6 month old stopped sleeping through

[qaswqasw]

Our 6 month old has recently stopped sleeping through the night.  (He used to do 9pm-8am).  Most of the time he needs to be just shushed back to sleep, two/three/four times a night.  Occasionally he may need a feed, but not often.  Any ideas why he has started to need reasurance now.

[andy hughes]

He may simply be needing less sleep at this stage of his development. At this age he is aware that he is alone, and may just need reassurance that you are near. If you move gently round the room, and stoke his back if need, he will hear and smell you, and this should settle him. Does he have a dummy? I know opinions differ, but mine found a dummy at night is a comfort, and it helped them in sleeping through. Don't worry, he will get back into longer sleep patterns, it 's just the individuality of babies.

[andy hughes]

Oops, you might want to stroke his back instead! 

[kick3m0n]

can only echo Andy's words....this is the joy and utter inconsistency of your own wee precious bundle.  Believe me....as chair of a busy Mothers and Toddlers group, there are no two babes there who have had the exact same sleeping patterns, and it seems all can change for apparently no reason:-D  You seem to be doing all the right things when he wakes (ie as little as possible to get him back over) so it will likely pass.  At 6 months, he may be coming up for a milestone or two....first tooth?  Sitting up on his own?  Our wee guy had broken nights before some of these big events .  Maybe they know something exciting is ahead!  If you can, grab some sleep yourself during the day, as the broken nights can get to you too after a while. Good luck.xx