8mo awake for 1.5-2.5 hours a night - there must be something I can do?

[TheNewandImprovedMrsHollywood]

DD goes to sleep at 7, perfectly happy and sucking her dummy. She usually stirs between 11 and 12:30 for a feed (EBF) but then wakes a hour and so later and is just awake. She doesn't want to be on her own and she certainly doesn't want to be quiet, but she doesn't seem to want a feed, be in any pain or need anything else. If DS (3) wakes up for a cuddle as well, I'm fucked. He was never the best sleeper but this is something else.

It's 4am, I've been awake since 1:30am. I can't go on like this - there must be something I do. Please help.

Oh no, poor you. No advice unfortunately but would be interested in any tips - 5mo DD is the same and it is killing me (and my marriage - DH has to sleep in spare room in order to function at work).

I do think there is a sleep regression at 8 months or so - or maybe she is about to master a new skill eg crawling? Hope it passes soon!

Oh God, don't say crawling just yet!!!

Sorry to hear you're in the same boat - hopefully someone will come along with some things to try so at least we can feel like we're doing something.

I don't think sleep regression is to blame here - partly because she's been waking like this on and off for months now and partly because sleep regression infers that better sleep has taken place!

Any advice from anyone else reading this, very gratefully received!

Bump.

Anyone?!

I wish I could give you a solution, other than I'm sure it's a phase. DD did exactly the same for about a month from 7.5 months... Nothing would shut her up calm her down. We tried feeding, bringing into bed, lying next to her with hand on her back (she was in tent-style travel cot at the time), saying "shhhhh" for an hour, ignoring her... It passed in the end, I think it was probably developmental. We are currently going through similar but at 4-5am (sigh) - she's now 10 months. Hope it doesn't last long for you!

Ps 32 we have been in the same boat regarding spare room at about 5 months when DD was waking about 5-6 times a night (rolling being one of the main culprits) but that passed too (after some tears from me and a self-settling plan).

Can you tell I feel like I've seen it all in the last 10 months!

Thanks Fifi - this too shall pass, eh?!

Last night not so bad. I was able to settle more quickly - don't know why it worked last night and not night before though!!

I am in a similar boat, though I have twins at 15 months

I'm not really sure what classes as normal sleep for babies, so I don't know whether they are particularly bad sleepers, but since about 4 months, they've generally gone to be at 7pm ish, then woken at 11pm/12pm ish, 2/3am ish, 4/5am ish and then up for the day between 6am and 7am. They generally wake separately (thank god - like NewandImproved says, I have no chance of sleep if they both wake together).

Recently they've started waking at 1.30/2am and wanting to get up and play. I think it's linked to their developing walking skills as we went through similar with crawling at 8 months ish.

The only way I can cope is to decamp my duvet to the floor of my bedroom and let them go on the floor. They're used to playing in my room (so it's relatively boring, just a few toys) and the room is baby safe. I then get whatever kip I can on the floor. Eventually they start coming for cuddles and pass out somewhere on me/the duvet/on the boob. Once they're both asleep I put them back in their cots and get back on my bed rather than the floor!

Like others, DH is in the spare room. This works for us as I spend a lot of the night feeding/co sleeping/camping on the floor and there is no point in both of us being up.

I don't know what to suggest really, except that you might get at least some kip on the floor! Other than that - the berthing I did was go back to work I get nearly an hours sleep on the train every morning and every night I'm more reste that I have been in 15 months!

Good luck, and at least we can all take comfort that we're not the only ones up at stupid o'clock for no reasonable reason

I am in a similar boat, though I have twins at 15 months

I'm not really sure what classes as normal sleep for babies, so I don't know whether they are particularly bad sleepers, but since about 4 months, they've generally gone to bed at 7pm ish, then woken at 11pm/12pm ish, 2/3am ish, 4/5am ish for a feed (bf) and then up for the day between 6am and 7am. They generally wake separately (thank god - like NewandImproved says, I have no chance of sleep if they both wake together).

Recently they've started waking at 1.30/2am and wanting to get up and play. I think it's linked to their developing walking skills as we went through similar with crawling at 8 months ish.

The only way I can cope is to decamp my duvet to the floor of my bedroom and let them go on the floor. They're used to playing in my room (so it's relatively boring, just a few toys) and the room is baby safe. I then get whatever kip I can on the floor. Eventually they start coming for cuddles and pass out somewhere on me/the duvet/on the boob. Once they're both asleep I put them back in their cots and get back on my bed rather than the floor!

Like others, DH is in the spare room. This works for us as I spend a lot of the night feeding/co sleeping/camping on the floor and there is no point in both of us being up.

I don't know what to suggest really, except that you might get at least some kip on the floor! Other than that - the best thing I did was go back to work I get nearly an hours sleep on the train every morning and every night I'm more rested than I have been in 15 months!

Good luck, and at least we can all take comfort that we're not the only ones up at stupid o'clock for no reasonable reason

Oops, sorry for the double post - I was editing mistakes

Hello it's a nightmare and we had a phase of this recently where DD would be up chatting and singing for up to an hour in her cot. Most nights she'd settle back down to sleep but sometimes it would descend into tears.

For her (she was 11mo) it followed a nasty cold where she would cry and we would go in and deliver medicine/comfort but when she was better it would be the same time every night.

Once we were convinced she was well, not hungry etc we resorted to some sleep training. We let her cry for 3 mins then comforted without picking up, then 5 mins, 7 etc.

I know some people are against this so as always you have to be on board with it but a consistent approach should, in the long run, yield results. I know you're in a bit of a tricky position having other dc though.

I'm not a sleep toughie at all, we co-slept and camped and all that but once we felt she was big enough we established some groundrules and have stuck to them.

Does she re-settle with a dummy? Might be an idea to ditch that at some point. If you're thinking of doing some sleep training anyway then it might be an idea to do the two together.

It's really hard and I feel for you!

What about dropping the dreamfeed? I thought the purpose of them was to hopefully give you a longer stretch of sleep afterwards. If you drop the dreamfeed she may wake up at this new time she's been waking up and then you can feed her, maybe she'll then be content enough to go back to sleep. Wishful thinking?

I wish I knew the answer to this one our 19 month dd has been like this for a year! She is much better than she was. Basically we have to get to her as soon as she wakes up. If its relatively early eg pre 1am we can shush herback to sleep in the cot. After that the only hope is to plonk her into bed between us and cuddle herback to sleep. Very hit and miss though we prob spend at least one night a week with her whining in the cot or wriggling between us for two hours. It used to be every night though so it does get better honest!

Hi all - thanks for all comments.

I'm not keen to get rid of the dummy just yet, as it helps to settle her so well for naps and at the start of the night. However, I accept this might become necessary!

Lizzywig - I don't think I do dream feed - I never initiate any night feeding and of she didn't want it, I wouldn't do it. On nights when she doesn't wake until 1am, she certainly doesn't get fed until then!

Those of you also suffering - good luck tonight!