5 month old sleep help!!!

[catmomcat]

My 5 month old DD is going through sleep regression and sleep has been impossible for me. She only sleeps at the breast and wakes up at every attempt to put her down. If I manage to put her down she wakes up almost every hour. Some nights I just give up and breast-sleep. During the day she usually takes one carrier nap, one pram nap and one breast nap. But I’m exhausted. She’s a big baby and carrier nap is super tiring for me (doesn’t let me sit). Also pram nap is tiring because I have to be constantly moving. It feels like all I’m doing is trying to get her to sleep.
I considered sleep training but I don’t think I can take it. Is there a gentler way to move away from feeding to sleep? She gets furious if I deny her the breast. I tried rocking and singing, didn’t work. Any tips?

I've posted somewhat similarly when DD was 5 months (she's 9 months now) and it was such a hard time.

There are things you can do - Lyndsey hookway on IG was a great resource for me (I should get commission from that woman I mention her all the time!!)

For me I just stopped trying to change things. DDs temperament wouldn't allow sleep training, she only napped in the sling or on the breast. Night time she was waking every hour, and i ended up cosleeping. Things change so quickly so I just leaned into it.

Not saying that's the only way to deal with it but when I just stopped trying to change things, it reduced the stress a lot.

Sleep training doesn't always have to mean walking away and leaving her to cry, there are so many different methods.

I used the pick up pick down method to teach DS how to self settle which worked a treat.

I always try to go with the flow but sleep deprivation really stressed me out. Last couple of nights were easier as I did what you said and tried to embrace the chaos :) Thanks.

Yes, I also considered this method but honestly I’m not ready for this either. May I ask how long did it take until your son learned to sleep independently? And was he consistent after that? I heard sometimes another sleep regression wipes out all the previous habits. Thank you.

I don't think sleep training in any form works on babies younger than 6 months tbh, what worked for me was learning how to safely cosleep and letting him contact nap in the day 🤷 it won't last forever! It's really really hard though, been there - it will get better.

It took a few days of pick up put down and he was consistent after that. We didn't experience the 4 month sleep regression at all.

It can definitely work when they are younger than 6 months.

Look up Lucy Wolfe's sleep training method, there's a book and an audiobook (I had no time to sleep nevermind read, so I was so grateful for the audiobook). I went through what you are now just a few months ago and it was absolutely awful. I was broken. We sleep trained at 6 months, it took 4 days and DS's development took an immediate step forward too. Now he is 14 months and we haven't experienced any more sleep regressions. We have the odd early morning, sickness, teething, etc all the normal stuff that affect sleep a little, but he is a fantastic sleeper and we're all better for it. I would really recommend considering sleep training, it doesn't work for everyone and you have to find a method that works, but this one worked wonders for us so I like to share it far and wide. Good luck!