6 month old - terrible sleep - help

[brightreddress]

My 6 month old was a great sleeper when she was very little, and would go for a long patch at the start of the night, but things have disintegrated and I am exhausted. I also have a 3 year old at home.

a) Her sleep is pretty bad now, with no long stretch. She typically does something like this
7am wake
9.30-10.15 nap
12-1 nap
3.30-4 nap
6.30 bed
but then…
9pm wake crying, milk and back to sleep
12am wake crying, milk and into our bed
3am wakes up, fully awake for at least an hour sometimes two until wants milk then back to sleep
6am wakes, has milk, back to sleep
7am up.

b) Also she has two teeth at the bottom and is always biting me during feeds so that my nipples are red raw and the whole thing is incredibly painful.

c) She has mastered rolling and seems annoyed all the time when put down / quickly frustrated and won't last long on playmat.

d) We've just started weaning which she seems to enjoy.

Can someone suggest something?

When she cries, how long do you wait before picking her up and feeding her?

Leaving a short pause before picking up may be beneficial, especially at night. Babies go though sleep stages (think its every 3 hours or something like that) and sometimes when they are going from one sleep cycle to the next they make noises / cry / grizzle before transitioning. If you have been picking her up immediately and assuming she wants a feed, you are stopping her from making the transition, thus she will find it hard to learn how to go back to sleep by herself. Pausing also teaches babies how to be patient and not need instant gratification.

Maybe over the ext few nights try and pause before picking her up to feed. She may go back to sleep. Of course, you will recognise the different cries and what they mean - so if she is really really crying, then of course pick her up. But by pausing for a moment or two, you could also give her the chance to get back to sleep.

Well, thats the theory anyway.

I myself did CC at that age and it did work, but it is a difficult thing to do as a mum. I wish I had known this theory of The Pause before - as I would have tried that instead of the CC. BTW the theory comes from the book French Children Don't Throw Food - a book I dearly wish I'd read 3 years ago.

Good luck.