Please don't just say "it's a regression", even if it is

[OhPuddleducks]

I'm not trying to be in denial, just desperate for practical things I can do to help us all get better sleep. Been trying to ride it out, but it's getting worse.

DS is nearly six months. He was a very good sleeper up until about a month ago, when he was ill. I was at my parents' house at the time, with my 2yo DD and without DP and basically did anything to soothe him and get some sleep into him. We ended up co-sleeping for about 4 nights and I fed him whenever he wanted it, which was a lot, probably every two hours or so. Since then he can't seem to go more than two and a half hours through the night without milk and takes a long time to settle afterwards. DP is very supportive - he tries to settle him at certain points through the night (eg if I've just fed him) but DS is picky and really only settles with me.

He used to regularly wake once in the night and sometimes go right through so I know he can do it.

Have tried tanking him up in the day, but it never seems to be enough. We had big problems establishing bfing so I don't want to introduce a bottle of expressed/formula. Also not great at co-sleeping - I know it's ridiculous but I basically lie awake in fear that I'll squash him.

He's at the end of a wonder week so I've been hoping it's that, but tonight he's been up every forty minutes and now I'm thinking "what if it isn't?"

I'm trying to get as much sleep as I can around it - going to bed when the kids do etc. but I'm a SAHM without family nearby so have both kids all day, every day and need sleep to be patient and calm with them (DD is gorgeous but full on).

Sorry to ramble - I'm knackered and I'll be up with my bundle of energy daughter in about five minutes... Anything that I can do that will make me feel like I'm positively changing the situation would be so, so appreciated.

Hiya, Does he seem in pain? do you think he's teething at all? Or do you think it's habit from when you co-slept?

My daughter was a terrible teether and would wake many times a night from the annoyance of it - it started around 5 months (she was a relatively good sleeper before then).

Also, my daughter was a breastfeeding addict and her sleep only really improved once we night weaned - which you may feel is too young at 6 months to do at this stage. Basically, their tummy's get used to a feed in the night and so if they continue to receive this, will wake up out of habit. This may naturally improve when your DS starts eating solids.

Incidentally when we night weaned it didn't put her off breastfeeding during the day - in fact she received still had day feeds until up to 22months (when she weaned herself). So I wouldn't worry about losing the bf-ing.

I hated co-sleeping as my daughter was so restless I never got any sleep ( she would sleep horizontally across us thrashing and kicking.

So as a result with did have a battle to get her to sleep properly in her own cot. How we dealt with it all is on my blog - here's the link: mydaughterwontsleep.com/2014/02/21/teething-when-pain-relief-just-doesnt-cut-it/
mydaughterwontsleep.com/2014/02/06/is-breast-best-when-it-comes-to-sleep-apparently-not/

good luck!

If he's nearly six months you can start him on small amounts of solids, for the first week they don't get much actually in them as they get used to the textures etc

Try giving him something around 6 before b/f to see if he will last a bit longer. He sounds ready.

However, as my baby is now 17, have a chat with your HV on current feeding advice!!

Good luck & sympathies, I'd have sold my soul for sleep at that age.

Thanks for the replies - it's brutal at the moment...

caroline, I suppose it could be teething, as his first two broke through the other week and there are two more lurking just under the surface, but I really feel it's more habitual from when he was ill. Calpol doesn't seem to make a difference either but other than that, it's just a gut feeling ... You're right about the night weaning - I'm sure he would sleep better if we did it, but he still seems so little that I don't think I can yet. I don't think I night weaned DD until around nine or ten months and, although I think I will be doing it much earlier this time, he still feels like such a wee one I can't yet. Thanks for the blog link - really useful to hear about others' experiences.

We actually started him on food at the weekend MissMarple, sort of hoping the same thing. He's taken to it really well but I guess it'll be a while before he is taking on enough to make a difference? (Honestly can't remember a thing about this from DD - you wouldn't think it was my second time at all this).

Currently trying to help him drop off independently instead of feeding him to sleep, in the hope this will help if he wakes in the night and isn't actually peckish. Only on second day so no idea if this is another mistake!

To cap it off the toddler decided that "sleep is boring" tonight and had us both in and out of her room like yo-yos until I finally snapped after and hour and a half and went in and growled something along the lines of "stop crying. I'm not coming in again, so if you keep shouting and complaining no one will hear you because no one is listening". Hate her going to bed upset with me. Bloody children and bloody not sleeping.

Sorry to hear you're going through this. My 7mo DS is currently doing this too - and at the worst possible time.

We've just found out that I'm pg again and now he decides to stop sleeping through! (Which he's done since he was about 4 weeks old).

Am watching for ideas.

Tried everything, leaving him to self soothe, holding him, co-sleeping, feeding (didn't want to do that though as I know he's not hungry) etc. he's just gone to sleep, purely because he wore himself out.

How's things OPD ?

I don't know really... We started putting him down drowsy but awake and for a couple of days that seemed to make a huge difference - had a couple of nights where he was only up twice, and it was heaven. However, last night he was awake every two hours again. He went to bed at around 7.30, woke at 9.30 crying. DP sat with him and calmed him which kept him going until 11.30 and then I fed him every two hours from then. I weighed myself before going to bed and then first thing and I was 4 pounds lighter (!) so he's obviously taking quite a lot on. Feeding seems to be the only thing that calms him.

I feel a bit disappointed because we'd formulated this plan and for a couple of days it seemed like it was going to work and now we're back at square one. We've decided that we're going to try and drop the feeds one at a time now, starting from the 9.30 one, but DS. Is up there howling uncontrollably at DP now and I'm not sure how we'll get to 11 without waking the toddler/my womb exploding from guilt/DS not crying himself into a stupor. I'm also trying to put him straight back in the cot again after a feed, rather than rocking him to sleep or anything so that it limits the amount of time I'm out of bed. If I could succeed in that I'd at least feel like I was winning a small battle.

Bloody babies. It's a good thing they're cute.