Quick Poll - parents of reflux sufferers - what was the best thing you did/bought to help your baby's sleep?

[TheRealGabster]

We are talking day and night sleep here. Anything goes. Obviously things that keep them upright are good but what exactly worked for you? Did you find one of those baby swing things really was worth the big price tag?

My DD is 6 weeks and we are managing with the usual tricks to some extent, but I would love some wisdom from mumsnetters. Obviously, we have her as upright as possible, but TBH it's not so much the sickness I am looking to solve here as the writhing around in pain/extending her sleep periods that I would like to help. And obviously it would be nice if she didn't spend most nights on my chest (although I do love my sneeky night time cuddles ).

DS had awful silent reflux for his first couple of months. We did buy a swing chair but tbh he didn't really like the swinging motion. He would sit in it whilst it was still for short periods. We elevated the top end of his cot as advised by GP and HV but his night time sleep was awful and he'd spend all night coughing as if trying to clear the acid from his throat. In the end we made the decision to put him on his front as we simply couldn't go on as we were with his lack of sleep. I, of course, am not suggesting this as a solution for you as obviously it is against SIDS advice but it was the only thing that helped us. His sleep improved massively and I remember the first nap when we put him on his front he slept for 3 hours which was unheard of.

I know that there are also wedges you can buy to put in the cot which you could look into?

You probably do this already but we hold DS upright for 20 mins or so after feeds and his head is also elevated for nappy changes so that he's not completely flat.

Has GP given you medication? We had gaviscon but it didn't really seem to do much for our DS and it has just gradually got better as he's got older (he's 4 months now).

Good luck x

mine suffered really bad up til 4 month old, we put him on solids, gave him juice on a night and a tot pillow (on doctors advice) and it helped a lot.

All day time sleeps were practically upright in the buggy. That helped a lot.
Then the usual gaviscon, ranitidine etc.

Raising the mattress never worked for us as he rolled around and ended up squashed to one side of it.

Tummy sleeping & the bouncy chair. Tummy sleeping was amazing, he self soothed and only woke up for feeds. He basically winded himself after 10 minutes or so of being put down.

My DS has severe silent reflux. He's 2.9 now and still on 10mg omeprazole. Sleep has been largely absent from my life since he was born! As a baby he would oonly ever sleep on me, 90% of the time he was latched on to the boob. I literally coukd not put him down. He fed every 20-40 minutes night and day for the first year or so. Up until he was a bit over two he'd never slept longer than three hours in one hit. For about the last six months things have been a bit better and he does a six hour stretch several times a week. I've accepted it now. I don't even think about one day 'sleeping through the night' (ha!) and I'm just thankful for the odd unbroken four or five hours. Honestly, the best advice I could give you is to make sure your baby is as comfortable as possible and manage your expectation. Reflux babies are not like healthy babies; they are in constant pain and you are their only source of comfort. If I could go back in time I would tell myself to accept that I had a high needs baby and let go of the idea of a good night's sleep. The chronic exhaustion actually became more manageable once I learnt to go with the flow.

Sleeping on front here too. DD was 7 months so not teeny tiny. When she was tiny keeping her upright after feeds, the baby Bjorn was great for that. Ultimately it was weening that did the trick. She's now 14months and we have no problems. She sleeps through the night and loves her food.

Thanks everyone.

WOW - am amazed how much something simple like tummy sleeping makes a difference to you all. Makes you wonder about the times before we knew of the dangers of such things and were not as aware of reflux etc .... just goes to show.

Must admit my DC1 (DS) was also reflux sufferer so I am a bit of an old hat with the basics like the cot raising and changing table positions, bjorn baby etc. We have a bouncer which she has slept in a few times, and the car seat has been partially successful, but she struggles more and more to sleep for long without assisance. She's just so disturbed.

However, I know having read lots of posts on here she isn't anywhere near as bad as so many other sufferers so I do feel a bit of a fraud asking for help and am so grateful for what we have. We are perservering with Gaviscon at the moment as I am really reluctant to esculate to ranitidine or Omeprozole at the moment. Am hoping to find other things to help her get through to weening first and then see how we are.

Thanks again everyone.

My lo has severe reflux diagnosed at 3 week's. We had a really bad time she didn't sleep at all. The only hours we could get shut eye were if she laid on me in bed. At 8 week's I couldn't take much more I tried her on her front in her cot and she slept 7 hour straight. We've not looked back since. It makes much more sense now. We tried everything, every gadget etc but realised she was in pain on her back. We have a breathing monitor under her mattress and video monitor for peace of mind. But so glad we went against advice and did what we thought was best for our child.

DS wasn't horrible, not on medication or anything, but he was just soo unsettled and wouldn't sleep on his back for more than 30-40 minutes. He slept on his side first, which helped. Then once he could roll onto his stomach he stayed there and slept so much better (early days he'd sleep on me pretty exclusively, on his tummy). We also changed the buggy to sitting position (but still very reclined) at about 3 months and he'd finally sleep there too.