.
It sounds to me like he has a burp left from that middle of the night feed that makes him uncomfortable. Maybe more burping before you lay him down. Not what you want to hear, I know. If you want, contact me for tips on burping. Good Luck!
first i would try a kiddapotumus. best swaddling wrap ever!
also i would check out baby wise. There is nothing medically wrong with him. he just needs to learn how to fall asleep on his own and then when he wakes up in the middle of the night he needs to learn to put himself back to sleep. as a parent this is one of the first things you need to teach your child. this book will change your life!! i don't know that i could have done it without it.
don't ever feel guilty about this. when he learns to sleep and you get sleep you will be a better mom and he will be a happeir baby. babies his age should get at least 10 hours of uninterupted sleep!
another great book is the happiest baby on the block.
This might sound crazy, but when you find out please let me know. I have a five month old that does the same thing and he is not breast fed he is bottle fed. He gets cereal and baby food. We have tried swaddling and that doesnt help he is a kicker and he twist and turns. We tried his own bed but that was hard he screamed so much I just put him back in bed with me. It is ruff I work eight hours and have no time to nap. So if you do find an answer It would be much appreciated.
I know this probably sounds crazy but my son did the same thing when he was little. I breastfed him too. My mom and I thought that maybe it was the red dye # 40 that was making him jittery. I don't remember how we came to this conclusion, I think she told me that my brother did the same thing when he would have something with that dye in it. Anyways, maybe try cutting that out. Also, he could be gassy.
Hope this helps!!!
Have you tried swaddling him at night? Sometimes this helps...
I have a 7 month old who was the same way.He cat naps during the day.I moved his crib out of my room in to his own room and he started sleeping through the night.I still get up 5-6 times during the night to check on him.At first when I moved his crib the first few nights were a little rough but now he sleeps soundly.
