Why won't you bloody well sleep?!

[PickledLily]

I thought it was 4mth sleep regression, but we've now hit 5mths and her sleep is still rubbish. Last night for example, she went to sleep at 7, then woke at 9.30, 11.30, 1.30-4, then 5.30 and hasn't slept since.

She has a cold, which is this week's excuse, but to be honest the sleep pattern is pretty consistent except she normally doesn't wake at 9.30.

How do I get her to sleep now? She's playing on the floor showing no signs of giving in. White noise, rocking and feeding have all failed.

Yes, he has the most frustrating stamina. He was very very determined and got very very upset and I would be beside myself as a result and generally end up feeding him or holding him until he went back to sleep. We tried a few times before to let him resettle but always gave up when he got too upset so had ended up in a pattern of him waking in the night a lot and one of us being up with him until he went back to sleep only to be up again in another hour or two doing the same thing.

I think the difference this time was that I was at breaking point I started the training during the day and then carried it on through the evening so I was a bit less desperate during the most difficult times (i.e. not close to tears of desperation and head in hands like I was in the middle of the night). I'd already been working on introducing a cuddly toy and getting him comfortable with being in his cot (as per the No Cry Sleep Solution techniques also mentioned on the SS site I think).

I asked DH to help me too so that I'd stick to the plan (I am at home with the boys and kicked things off so thought it should be me seeing it through the first night or two as well). I figured we'd try it a few days like they suggested and because it was supposed to work so quickly I knew I would be more likely to be able to hang in there because I'd see progress straight away.

They say the reason it doesn't work in most cases is because the techniques are not adhered to without exception and therefore baby will keep crying in the hope that this time will be the time you pick them up or feed them again etc because they haven't learned any other way of getting back to sleep. But if they know how to get back to sleep then they'll generally settle by themselves instead.

It's not just DH and I who are much happier, it's also DS2 - he is so much more smiley and giggly and less fractuous during the day than he was, he's even teething at the moment and still sleeps most of the way through the night.

Oh, and it wasn't just screaming when he was awake, sometimes he would just be awake and content to just lie in our arms until he went back to sleep which would generally take an hour or more.

Then scream when we put him down

Also known as You are Not Alone! :( :o

the last two days, we've had exactly that problem! She doesn't understand self-settling so after she's fallen asleep feeding, if she isn't fully asleep she'll wake and cry like she's being tormented. I feel awful because there's nothing I can do!

Raspberry I guess it's the baby learning to fall to sleep by themselves, i.e. without needing intervention from its parents such as being fed or rocked etc to sleep. We use a soft toy comforter that he can cuddle up to when he wakes up in the night and a bedtime routine with a shortened version (story, song) for daytime naps so he knows it's time to go to sleep.

I'm resurecting this thread with an update...

7m and she still won't bloody well sleep.

Every night is different, but there is a vague pattern that goes something like this:
Asleep at 6pm ish.
1st wake up - massive feed
2nd wake up (generally 2-3hrs later) - massive feed
3rd wake up - wide awake, chatty/teething/practising crawling* delete as applicable, not hungry but rubbing eyes. Takes upto 2 hrs to resettle.
Repeat step 3 until time to get up.

On the plus side, I know she is now sometimes resettling herself in the first half of the night (a miracle i didn't think would ever happen) but after midnight, not a chance.

I know this is common at this age. i just wish she'd grow out of it. DH is away next week; her sleep schedule is going to kill me.

Oh and thanks for all the co.ments -loved the lullaby, DH and I were in stitches.

Wanted to post weeks ago, but my I internet has been buat plus was trying to, well, get some sleep.

Hope its been a bit better for the rest of you

hello my 5 month old won't sleep either. she has been awake from midnight so far! i feel like shit!