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If you fed your baby to sleep and their sleep pattern was all over the place until 4+ months, did it just get better on its own??

4 replies

snottagecheese · 25/05/2013 21:15

That's it really. DS (16 weeks) has never really had much of a pattern, but from a few weeks old was at least sleeping 2-3 hours in his first stretch, then for a few lovely days he managed 4-5. But at about 12-13 weeks he suddenly started waking in the evenings, on a good day after an hour or even an hour and a half, but more often after 45 mins or an hour, or even just 15-20 mins.

Then he wakes up constantly through the night - last night I think I saw just about every hour on the clock. He sleeps in the Moses basket for his first stretch, but then comes in with me as otherwise I'd get no sleep at all. His naps have also gone to pot - he manages to do an hour, sometimes a bit more, in the morning, but after midday it's a real effort to get him to sleep at all. He'll usually do a couple of 30-min stints out of sheer exhaustion, but very rarely more than that.

I guess what I'm asking is - is this early 4-month sleep regression (not that he really had anything to regress from), and if I just ride it out might things just improve on their own in a few weeks' (months' - gah) time, or can/should I be doing anything to improve matters? Clearly he's too young for any sort of sleep training, even gentle stuff like PUPD, but I'm going a bit demented. In the daytime things don't seem so bad, but most nights in the middle of the night I just want to cry with the exhaustion of it all Sad

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
louisoscar · 26/05/2013 15:32

I might be in the minority here but I don't think 16 weeks is too young for the beginnings of gentle sleep training.

Our 10 week dd is fed to sleep too and has started waking most hours during the night. These can't all be hunger wakings so I think she just doesn't know how to put herself back to sleep yet because up until now sleep has involved my boobs! We are starting with the daytime naps trying to put her down sleepy in her cot (with mixed success) and will soon move onto doing the same at bedtime; feeding til nearly asleep then trying to put her down. Problem is bf to sleep is so easy to do its tempting to carry in but personally, I'd like to teach dd to sleep without a boob over the coming weeks.

Good luck and I hope you get some more sleep soon!

FaddyPeony · 05/06/2013 22:37

Yes. It was precisely as you describe.
It got better on its own. One night we suddenly got our evening back, and that was it. Not long after that she took herself off boob at bedtime as if to say oh ffs just let me sleep! I still fed her in the night for a very long time, but it was quick and painless so I didn't mind, I slept well between feeds.

Would suggest you can start doing the 'Pantley pull-off' when feeding to sleep, ie, just unlatch when finished a feed. That'll help.

It gets better.

FaddyPeony · 05/06/2013 22:41

If you want to put baby in own room around the 6 month mark, it should get better anyway then too.

AndMiffyWentToSleep · 06/06/2013 19:20

Yes, it got better on its own. Gradual improvements. With blips.
Hang in there!

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