Come sail with me with you're in the same boat...

[IMissSleep]

SLEEP! Not getting enough at night or naps during the day. Doesn't matter what age your DC are.

Share your stories here, solutions or just have a vent!

I'll start...

My DS is 8.5 months. Went through a good stage with night time routine, still has really - self settles to sleep no problem. Feeds at 11pm. But will wake between 2am - 5am maybe 3 times. So I'm up and down a lot during the night! He has slept through maybe a handful of times. Still good with naps, 2x 2hr.

Still would love a full night though!

sunshine, the first part sounds fairly normal, but up for the day at 4.30??? What do you do with him then? Sometimes my DS2 is wide awake at 4.30 or 5 or 5.30, but I change his nappy, put some music on and pop him back in his cot and leave him to it now. I have been going to another room lately if this happens, and he does go off by himself. But then he is in my room which is away from the others so am not worried about him waking DS1. does he just wail?

Hello everyone, and welcome sunshine and brian!
After a few awful nights with DD2, who is meant to be my sleeper ( ended up sleeping face down on her carpet for a few nights with my arm stuck through the bars of hte cot ), I am pleased to report a big improvement in DD1 - for the apst 5 nights, she has only woken once, between 1 and 2. We are still using the bach sleep spray - coincidence it may be but as you know, I have tried everything already. She is also sleeping in a bit longer in the mornings. So ,we will be keeping up with the spray ands eeing what happens.

OOOO great news Olivo! The Bach spray is great for busy stressed minds so could well work for a 5 year old. Welcome sunshineatlast. My 10 monther also gets by on a couple of powers naps a day despite my very best efforts!

Back to 1 night waking last night - heaven! Put her to bed at 6.00pm to combat the overtiredness, think this helped.

Sunshine - what about an early bed for your DS? This often helps with early wakings I believe!

Great Olivo and Zimm! one waking here too - 4.30am today! and not a peep out of DS1. So happy as I was alone again last night. maybe we'll be able to leave this thread soon.... Until the next phase!!

Thanks for your suggestions. I hadnt thought of an earlier bedtime as I bath both dc together but will give it a go at the weekend when I have help.

Well last night was much better, he was exhausted by bedtime and settled immediately. I woke him at 10 for dreamfeed and he woke up at 3. I left him and after 20 mins of grizzling he went back down until 530!!! miracle.

Camperfan, at 430 wakenings we usually leave him for half an hour or so but he just stands holding onto the bars screaming until dh gets up and takes him downstairs (they watch tv together) He has developed such a loud screetch and can keep it up for ever, we are all wide awake after a few minutes of it.

Whats this Bach spray? what age can you use it from?

nooooooo, camper, you mustn't leave, that will tempt fate!!

totally bloody ridiculous night last night, was up with DD2 from 11.45 to 2ish, then DD1 wokeup scared (after a bloody person dressed as a bear came to their party yesterday) that a bear was coming in the house. Was up and down to her for nearly an hour.

I am soooooooooooo tireed and soooooooooooooo grumpy!

Dnt worry, will not be leaving yet because last night he was up at 11 and 3 for about an hour each time and then up at 5am!!!! Should not have mentioned leaving ....

Hi ImissSleep

I am exactly in your boat! 8,5mo DS has never slept through, naps well 2 x 1.5hrs, settles well on his own, but then wakes for a feed at 10, is up most hours between 1 and 5 and gets up at 6.30 / 7.......
I am so jealous of all my friends whose babies sleep though!
I just dont know what to try! In fact i have tried it all, from pickup/putdown on one end to cio on the other. Nothing has worked. Cio left him screaming for 5 hours straight for 4 nights running.
I am at wits end, any ideas are welcome!!!!

Hi all,

Canper sorry to hear of your relapse. Olivio - your night sounds totally rubbish how do you cope? Do work outside the home also??

Things fairly steady here 1-2 wakings per night with the odd 5.30am start, 6.30am on a really good day. We are over her problem of her refusing to sleep because she can sit up - she can now fall asleep sitting up! Wish i could solve the night feeding issue, wondering if I should go cold turkey? She does eat 3 meals a day but is not a big eater. I could offer more day BFs but as I return to work in 7 weeks I actually need her to cut these down....perhaps more yoghurt is the answer!

ikxi- I think maybe you need to choose one strategy and stick to it. For at least 2 weeks. Pick up/putdown has worked pretty well for us. At this age you don't even pick them up unless they are really screaming - just stay with them and reassure them.

Zimm

ANother totally crap night here, the appearance of this bear has knocked us back to square one as far as DD1 is concerned. i was up and down god knows how many times last night.
Yes Zimm, I do woth, I'm a secondary teacher. My students are very patient with me when I've had a rough night!so quite often....

on the plus side, may I share with you that DD2 did her first wee on the loo 10 mintues ago SHe was so proud of herself, and so were we!! It's no less exciting second time around!!

We seem to be back to 11 and 3am feeds, with an extra wake up at 5 (didnt feed him at 5) - how can this happen after a week of going through til 4am? I actually napped with him during his morning nap, which I never do - really needed it! I don't know what to do about the night feeding either. I would be happy to do one, but two I feel is a habit rather than a need. I am tempted to try and not to feed at the first waking. But I am not sure I have the will power tbh. He IS a big eater during the day, loves his food, but doesn't take a lot of milk I feel, too distracted. I don't want to go cold turkey, I think he's still too little (despite DS1 not feeding in the night from 4 months!). Oh I don't know! We were murmuring about DS2 going into his own room, but after the last two nights I'm not so sure again.

