Sleep is ruining my life

[OhToBeASeahorse]

8 month DD. Has gone from cosleeping and all naps in the sling to slowly going in her cot. Was making really good progress, falling asleep in the cot and we had a couple of nights of only 2 wake ups. Morning nap a good hour in the cot.

But the last few weeks it's gone to shit. Cant remember the last time I had more than 90 mins uninterrupted sleep. She woke tonight after 20 minutes.

I'm broken. I have no time alone at all. I spend my life shushing. We are going away on friday and I'm dreading it. We have a very full on toddler and I just have no energy left at all. My eyes actually burn.

I'm really sorry to hear you're struggling.
Im sure you've tried it all but I would aim for naps at the same times every day but try not to let it consume you. When you're on holiday, take a buggy and when it is close to nap time, lower it flat and just keep walking etc... she will get there!
I think it's just a big adjustment for her if she's always coslept/ slept in the sling. She will get there though. With the nights, do you end up cosleeping or persevere with the cot? I still think she's quite young and although a lot of people's babies do sleep through at that age, there are many who don't. Hope you get through it and manage to enjoy the holiday.
Do you have a partner to share the burden with?

Thank you. I'm following windows for naps which had helped make things a bit more stable

No advice but in the same position and you have my every sympathy! It has to get better at some point surely.

It sounds like she is struggling to connect her sleep cycles. I found this gradual approach helped but took a long time; "This strategy involves having you anticipate your baby’s waking from the sleep cycle and getting to your child before he or she wakes fully. As soon as your baby begins to stir, you put your hands on him or her, or possibly even pick him/her up to help connect sleep cycles.Continue this nap anticipation to stabilize your baby’s schedule. As each day/week passes, reduce the amount of intervention that you do. For example, if you have to pick your baby up between cycles for a week, then the next week try to soothe in the crib between cycles rather than picking him or her up."

Maybe just bite the bullet and do some form of sleep training. Pick up put down, controlled crying etc. At 8 months she is capable of sleeping for longer.

Sorry that you’re struggling. Do you have a partner? If so, they need to do the wake ups for at least 4 hours per day, preferably at night, so that you can get two consecutive sleep cycles. It’ll help you feel more rested. My DS didn’t sleep through a single night until he was 3.5 years old, and this was the thing that defined whether or not I could function.

DH is great and will do any wake ups but she screams and screams for him. Eventually I cave and go back in but it then takes me ages and ages to calm her down.

We were going to do gradual retreat once she had night weaned buts is proving tricky.

She's already woken up 5 times tonight. I'm losing my mind.

Is she hot? Just thinking the last few weeks have been warmer. Otherwise could you bring her into the same room with you.

Pay a sleep consultant (for hand holding and accountability) and sleep train. We did it at 7 months and it was life changing. Best money I’ve spent on kids things! Took a few nights then slept 12 hours a night ever since.

@madroid she is bothering her neck when she wakes so I think she could be a bit warm, I've got her in a short sleeve vest and 1 tog sleeping bag - if i have a fan on her she gets cold!

@welshweasel we had one for DS and same as you best money we've ever spent. I'm following the advice she gave us for him.

I'm just so broken and exhausted by it

Does she sleep in the pram if you’re out and about? If you’re at the point of feeling broken, the first priority is to get you some sleep. Can your DH take both DC for the day (on his next day off work), so that you can sleep and rest?