Help getting 7mo back to sleep through the night.

[IfAtFirstUDontSucceed]

DS has never been a great sleeper, we have never had a full nights sleep since he was born.
He is really good at dropping straight off to sleep on his own when he is put down for the night at about 7:30-8pm. However, when he wakes through the night he will not settle in his cot again.

He will usually wake any time between 11:30 and 2am, I'll BF him and try to put him back in his cot, sometimes asleep sometimes not. He'll give the impression that he's dropping off then will stir, roll over, lift his head up and immediately start crying (which also means that his dummy will drop out). I reach in, flip him back over and he'll settle, stir, roll over, lift his head up and start crying.........repeat! :( He's still not able to roll himself back on to his back.

To use that annoying phrase, I think we've made a rod for our back as we co slept with him from an early age. Now I think he wants to be brought in to our bed which we'll do eventually just to get some sleep. However, I don't sleep well with him in my bed (not enough room, blankets falling off, paranoid that he's rolled in to me and can't breathe, DS kicking, grabbing and slapping me )

He's still in our room as we're due to move house any time soon so his room is partly packed up. He also naps well through the day (on me though) and has taken to weaning really well and eats 3 solid meals a day. We've also tried getting him to bed earlier, not letting him sleep late in the afternoon and letting him cry for a short while.

Hi,

I don't have any answers but do you think he might settle if you placed him in a bed (with protective bed rails of course) in his own room, and you went in and fed him laying down, and then left him once he had been fed?

To be honest I'm probably getting too worked up about this at completely the wrong time as we're about to move house so spare beds etc have been dismantled and DS's room resembles a jumble sale!

It's a good idea feeding him in a bed and leaving him. I might give that a go once we're settled in the new house.

My ds does this routine and boy is it tiring at 3am!

I usually feed him then let him get drowsy or fall back asleep in my arms before putting him back in his cot.

Otherwise if that doesn't work ill stroke his head and shush him while his Ewan sleep sheep plays white noise.

I could have written your post! DD is 7m and exactly the same as your DS, I too have co-slept and BF which I think has caused her reluctance to be in her own cot! She is in her own room now but 9 times out of 10 will end up in our bed in the middle of the night.

My plan is to keep at it, we have had 2 nights out of the last 3 weeks where she has spent the whole night in her room (with 1 feed at 2am ish) and this is taking into account that she has had an awful cold/virus and is teething.

Hopefully perseverance is the key but I will be watching this thread with interest (and if you find out the answer, PM me!! )

It's good to know I'm not alone! :)

I think I could cope with the still winking through the night, it's just the hours battle afterwards to try and get him back to sleep is the killer.

DH has resorted to sleeping on a mattress on the floor surrounded by boxes in the spare room a couple of nights just so he can function at work while I desperately try to get DS back to sleep.

I had one night last week where I fed him and he completely zonked - proper newborn-style boob-drunk hands in the air type pose. I was able to put him down with no problem.
Even if he has fallen asleep on me, the slightest stir from him will cause him to roll and push his head up and we're back to square one.

Winking...?? Waking!