The dreaded SLEEP REGRESSION support and solidarity thread!

[Tiredemma]

Here we are. Sleep deprived, emotional and craving all things sugary just to survive the day.

bah.

Can I join?
DS 20weeks, and apart from a few nights before Christmas were he got my hopes up and slept from 12-5, is just crap!

Daytime not bad much like georgiejo up at 7 naps at 9, long nap midday and cat nap late afternoon. We are FF

The evenings then go a bit unpredictable we have tried soooooo hard to get him into a routine but there is no structure sleep wise after 6pm, but he'll have a bottle at 6-6.30 and again at 9, then it's down for the night around 10-10.30.

Overnight then is just terrible he wakes often, but not hungry he just seems to want to play will shout and coo. I inevitably lift him into our bed from Moses basket to settle him and it's in our bed (I swear he grins a grin of 'yes' when he's in our bed) he will stay all night, I don't mind co sleeping if I were getting any sleep but I don't as he wakes to chat & play 3 or 4 times through the night! I don't know what to do am just about coping at the mo but dreading returning to work! I just about function during the day. I can't catch up on sleep as I have DD 22months who's a bundle of energy all day. And as she naps in the afternoon DS is awake

It's so hard juggling the needs of a toddler as well, my ds1 has never watched so much tv in his whole life!!

We decided we would come away for the weekend to dear mil house after over an hour of screaming he sleeps I keep worrying she (mil) thinks it's me doing something wrong with him!! I wouldn't mind but as I've put in previous posts he doesn't often scream- multiple night wakings but rarely screams guess he thought he would save it for coming away!!

I sometimes wonder if he is reluctant to settle on a night time as (without really realising myself) I am starting to get stressed out thinking of the night ahead etc baby's are supposedly very in tune with mummy's feelings??

Feels like my DS is getting worse by the night

He was late to bed tonight for various reasons and DP ended up putting him down when he was already asleep. He woke up after 30 mins and started crying, so I tried to resettle him, thinking it was to soon to be hungry. He got louder so DP tried to calm him but he got more and more upset and ended up crying so hard he was sick. This was with someone trying to soothe him!

So, I'm now feeding him to (hopefully) sleep. Seems he was actually hungry - despite 4 weeks of this I still don't think I'm used to him needing all these extra night feeds again. God it's not even midnight yet. I'm so tired but so wound up at the same time.

Morning all.

Georgie & Jay Bird - sounds like we are on the same routine as you. Despite weeks of dedication, not going out in the car or pram outside of nap times to avoid extra sleep and starting the day at 7am regardless of what's happened the night before (?!) - it's not bloody working! We are trying to tweak in a desperate attempt to get something to work.

Boo - MiL presence can go one way or the other can't it! My MiL stayed last night and insisted she did the night wakings (usually just a dummy required) so we could get some sleep. What a legend! Of course my own sleep is so fucked now I woke up every 2 hours anyway, then wondered if DD was still breathing as I hadn't heard anything... Can't win!

Noisy - hope you got some sleep in the end. DD cried when we put her down last night and was sick after a few minutes - I felt awful. DH reassures me we didn't actually make her sick but even so .

Cake baby - my GP tried to make me feel better by saying the sleep liars successes now will have their come uppance during the toddler years. Here's hoping huh?!

Today is a new day...

Well I hope we all managed a bit of sleep last night!! My ds settled just before midnight he was co sleeping with me as I don't feel comfortable putting him in travel cot yet! He woke at 3.20 then again at 6.30 then 8.10 this is really good for him - not sure why I feel more tired than ever but hey oh technically just two night wakings is really good for us just hope he keeps it up!!

Alarming people following routines aren't faring any better as I've kept saying to dp when I get to the point of complete desperation I will have to implement a routine (I've been too selfish so far recommended nap times often coincide with toddler groups I attend with ds 1 & i didn't want to give these up!) but sounds Like routine might not even work! Baby's are such mysteries!!

Booville- I have had the exact same routine since DD was about 2 weeks old.
Bath at 6pm, last bottle between 6.30-6.45. Nothing changed in terms of routine.

She has slept through past 4 nights so maybe I really am (this time!) coming to the end of the regression. I am back at work in 4 weeks and really cant be awake all night and then working on an acute psychiatric ward all day.