Yay, Olivo's DD2! How old is she?

Yay for Olivio's DD2. What a clever girl!

Well, things have been continuing to improve gradually over here. It still takes DS an age (well 30-40 minutes) to go to sleep and I've not cracked (tried!) leaving him to do it alone yet. But, the last couple of nights we've had a couple of wakings in the evening that have required patting back to sleep and then he's gone through to about 5.30am. That was when his last feed had got to before we axed it at the start of last week. It took a long while for him to give up waking at other droped feed times so I guess we'll have that for a bit. However, though he's usually come into bed with us at that point, last night he woke, cried out a couple of times, and then eventually went back to sleep in his cot with no intervention from us!

CamperFan, sounds like what we had pre my mean no feeding at all campaighn! Frustrating though if you've been getting a stretch until 4am. They are a law unto them selves! Let me know what you do about moving him to his own room. I think the time has come for us to move my DS (in fact I thought we should do it last weekend so when DH was having to spend 2 hours + up in the night getting DS to go back to sleep without milk, I could get some sleep) but DH is very reluctant. Odd really, I'd always assumed it would be the other way round!

thank you for DD's praise She is 21 months, has been traipsing round after big sister and show interest in the loo for about a month now, so we have got the seat inserts down and she loves it! not training her as such, but she wears walker pants so can go to the ones at nursery if she wants too.

if only DD1 could sort her sleep - another hideous night last night, up god knows how many times and a wreck at work. and it's only monday

21 months, wow! Olivo, remind me again what your DD1 does at night? How old is she?

I had a much better night - after wailing in the early evening, we only had one wake up at 2am, bf, back to sleep til 7pm. Had some more wailing again this evening, but I didn't cave in and bf him again and he went to sleep after about 20 mins.

Zimm! Thanks for the advice re earlier bedtime, tried this since weekend and it seems to be helping. Last night: feed at 11 and went through til 4.30!

Olivo feel for you. Just as you think dc2 is getting there dc1 starts up! Mine is nearly 4 and has started waking up with night fears.. exhausting and difficult to reassure them. Its not like you can bf them and put them back down is it? At least it sounds like your students are kind. Hope your week improves.

Hi all, sounds like some of you are making progress so well done! Still haven't been quite brave enough to drop night feeds although DH is quite happily doing his share of night settling. We've made a sort of pact that between midnight and 5 if she wakes then that's his domain. After 5 I'll bf her and (hopefully) she'll go back down. Last night she went through from 6.30 till 3.30 so quite happy with that. DH settled her but she didn't really sleep again properly till I fed her at 5. Still, we're going to try it for a few nights as I have learned from all of you that consistency seems to be the key!

Naps are still pretty rubbish. Had some serious arguments with both sets of parents about our nap obsession.... But that's another thread! Zimm thanks for your input, am going to try some PUPD to try and extend napping. Talking of which, just seen an eye rub so am off to put DD down. She was up at 6.50 so seems quite reasonable morning awake time...

Hope you've all had good nights!

Thats great dreema. we have had another 3 nights of only one waking! It was 4.30 this morning, and he went back til 7. It's great as it means he actually wants to feed when he wakes up which he never normally does.

We have had night fears with DS1 since he turned 4. These do seem to be improving though as the weeks go on.

Nice one Camperfan! Last night I didn't have to feed at all! We were expecting a terrible night as she was very overtired, but although it took us an hour to get her down, she went through till 1.30 when DH resettled (he is getting so proud of his daddy settling skills!) and then through till 6.15! We ignored her till 7 and I think she did drop off between times so all in all a good night.

How's everyone else today?

Wow that's great!! And well done Mr Dreema! I am really hoping that if my DS2 keeps waking once for a feed that it will get later and later until it becomes the morning one! Then into his own room! Although I have to say it is lovely waking up next to him. Much nicer than grumpy DH .

Interesting that other shave had night terrors at 4 - that is exactly when dd1 started. she will be 5 in a couple of months and although she has never been a good sleeper, the past 4 months have been hideous. Last night was 6 or 7 times, i am knackered.
spoke to HV, she has given me a sleep diary to keep, but I cant see her for another few weeks as I am bogged down with work. Not that I think that she'll be able to do anything

sorry, feeling sorry for myself today!

A few mums in RL have said the same thing re: nightmares. Olivo you must be knackered. I know how you feel from when DS1 was smaller - he didn't sleep well until he was 3; just after he turned 2 was the absolute low point. I worked pt then too. And we were living on a building site! So you have my sympathies. It's somehow more tolerable when they are small babies, but as they get older you start to lose your patience a bit.

Hi all,
sunshine - really pleased the early bedtime has helped! camperfan - sounds like you are going great guns.

Well the last few nights have been totally and utterly rubbish - I think it's teething, she has been beyond miserable and so tired in the day she is just floppy and clingy and I've barely put her down. She has hardly napped a wink either. URRGGHH.