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Questions & Answers - Developmental Concerns
First, I'm not sure if this is a problem that needs medical
attention. My 8-month-old son Chase seems to need to sleep a lot;
sometimes 5 naps a day plus bedtime and even after that he acts tired.
And, from what I understand, babies his age don't need swaddling to
sleep but I can't get him to sleep without it. The other thing is, and
I'm not sure if these two problems are related, that most days he is not
happy. I have run the list thirty times on these days, have played with
him for hours on end, cuddled him, laid down with him, walked him. I
have no idea what else I can do. On his bad days, and they are about
five days out of the week, he cries for hours. And when he's not crying,
he has this whine that goes on for hours more. His pediatrician says
that there's nothing wrong with him. I'm not sure what I can do. Any
answers you could suggest would be so helpful.
Babies of Chase's age typically need between 12-15 hours of sleep in
a day including naps and bedtime. Most babies still nap 2-3 times per
day at this age. If your son is sleeping through the night for around 10
hours, as well as taking several one hour naps per day, it may seem like
he's sleeping too much, when in reality he is not. However, since you
are describing him as irritable and fussy most days, and needing to
swaddle him to get him to sleep, it could be a sign that he is sleep
deprived.
Babies around 8 months are going through a lot of cognitive and
physical changes, with learning to crawl, and cruise and explore and
sometimes patterns of sleep are disturbed in the 6-9 month period.
Babies also go through separation anxiety at this age which can account
for night awakening and difficulty resuming sleep. While some parents
swear that swaddling their older babies helps them when they are fussy,
there is always a caution with swaddling babies older than 3 months
since once a child can roll over the swaddling limits their movements
and there can be a risk of SIDS if they roll to their stomach during the
night and can't move freely. Also, babies that are swaddled for long
periods may simply become dependent upon swaddling and are then unable
to fall asleep without it because it's become a habit (similar to a
pacifier). For example, a baby who is always rocked to sleep never
learns the self-soothing techniques needed to fall asleep on his own, so
when he awakens during the night and Mom is not there, he cannot get
back to sleep without her rocking him all over again and it becomes a
vicious cycle.
If you are sure you are keeping a consistent daily routine and
bedtime routine for your son, with the same calming nightly routine
(warm bath, singing, books, etc.) and bedtime hour, as well as a
consistent nap schedule (even if he takes 5), and he is getting a total
of 12-15 hours of actual undisturbed sleep, and you are still concerned
with his irritability throughout the day and his need for swaddling,
I would definitely seek a second medical opinion to rule out that
anything medical or perhaps dietary is causing his fussiness. It may
help to keep a journal for a week or two before your next medical
appointment so you can demonstrate his exact sleep patterns (how long he
slept, how long he napped, how many fussy periods he had during each
day), as physicians may find this helpful and may take your concerns
more seriously. You may also wish to have an occupational therapy
evaluation from your local early intervention provider to rule out any
sensory issues contributing to his need for the swaddling to calm him.
Some children really do need that deep pressure on their bodies to calm
them down and to feel secure and this is something an occupational
therapist who is trained in sensory integration techniques can assess
for you. Our website contains a link to
Arizona Early Intervention Services
here.
Back to: Therapist
Questions & Answers - Developmental Concerns