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Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler.

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Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler.

Sleep

Baby just AWAKE during night - argh!!!!

40 replies

SleepForTheWeek · 25/02/2018 05:00

It's been happening for as long as I can remember, maybe since she was 3 months old, and I kept telling myself it was a 'phase' but DD2 is 8mo now and it's still almost always a nightly recurrence!

She'll wake maybe 2-3 times during the night for a feed, fine, but on one of those occasions she's usually wide awake after the feed and it'll take 1.5 hours for her to go to sleep again!!

Usually I do the night feeds and DH will get up with DD2 if she's wide awake. She would happily lie in the cot for a while but she's extremely noisy and then ends up getting upset which means none of us (including DD1) can sleep. DH is away with work for 2 weeks at the moment so I'm having to do it all including the early wake up from DD1 and it's just not do-able!

Please, any help?? It doesn't seem to make a difference how much daytime sleep she's had, there doesn't seem to be a trigger at all. She's just AWAKE and very annoyingly chirpy about it 😭

OP posts:

Report

GinIsIn · 25/02/2018 05:20

Valium in the bottle? DS is going through a terrible sleep thief phase at the moment so I’m afraid I have no advice to give, but let me know if you find out!

SleepForTheWeek · 25/02/2018 06:11

She's bf but even drinking ask the wine doesn't help 😂

She was up at 10.30, 1.30 then 2.30 until next 5. It's 6 now and she's awake again!!!

Pass me the gun

OP posts:

SleepForTheWeek · 25/02/2018 06:12

*all the wine

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RoryAndLogan · 25/02/2018 06:35

Probably not much help but the only way my little one started sleeping through the night was when I could tell they were waking for milk out of habit rather than actual hunger.
They were about 7/8 months.
One night I offered water instead at the usual 4am wake up and from then on they (generally) stayed in their cot for 12 hours with just a few moans here and there.

SleepForTheWeek · 25/02/2018 08:05

@RoryAndLogan it's not hunger she's waking from, tbh I don't mind feeding her, she's got 3 teeth coming through at the moment and one in particular is causing her bother so at this stage I'm ok feeding for comfort BUT it's when she's just wide awake (by not upset) that I need to try stop happening.

OP posts:

crazycatlady5 · 25/02/2018 10:21

It could be either overtiredness or under tiredness. I’d play around with naptime and bedtime and see if it makes a difference x

Bobbiepin · 25/02/2018 10:25

Something I read (although not tried) - set an alarm for just before her typical wake up time and do something that disrupts their sleep cycle without waking her. It could just be moving her around a little bit. It'll help her fall back into a deep sleep without waking up. Granted it takes a couple of days of doing it before you form a habit, and you'll still be awake but it might stop both of you being awake for hours.

Chosenbyyou · 25/02/2018 17:12

Sleep - oh no! I was hoping things had got better for you :(

I am still the same too. My DS sleep is all over the place - I have had one amazing night over the last couple of months when he woke up just twice and went back down within 15 mins!

Sadly that hasn't happened again and we are on 3/4 wake ups with some lasting 1hr or even 2hrs. We also have lots of early wake ups.

I'm so bored of it! 10.5months of no sleep :( and going to bed at 8 or 9 just sux.

I will probably start night weaning at 12m for something to do. I have also tried back rub rather than holding him which has worked a couple of times but he sleeps no longer.

How you are ok with your DH being away - mine works lots of nights as a doctor so I'm normally on my own and it's tough.

Take care xx

Chosenbyyou · 25/02/2018 17:14

Sorry I meant 'hope you are OK with your DH...

SleepForTheWeek · 25/02/2018 21:18

Hi @Chosenbyyou !

We had a much better spell for a while but we seem to have gone backwards again, it's so frustrating!! Normally it wouldn't bother me as much as DH does the extended awake periods but this is just so disheartening. DD1 also still wakes and if I'm not there to comfort her during the night she gets so upset- last night was our first night flying solo and luckily DD1 slept through but who knows what tonight will bring.

On that note - I'm going to head to bed and watch an episode of Greys Anatomy before the fun begins.

Hope you have a decent night - I will
Also think of night weaning at 12 months I think. I fed DD1 during the night until she was 2 but don't intend to repeat that this time around.

I need sleeeeeeeeep!!!

