[Mkap]

I need advice. Our 5 month old fd has been having a hard time at night. We've had her since birth and this is not normal for her. She's been going to bed around 8p and wakes again sometime in the night anywhere from 11:30-2a and stays awake for 2 hours. She fusses the entire time she's awake like she's super tired but won't go back to sleep. We feed her, use gripe water, gas drops, change diaper - anything we can think of to sooth her back to sleep. What do I do???? We need our sleep. We've even tried letting her cry for a while but she works herself into such a lather that she can't calm down. So crying it out isn't the best option for her. Prior to this she would go to bed around 6:30-7p and sleep until 2am wake to feed and drift right back to sleep until 7 or 8am. I don't understand why she is staying awake like this now. Also, I think she is teething. Please any advice is helpful. We had introduced the rice cereal a few weeks ago but she didn't tolerate very well, it constipated her terribly. So we will begin reintroducing that slowly. But in the meantime........ any suggestions on what might be going on?

[jphollen]

Ask the dr first but if you think it's teething try tylenol or motrin. The dr can give you a dose chart if you don't already have one.

[crystalp]

The teething could be doing it on its own, but if you are still trying to introduce the rice cereal, I would stop. Wait until she is completely over this current ordeal until you introduce something new, especially something that has been hard for her to tolerate in the past. Good luck!

[Newshyde]

I don't know if this is ok or not, but I would suggest trying a message board play group for kids your FD's age. I joined one at Ivillage all with mom's who had kids born the same month as my FD. It's been really helpful because they are often going through the exact same thing as I am.
I posted a few days ago on the one I go to because my FD suddenly will only drink 2 oz at a time and it's driving me crazy. She was sleeping through the night and now she's not. Turned out that a lot of the babies born around the same week as her were going through the same thing. It's most likely a phase that she will grow out of soon, but it was so good to know that there were others who were going through the same thing or recently had.
I don't know why your FD isn't sleeping, but a group of parents who also have 5mo's may be able to help.
Heidi

[EZ2Luv]

I would have to go along with teething. SOmetimes teething begings without any hardened gums or visable signs like teeth breaking hough. I suggest cold teething rings and such to see it that helps. Sometimes with our babies it is just the process of elimination before we find what the actual problem is or what works. My kids did this too and it was a sure sign that a tooth was about to begin to break through in the near future. I would definately try the cold teething toys before giving baby anything like tylenol or motrin. I am a firm believer in not medicating a baby unless you really have a good idea of what is going on. Not only that but you could very well mask a problem by medicating.
If baby is in fact teething , what save our sanity was the teething tablets. The baby Orajel was a waste IMO. The teething tablets are what worked for us. Orajel is good if the tooth is visable on the gum surface because it will numb the area (topical). For some reason the tablets were much more effective in relieving the teething discomfort.

EZ

[minibus]

She might be getting ready for a developmental leap, or it might be the teething. We definitely try not to medicate until it's the last resort, but teething tablets did nothing for our son. We did end up doing Tylenol while he was cutting 5 teeth at once and it helped a lot. It could also be that she's going through a phase and you just have to ride it out. I'd try teething rings if she likes those (our son doesn't, but he like chewing on rubber blocks or his teething towel). Is there a possibility of a cold or an ear infection? You might want to check those out. If those don't work, then I'd try the Tylenol to help her make it throught the night. If it doesn't work, then stop the medication. I don't think you can say you're overmedicating when you try it once and it doesn't work.

Good luck! I hate being tired ... it makes everything SO much harder!!

[amy_b]

I agree, teething or ear infection. Our (8 month old at the time) did this for a few nights in a row, and NOTHING would soothe her. The next morning, I noticed her ear was oozing.....ear drum had ruptured. Maybe see if you can get in to your pediatrician just to check?

[jeni-b]

We are having the same thing with our 10 mo old. For him it is certainly teething. I am considering getting him an amber teething necklace. Those are supposed to eliminate the side effects of teething.

[carlychan]

You might pick up the book called "The No Cry Sleep Solution." I am currently reading it to help with my 17 month old FS.

[Mkap]

thank you all so much for your advice - I appreciate it so much. Last night instead of waking for a 2 hour stretch and fussing, she woke every few hours to drink or get her soother then drifted back to sleep without fussing. I think that's an improvement. At least she wasn't crying. She does have a slight cold, stuffy nose. But yesterday I noticed that her drooling had subsided somewhat so maybe the teething has calmed down for a minute.
Again - thanks!!

[Mkap]

hi everyone,
I just thought I'd provide a quick update on my fd's sleeping. I think it was teething because she has been doing really well for the past 4 nights. I don't see any teeth yet, but I'm sure they will be coming soon. But for now, we're getting rest!!

[ranoutofnames]

My 5 month old son will do the crying at night every now and then. He's usually drooling and NOTHING calms him down except tylenol.

I don't know about you ... but I'm exhausted! I can hardly wait for him to sleep through the night!

[hcg]

Another thought - you don't HAVE to introduce with rice cereal. I know many moms who first introduce pureed fruits or vegetables instead.