8 months in and not one nights full sleep!

[Firstimemummy15]

So my lg is 8 months, she has never been one of these babies that sleuth through the night but over time she did improve and I was feeding (bf) a couple of times and she would settle back to sleep. She then went through a stage where she would stay awake after her second feed for about an hour - but would be quite happy in her cot babbling away. She has gone from have several lots of 30 min naps (you could set a watch that they would only last 30 mins) to having 2-3 hour morning nap any about 1 -2 in the afternoon.

Fast forward to 8 months and I swear to the day she will only have 2 x 30 min naps during the day and is waking every couple of hours during the night. Sometimes a feed will settle her but now we have been up an hour, she is happy if I'm holding her but as soon as she is in the cot she has a meltdown. Tried the staying with her, patting/rubbing chest etc. she cut her bottom two teeth a couple of weeks ago, so not sure if more on the way. I (like many of you) am exhausted, I've never been able to sleep when ur baby sleeps, I'm dreading going back to work in 8 weeks and am fed up of the first thing people asking me is does she sleep during the night and when I say no they look at me though I'm a bad parent......anyway rant over.....just wanted someone else to hear me moan while partner is blissfully asleep (he does get up at4.40 though so will let him off!) x

I'm here! Hands out God its awful isn't it. You are not alone.

My DD is 14 weeks and whilst she was never a great sleeper, we were sort of getting into a doable pattern. All that has gone tits up in the past few weeks. She's waking every sleep cycle and on the occasion she's not, I'm too anxious to nod off. Been awake ALL night tonight. I'm amazed at just how much sleep deprivation the body can cope with.

I'm afraid I have no advice to offer you. Other than to say I hope this phase passes for you soon, especially in time for you going back to work. I had no idea it would be this hard to get a baby to sleep!!

No one is looking at you like you are a bad parent - honest.

Most people with children have been through this at some point.

Teething is a very hard time.

I found things got better at about a year.

At around 8/9 months I had reached a sleep deprived hell and was about to go back to work and ds start at a childminders . He couldn't self sooth and naps were going for a walk/drive so obviously not always possible for childcare. I decided to sleep train. Gradual retreat worked at first but only at night. We then tried pick up put down which really didn't work for us. Finally we tried controlled crying. It took 3 nights and he got better each night. Yes there are occasions when ill or teething that he wakes but normally he can get himself back to sleep again.

He also has a dummy a comforter toy and white noise as sleep cues. You don't have to do any sleep training and there are no cry solutions but you don't have to accept the sleep depravation if you know they aren't waking wanting /needing milk.

Please don't think I'm saying its your fault or your a bad parent. Whatever decision you make is totally up to you just sharing what I did in your position

My DD is exactly the same. She's now 23 weeks and has only ever slept through the night once....and I put that down to a vaccine making her sleepy!! She is currently singing to herself in her cot! From the moment she was born she didn't sleep...like at all! She didn't nap during the day, and we were lucky to get an hour and a half undisturbed at night. We gradually got her taking 30 min naps. But like your DD, you could set your watch to 30 mins and it would be bang on. The last week or so, she has started taking longer day time naps (1-2 hrs) and seems fine at night until about 4am. Which is when she decides it's time for choir practice. It usually takes over an hour to settle her back to sleep - but her bottom two teeth are just breaking through, so I'm putting it down to that. I know it's shit when the first thing people ask is: "is she sleeping through the night yet"...I have had a couple of cries with my DH over that thinking "omg she's going to be one of those kids who doesn't sleep through until she's at school!" - I'm praying that it's just a phase she will grow out of!
But you are definitely not a crap parent....and also not the only one listening to your LO singing opera at 4am

Weaning and enforcing daytime naps (with crying where necessary) has been the thing that has worked for us at 8 months. 3 meals a day and dream feed at 11 means DS sleeps from 7.30-6.30 fairly reliably these days.

Ah thank you everyone so much for your kind words and letting me know what works for you. Will def have a think about things and see what changes I can make that will work for us. I really don't know where the saying I could sleep like a baby comes from.......you wouldn't want to sleep like mine!

Purpleboa - hope you have managed to get some sleep, or baby at least lets u catch up a bit on it today (if u have the opportunity) if not coffee, coffee, coffee!

Annamarlow - it's horrible isn't it, she was a bit grouchy when her first two teeth came through but I wasn't really aware it was happening but if that's what it is this time, it must be tough on her.

Icklekid - I think I need to read up a bit more on controlled crying - I was doing this during the day and literally within a couple of mins she would be asleep. However now she just cries and cries and gets in to a right state. I need to know abit more about handling that situation cos that's when I just give in!

Peanutbutterfriend - it is tough going isn't it. Hope the longer naps continue for you :-). The choir rehearsal can be sweet and funny but not sure if that's just hysteria settling in with lack of sleep!!!

Bohemend - thank you, most days she will have three meals a day but last couple of days she has been hit or miss with luncha an tea. I think this is due to tiredness and also I sometimes find the timing of bf and when to give a food meal tricky!

Anyway I've managed to amuse her in bed until now but she is ready to getup! On the plus side I'm getting super prepared thinking about Christmas!!! X

The 8 month regression is a bit of a nightmare for lots of parents but once it settles, the babies often sleep a bit better than before, you just have to try and not introduce any bad sleep habits. I think that a combination of teeth, crawling, pulling up, cruising and babbling has their minds working overtime.

I hope the phase passes ASAP.