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FATEdestiny · 25/02/2018 22:54

At 8 months, and under the assumption that weaning is progressing well, I'd suggest you night wean. It will mean she learns to stop waking, for either prolonged or short periods. She will be better (and dare I say overall healthier) for it.

SleepForTheWeek · 26/02/2018 03:34

I don't feel comfortable night weaning yet, weaning going well but I don't believe that feeding is solely for nutritional purposes but so much more for a baby - including pain relief when teething.

I'm not expecting her to sleep through the night, I just don't expect her to want to sing and shout and clap in the middle of the night 🙈

It's 3.30am and we are on our 4th wake up and unfortunately she's now wide awake so I won't expect her to go back to sleep until 5am - I hope she proves me wrong!

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Lemondrop99 · 26/02/2018 14:08

Mine normally does multiple nigjt wakes but feeds and goes back to sleep. When he is awake for a couple of hours, it's been due to overtiredness which causes cortisol build up. When I get naps and awake windows right, he isn't awake for long periods in the night. I agree it could be over or undertiredness

SleepForTheWeek · 26/02/2018 15:24

It does t seem to matter at all how much ch she's slept during the day - I've tried playing about with naps to no avail

Yesterday she had 1.5 hours in the morning and 1 hour in the afternoon - that's fairly typical.

We've had a busy day today and she only slept 30mins this morning, I'm trying to get her to sleep now so she'll prob have a longer nap this afternoon

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Lemondrop99 · 26/02/2018 21:10

I found it was awake windows (length of time between sleeps) that had the biggest effect. What's the current gap between waking from the last nap and bedtime (actually asleep)?

SleepForTheWeek · 26/02/2018 22:05

It's usually about 3-4 hours.

Today she woke from her last nap at 4 and was sleeping at 7. It's now 10pm and she's just woken for the first time. She may very well go straight back to sleep (for 2 hours!!) but her next wake up might be 2 hours long 😩

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TittyGolightly · 26/02/2018 22:08

We had a much better spell for a while but we seem to have gone backwards again,

You’ve just had the 4 month regression, then a break where it improves a bit, and now you’re in the major 8 month regression.

Have a google and adjust your expectations accordingly. Listen to your baby.

SleepForTheWeek · 26/02/2018 22:32

Her good spell wasn't even that good 😩

She slept for 15 mins and is now awake again

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jesuislepp · 26/02/2018 23:02

My baby wakes a lot too and can stay awake for a few hours at a time; I feel your pain! I read something somewhere about walking babies from morning naps to ensure that they have a longer after lunch nap as that is when we humans are supposed to sleep during the day.

So short (30min) nap in the morning then 2 hour nap after lunch. My baby does seem
To sleep better at night with this kind of routine. Before he’d sleep for 2 or more hours in the morning but I think that was just him catching up on what he’d missed in the night.

HootenannyHouse · 26/02/2018 23:16

Try baby nurofen as soon as she wakes then feed her. If it's pain keeping her from drifting back off it should help.

SleepForTheWeek · 27/02/2018 07:34

Well she was up about 5 times between 7 and 7 but none were for any length of time.

I wonder if it's because she only had 2 short naps yesterday?

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Chosenbyyou · 27/02/2018 14:22

Hey

I can't seem to find any relation between the day naps and the night sleep. Two days in a row mine napped exactly as he should - 1hr morning and 2 hr afternoon and went to bed at 7...first night slept amazing (2 wakes and back straight off) and second night was up all night. That then threw the nap schedule off for day three.

He is also ill a lot after starting nursery and must be teething as he only has 2 teeth. I just find it all very difficult and don't know what to do for the best.

I am also bored stiff and a bit bitter hearing about friends who's have slept through from a few months and didn't do anything. One day this will all be a bad memory but it is really getting me down :(

Hope you are ok sleep - it's really tough

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Kittykat93 · 27/02/2018 14:25

Sorry no help but following with interest. I have a four month old who has suddenly started waking in the night for apparantly no reason and it's driving me insane!!

TittyGolightly · 27/02/2018 15:28

I am also bored stiff and a bit bitter hearing about friends who's have slept through from a few months and didn't do anything. One day this will all be a bad memory but it is really getting me down

That is highly likely to be utter bollocks.

TittyGolightly · 27/02/2018 15:29

started waking in the night for apparantly no reason and it's driving me insane!!

I’m not sure massive brain development and learning new life skills is “no reason”.

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