Is this normal for a 5.5 month old?

[Wigo]

Hi

We have a 5.5 month old beautiful boy.

He has never been a fan of sleeping in his cot. But we managed until about a month ago. He now sleeps on his mothers chest. However for the last week or so he wakes up every hour and one needs to constantly play white noise.

In the last days he also seems to be constantly hungry. He is formula fed and went from about 120-150ml every 3 hours to nearly 200ml every 2 hours during the day. He suddenly seems to need attention non-stop in the form of his dad being a clown or distracting him in some way. If he is not entertained it is murder.

We are a bit worried because it is now continuing for a while. He seems well otherwise.

Are there others with a similar experience or that has been through it?

[claire16c]

It sounds totally normal. If he was breastfeeding the milk adjusts with the baby’s age so it makes sense he is needing to drink formula more often. He could also be having a growth spurt so needs more milk more often. if you think, as an adult we wouldn’t really go 3 hours without a snack or drink or food so baby’s often don’t either. Some feeds might be less than others.

Their sleep patterns also change at about 4 months. They spend less time in deep rem sleep and more time in lighter cycles of sleep like an adult, so wake more easily.

And yes they are very distractible and want to play with everything at this age but can get frustrated because they can’t move yet!

[AJBee]

Sounds like a developmental leap to me (take a look at Wonder Weeks on line) my boy was the exact same at that age. It honestly does pass but it's EXHAUSTING isn't it, the need for constant attention paired with the bad sleeping is a terrible combination. Totally nothing to worry about. I was alsmot in tears of joy when my LO was going through it and I discovered it's a thing and I wasn't alone, reading post after post on line about these 'leaps' and everyone's babies were going through the exact same thing! I'm not sure why there isn't more chat about them. Anyway, get out the coffee/wine on tap and wait it out. Good luck x

[Hidden]

Totally normal! My little boy is just entering the 4th developmental leap and has become very unsettled and vocal in the last few days, sleep has also been disrupted. It happens because they’re little brains are developing and consolidating all the new info they take in and practice they do each day as they move towards acquiring new skills.

Look at the Wonder Weeks App. It’ll help you mentally prepare yourself when the next leap is approaching. They don’t last forever but can feel like it when you’re in the midst of one