Any advice? Desperate mum

[ashley0710]

My girl is 13 months and has slept through only a few times
During in the night she is waking between every hour to two hours! I can't keep doing it I'm beyond worn out
So she will go to bed at 7 but be up again by 9;45? The only way she will go back to sleep is if I feed her (formula fed)
During the day she has 3x7 oz bottles & 3 meals & a snack so I'm pretty sure she's getting enough day time food
Does anyone have any advice how I can get her to go longer stretches? I'm completely at my wits end now
Would sleep training be a good option or night weaning?
Any advice would be really appreciated

[FATEdestiny]

I would night wean. From the daytime diet you mention and given she is now over 1, she should not need to feed overnight.

You probably have a feeding to sleep problem. I would completely seperate milk feeds and sleeping. Give her the night time bottle downstairs before the bedtime routine in the evening and offer only water ( or nothing at all) during the night.

[Fuzzyduck21]

How much formula do you give at night? Could be an option to reduce by an ounce every few days

[Superstar90]

Just offer water in bottle at night and try not to feed her at all. Offer her an extra bottle in day or before bed.
Try waking her a little before the time she would normally wake up and getting her back to sleep (without bottle) so her cycles are disrupted and she may sleep longer.
Is she too hot/too cold?
Is she ready to be moved into a toddler bed or cot?
Is in sleeping bags or blankets/duvet
The wakings aren't a food issue at this stage they are a habit issue so you need to gently change her and your habits.
Also maybe try a nightlight?
Is she walking/talking yet? Many children have a period of awful sleep just before they display new skill so you may find it improves on its own and just a phase
Sending you zzzzzs and sympathy

[Fuzzyduck21]

Yes that's the other thing I did - give extra before bed x

[redcaryellowcar]

There are so many things you could try, but if I were you I would write a plan and stick to it for a couple of weeks.
Firstly sort out nap during the day, make sure she is going down for an hour and a half to two hours.
Think about how she goes off to sleep for this and at bedtime as ideally you need to work towards her doing this alone, as she will be able to re settle more easily if she wakes at night. I like the no cry sleep solution book by Elizabeth pantley for this and I then used a gradual withdrawal technique to allow me to leave my small ones to go off to sleep alone.
I would check her room, make it calm and peaceful, take out toys that are visible other than one soft toy animal or comforter style blanket. Work on this animal etc becoming her sleep association.
Check your nap time and bedtime routine, I do lunch nap immediately after lunch, then up to bedroom to change pants, into sleeping bag and a story before off to sleep. Nighttime is similar, snack (mine like oat cake and a bit of cheese) up to a bath, brush teeth, into pyjamas and sleeping bag, into bed, stories and light out and off to sleep.
Some people think all sleep should be completely dark, other think curtains open for day time naps and darker at night (we do the latter).
I found that (this is in the no cry sleep solution book) that by getting her to associate the shhhh sound with going to sleep you could poise yourself outside her room around the time you know she's likely to wake and as you hear her stirring shhh shhh until she goes back to sleep. I found this quite quickly sorted out extending naps from 45 mins to around an hour and a half or two and of course less painful for you to sit outside her room at lunchtime shhh ing than at midnight, I think once they 'learn' to go back to sleep, even if at lunchtime nighttime Sleep improves too. Best of luck.

[ashley0710]

Thank you for your replies! I took the advice I fed downstairs yesterday before bed, she went to bed at 7 woke at 11 I offered water which she took a few sips & went back to sleep until 6:20 am!!!! I couldn't believe it
I'm hoping it wasn't just a one off
But thanks again for the tips X