6 MO waking every 3 hours

[TheresAHuppoInMyHouse]

My DD is 6 months (4 months adjusted age as she was premature and arrived at 30 weeks). She gradually started sleeping for longer and longer periods and I was feeling very pleased with myself! Then a month ago the night wakings began again, for no apparent reason. She would only have been 3 months (adjusted) so too early for a growth spurt I reckon? Anyway it's still going on and I'm starting to think there must be something I can do to get back to my nice long stretches of sleep!

She is awake for 1.5hr-2hrs at a time during the day, so she normally has 3 naps of an hour each at regular intervals. And a little catnap in the sling sometimes. Perhaps this is too much daytime sleep?

She is exclusively bf and has started to be more distracted suring daytime feeds (those maddeningly endearing pulls-off and smiles! are a killer!) but I'm spending more time feeding, so am trying to keep up the daytime calories.

She is generally happy to settle herself to sleep when drowsy - although always after a bf. For a nap, this only takes a few minutes so perhaps I've started an unhelpful sleep association? Sometimes she's obviously knackered so falls deeply asleep a-boobing, and stays asleep when she's transferred to her cot.

Every time she wakes at night, I feed her and she goes straight back to sleep. I'm a bit nervous of trying to settle her without a feed, and tbh I wouldn't know how to do so. Any tips?

She goes to bed at 7ish and wakes for the day at sometime between 6 and 7. Reading this, I feel like I've got nothing to complain about, but WHY won't the little bugger darling sleep for longer than two or three hours at a time, when she used to do so, apparently effortlessly?!

Meggy at your mobile destruction machines! YOu should be so proud ...

Baileys well done for last night, how extreeemely civilised!

Isn't it just maddening when they behave for a while and then one night just seem to decide nighttime is awaketime again. Won't you learn, babies?! I am actually feeling jetlagged after last night. I went out to a Prom this evening and it was frankly not an ideal outing when feeling dead tired ... .... soothing classical music .... dark auditorium ... nice and warm .... zzzzzz

Night night, all x

Hello ladies. Just popping back for another moan. We're back to 45 minute napping again in the day - what's going on? And we're back to night waking (although DH says you can't class 4.15 as the night...I'm not so sure).

We thought she was cold one night and then put her into a heat-induced coma warmer clothes the next night and she did sleep through but that success has not been repeated since.

She's sprung a tooth and learnt to crawl which I suppose may be responsible....argh. Oh well, at least DH is all happy and on hols (teacher) although we are doing church holiday club all this week so we're all a bit knackered. Still all fun and games.

All the best for everyone tonight.

greenone thanks for your commiserations. Grandpa did well- he would have been 91 next week and died extremely suddenly and unexpectedly - I saw him 2 days before he died and when we arrived he was up a step-ladder clearing out the guttering . He died in his pjs on his bed - the best way to go.

Ha 4.15 isn't night indeed! It sure is when you're AWAKE! He is on hols, get him to deal with it ...

I've had an odd day with DD's sleep - she slept well last night and got up at 6.30, so far so good. She went for her reliable morning nap at 10. Then she was so tired when she woke up, and so grouchy and wouldn't eat anything and just moaned and groaned, so I put her back to bed for another hour, only an hour after she had woken up. In all, she had three proper long naps today, because she kept yawning and being grumpy. And she hasn't cried once when I've put her down - just sucked the dummy and dropped right off. Most out of character, I hope she's not coming down with something. Normally she is jolly but sleepless, today she's been grumpy but very sleepy. Fingers crossed for jolly AND sleepy tomorrow! :)

Meggy my DD sounds exactly like yours! Back to waking 1x a night sometimes 2. Short naps. We both arrived in Cornwall with horrible colds which sucks!

I am feeding back to sleep all this week as while I am on holiday I decided that if I had to choose between 2 hours of rocking/shushing or 5 mins of feeding I would do the latter. I just know we will have fun and games when we get home though :(

Can't believe our LO's were 6 months when this thread started and now mine is 9MO!

greenone I was thinking the exact same thing re. age and thinking, my word - how long are we going to be on this thread? I fear still being here in 10 years time :(

huppo - how's your DD doing? Was it just a weird day, teething or what? Hope she's doing OK.

OK, so everytime I moan, DD gets her act together and the last two nights she's slept until 5.55 and 5.30, which OK, is really not that great, but I'll take that over multiple night wakings I have to say. She also did much longer naps yesterday. She woke really tired at 5.30 this morning having been a pain to get to sleep last night (didn't sleep until 8pm) but was soaking all through her baby gro and bag so she was never going to go back to sleep. I put her back down at 8 and now she's still asleep. Not sure how to leave her or whethr to wake her or what.....

