When does it get easier?

[LydiaFTM]

Apologies, I know this has been asked many times before but I need reassurance!

My son is 12 weeks and looking back, not much has really improved in terms of food or sleep since he was about 3 weeks. He still feeds every 2 hours or less and each feed still takes at least half an hour. This is the same at night, so I'm only getting sleep blocks of 90 minutes maximum.

On the whole he's a wonderful baby and I love being his mum but I'd love to know when I might start to get a bit more sleep and when I won't be so tied down for feeds!

I'm also fully aware the 4 month sleep regression is getting horribly close so looking forward to that, teething, all the other developmental leaps to come etc etc. Am I being naive in thinking things may get easier?!

16 weeks it got easier with mine (and they slept through from 10 weeks or so). I felt all smug on the inside as I was finding it easyish but then they reached 6 months, weaning and it all fell apart again. From around 8/9 months it picked up until they were just under 2, I loved that time period!

2-3.5 has been complete hell with a couple of magic moments. They’re at full time nursery now so I find the times we’re all together easier to manage, but the holidays are a challenge! I’ve been promised that 4 onwards is good again

Honestly, about age 2.5/3. The toddler years are dull as fuck and more exhausting. Enjoy the baby stage would be my advice!

Movement was the turning point for me with DD1 - meant I could get on with stuff while small child was entertained emptying cupboards and drawers. She hated napping and gave up at 20 months, and she’s still a rubbish sleeper (though is very easy to get to bed) so being able to have some kind of freedom in the days and evenings really helped.

DD2 is, so far, an ok night sleeper but the lack of routine really bothers me. I much prefer it when they are down to one nap a day and don’t need to be constantly entertained.

I have friends who love the newborn stage the best - I question their sanity!

We never had the sleep regression with DD1 - she was such a bad sleeper I don’t think I would have noticed any difference!

For me the leaps of getting better in the first year were

• 14 weeks (when we had DD’s tongue tie cut)
• Sleep training which was sometime between 4 and 7 months.
• When she learned to sit up and hold toys - about 7 months
• 10 months, became much more interactive and fun and a real little person not just a baby iyswim

Did your little one sleep better at night on formula?

Well, I think so, but it is a bit difficult to prove, as it could just be coincidence, but what you gain is a good block of sleep.

You feed at about 8pm, then go to sleep. Your dh/dp feeds them at 10 / 10.30 / 11 and by the time they want another feed at about 2am, you've had a nice 5 hour block of sleep.

While the child is portable it's easy. Gets very hard during the toddler age when they're moving around.