Help - 5.5 month old resisting sleep and I’m exhausted

[hopingforapeainapod]

My suddenly very alert 5.5 month old is resisting sleep every chance he gets, and it’s driving me mad. He’s actually pretty good once he’s down, but getting him down in the first place is a nightmare. During the day he will only nap if he has motion - so car seat, pram, bouncer. Which we accepted even though we knew we were probably making a rod for our own back because he at least went down at night in his next2me. However that has gone out the window. Now as soon as he realises it’s bed time he cries / arches his back / generally thrashes around until one of us picks him up and comforts him, which involves every tool we have - cuddling, singing, stroking, white noise, and, increasingly, feeding to sleep (another association which I don’t want to make but am struggling to avoid), co-sleeping (which I don’t love as I sleep much worse as a result).

My husband is away for the next 10 days with work and I just need my evenings back for my sanity.

Any tips on how I get him to self soothe? Do I need to start letting him cry it out / other sleep training?

I also can’t help but wonder whether this is somehow connected to my son not being able to quite roll yet. He is almost there but at night I feel like he wants to roll (particularly onto his side) and gets frustrated he can’t - don’t know if it would explain the thrashing?

Ahhh I remember those days 🙄. Sounds like you've hit your/theirs sleep regression. My advise is just ride with it. I tried to fight every sleep regression, there's few, it was always a losing battle. Good luck x

Get yourself a delivery of easy food, and couple of good books. Then be prepared to work with your baby, sleep when he does etc. It will be a rough few days but it is what it is. If Walking is good for getting him asleep - does he stay asleep if you stop? Either at home with the pram near the sofa or at a local cafe?

It could just be something you have to ride out, both of mine certainly had their phases like this, but worth considering if his wake windows are getting longer. He might need longer between naps and/or a later bedtime.