Teething baby - help!

[Mrsdonalddraper]

Dd (5.5 months) has always been a good sleeper (9-9pm at her peak!), but for the past week she has turned that on its head.

She has always fed to sleep, and still does, but is now waking about an hour later. When I go through to her, she is very obviously tired and goes straight back to sleep on me, but when I put her back in her cot she wakes immediately, or after another 20-30 mins. I've tried:

• Leaving her for about 5 mins (result was she wakes up properly and I'm dealing with a wide awake baby, rather than a sleepy one)
• not picking her up, but getting her back to sleep in her cot by patting/shushing her - lasted the same time as picking her up
• picking her up and doing my usual patting/shushing and putting her down asleep
• she has a Ewan the sheep so have turned on white noise etc
• there is a bed in her room, so have lain in that shushing her in the cot

I started her on purées a week ago, so it could be that, though she's only hungry if I let her wake up completely,. I'm pretty sure it's teething - she has 2 large white bumps in her gums where her incisors are. I've given her calpol/anbesol liquid and teething crystals.

I'm caving at about 2-3am and bringing her into bed with me, where she will sleep, uninterrupted, but am worried about rods for my own back etc

Help!

[Clarella]

I don't believe in rods for backs. even less so at 10 months with a nightmare sleeper who I now cosleep with (partially, he goes down in own room then comes to me and bedside cot at 1st or 2nd wake) but, I am happy to bf as long as he wants/ needs, which is looking like mainly at night. if she sleeps well with you just do it. babies live in the now and only know that mum helps them. I find sticking to the bed time routine and going down in own room helpful as it's what he now knows and likes but the rest if the night we just get precious sleep together.

I'm reading 'three in a bed' and finding it both enlightening and one of those books you can't 'un- read' and it's just helped so much as I feel constant fretting book reading and arguing about sleep ruined the early days of my son's baby hood and triggered pnd (along side thyroid issues). now I just do what he needs and enjoy the days.

but like political persuasions I feel bedsharing is something you need to work out in your own head as 'being ok' (if not actually beneficial).

a wise lady said to me 'divnt care where they sleep, they can sleep on me heed, as long as they're sleeping!!'

[Clarella]

just to add, he's becoming a better sleeper as a result and really the 'own room bit' is for my/ our convenience and his safety as when he wakes he wakes fully so really it's more of a nap or two until he's with me. Then he really sleeps. BUT we've gone through a LOT of nights with hourly or two hourly wake ups and I've had to learn to sleep with him. I'm glad I persevered as it's paying off and I feel has helped with separation anxiety at nursery. but each family must do what they feel is best for them and baby. (he never slept for more than 5 hours ever before cosleeping and that only happened twice )

[Mrsdonalddraper]

Thanks so much. I'm thinking very much along the lines of what you say - keep going through her bedtime routine and starting her off in her cot, then bringing her through after a couple of settlings (or not!). She started out in a bedside cot, so I have no real objections to co sleeping, other than we both sleep better with her in her cot!

At least brining her into bed with me means we both get some sleep - she looks shattered today, poor thing, not to mention my caffeine intake is astronomical.

I just keep repeating that she won't still be doing it at 21!!!

[minipie]

We found nurofen the best with teething. On really bad nights (only happened a handful of times) I will co sleep after a couple of wakings. it doesn't seem to form a rod or habit, dd will happily go back to cot sleeping once the teething is past.

[Mrsdonalddraper]

Thanks so much - will go and try some nurofen today.. We have worked out that if we put her on her side (she csn roll side to side) she'll sleep for a couple of hours, sometimes longer.

I've also tried feeding her at least once in the night..

Hoping this passes soon!!