Yep, we have doggedly followed a routine since DD was 4 weeks old. Clearly it's not the answer! And yes we have had to plan classes and groups around nap times and feeding which can feel restrictive. But I'm stuck with it as I haven't got an alternative and we are too far down the road...

Yeah routine is overrated. DD by 20wks had dropped her late feed and wanted to sleep (well I say sleep) from 7 onwards, she was never great either, so I was fully prepared this time (and no time to forget as they are only 17months apart) for the lack of sleep! As DD is my only point of reference I assumed DS would do the same and sort it all himself! Only thing that's changed is he doesn't get dreamfed at 10.30pm any more but screams for a bottle at 9pm instead.

I've tried keeping him awake between 6 and 9 bottles, I've tried letting him sleep when he wants in this time but it has no bearing on overnight. I also tried implementing a bath book bottle bedtime routine but he's so unpredictable it has never worked!

I thought DD was bad but now at 22months she sleeps (knock on wood - canines cutting through) a good 11hrs at night, but she didn't do this to 18-19. There's a depressing thought! But with her things did improve from around 6-7months I think, just gotta hold onto the hope.........

Thats 18-19months not years - I'm tired!!!

Welcome jaybird

No change here, still a battle to get him down, wakes hourly til I go to bed and we co sleep. I was trying to move away from him once he's asleep to stop the sleep-rooting but he's sussed this out now and is a proper Velcro baby. Wedged right up next to me, head pressed hard against my arm, hands on boob. I'm going nowhere....sigh.

Artemis any progress for you?

We had a few reasonable nights before the weekend with only 2 wake ups, though I still can't get her back down if she wakes after about 4.30am. But last night went backwards again. Difficult to get down for the night, 4 wakings and impossible to settle after 5. But she woke up today with a cough and me with a streaming cold so maybe that's caused the upset. She's been asleep since about 7.45 but shuffling about and moaning for the past 15 mins which I'm desperately trying to ignore... Came to bed at 9 to try and get a head start on sleep but I feel dreadful and can't take any really good drugs due to BFing. Really hope DD doesn't get this cold, a snotty baby is a sorry sight and a guarantee of zero sleep!

I'm intending to work on naps this week as she has no coherent nap schedule and I find it nigh on impossible to get her to sleep during the day, am totally reliant on car journeys or pushchair. But from what I've read here it doesn't sound as though naps hold the answer!

Hi all, I have 11 month old twins who were perfect sleepers until their back teeth started coming through a few months ago, now they wake up anything between 2/4 times a night. Medicine doesn't seem to help relieve their pain. Anyone have any tips or tricks? - if you do you could make millions ;-)

You've hit the nail on the head there if we knew how to solve night wakings we would be millionaires as sometimes there just isn't an answer & we can all just do our best!!

Not too bad here - to sleep without too much screaming up at 2.30, 5 & unfortunately awake now due to big (I mean big) poo which I had to change which has woken ds to the point of no going back, I hate it when days start so early I've never been an early bed so being up from 6 with the whole day ahead of me is a bit depressing however a quick cuppa before ds1 is even awake is relatively peaceful!!

How have others fared??

www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Sleep-Guide-Your-Baby/dp/1903458358

DD has slept reasonably well for the past couple of nights so fingers crossed im approaching the end of this hell (and then im sure we will get into 'teething pain' etc etc and commence more sleepless nights.

The book I liked to above its quite informative - its now gathering dust next to my bed - If any one would like it (It may have some answers for you??!) then let me know and ill post out to you.

@tiredemma - that's great news, fingers crossed. Can you pin point what made the difference? Or is it just a case of waiting for the phase to pass?

TiredMama, if you still have the book and your offer is still open, please may I have it? I am desperate to try anything. My LO has been waking up hourly at night since the past 4 months and I have no idea how I'm going to go back to work :(

winespider- Nothing- same routine since two weeks.
DD has a bottle at 3pm (6oz).
I then give her a light top up at 5pm (3oz)
Bath around 5.45/6pm
6-15/6.30Take down stairs and give her a bottle ( I always do a 6oz bottle but she generally only take 4oz/5oz)

Kisses and good night to big brothers and Dp- take upstairs and put into her cot. put white noise monitor on (sounds of 'the womb'!)
Kiss. sshhhhhhh. goodnight. sleep time now (repeat this about 3x)
Turn lamp off
leave room (its about 6.50/7pm at this point)

If she gets unsettled- just go back in and repeat the kiss/shhhhh.

