6 month old continues to wake (Have officially tried everything & need some help/advice!)

[LittleMissExhausted]

Hello, This is the first Mum's forum I have ever been on (time has not allowed before but now I'm MAKING time!!)

My LO is 6months, until she was 3 months we were lucky & she would sleep from 10 - 7 however after a trip away & sleeping in another house for a few nights when we came back she started to wake between 1 - 4 times a night & doesn't usually sleep any longer than 30 mins in day (but is still tired after an hour). We've put it down to her having a cold, teething, sleeping in our room (but now in her own), not having a poo before sleep, not winding her enough before bed, creases in the sheets annoying her.. you name it we've made excuses but now I feel like we have really tried everything!

She's 6 & half months, I've nearly weaned her off breastfeeding to bottle (for 2 reasons, little teeth & hoping formula would lay heavier), she's in her own room now, she goes to bed awake (we did controlled crying which she grasped after a day & half), we have a routine of bath, bottle, song, bed and she usually goes down fine about 7.30/8pm but she just seems to wake at odd times (like 2 hours after we put her down!) but lately shes been waking at 2am. I had been putting it down to the fact that she is hungry (she won't drink any more than 4 floz in the day but also has 3 small meals a day)so I would give her a breastfeed at 2am & she'd go back down till 6am BUT lastnight I thought I'd had a revelation, I'd wake her at 11pm & give her a bottle (she drank all 4floz) & thought it would see her through but she stil woke at 2.30, my husband went in to sing to her but she woke again at 3.30! I breastfed her & she slept through till 8.30 which was lovely, I'm not complaining but I'm SO frustrated that we can't break this habit (we've tried resorting back to our controlled crying routine of going in every 5,10,15 mins but after half hour of screaming at 3am in the morning with a 3 year old asleep as well we've given in) I don't understand how she can take herself off to sleep at night & in day for naps but not in middle of night! The most frustrating thing is every so often she'll throw in a night of sleeping through (we think for our good behaviour!) and this leaves us analyzing everything we did the day before but it never works 2 nights in a row. Can anyone offer any advice or think of something we haven't tried? Please?...

my DD is 6 months and to be honest a good night is waking once at 1/2am for BF then goes back to sleep, a bad night is waking 2/3 times- we used baby whisperer pick up/put down to help her self settle but we gave up with the dreamfeed as found like you she still woke up- what I would say is to try the dreamfeed for more than 1 night (3-4 at least) as friends of mine do it and it works well. We did it for a week and if anything it disturbed her more so dropped it. For us no 2 nights are the same- but naps etc are?? I don't think there always is a reason you can pinpoint...

I like you have analysed everything/anything and have come to the conclusion that.... babies wake up in the night, and sometimes need help to go back to sleep. I know sleep experts say otherwise, that you can 'train' your baby etc but I honestly believe even using these methods they will not always work as teething/development will change how your baby sleeps unfortunately. For me the only relief was to relax and not over analyse. She won't be little forever and the good news is she can sleep for longer stretches (5-6 hours is technically sleeping through)....

sorry can't offer more advice, but you're not on your own!!

x

My DS is 6.5 months and although he occasionally sleeps through, he'll often wake up for an hour or two at a time in the middle of the night (anywhere from 2-4am!). We give him a dreamfeed at 10.30, which seems to work. It doesn't work for all babies though, and you definitely need to stick at it for a few nights until your DD gets the idea. If DS wakes in the night now he only gets water (unless he's poorly and hasn't eaten well in the day).

Like scarlett175 - no two nights are really the same for us.

Sorry not to be more helpful, but you're definitely not alone!

My DD is 8 months and a good night would be waking every 2 hours. A normal night - ie almost all of them - is waking every 40 minutes/hour, then staying awake from 2-4. She has done this since birth.

I am beside myself with exhaustion. I've tried everytihng and now the only conclusion we can come to - along with HV, doctor and sleep consultant - is that 'some babies just don't need that much sleep.'

I'm sure this isn't the case for you, though. It's not the case for anyone else I know.

Sorry, my attention span is short and I haven't read the whole of your message because the answer is simple. There isn't one! just wait and it will sort itself out eventually. But you know this because you already have one child. Please don't leave them to cry though, you are not 'giving in' you are responding to the perfectly normal demands of a six month old child. Just repeat that. 6 months old. What have you ever learned in only 6 months that was worth learning?

ds is 6.5 months as well. He was also a good sleeper a few months back and not anymore. He was napping like yours for just a couple weeks. Think it was a growth spurt, since he went back to napping well (if its on me or he wakes after an hour) last week thankfully, think it was just a spell. At night however, he will generally only sleep for 3.5 hours alone in his cot. I can wake up completely to feed him back down but most of the time he sleeps with me from 2 am til morning and will sleep through when with me in my bed. It makes things so much easier, plus its nice snuggling him. I really feel like babies are kinda meant to sleep with their mothers for the first year or so and getting a babe to sleep through on their own before 9-10 months is very fortunate and maybe not that rare necessarily but lucky no doubt. They are just so new. Kinda sounds like your little one is maybe just teething. The inconsistency of the wakings could be pain. Have you tried anything to help her with the pain perhaps? I also agree with reikizen, as you should not let the poor soul cry. It releases a stress hormone and is not good for her. The people who write these books have no investment in your child. Read your child, not all those books that are just variations of CIO methods. Its her only communication. She may be saying, "Im in pain, could you help ease it". good luck!

My DD is still doing this at 8 months. She has never slept through. :( I looked at your thread to see if there was something here that I have not tried!

Night before last DD woke 3 times and the third time was at 1am and would not go back to sleep until 4am

Other nights it's 10am, 2am,5am

Last night was best ever - only midnight and 5.45am

She has 3 bottles and 3 meals a day. Hunger it is definately not.

You have my sympathy OP. I am bloddy shattered. Seems to be a few of us about:)

If I find an answer, I will be sure to post it!!!

Wow! Thank you all so much for reading my mini essay & giving me your thoughts. It seems we are definitely not alone & haven't even got it as bad as some of you poor parents!
It really has helped to know we're not alone. Becknnico, thank you for your post & yes we had a lond a stink of giving her teething powders, bonjela & Calpol before bed, have stopped now teeth are through but I'm sure we'll be getting them back out again in a month or two!
I think reikizen makes a good point that she is only 6 months bless her, she hasn't even been on this earth a year yet! :) your right.
I think we've just been spoilt by our first DD who slept through from 3 months & had two long naps in the day, just goes to show how different our children are from one another, even with the same parents & same attempted routines! I wish I knew how good I had it then to appreciate it more! Good luck to all you parents as well & I will think of some of you in the early hours!