How long are you all leaving your LOs to sleep in the day? (It used to really annoy me when other people asked that question when DD was waking at 35 or 40 mins like clock work!)

Hello everyone. Hope the colds are getting better now. DD has a cough, which can't be nice for her, but makes her sound like an old man (as well as look like one), which amuses me no end!

yes, we should change the thread title - 6MO is 3 months out of date, 3 hourly wakings was very optimistic for ages, and now not accurate! Oh well :)

The other day was just a blip, she has been back to her usual happy self since then. And last night she woke a couple of times, but settled immediately with the dummy, and woke at 6.30, so I felt like I'd had a full night sleep. Yay.

Meggy for daytime sleep, she tends to have about 2-3 hours, over 2 naps, (unless she gets up really early, then she still needs 3 naps). Generally she sleeps for 1.5 hours in the morning, at 9.30ish, then about an hour in the afternoon, at 2ish. If she drops off in the sling or in the car after 5 then she's really hard to get to sleep in the evening, so I try and avoid it. At nursery, she sleeps for much shorter stretches, and more frequently. Some days are completely different, like yesterday I had loads of errands to run, so she had about 6 half-hour naps in the car!

Greeneone I hope you have good weather, a quick recovery, and good nights for your holiday! Have fun

Hello!
We have had a fairly good week, with approximately 50% of the time sleeping through and waking anytime from 6 til 7.30 so fairly happy with that. Just wish it were more like 100%

meggy we are having a bit of a quandary with naps as well, generally DS goes down for an hours nap around 10, then 1 1/2 hours at 2 ish. Sometimes he goes down later in the am, or wants to sleep for longer and that pushes his pm nap later.....resulting in a very awake boyo at bedtime! When he was awake loads at night it wasn't so much of a problem as he was so tired he needed the sleep but now I think I am going to have to be mean and wake him at 3.30 no matter what time he goes to sleep!

On a nonsleep issue, just sorted out all my return to work details and with the drop in pay for part time work I can cover essentials but only about 100 pounds a month for everything else. I know that is a lot more that many people but I am used to not have to think too hard about a budget and now I am going to have to be strict

Baileys brilliant sleeping, that's such good news! Back to work has SO many issues, doesn't it? I just hope it is worth all the worry, logistics, guilt and budgeting!

DD's sleep has been OK recently, but she is starting to wake earlier and earlier - this morning it was 5.38. Which means her morning nap happens earlier and earlier, which reminds me of newborn days!

We're off to the seaside today. I took her for her first swim recently, it was great fun.

Having said that her sleep has been OK recently, last night she woke loads of times and needed settling (which she did quite quickly which is something), but I blame it on the heat and on getting a top tooth, which I can just feel starting to peep through.

She is starting to really wriggle and need encouragement for her morning and evening bf. I wonder if the time is approaching to change those to formula and say the bf days are over?

We are now on night 5 of sleeping through, DS does usually wake up once but chatters for a bit then goes off by himself. I am immensely pleased but very aware we are going to have the 9 month sleep regression and upper teeth coming through very soon which will probably mess everything up again

Theresa I am having the bf vs formula thoughts as well now I am in the count down back to work. The child minder will give 2 bottles during the day, but I am going to try to continue the morning and night as bf, though am concerned that I might just stop producing milk with so little feeds. Hmmm but I can't be ar*ed with sorting a bottle out in the morning which will be hectic enough as it is. How are we going to be able to get out of the house by eight???

Hi All

Holiday nearly done and sorry to sound un-grateful but I am shattered!! Night wakings have been happening every night at 2-3am ish. I have been feeding back to sleep as I guess it's the 9MO sleep regression. If she is still waking at 10MO then will take action! I am also having interviews now for work so might have to start trying to get her to drop feeds.

Theresa hope you had a lovely day at the seaside. Baileys 5 nights of sleeping through is amazing. I am very happy for you!

Meggy mine sleeps for1.5 in the morning about 9am and pm nap varies hugely. Always in bed for 7pm though.

OH BUGGER IT. She woke at 1.30am and I could not get her back to sleep - tried cuddles, bf, water, everything. It turned into another marathon walk - I put her in the sling, she slept, and I paced the streets from 3.45 till 6am. So she had a lovely snuggly sleep, I got to admire the sights and the sunrise, and now she's having a blissful nap and I am knackered! And I am back to work this week - luckily today is only 10am-2pm so I can have a snooze this afternoon.

