All Communities > April 2008 Babies > Sleep problems after an ear infection.. how can I help him?

Sleep problems after an ear infection.. how can I help him?

Anna - posted on 02/06/2009 ( 8 moms have responded )

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Hi everyone, I'm new on here so I'm hoping someone can help!
My son is 10 months and has been a great sleeper.. he's slept 7am - 7pm from 4 months...we put him down awake and he's always managed to settle himself if he does wake at all in the night... lucky us!!
The problem is, he's just had an ear infection, and obviously when he wasn't well he was up in the night, and we'd give Calpol etc and sometimes feed him as his soliid and milk intake had dropped right off.
The thing is now, for some reason he's still waking up! I don't think he's hungry because that's all back to normal and I don't think he's ill as he's really happy during the day.
I'm just so confused! He naps fine, he goes to bed at 7 fine, and then its later in the night when he wakes up crying... also, its not the same time every night.
This has been going on for abt a week... so for example last night... he woke around midnight crying... he gets really worked up... so I left him to it for a couple of mins, then I went in and ssshhhed him and rubbed his belly, and he seemed to calm down, but as soon as I walked away he started again... maybe I need to stay until he's nearly asleep?? I left him a couple mins again and we decides to give him some Calpol and teething liquid as he's just cut a tooth too.. put him back down but he started again abt 5 mins later. I even tried feeding him, which I know I shouldn't have done, but you start thinking, I wonder if he is actually hungry? Especially at stupid o'clock in the morning! In the end.. which was around 1.30am, I sat with him in the chair, and he started drifting off, so I put him down and thats when he stayed asleep until 7.30 this morning.
Thing is, I don't want to keep doing that or he'll start thinking thats how to go to sleep, but I just don't get it because he CAN put himself back to sleep!!!
So, after that long post... sorry! The question is, do I try something like controlled crying or not, and does it actually work? If anyone has any other suggestions or ideas they'd be much appreciated as I don't really know what I'm going to do tonight... I'm so tired!!!
Thanks in advance, Anna x

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8 Comments

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Sam - posted on 02/20/2009

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When my daughter wakes in the night I go in and put her on her side (how she likes to sleep) and then stroke her forehead and face for a few seconds and then put my hand on her for a minute and she goes back off.  I have found that when she has been poorly it puts her out for a few weeks after she';s better but it will go back to normal.  Just try not to give too much cuddles or feeds. xx

Alex - posted on 02/20/2009

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i saw my health visitor and she said im going to have to leave him crying. i felt awful doing it, but after 10mins he was asleep. bit of a tough night the first night, but after that he slept fine. that was a week ago. he still wakes sometimes at about 4am but i think its just his tooth, because i give him teething powder and hes fine. so i think we have cracked it too.. im really pleased for you.



 



alex xx



 

Anna - posted on 02/19/2009

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Hi Alex, just wondered if you had any joy with the baby whisperer info?  Luckily for us it seems to have done the trick, and Harry seems to have sorted himself out and is sleeping well again! 



Hope things have improved for you anyway. 



Anna x

Anna - posted on 02/09/2009

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if you go to babywhisperer.com that's their forum,and you can go on as a guest and have a look at their pages... there's loads of factsheet type pages, full of advice that explains how to do the techniques... it'll save you buying the book and you've got a quick reference point close at hand!  hope that helps... Anna x

Alex - posted on 02/09/2009

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ok i will give it a try. he likes to sleep on his side, so i kind of have to hold him down, plus im rubbish, i dont like him being upset. but i really am going to give it a go. thank you for your help. good luck with the teeth, its not fun! take care. alex x

Anna - posted on 02/09/2009

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Hi,  .......I'm hoping in both our cases, that these probs are just due to them being unwell.. like I said before, Harrys now cutting a tooth and he has a cough too, so fingers crossed, things will get back to normal soon! 



I've decided not to try controlled crying... when it came to the crunch, I  just didn't feel comfortable with it.  



You said that your little boy wouldn't settle unless you pick him up.. i wonder if you try just either placing your hand on him or rubbing his back or belly and sshhh him?  You've got to be quite rythmic and quite loud to start with too!  It didn't work right away with Harry, but now I'm at the stage where earlier tonight I just lightly put my hand on him, and I said sshh a couple times and he went quiet and went off more or less right away.  I was quite suprised actually!  We've got this from the 'baby whisperer' books... we don't follow everything in there obviously, but some of the idea's really do work.



Hope things improve for both of us soon!!  Take care, Anna x

Alex - posted on 02/08/2009

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im having to put up with the same but he only stops crying if he is cuddled so ends up in our bed every night. im tired, my partner is tired and i dont no what to do. with controlled crying your not ment to pick them up, but theo wont stop untill i do. all of this was after an ear infection too. alex x

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