my 9 month old HATES sleep!!

[Anon120055509]

Hi mummies!

I’m in desperate need of advice...help me!
My LO has never really been the easiest to get to sleep since birth but he’s now 9 months and for the past 3 months he has been an absolute nightmare to get to sleep when he wakes up of a night. It can take me and my partner up to 2 hours.

Even during the daytime naps my LO fights sleep relentlessly, he will grunt and squirm and fidget even though he is tired and yawning his little head off he just hates going to sleep and never gives in.
I’ve tried giving him extra ounces of milk during his last feed and his feed of a night.
I’ve tried offering him water instead which was a huge mistake because he was NOT happy and that ended up being a 2 and a half hour fight to get back to sleep.
I’ve tried trying to make him have an extra nap of a day, I’ve tried cutting them down.

His routine normally consists of, wake at 7, bottle, nap until 9, breakfast 9:30-10, nap at 11 until 12 (when he does nap it’s only for around 40-60minutes) 12:30-1 lunch, 2 nap until 3, 3 Bottle, 5pm tea, 6:30-7 bedtime routine, 7-7:30 bottle and he’ll be asleep.
At bedtime he is the easiest to put down as he will go with no hesitation. Do you think he’s going to long without a snooze between 3 and 7?
Should I give him an extra nap and make his bedtime later?

It’s getting beyond a joke and every month someone tells me it’s another milestone and another regression and another excuse but when do the excuses end? It’s so exhausting and theustrating seeing other mums showing their babies asleep in their high chairs or on the floor., my LO won’t even fall asleep on bed never mind anywhere else!

Does anyone else have a 24-7 round the clock non sleeping baby!

I don’t know what else to try? I’m running out of energy and me and my partner are struggling, please help!!!!

[TippetyTapWriter]

My ds was like this but didn't go to sleep at bedtime either. I think it's just personality as I've had another baby and she's so different despite me not doing anything differently. Ds dropped to 1 nap at 14 months and dropped naps completely at 24 months. And by nap I mean me forcing him to sleep for 20 mins after 40+ mins of me rocking him in the pram and singing nursery rhymes while he cried. He never once passively fell asleep of his own accord. He eventually started sleeping through at 2yrs and now at 2.5 easily goes to sleep at night and normally sleeps 7.30-6.30am every night. On the odd occasion he does wake up in the night though it still takes an hour or more to get him back to sleep! Sorry to hear your pain, I can sympathise. All I can say is that it will eventually get better! It looks like yours is having 3 naps a day. I think that might be about average? Ds dropped to two naps around 10 months I think.

[EveryoneTalkAboutPopMusic]

I’d try to cut him down to 2 naps if you can keep him awake a bit more in the morning. You do have my sympathy though as my first was a complete Sleep refuser.

How about trying something like this:

7am bottle then get dressed.
8am Breakfast.
9am nap
10.30am bottle
11.30/12 Lunch followed by nap.
Bottle on waking.
5pm Tea.
7pm bottle.

It might take him a while to get used to having 2 naps. The No Cry Sleep Solution gives tips on extending nap time. Hopefully, once that’s sorted he (and you) will be a bit happier

[Blonde4281]

My one year old daughter (one this week) has been a nightmare since the summer. Waking constantly all night. She just never seemed to want to sleep! She’d battle like crazy to be settled once awake and I swear I haven’t spent an evening where I got to watch eastenders without being interrupted in months. My friend then sent me the book ‘the sensational baby sleep plan’. I talked it over with my HV and then went for it, 10 days ago. We absolutely banned bottles from the bedroom between bed and morning. We just didn’t go there at all. We made a firm bedtime routine to distinguish nighttime from naps, of a bath, story with bottle, then bed. Then we literally say ‘sleepy time’ with kisses, put her in her cot and walk away. There’s no time limits about when to go back if they cry. 1 minute later, or 5 minutes. It’s more about are they actually crying from distress or because that is how they need to do to let out adrenaline to get to sleep. I HATE my children crying. It tears me apart. But night one took 2hrs for her to go to sleep, then an hour each time she woke. We were in and out constantly. But the thing to remember is go in, kiss, cuddle, put down, walk out. Less than 1 minute in there. Night 3 she slept for 12hours straight, and has done since. She has occasionally woken in night, but a couple of wails and we haven’t even gone in there before she’s asleep again. I can deal with that. We are on night 8 tonight. I feel like a new person. Funnily she’s sleeping better in day too. Two naps without a fuss. The first getting to more 2 hours now rather than 40mins that it was before. Hope this helps.

[EveryoneTalkAboutPopMusic]

Just wanted to say that it’s great that you’ve found something that’s worked for you Blonde but this kind of sleep training isn’t recommended for under one’s.

[Blonde4281]

No, I can appreciate that. And like i say I discussed it with health visitor first. The book itself actually talks about requirements of different ages. Sorry if I wasn’t clear.

[Anon120055509]

Thank you so much guys for getting back! He’s such a nightmare lately but he has learnt to stand and is constantly trying to walk so I’m hoping abit of the waking of a night is also because he’s going through a growth spurt. I will definetley try and cut him to two naps and will try keeping him awake longer of a morning before he goes back to sleep, I hope it helps! It’s also nice to know I’m not alone in this! Thank you so much xxx

[EveryoneTalkAboutPopMusic]

No need to apologise Blonde just wanted to make sure that everyone reading was aware that it’s not recommended until 12 months

I remember the 9 month sleep regression being one of the worst and if that’s coinciding with him starting to walk, yiu really do have my sympathy.

Sounds like you’ve got a good plan though