NO change at all to my routine so its more about her I think? and a passing phase??

Ginger- inbox me your address and ill post the book either today or tomorrow.

What do people think to baby monitors?? I've never had one before as lived in much smaller house when ds1 was a baby, house isn't exactly massive now but currently ds2 still in our room which is the loft extension part of me thinks (from what I've read on here) that If I start putting ds2 up to bed following a sensible bedtime routine instead of holding him whilst I watch rubbish tv then transfer him to cot when i go to bed that I might be making a start towards a better nights sleep?? I partly think if he is just murmuring I won't hear him downstairs & that may be a good thing as I won't be tending to him constantly & will only hear him when he is really crying (this post is sounding awful!)

I guess my question is do baby monitors make you more paranoid about your baby or do they offer good reassurance?? If you advocate baby monitors any recommendations to which sort?

Boo- I have a monitor that has 'mute' and will only 'go off' if DD wails.

Otherwise I found myself responding to every deep breath!

this one

www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplay0_10751_-1_136297_10001?$ja=tsid:49662&cm_mmc=googlemerchantcenter--nmppla--NULL--NULL#fs=0b4e44766093e99d5eca3ea21a19d694&gclid=CP-U2qjjr7wCFYrjwgoduTwArQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

Delurking to chip in about routine and monitors. Still have a couple of wake ups and if it's after 4, it's a long haul getting DD2 back to sleep.

We have a very flexible routine. Food remains on demand and we've just started weaning so DD2 gets some food to try at tea time. Sleep happens during the day usually 2-2 and half hours after previous wake up and bed time signalled by boob - bath - boob - sleeping bag. I had quite a strict routine with DD1 and it made no difference at all, she was also FF by 4 months.

We've never bothered with a monitor, but I know we are in a minority. I just leave doors open or a jar and telly down low at night. We live in a house, DD2 is upstairs and we are downstairs. I am convinced that not jumping at the first noise means DD2 settles herself. Was the same with DD1. Mind you I kept them both downstairs with us for over 3 months to begin with.

I think we are starting to get teeth hell. Oh the joys.

Hehe soupmaker I have a feeling (altho remotes to get a monitor the one recommended below does look good) that I might be constantly checking if the monitor is working or not!!

Do you know what I might try & get him up In his cot tonight - without monitor as won't be able to get one today (and probably not til payday!!) and see how we get on!

I think not having a monitor probably does help with self soothe a little. However, not all babies are the same. I found that a lot of the times for my baby, it was best to go quickly or else then she would wake up fully and would be a pain to put back to sleep.

Boo we recently got a baby monitor and started putting DD to bed at 7 in the cot in our room. Before we'd been doing as you do and keeping her downstairs asleep on one of us until we went to bed. I'm not sure it's led to better sleep but it does mean we get an evening occasionally - she can take an hour to go down and after that I'm usually in bed by 9 so it's not much of one but it's a start. We just got a basic audio monitor, no video or movement monitors as I felt that would make me paranoid and DP didn't like the idea of surveillance! I have to control myself and not jump at the slightest murmur as she does shuffle and witter in her sleep.

Routine wise we've had the same one for ages. I don't think it makes any difference on a night by night basis but am hoping that over time the consistency will help. Putting her to bed on her own is part of that, I'm hoping that at some point we'll reach the holy grail of self settling where I just have to put her to bed and she'll put herself to sleep. We are a long way off that but I need to feel like we're making steps in the right direction!

Artemis we've just started doing the same as you with our DS, getting him into his cot in our room by 7.30. Last night he still woke a lot but it was nice to have a bit of an evening with DP before the fun started!

I'm also working on improving the length of time DS naps during the day, though I'm still skeptical about whether it has any effect on his night sleep. He stopped taking long naps weeks ago, having several 30-45 minute ones instead, but I'm now trying to coax one longer one out of him each day.

We have an Angelcare monitor. Our house is pretty small so we don't always have the sound on, just the movement sensor.