Help! Sleep regression?

[ForEverythingAReason]

My 22 week old has started getting very upset at bedtime.

Just an aside, she also wakes once a night for a milk feed or sometimes not at all. This is normal for her, it's just the bedtime screaming which is new.

On Friday screamed till 8 despite offering bottle, dummy, rocking, lying down in bed which is right next to her where she can see me (resulted in her rolling towards the cot bars and screaming out at me) etc, went down happy without one sound on Saturday and slept till about 5, then last night again she screamed till I ended up bringing her downstairs (where she seemed fine and sat quietly looking at us eating dinner or staring out the window). I then gave her another milk feed and finally went to sleep at 9 last night. Both of these incidents have coincided with days when she hasn't had a good, long nap in the day.

Overtired? Separation anxiety? Sleep regression? What am I doing wrong here? I don't mind her being awake and she is on the light side for her length according to HV so it's actually good she is taking more milk feeds at night. Just think she needs more sleep and she doesn't sound happy of an evening.

Doing the same bedtime routine as usual except I've started doing bath, bottle, book, bed instead of bath, book, bottle, bed (she is too hungry to wait after her bath and I want her to eat more).

Anything else going on? Teething? Just back feel a holiday? Etc? Could just be unsettled due to those types of things.

Or could be a cognitive spurt and/ or regression.

DD (25mo) has gone through a few rough sleep patches over past 6 months. She's just so much more aware of stuff now and things like holidays, visitors or DH or I being away throws her. Usually they just last a few days. We try to stick to the normal routine as much as possible - I don't think there's much else one can do!

I have done a few occasions of controlled crying when things have got really bad (leaving her for 2 mins, going in to resettle, leaving her for 3 mins, etc). Usually takes only about 30 mins for her to fall asleep.

And I agree - crap naps can lead to difficult bedtimes.

Sleep progression is not linear and often has times when it goes backwards or gets worse. It's not unusual to have to constantly change things because what used to work stops working and new things may be more effective.

There are big developmental leaps around 4-5 months. Learning about hands - holding and inspecting things (not useful for puling out dummy). Also rolling (not useful for baby staying still to sleep). These developments often means more calories are needed. My DDs milk in take permanently went up by 25% literally overnight at around 4 months. Could also be teething.

Thanks both. She doesn't seem to be teething yet, but she is really into rolling atm. If I leave her on her change mat and come back, she'll have rolled across the room. Keep finding her asleep on her side or front in her cot so she does roll in her sleep too. FATE, I am dying for her to take more milk but she is rarely interested. HV recently suggested introducing solids now as she thought DD might be getting bored of milk. That's a new thing which may be disrupting her a little. We also had visitors on Friday afternoon into the evening, so wonder if that was part of the problem on Friday. DD was a lot better on Saturday when she and I were alone most of the day and all evening. Sod's law really as I wouldn't have minded the company!

Re more milk - I've found it more effective to offer milk more frequently rather than more per feed. Up to 5 or 6 months old my DD was having a full feed every 2 to 2 1/2 hours through the daytime.

There will be little benefit in solids at this age. Most Many parents go through a phase where they are convince solids will be the answer to all their problems and most find that isn't the case and wish they'd stayed as milk only.

Ounce-to-ounce milk contains far more calories and goodness than any solids do. Especially so with first tastes which are likely to be fruit and veg (which any dieter will tell you contain very few calories).

I got distracted by your post without actually referring what I was saying to your OP

Given that your DD is sleeping well once asleep, I doubt this is anything to do with calories or feeding.

Trouble getting to sleep is likely to be down to over-tired. More daytime naps needed, or play around with the timing of your daytime naps.

Sorry, just noticed yours is 22 weeks, not 22 months! My response above probably a bit irrelevant.

But yes, 4 months is big sleep regression time!

And, p.s., I would never do controlled crying with such a little baby! During DD's (pretty awful, and long) 4-month sleep regression we just did what it took to survive - which for us was feeding on demand (breastfeeding) and co-sleeping.

I started 'gentle' sleep training her around 6 months (basically, helping her learn to self-settle, rather than fall asleep on boob). And putting limits on how much I'd feed during the night (and sending poor old DH in to rock her to sleep at other times). She also went into her own room around then, which turned out helped a lot.

To give you hope, by about 8 months she was a champion sleeper and continues to be, despite the odd blip as detailed above.

Thanks again both!

Well, dd has had two decent naps so far today. Fingers crossed that results in a happier bedtime tonight.

Update: DD went down reasonably quickly with me "pretending" to go to sleep beside her by which I mean I caught a sneaky few mins of shut-eye while DH made dinner. Slightly concerned the might wake up and notice I've gone and be distressed but it seems the lesser of two evils..?