To cap it all, DO is furious that I didn't just leave her to cry herself to sleep. That's just not an easy option for me.

:( It's so hard when you both have different points of view. My OH is getting fed up with little sleep. After two weeks of feeding her after every peep last night I didn't feed between 11pm and 7am and luckily she settled quite quickly.

I think I am now on a definate feed ban overnight now as some of my BF-ing friends have LO's that still feed in the night after 2 yerars of age. Also the LLL advised me that I should be prepared for night feeds well after DD's 1st b'day. No thanks! I am done when she is 1 as having bottle refuser has been exhausting.

I am going to try and re-establish the 11am feed that she dropped whilst on holiday as I would prefer more day feeds and sleep - than less and no sleep!

theresa was it a nice sunrise? What line of work are you in? Great that the hours are not too bad!

Hi greeneone, yet again this thread comes to my rescue when I need a friendly word! :) I share your fear of the 2 year old night feeder. Let it not be us!

Yes, the sunrise was lovely, in fact it refreshed me as the world seemed like a better place (funny how you get sentimental when sleep-deprived!).

I work for a firm of accountants (I am not an accountant myself, I'm in the support team), and I've planned that the first month back will include lots of half days, to ease myself into it gently. It was a really good idea, and is going well so far (Day Two). In fact, after a large coffee in my 10am meeting, I felt as right as rain and still feel fine now! All the other mothers at work were v sympathetic and made me feel like they've all been through it too.

Adios for now!

Hi ladies, well...I'm back again (although great to see that people are dropping off - no pun intended). We went away for a week to North Devon and had a brilliant time. DD slept through the whole time and then ruined everything on the last night by waking at 4.40 and not going back to sleep. I took her for a lovely walk down the camel trail at 6am - sun was already up by then though so I missed that joy huppo! Hope work is going OK and the sleep situation is not too hideous.

Anyway, now we're back to ridiculously early waking - 3 mornings on the trot which in my book is a pattern which just kills me. I'm now considering that her 5.30 wake ups were actually quite civilised.

Is anyone else still dream feeding? I'm still feeding DD at 10pm or there abouts. I really need to stop but I'm scared to....

Hope you're all doing OK.

Interesting you say about the dream feed as after never doing one DD has now initiated one herself! On holiday I was feeding her right before bed as I didn't want tears and stress at bedtime but since we have been home she is having her last feed at 6pm, going down at 7pm, feeding around 11pm and then not waking until 6.30am! HURRAH! How long it lasts though is another question! I much prefer this to the 5.30am wakings.

Also I am convinced seperation anxiety is as play as she keeps waking about 3am and as soon as I pick her up she chats into my chest (mamama, dadadada) but as soon s I put her down again she cries!

Anyway......now I to am scared about how I will stop this feed. She has given up the 11am one now and I am sure she is making up for it at 11pm!

Hi greeneone. Well your nights sound totally bearable now- well done. How often is she doing the 3am waking? DD does this on and off too - not so much fun. Hold old is your DD now? Mine is 8 months.

There is no rhyme or reason to her. She had brilliant naps yesterday, went down to sleep amazingly easily (for the first time in ages) then woke at 5am, chatted for a bit and then cried so we got her out so she didn't wake DS. I've been keeping her up until 9am for first nap as I don't want her to get used to waking early and then catching up on sleep and she's been fine with that; even when she woke the other day at 4.30 she didn't even look tired but went to sleep fine at 9am and slept for 90 mins. Today however, she fell asleep at 7.50am whilst eating a piece of toast . It's the first time she's ever fallen asleep independently anywhere other than bed.....

Any suggestions? She's obviously knackered but just won't sleep longer than 10 hours at night......

I'm using the dream feed at the moment to change her from a light sleeping bag to a thicker one as think the 3am/4am waking was due to her getting cold.....might just be clutching at straws however.

Oh, Meggy is she still getting up as early as 4.30? That is rubbish. Poor you! DD woke at 5am this morning, but went back to sleep till 7.15 (but I had to bf her to get her to do it ). I find that putting her to bed earlier or later doesn't make any difference, to be honest. I've been fretting about getting the temperature right too; I close the windows in the early hours in an attempt to keep it not-too-hot at first and not-too-cold as the night goes on.

