6 months getting worse not better

[Weebeastiebaby]

Ds is 6 mo. He is bf and has been eating solids for around a month (porridge for breakfast, veg purée and finger food for lunch)
He has always been fed to sleep and goes down around 8pm. He used to then sleep for a long spell and wake around 4am, feed or cuddle then settle again until around 6am. Over the past few weeks he is waking more and more often. Last night he was up every 1.5hours and eventually took 4 hours to settle (in our bed) he ends up co-sleeping every night lately just so I can get a couple of hours sleep. I had stopped bf overnight but have started again in an effort to get him to settle. He will eventually drift off but won't be put back in his own cot. Last night I fed and put him down only for him to wake up again for 4 whole hours. Eventually fed him an 8oz bottle plus two bf and he still wouldn't settle in his own bed.
Dh is unhelpful overnight. Has attempted to settle ds on a couple of occasions but loses patience rapidly and I end up bf while dh goes back to sleep.
I am going back to work at the end of the month and will have to do some night shifts. I am so worried about what to do with ds overnight. I anticipated he would be sleeping through the night by now or that dh would be able to cope with him overnight.
When I feed ds an evening meal he is even more unsettled at night, waking after an hour or so full of energy and very hard to settle back to sleep
I've tried controlled crying but after an hour or screaming, ds showed no signs of giving up and I was in tears. I am dreading having to get him to self soothe/leaving him to cry but I can't carry on like this!
Sorry this has been a long post but any advice appreciated!

[Thed0gs]

Hi, I don't really have any advice but just wanted to say you are not alone! My dd is exactly the same. She's 6 months next week, on 2 meals a day at the moment, ebf.... Over the past week she's been up every half hour until midnight, when I then 'give in' and cosleep just to feel my eyes closed for more than an hour!

We have a very set bedtime routine and she's happy and healthy in every other way. She only has 2 30min naps a day but doesn't seem over tired. I've tried helping her go for longer (she doesn't even sleep that long in the sling!) but it has no effect on anything else!

So yes, sorry that's not that helpful

[Thed0gs]

Oh and I cannot even entertain the idea of sleep training like cio or cc....

[ricketytickety]

Same with my 6 monther. I've read they have a growth spurt about now so that might be why. He's never slept for more than 4 hours at a time tho, so not that much of a regression. I would say speak to the health visitor and they can help you out with controlled crying (doesn't necessarily mean leaving him to cry).

[PebbleTTC]

I logged on to post the same question so following with interest! I'm so tired

[nottheop]

What's your daytime routine like?

It is a shitty time for sleep. Developmental leaps (sitting up, crawling and babbling) cause havoc as well as teething & weaning.

That said it does sound like a bit of a feed to sleep association with possibly some overtiredness at play.

Sleep is up and down for the first few years ime but there's no reason for your dh to claim he is less capable than you at night waking. Either way hopefully you can improve the situation at the moment.

[Weebeastiebaby]

Had another horrible night. Up every hour until 4am when I eventually tried a bottle to make sure he wasn't actually hungry and rather looking for comfort from bf.
Dh eventually persuaded me to let him cry (with light show and white noise) he screamed for half an hour while I cried on the other side of the door then slept for 2 hours. I'm not sure I can do this every night, at every waking but can't see another way to teach him to settle himself before I go back to work. :(
Good to know other babies his age are doing similar. All the babies I know his age are now sleeping through, self settling and taking good naps. My sister also has a formula fed newborn pfb who sleeps all night (and most of the day) and keeps offering "helpful" tips about sleep I feel like punching her!

[Weebeastiebaby]

During the day he's a lovely giggly friendly baby. He takes 3 20-30 minute naps (11am, 3pm, 6pm) sometimes fighting his sleep but settled with a dummy and a cuddle. Have a routine at night since he was about 8 weeks of bath, massage, play, book, bottle, bf, bed. We get out and about every day but we are usually home by 4pm for dinner and bedtime routine. His sleep didn't used to be so bad but it's just getting worse and worse.

[nottheop]

I would alter the bedtime routine so that milk is earlier on in the equation. Just do milk, book, teeth (if he has any!) then bed.

Daytime wise he's a bit of a catnapper but I expect that when you move on to a 2 nap routine this will rectify itself. It could be worth trying the 2/3/4 routine to see if he's ready. This is basically a 90 minutes nap after they've been awake for 2 hours, then 3 then bedtime after 4 hours.

At nighttime do you respond immediately or give it a few minutes?

[Weebeastiebaby]

I give him a few minutes then try dummy and tuck-in a couple of times then pick up and cuddle if not settled and eventually feeding as a last resort. Have tried keeping him up a bit later tonight. He had a nap around 7pm so shouldn't be over tired. Fingers crossed!

[Purpleboa]

I'm the same! Bad sleeper who's just getting worse at 6 months. I wish I had answers! She will only feed to sleep. It's a desperate situation, this is a really trying time in their development!

[nottheop]

It is just a case of making that decision to not get them out the cot. They're crying because it is different and they're tired but at 6 months they're able to go to sleep without a boob. Persevere for a week and you should have an improvement

[SittingDuck2]

Could well be a growth spurt - just been through one with my DD who would normally go 6 hours at night before needing a feed and then suddenly wanted one every 3-4 hours - but as you suggest the problems have coincided with starting weaning (same here), I wonder if it's partly down to their digestive system suddenly having to cope with a load of new stuff going through it. My DD is not yet sitting up independently either which can make matters worse. Not saying it will work but you could try adding a gentle tummy massage to the pre-bedtime routine to aid digestion. And gently rub/stroke in that general intestinal area as part of trying to resettle to sleep.