Bedtime advice for 7 month old

[GruffalowsMammy]

I am sure this has been posted before so apologies if I am repeating. DS is 7 months old- until he was 3.5 months he was an excellent sleeper (woke every 4-5 hours from being a new born) self settled from around 6 weeks. At around 3 months he started sleeping through the night (10 blissful nights, how I long for them back).
Then he started teething, the first time he woke again at night I was so confused I automatically gave him milk (we are bfing). Now the little darling wakes 2-5 times a night. Usually goes straight back down after a feed/ being rocked/ sung to sleep but I have had about 7 nights (in the last 6 weeks) of him refusing to sleep from 12ish -5am. Suffice to say he hasn't self settled since he was 4 months.

We have a routine, which doesn't seem to help I have been advised to let him cry (and I mean cry for as long as it takes for him to settle himself) but I feel awful hearing him scream.

DP and I thought you lovely MN's might have some advice (this is our first DC) part of me thinks hes only 7 months suck it up, and DP jokingly says I must have been smug about how good he was before and this is pay back

So he won't feed/cuddle back to sleep at all between 12 and 5am?

Hi bumbums, most of the time he will got back down with little fuss, when we was very young weeks 2 and 5 he would sometimes refuse to go back down (even when completely asleep from feeding or being rocked) as soon as he went down he would be awake.
When he is doing it now the only way to keep him asleep is by co sleeping (something I was adamant I wouldn't do

I am in a similar situation ds is 8 months. I was very lucky and from 2 weeks old he slept from 9pm till 6 am most night awaking the odd night at 4 am for a feed. However he began teething at 4 .5 months and has woken up about 3-7 times every night since. I also bf and he feeds back to sleep so only awake for a few moments, but dont know how to get out of this situation. He has 8 teeth now and hoping the teething will settle down for a while. But feel the wake is a habit now rather than anything else.
Sorry no help to you but just wanted you to know you are not alone.

Hi gitinora thanks for posting, you say your ds only feeds briefly my ds is feeding for 10 mins to an hour, more then he now does in the day. Do you have a bedtime routine/ tactics when he doesn't sleep? Could you share :)

My 7 mo is exactly the same. Uncanny.

Hi travispickles, I bet they have some sort of plan :) has your dc always been like it, do you know what caused.

We went away on holiday... got out of routine, she has since started nursery part-time and been ill. And worked out that mummy's bed is loads better than hers :)

dummy?

Argh dummies, I was a bloody fool and said 'oh no I'll never use a dummy there awful' what a moron, now I look at them and am jealous. Been trying dummy on and off since 2 months, I've put breast milk on them warmed them next to my skin, but he spits them out and uses me as a dummy

hope everyone had good nights

Sorry GruffalowsMammy had a busy week only just had chance to get back on. He only ever wakes for a few moments usually feeds for 2 or 3 mins and back to sleep sometimes a bit longer but not awake for long periods, although i think he would be if i didnt feed him. Thats why i am scared of stopping feeding but know i should really.
I am also co sleeping now which i always said i wouldnt do but i am lazy and cant get out of bed.

My DS is now 10 months and still has about four feeds a night. DO NOT LET YOUR DS CRY IT OUT. It's really bad for them - if you want to do something about it have a read of The No Cry Sleep Solution. I'm not all that bothered if DS is feeding overnight as long as he's not waking every hour - their first year is a time of such gargantuan developmental leaps (as well as growing, teething etc) that a few night wake-ups are a small price to pay for settling them. And don't let anyone tell you you 'shouldn't' be feeding him at night - you do what works for the two of you.