Help! Sleep methods -10mo sharing our room

[Laugs]

I really need help with my 10 month-old, who has been waking 5-6 times a night for a couple of months. I'm feeding him when he wakes as he won't go to sleep otherwise. I am shattered.

I've looked at some of the sleep methods (pick-up-put-down etc), but he is still in our room, with his cot at the end of our bed. There is nowhere else for him to go, but it obviously makes it harder to do any kind of sleep method which involves him having to settle in a room by himself. He knows I am there - all the time. (In fact I am so tired, I've started going to bed at the same time as him!)

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks!

I really feel for you. It really is habit now I think, but he is still very young and he does still need some nutrition in the night (though only 1 or 2 feeds max but I'm guessing you know that and that isn't the propblem). My 2 didn't start sleeping all night until they were nearly 2 (sorry..)

Can you try and wait a bit before picking him up. With my DS2 we introduced a comforter (just a teddy with blanket from Asda)it really early I made a big difference to his sleep. We gave it to him at all his naps and when he cried. Now at 2.5 he can't sleep without is (we have 3!) and it instantly comforts him.

Tried pat pat sch too (Baby whisper I think). the big thing about getting them out of yoru room is that it stops you jumping in too soon when they may settle themselves.

It 's so stressful when you are having sleep problems so you have my sympathies.It's also easy to dish out advice when it's not your baby!

I think the main thing here is you somehow need to teach your DS how to settle himself.If you always feed him to sleep with a feed then he will require this everytime he wakes up.
We all wake up in the night (although we can't remember it)and we manage to drop back off to sleep.Babies need to learn how to do this.

There is a good book by the Millpond Sleep Clinic which is really informotive and explains about baby/children sleep cycles and developement.

Nutritionally babies don't usually require night feeds after 6 months.But obviously you know that he doesn't really 'need' the milk.Easier said than done when you're desperate to sleep.

Sorry...not much help but wanted to reply.

Hi Laugs, not sure if I'm the right person to answer you but at least I would have some suggestions! (and to let you know that you are not alone)
DD is far from sleeping through and I need to feed her more often these days as I started to do so during her cold but normally I do not feed her every time she wakes up.

Did you read the no cry sleep solution? I found some tipps in there which could as well be suitable for you and your approach to the whole thing.
So the book suggests for example to sort out daytime naps first (maybe because the mum is less tired?) and to make sure that you have a bigger variety to get the baby to sleep (feeding, rocking, pram, car,...)
For the morning nap I used to tell DD something like Lets go napping, took her to the bedroom and started walking up and down whilst singing a particular song. That worked really well.

When is the first time he usually wakes up? Really early already? Could you wait for that before going to sleep yourself? Another suggestion of the book was that as soon as the baby seems to wake up you do whatever you have to do to make him sleep again, even if it is feeding. After a week or two, the baby should have learned to go for longer. I did try to wait for the first waking (after 35min already!), went in and stroke her back before she woke up completely.

Maybe if you manage to get him to sleep in a different manner during the day, you could start to eliminate the night feeds one by one. I started with the early ones as I felt that I wasn't too tired (especially if I wasn't in bed yet). And I made a rule for myself like "no feed before 1am" The first couple of nights she usually cried but not too much and I do not feel too bad about it if I actually hold her in my arms and rock her. At some point DD did only cry if I stayed in bed with her but was fine with being carried around by DH. Would that be an option that your husband takes care about it for the first couple of nights when you try to eliminate a feed?

Actually, DD is quite easy to get to sleep but it's almost impossible to get her back in the cot. So, I've started to co-sleep. And I find it great. She is in her cot until I go to bed.
I'm much less tired, I can respond to her wakings so much quicker, very often I only have to stroke her or put my hand on her belly or back and she goes back to sleep. Some people think it will be impossible to get her back in her own bed but I think when the time is right, she will (or I will have the strenght to make her do so) Would co-sleeping be an option for you? It doesn't solve your feeding to sleep problem but you might just get more sleep yourself.

Ok, at the moment I can't really think of any other suggestions (maybe reading this very long post to him?) but I really hope you will find something that will work for you two.