Insomniac 6-month-old

[radnrach]

I've had good advice on here before, so thought I would post this problem and see if I get any answers! I'm all out of ideas at the moment...

My 6 month old has never been an amazing sleeper - he still generally wakes around 2 times a night (one for food, the other usually just shushed to sleep again). However, the past week has gotten a bit crazy. I'll give the example of last night: He went to bed at 8 after play, bath, feed.. went down as per usual. He then woke up at 11pm and I fed him. He then woke up at 12am and would not go back to sleep. He ended up staying awake for 2 hours. He didn't seem tired, he didn't want food, but he just made constant noises. I tried co-sleeping, rocking, etc... all the things that usually get him to sleep straight away. He then finally went to sleep at about 2am to wake up again at 5am and do the same thing all over again until 7am when I finally got him to sleep by co-sleeping and feeding him till he slept. He then slept until 9.

I can tell the poor guy is utterly exhausted, but he won't even take a nap - I have to take him out in the pram or in the car to get him to sleep. Usually this isn't the case. I'm so bemused and perplexed, and tired!! We tried leaving him in there on his own to make noises and play in his crib, but eventually he always starts to cry.

So what's going on?!? why won't he sleep?!? Does anyone have any ideas? He doesn't have any teeth yet, so is this just a side-effect of teething? Any ponderings or ideas would be greatly appreciated!

[bumpy]

Sorry no specific advice but hope this helps a little.

My now 15 month old also used to wake twice a night and went through a period from about 5 to 7 months when he'd nap for no longer than 30 minutes at a time. He was totally exhausted & irritable and of course as I'd just gone back to work thought it was all my fault. One Sunday I had a total guilt meltdown and he chose to sleep for a 2.5 hour nap! His naps then varied in length but he did eventually settle in to what I see as a decent amount of time. So with any luck it's just a phase.

[????]

Too much sleep in the day could be an answer? The amount needed can just drop quite quickly with development

[prm]

Does he have a cold by any chance? My daughter is also 6 months and recently went throught a spell of waking up a lot at night, but has now gone back to sleeping all night (5am wake up unfortunately but still I can't complain). The bad spell coincided with when she was a bit bunged up so I am hoping it was just that.

[Beagle]

PRM beat me to it, my immediate thought was, a possible cold? I have a 6 month old and we had 8 nights like this when she last had a cold, combined with shouting loudly in her cot, not crying just shouting, and restlessness resulting in her ending up perpendicular in her cot several times a night. It passed, that is the only consolation I can offer, though in the midst of 8 nights of such broken sleep it felt like it never would.