6 month old - no sleeping am at the end of the line now... help needed before I start rocking in the chair

[davidtennantsmistress]

ds2, has never been a good sleeper, however he has over the last 2 weeks or so got progressively worse.

last night I managed 4 hours sleep on/off.

ds will wake up atm every 2 hours, sometimes he'll go back to sleep othertimes taken an hour last night 2 hours (not unusual)

DP is of the view he needs more food - he's on the boob by day, and bottles by night, typically his routien is:-

5.30-7 (anytime between) wake
about half hour after that a morning boob, half hour again is a bit of porridge or yoghurt & another boob.

8.30-9.30 (depends on when he wakes up) nap time during school run. is 45 mins usually, if i'm lucky it's an hour.

10.30 ish boob

11 nap (1.5 hours if lucky, however if he has an earlier long one he doens't have this nap)

12.30-13.00 boob & veg puree/fruit. water

13.00 nap for 45 mins to an hour.

3.30 school run (20 min nap)

4 boob

5 what ever we're eating as finger foods. water

6.15-6.30 boob x 2 (not always wanting) 8 oz bottle.

then 8.30 6oz bottle

11.30 6 oz bottle

and every 2 hours after this 3/4 oz's a time, until he wakes up.

i'm exhausted & trying to move house for the second time in 5 months trying to hold it together & not bawling my eyes out for the 3rd time in as many days. I just want to have 4 hours in one block in stead of awake every 45 mins-2 hours. :-( what are my options other than rocking and bawling in the corner.

Not sure of an answer specifically, but can your OH take a night so you can at leeast get some sleep? Oh, and does your son nap?

Oh. I feel for you!

I am similarly tired. My 8mo DS isn't a great sleeper either. Last night it was gone 3am before I got to sleep and he was up again by 6 and I am delirious with lack of sleep.

My sympathy! It's hideous when they don't sleep.

Advice?? Not sure. DS was getting better until he had tonsillitis last week and is now back to being a tinker.

What worked before:: DH doing a few of the nights. Upping the solid food intake particularly evening meal - I will give him his protein meal at lunch and then cereal in evening as its easy to eat when they are tetchy after a long day and takes a good while to digest. And when resettling at night, doing it in the dark, no talking other than shushing, no picking up just patting or hand holding. This was working pre-illness and we had actual whole nights sleep with no waking.

As you are probably doing all this already, I am probably not much help sorry.

Hth

oh no that sounds like me last week - DS2 finally settled at 4am and 4.05 DS1 came in and said 'i've had a bad dream, que me to be wedged inbetween the two of them with nout but 2 dead arms for company, and 2 hours later both were up for the day.

ms - yes he does sometimes for a few hours, sometimes for 20 mins, DP will play with him when he wakes from a nap which I cop the needle over as DS is usually still tired (wakes up crying) I usually try to get him to go back unless he's had 2 or so hours.

ski - I think the evening meal maybe the key then, as tbh he plays with his food mostly then (which we don't mind) and not much goes in.

i'm going to start giving him an 8 oz bottle at lunch time as well to see how he goes with that settling & putting him back to the pampers baby dry nappies.

really at the end, DP gets up with him on friday nights, and got up with him last night in the end after 2 hours of my being up & down at half one, I usually let DP have a lay in on the sat am and he gives me on on the sunday, however I normally hear him get up with DS2 at 5.30-6, then DS1 will come in with me at 7 and be told to go down stairs then I hear them all bellowing down stairs and finally get up at about 8. sometimes I think i'm being spoilt, as DP does offer for me to go & sleep at my mums for the night but so far i've not taken him up on it, as he works full time, and also cycles to work/train commutes which is a 2 hour trip daily biking about 20 miles so he's tired as well.

The first thing that sprung to my mind when reading the above is isn't a mothers love the most wonderful thing....and knackering.

Perhaps the evening meal is the key but the first thing I wondered is do you think he misses the boob in the evening? If you're up for it why don't you give it a try? Also when he wakes is he crying or happy? When my DD wakes sometimes at night she'll be chattering in her crib and up until recently I'd change her nappy and feed her but then one day I just tucked her back in and gave her a kiss and she went back to sleep, flipping miracle. Ever since I started doing this she has started sleeping better. If your DS is crying though obviously he needs something. If he's only taking 3/4oz during the night do you think maybe it's not enough for him? Maybe he's so tired and just conks out after that. Why don't you try winding him and rousing him to take a bit more and see what results you get? I give DD a bottle at bedtime (so that DH can do some nights too) but BF during the night if she wakes and I often find that she'll dose off on the bottle but I know she's still hungry because she hasn't eaten for a good few hours and prior to feeding her she was screaming hungry.

My other thought it take your DP up on his offer. I'm as bad as you are. DH offers me the same thing but truth be told I don't want to be away from DD for the night. So if DH gives me a lie in at the weekend all I hear is him getting her dressed, them playing, her crying and I can't get back to sleep. You need to get away for one night. If you're moving house you have enough on your plate and bursting into tears all the time is the sheer exhaustion. Can you imagine how good a full nights sleep would be. I say go over to your mums and go to bed at 5pm, I bet you won't wake up until at least 10am the next day and I bet you will feel wonderful and refreshed. You will be a much happier mummy. Chin up.

How far past 6 months is he? I think he sounds hungry (although you say he's never been a good sleeper so some of it could be habit as well). Hunger is often overlooked when weaned children wake at night but my 2.5 yr old woke at 5am yesterday morning and I'm convinced she was just hungry.

I think that the feeding during the night is probably dampening his appetite during the day for solids. Tea is a good time to get something carby and sleep-inducing, like cereals or pasta if he's old enough? Mashed potato?

Can you try and up his solids intake during the day at the same time as reducing the night feeds? This might help him (and you! sleep in longer stretches which should gradually extend the older he gets.

You have my sympathies.:)

How're you getting on with sleep now DTM? We're having similarly shocking sleep regularly just getting 3-4 hours broken sleep and my feeling is its hunger as she's started being rubbish at feeding during the day but isn't on masses of solids yet. Wondered if you've found that upping the solids has made any difference?

Can you switch to bottles in the day and boob at night? The boob will help you both get back to sleep because of the sleepy hormones?

Also how long have you been giving bottles for?

I'd also give lunch before his second nap - so lunch at 11.30 then boob/bottle then nap. More likely to get a longer nap then.

Also try a teaspoon of camomile tea before bed (for him), in case it's wind from solids waking him up.