Please help me get my DD to sleep more at night

[chloemegjess]

Hi. My 7.5month old is still waking so many times during the night, I dont bother couting. She is BF, so I am not expecting her to sleep through or anything, but this is just getting silly. I posted here a couple of months ago but still no success.

She will generally settle herself to sleep, with her comforter, as long as she has had a BF before I put her down (doesnt sleep at breast). But just wont stay asleep. Often she has woken 3-4 times before we have gone to bed even!

She is not hungry, but does want to BF for comfort. She might well be hungry for one maybe 2 feeds during te night, but not 10 or more that she is getting now!

We have trie co-sleeping and often on a bad night, end up with her in our bed by morning. But she rolls so much and takes up so much space, me and DH end up sqaushed and I end up with a sore back the next day.

We put her to bed anytime from 7 onwards, depending on how much she has slept in the day. The last few nights she has been up late as she just doesnt want to sleep at that time. Last night she was up till about 9.30ish. She was then up at 6am, crawling around on our bed, scratching my face to wake me up! I couldnt tell you how many times she woke in the night.

Now at 6am, like this morning, she is still tired, but there is no way she is going back to bed. She is grumpy and rubs her eyes so wont sit and play, which is hard when you are so tired and have a wingey baby!

She has now just gone down for her morning nap, after breakfast, some fresh air and nappy change etc. She will probably sleep for maybe an hour? Her sleep patterns during the day are very unpredictable though, but done seem to make much effect on the night.

I amm very tempted not to let her sleep this afternoon, to hope she will sleep tonight, but I know she will just cry all day if she doesnt sleep!

Any ideas? I need to get this sorted soon as I am so tired, and am working so much nowadays (from home so look after DD too).

[chloemegjess]

Forgot to say, I have tried topping her up with a bottle of sma before bed, but doesnt seem to make any difference. I dont think it will, no matter how much I give her as I really dont think its hunger waking her.

[pudding25]

I would let her nap during the day as if she gets overtired, it will be even worse.
What about things like pick up put down/controlled crying (if you can handle it). Sorry, not much of a help - having probs myself with 14wk old who has decided she no longer wants to sleep.
Also, i have had suggested to me to try cooled boiled water when they wake and you know they dont need fed. I tried it last night with my dd- she freaked - but you may have better luck!

[chloemegjess]

I tried water a while ago. She just screamed and screamed and threw erself backwards! Like a little tantrum! lol. She wont ever settle, without a breastfeed. Pick up,put down I think is more for a baby who wont self settle. She will self settle, but wont stay asleep and wants a breastfeed each time, but doesnt fall asleep at the breast if you see what I mean? We do sort of do that anyway, when she doesnt want to sleep etc.

[MrsMattie]

Has your husband tried settling her back for a few nights?

[chloemegjess]

No, he wont get up in the night!

[MatNanPlus]

Does she do this snacking in the day as well as at night?

If she diesn't nap at similar times every day it could be that she can't actually sleep very well so could you try setting aside 3 times in the day for her to nap, even if that menas you having to be there?

So if up at 6am, 1st nap at 8am for hour if she will or longer then 11.30 for an hour or more then 3.30 up by 5 and then bedtime 7pm?

It can take several days for the naps to become long and for the baby to catch up on the sleep they have been missing, at 7.5m i would expect her to be getting in the region of 15 hours of sleep in every 24, ideally 10+ will be at night.

One thing i would say is if you decide on a routine like above for sleeps you see it thru as stopping or adjusting it will confuse the baby and make matters worse.

If she starts sleeping better and waking later you can move the nap times a bit and maybe make it into 1 morning and 1 afternoon nap.

[chloemegjess]

The thing is, at the moment, I am doing Temp nanny Jobs, untill my childminding registration comes through, so a routine is very hard as we are in different places at different times etc. I am also doing Usborne books so out and about alot for that too.

[MatNanPlus]

i see

[gagarin]

I don't think there is anything you can do until either you have the chance to get a daytie routine going - or until you give up breast feeding.

So you are in for the long haul!

Perhaps think of ways you can get more time in bed. You could go to be when she goes - esp if your dh doesn't do the nights!

You could use ear plugs and tell him he's on duty from her (and your) bedtime until he goes to bed.

It will only be temp solution until she's older.

[yetihed]

Hichloemegjess,

I was in your position a few months ago (DS now 10mo- still not great, but much improved). I was waking up after co-sleeping with a really bad back, but DS would not settle for any length of time in his cot. In the end, I put his cot next to our bed with one side off, so he was as close to me as possible without taking up my space. It meant the bedroom was a total mess, and we had to squeeze round the cot to get to the wardrobe but I was desperate!

This worked really well because I could pat him to settle him before he fully stirred and demanded feeding, but had loads of space myself. A few times I even ended up half in his cot, half on my bed so he was squashed but I was fine! Once he had had this for a few weeks (months?) he just stopped rousing so often: he seemed to just get in the habit. This seemed to naturally impact on his daytime naps too, to the point where he will sometimes do 90 mins now.

I also found that sleep breeds sleep- more day napping generally means a calmer night time. Don't know why! I trained DS to sleep in his buggy, so he could nap at roughly the same time wherever we were which did help a bit too.

HTH

[yetihed]

Just so you know- DS sleeps in his cot now, in his own room. So they do get there eventually!

[ChairmumMiaow]

We've got a bit of a "poor sleepers" thread with babies from around 5-7 months going here

It started with me wanted to co-sleep better to be more comfortable, but ended up with me being so desperate we've been doing all sorts of things (but have DS sleeping in his cot in his own room, going to bed at 6 without stress, and waking 2-3 times between 6pm and 6-7am)

Others on the thread are sticking with co-sleeping and trying other methods, but we're all still working on the daytime napping thing - which by all accounts (its the only thing all my sleep books agree on!) is a good place to start

Come join us!?