Is the heat messing up your baby's sleep? Help me with my 6 month old, please...

[VacantlyPretty]

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[charliemama]

I feel for you because I was suffering with a bad sleeper 4 months ago (ds2 is now 10 months). I had to use a 'cry sleep solution'! I'll tell you about it if you want but I understand if you'd rather not go down that road. Ds2 now sleeps 11-12 hours at night btw so it did work.

I wanted you to offer you some cyber support whatever you decide to do. I know how hard it is trying to function on minimal sleep.

[emmabemmasmom]

hello there

How old is your DS? My DD is nearing 7 months and she sleeps amazingly...I will tell you what we did and see if maybe you can get some use out of it.

When she was little we had a moses basket and she didn't sleep to good in that so we got a cot and put it in our room. I started putting her in there at her bedtime (with a feed sitting next to her bed with lights low). We wouldn't talk to her or even look at her as she would get excited and start to talk. Then we would make sure to put her down awake(ish). I put toys hanging from her cot and for a few nights she fussed (I am not one for the leaving them to scream tech...but to each their own!) So when she fussed, my DH and I took turns...and all we did was go in, say shhh all soft, tuck her back in and leave.

It took about 7-10 days and it was not easy, but then I was able to lay her down awake and I would hear her playing and then she would just fall asleep. I then started naps in her bed once she got used to night and day and same thing...I lay her in her bed wide awake and she goes right to sleep...

We then moved her into her own room without a single set back. She is great with settling herself. Oh also...She is up about 7-8 so I won't let her nap until atleast 10-11...and bed is at 7 so I won't let her sleep after 4:30/5:00ish...that way she is tired but not over tired.

She is still waking at about 12 and 6 for a feed...but we will get there!

I hope maybe some of this helps! However she has had a hard time going down the last few nights cause of the heat so I put her just in a vest and the first night it was boiling!!! And she was all upset so I put her in my bed and she was right asleep and when I went to bed I put her in her room no prob.

[charliemama]

Hello again. I wanted to add that DS2 was never left to cry for longer than 5 minutes. He was a very difficult/demanding baby and I found the first 7 months with him unbelievably hard. I was diving into PND and with 2 other Dcs something HAD to be done. DS2 is now a lovely, sociable, smiley, happy baby.

[emmabemmasmom]

Oh, just noticed that your DS is 6 months.

I know it is hard really...I think the main thing that worked for us was when me and my DH sat down and talked about a routine and stuck to it...it took a bit, but in the end it worked.

We used to go in when she woke at 11 or whatever and smile at her and be all amazed at her and talk to her, and then we would be trying to settle her still at 2am...then we realized that we were the problem (not sayin you are)

So yeah...all the nights I was up for 3 hours rocking my DS to sleep I just kept telling myself it can only get better (I didn't even want to contimplate what worse would be) And sure enough...it did. Hang in there...it can only get better!

[moocowme]

have they got teeth yet? have you tried calpol at night? it could be pain or discomfort in the gums at this age.

[VacantlyPretty]

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[emmabemmasmom]

Yeah I think it would have been different for us if she were still upset at night so I can understand totally. We used to have to rock her a lot when she was younger and bounce her like crazy too. She just has seemed to settle into her own little routine.

Yeah I was not really ready either to move her, but when we went to bed at 11 or so she would always wake up and then be up until 1 or 2 sometimes. So we decided it would probably be better for her to not be disturbed by us. My DH was even having to undress in the living room so the noise from his clothes wouldn't wake her!! It was hard at first...my DH was the one who kept putting it off and it did take a few nights, but she settled fine. (I do miss her being right next to me though!!)

[charliemama]

VP I have 3 dcs and I will briefly tell you about all of them as they were all different:

DS1 co-slept for first 4 months - absolute nightmare he fed every 2 hours (BF) day and night. On advice from HV I weaned him far too early and using a well known author implemented a routine. I combined the routine with patting him to sleep. Using this method: www.busylittleones.co.uk/index.php?p=article_sleep_1
He cried for 15 mins every night for a few nights but got used to it and dropped his night feeds altogether at the same time. He still woke once to be patted back to sleep however. When it was taking 1-2 hours to get him to settle again and I was pg with DD I used a very gentle cc (DS was 11 months). I started by leaving him for 1 minute and doubling it. The longest he cried for was 6 minutes and it worked in 3 nights.

DD: Horrific colic until she was 14 weeks nearly plunged me into insanity. I had a book called the good sleep guide and it had pointers for starting good habits with your newborn. (never put them down asleep etc) DH used to rock her until she was just dropping off and then put her down. If she cried he picked her up and started again. I never co-slept as I was so exhausted I didn't feel she would be safe. By 6 months she was sleeping through. No cc was needed.

As you can imagine by the time DS2 came I thought I had the answers. I was in for a rude awakening!!! It was impossible to put DS2 down awake without him crying incessently. When he was awake I had to hold him constantly. If he slept in the car or pram it had to stay moved. If I stopped at traffic lights he would wake up and scream. I was severely sleep deprived and depressed. I tried co-sleeping, not co-sleeping. My the time he was 6 months I was cracking up and everyone in the family was suffering. Most distressingly looking back my relationship with DS2 was suffering. DH had also had enough so with his support we used cc. I would feed him and put him down if he cried DH would go in after 5 minutes and cuddle him and put him back down. TBH I can't remember the details but it didn't take that long (about 7-10 nights) before he could be put down without him crying. I also stopped all night feeds and if he woke in the night DH would go into him, cuddle him and put him back down. We briefly had problems with early starts but we would give him some milk and put him back down if it was before 6am. Now at 10.5 months he goes to bed at 7ish and wakes anytime between 6 and 7.

I hope this helps. To put it all in context I really wanted to be a co-sleeping bfding earth mother but sadly it didn't work out the way I had wanted. I never wanted to leave my Dcs to cry but I don't regret it because the change in me and my family is worth it.

[ummadam]

no sugestions but just wanted to say I feel your pain!

my 4months old DS was sleeping through until this heat wave started (24 in our room at night ) now its up screaming every hour - doesn't want more than a cuddle or his dummy then back to sleep but it is so disruptive and he and I are both tired and grumpy in the day

[laura17]

Hi I've just started to experience the screaming baby at bedtime!! We started a routine at 2 1/2 months, bed at 7 ish and he would take a little while to settle but no screaming. Maybe the heat .
Does anyone else have problems with their babys legs coming up in the air and waking the baby. We swaddle him to try and keep his arms still but haven't solved the leg problem, tried a tight sheet round the mattress but no good. We end up holding his legs still and sometimes an arm just so he can get to sleep, if we leave him he stats getting stressed and crying and then can't sleep. Please let me know if you've experienced this as we are finding it really tough as he is now 15 weeks and still having o do this throughout the night it's that bad!

[VoodooCoconut]

gro bag? light weight summer one?

[laura17]

I've tried a gro bag but he seems to magic his arms and legs free. He can now roll over onto his front as of yesterday but he decided to do this in the night and resulted in face down on the mattress. So another problem has arisen and when we tried to put him on his back he kept pushing to get back over and he won't settle for his side!