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Afraid of the dark?

Hi Everyone, I was hoping to pick your brains again...this time about sleeping!

Max is 5 1/2 months now and has been sleeping through the night since he was about 10 weeks old however, the past few weeks he has been waking up about 3 or 4 am screaming/crying. He only does it the once and as soon as he has been picked up he stops and will go back to sleep.

I havent really thought much about it as its not every night and its easy to get him back to sleep.

But these past couple of weeks everytime he has got in the car (in the dark) he has screamed,cried and been totally inconsolable. This is totally out of character because usually without fail, the car has always sent him off to sleep...every single car journey!

So I was wondering anyone has experienced this and whether is sounds like he may be afraid of the dark?

 Thank you

xx

Replies

  • jack did this, it was heartbraking, and its also the age they can have bad dreams.

    i know alot of parents arent keen, but he has a go glow light that gives a soft glow enough to see around but not bright, worked a dream, he also has a gloworm which goes in his bed and in car in the dark, has a light only setting and its fab! dont know if thats of any help, good luck xx

  • normally 3-4am is the coldest part of the night so you could try an extra blanket for that part of the problem as he may be cold..??

    not sure about being afraid of the dark at 5 1/2 months, seems unlikely, but don't know why he's getting upset either!

  • I would be very suprised if Max is scared of the dark at such a young age.That usually starts once they start developing an imagination.One of mine is scared of the dark,she thinks there might be monsters,spiders,etc,things a baby has no knowledge of.
    I think all you can do is make sure he's not cold,as Lucy says maybe an extra blanket.Also is he eating enough,don't know if you've started weaning,I used to give mine cereal teatime long before 6 months.
    Oh teeth,any signs of teething,yet?
    Doesn't explain the car though.
  • He is teething, but has been since he was about 12 weeks old. he cut his 1st tooth this week and i did think it maybe teething pain. but he is very grizzly with his teeth and the cry at 3/4am is more of a scream and its only the once. as i said as soon as he is picked up he's fine. with his teeth he's usually inconsolable.

    i thought about being cold too....he has 2 sheets and a small duvet and seems warm enough. plus it doesnt explain the car crying.

    he is being weaned. he has porridge for breakfast along with his usual 8oz bottle, another 3 bottles (7-9oz) and a small portion of root veg either at lunch or dinner. as well as that he drinks about 6-10oz of water per day so i dont think he's hungry.

    The crying in the car is the one thats really confusing me, he used to love it and now it can be a terrible journey especially if I'm on my own. I have had to stop and give him a cuddle before as I just couldnt bare driving with him crying!

  • My son, who is only a couple of weks older than Max, has started doing this, although he's harder to settle. My mum suggested that I make sure he has somthing carby for dinner, so you could mix baby rice or crushed rusk with his veg, as I'm starting to do. Watch out for him wanting a feed when he wakes, as this could mean that's what's up.

    If he settles when cuddled, it could be a milder teething pain, which always makes River very clingy. I find bonjela is good for this, as he also likes the taste, and it calms him as well as soothing the pain. If it becomes a frequent thing, you could try giving him a dose of calpol just before bed. Also remember that babies have phases - at a few months River slept through for a few weeks, but hasn't since. HopefullyMax will get through it, and get back to sleeping through soon.

    As for the fear of the dark thing, River has the same thing, we just keep a low light on - annoys the hell out of me, as where it's positioned it shines right in my eyes while I sleep image - but it sorts him out. For the car you could try a little light that clips into the seat or somthing so that it doesn't make reflections in the windscreen so you can still see the road ok. Sorry for the essay, but hope it's of some help!

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