If you had a really really bad sleeper...

[Purdyandwheezy]

Did they get better in their own without sleep training? And if so when??! DD 9 months always been bad, waking every 1-2 hours. Ive been trying the dummy at each wake up and if she doesn't settle after 1 or 2 attempts then I feed. Last night was particularly bad and is all a bit of a blur, I know none of us got much sleep. She was just wide awake babbling away at 3am.
DH thinks she might be getting too much daytime sleep but I'm not so sure. Yesterday was two naps, one 90 minutes and afternoon about 2 1/2 hours. Why can she sleep that long in the day but never at night!
I'm telling myself last night was teething and tonight will be better but I just can't see light at the end of the tunnel here. The day I can put both kids to bed and just wake up in the morning seems a lifetime away (3 year old DS always wakes at some point and comes into our bed)
I would love to hear some positive stories to keep me going this morning!
Thanks

[Sandsnake]

No... DS was an up every 1 - 2 hours baby. We sleep trained at seven months, which was shortly after him going into his own room. I wasn't keen but knew I was going back to work when he was 1 and could not see his sleeping getting better on its own. We did CC and it worked really well. It did not take anywhere near as much crying as I expected (otherwise I would almost certainly not have gone through with it).

I'd say at 9mo you are probably at a good point for sleep training as it gets harder as they get older. That doesn't mean you have to though as totally understand that it's not for everyone. It's just it really helped me and my family and was nowhere near as traumatic as some of the posts I'd read on here led me to believe!

Whatever you do, or don't do, then all the very best of luck. I understand how bloody hard it is

[Purdyandwheezy]

What did you do at each wake up? Just go in and soothe at intervals? She is standing up now so would I just keep going in lying her back down do you think?

[Intransige]

I have a bad sleeper. We did slow retreat sleep training (cc or cio would never have worked for any of us), but not until DD was about 13 / 14 months. Until then I just bedshared with her and fed her back to sleep (I went back to work when she was 5.5 months so it was necessary for us both to get as much sleep as possible).

She's ok now at 3.5, she goes to sleep happily with her bedtime routine and then generally comes into our bed at some point in the night, but she doesn't wake up lots in the night.

[BikeRunSki]

DD shunned sleep training (tried 3 or 4 times every 6 weeks or so from 10 months).

Gradually her need for interaction got less and less until all I needed to do was go into her room and say "DD got back to sleep". I think I may have cried with joy when she slept 7-7 when she was 3yrs 3 weeks old.

[scrumptiouscrumpets]

There are various ways of improving sleep, not just full on cry it out. 9 months is a good age for making changes to improve sleep. I don't think reducing her daytime sleep will make her sleep any better during the night, she will need that sleep to make up for lack of sleep during the night and you don't want to get her overtired.
I would definitely try to change her routine in order to get her to sleep better. You might still have to wait a long time for things to improve and you sound absolutely exhausted. You haven't written much about your routine, but one thing I would do at that age is night wean. That alone is likely to make a very big difference to her sleep.

[laurzj82]

My DD now 3 slept terribly until 12 months. Then suddenly, slept through every night and now never ever gets up in the night (unless I'll or something). We did no sleep training. I'm not trying to be smug I just mean don't stress over it. I know it's hard being so tired but it does get better. They will be little for such a short time.

[FATEdestiny]

waking every 1-2 hours. Ive been trying the dummy at each wake up and if she doesn't settle after 1 or 2 attempts then I feed

So she is fed every 1 or 2 hours in the night?

Is this breastfeeding, are you cosleeping?

[Firenight]

Yes eventually. He only usually wakes once now (he's 7 1/2). He was every 45 mins at 10 months; still 2 hourly at 3; I think it got better somewhere between 4 and 5.

[Purdyandwheezy]

Fate - yes she can be if she won't settle any other way. Breastfeeding but not co sleeping. I'm keen not to start co sleeping, for various reasons.

[Purdyandwheezy]

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to attempt night weaning. I'll leave it till Friday for the first night I think as it's just going to disturb my older son who has just started pre school and I don't want him tired in the morning for that x

[Sairelou]

Sleeping through the night is a development milestone. At 7mo your baby will need you for many reasons other than food at night: yes she might be thirsty/hungry (adults also wake due to thirst!) but she also might be scared, too hot, too cold, uncomfortable, need a nappy change or just a cuddle. You will find that feeding your baby is the best tool to help your baby get back to sleep! Also your DD might start going through the separation anxiety phase soon and that is the worst time to sleep train! At 7mo she is much to young to understand why you won't be giving her a feed.

It will get better, my 20mo bf DD has just started sleeping through the night. However my 3yo DS (who was formula fed as a baby btw) now wakes up at least once a night due to night terrors, and has done since he was about 2, go figure

[Sairelou]

Sorry I just realised your DD is 9mo, not 7mo (don't know where I got that from!)
My comment still stands though.

[Purdyandwheezy]

I'm not expecting her to sleep through the night but last night I must have gone into her upwards of 20 times. I just want an improvement really.

[Marchbabies2]

Hi. I know this is an old thread but I am just wondering if you found anything that helped?
I am currently going through this with my 7 month old.

[LalaLeona]

Yes I had a terrible sleeper. Only thing that worked was getting rid of his night bottles of milk when he was about 15 months, and offering a cup of water and a quick cuddle.

[TheVanguardSix]

Drop one or both naps. I know, I know... naps are your break but really try and drop the later one to start with. That's half your problem.

I've raised dreadful sleepers so I feel your pain.

[TheVanguardSix]

Man! Why do people resurrect old threads?!!! Feel like an idiot now.

[EveryoneTalkAboutPopMusic]

Yes both got better without sleep training. Do you think she is suffering the 9 month sleep regression?