After a week at work, this first weekend has been all about sleeping and negotiating lie-ins! Yesterday we all went back to bed during DD's morning nap, and today I did a feed at 5am, then DP got up at 7.15 to play with her and give her breakfast, so I had a glorious lie-in till 8.30. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Looking forward to next weekend already!

Hi huppo - glad the weekend was nice- 8.30!! Wow!

We are having night wakings again now so really odd. Think it might be teeth related. She has been waking at 5am for the day which is a right bummer but last night woke at 3.50, finally went back to sleep at 5 am (I did feed her - how ridiculous) and slept until 7.30am so no idea what's going on there. Also no idea what time to put her down for a nap this morning...

oh well, feeling reasonably ok as dh is on school hols so the burden of two sprogs is greatly reduced.

Helloooooo :)

Meggy the 3am wakings are not every night. That's why I asm convinced is not a routine thing...just some night she wakes up and wants reassurance we are there. My DD is 10MO in 8 days. I am having exactly the same issue as you re: morning nap. She wakes at 5.30am-6am and by 8am is yawning but I press on with breakfast and try and keep her awake until at least 9am as I want to distinguish between waking for the day and first nap. I feel like trying to put her down 30 mins after brekkie as a test but am scared!!

I too had a lovely lie in the other morning until 10.30am as DP took DD. It was truly amazing.

huppo I salute you working. I just don't know how I am going to do it.

I have spoken to a few people this week and early wakings really do seem quite normal. One lady I was chatting to has a 2 year old and hers still wakes early. Only now rather than lying there and babbling her DD now shouts 'UP Mummy, UP'!

Hurray for lie-ins! I'm finding that DP is much happier to look after her for a while (and I'm much more relaxed about letting him do so), now that she's older I think she's easier to look after. I wonder if being at nursery has made a difference too?

For the past three nights she has properly slept through, it is so wonderful to wake up feeling refreshed! Getting up has been at 6.30 which means we have fun play, breakfast and leisurely getting up time, then I deliver her to nursery and they have to deal with the morning nap! It still tends to happn at 9ish. They are worth their weight in gold, the ladies who look after all the babies - I wouldn't do that job EVER!

I'm off to get her now, let's see if we can make it 4 nights in a row ... I should know better than to get my hopes up, I know, but I can't help feeling optimistic! :)

greeneone - we have the same thing. I'm thinking now that it coincides with teeth so it may be that that causes it. I have come to the conclusion that we're just going to have ride it out. I suppose, if you look back at the start of this thread then we have all made amazing progress; it just doesn't feel like it when you're dog tired the whole time!

huppo - HURRAH for the three nights - fingers crossed for tonight too. We had a whole night last night too - I didn't even dream feed her; I can't help but feel hopeful for tonight too but I'm sure it won't happen :-( Oh well, one good night is better than none!

Hope your nights are good ladies. :-)

Ha, my three nights sleeping in a row didn't last any longer than that! Last night she woke at 11.30 and 4am, both times took about half an hour to settle back (dummy and hand-holding), but there wasn't too much crying so that's something. She has a ROW of top teeth emerging, so I can't expect too much fabulous sleeping. And she woke for the day at 6.40, which makes up for it (a bit).

An unpleasant effect of these new teeth means that she has spent two days discovering them - by grinding her two bottom teeth against them! It sounds foul! But the faces she pulls to do it are v amusing..... ;)

meggy you're right about the progress, we should give ourselves (and the DCs) credit for that! And life is much more bearable now. We've even been talking about having another one! Madness!

Hiya everyone. We have been away visiting family in lead up to going back to work in 3 weeks time (gulp!)

Sleep has been pretty fantastic, with only 1 night waking during the 9 days, despite being in different cots and rooms. Was feeling very smug but now combination of a snotty cold and 4 upper teeth coming through means at least one waking for calpol and generally a very grumpy baby.

My major hope is that at least I know there is a cause and when the teeth come through it will settle....... Fingers crossed

Baileys Good for you - you're right to feel smug!

Huppo You never know you might get a miracle sleeper next time. We had a great sleeper first time round and a rubbish one this time but lots (well OK a few) people I know have had it the other way round. I'm sure your DD will get back to being an angel.

We're doing OK too. Had a great night last night but a 5.40 wake up - that was nearly 11 hours though so I can complain too much. However,she then fell asleep sat on DH's lap this morning at 8.15 - just don't know what we're going to do about the early waking! Oh well, I'll take that over night wakings any day of the week!

Have a lovely Sunday everyone and long may the good nights continue.