My 6 month old gets about 9-12 hours sleep in a 24 hour period. This isn't new; she has never been great at getting to sleep and staying asleep.
She is cat napping during the day, always has done: 25 - 50 minute naps but more often 30 minutes long. She's having anything from 3-6 naps a day too, can't stay awake longer than 90-120 minutes at a time. She sleeps in her pram or cotbed but recently, we've stopped using the pram unless we're out for a walk.
At bedtime she goes to sleep about 8-9pm. Night times used to be great. She'd only wake once in the night for a feed and stay asleep until 7am. But recently this has changed.
She goes to bed at the same time; she dictates when she is tired but always round the same time - 8pm. But recently she has been waking several times a night. Usually 10pm, midnight, 1:30am, 3am, 4:30am and 5:30am and each time it has been difficult to resettle. She isn't actually awake but cries in her sleep. All attempts to resettle fail. Even a feed (formula fed) ends up waking her up to the point of her beginning her day - even at 3:30am!
Her behaviour is 'terrible'. She throws herself back into a star shape, arches her back up, screams, cries and sometimes gets to that 'fretting stage' within seconds. This behaviour is increasing and I am convinced it is because she is over-tired (and probably a diva in the making - she was VERY active in-utero). She won't be put down and God-forbid if I so much as walk away regardless of whether she can see me.
I just want to encourage a better sleep routine and better sleep habits. My 3 year old was a dream compared to her. He's have 2 naps of 90-150 minutes each and then sleep for 11 hours with one wake up for a feed.
Does it sound like a developmental leap or is it a case of a child who won't sleep?
Will it get better?
Interested to hear any positive sleep stories in similar circumstances!!!