The magical non-sleeping Flamespark - HELP!!!

[FlamesparrowThePirate]

10 months old and I'm starting to get a tad p*ssed off.

He goes to bed at 7.30pm... wakes about 11pm for a feed. Then sleeps til 4am - this I could do if at 4am he just had a feed and went back to bed until morning.

But no. 4am feed (last night even gave a bottle in the hopes he would be less snuggly), back to cot - screamed for about 8 mins (not a problem) and then fell asleep... then, about 1hr later, wakes, screams screams screams until he is fed. I have tried water - he gulps half a bottle, realises its not milk and screams somme more, so he ends up in with me because I'm exhausted and the proceeds to pinch and feed until its time to get up.

I don't know how to get him to do that 4-7am stint in his cot. Nothing we seem to try makes any difference - we've had 3 nights in a row before of being up until morning with him screaming whilst we try various methods, and not the teeniest change.

We're both tired. Too tired to stay awake with the screaming one and then function the next day plus the screaming wakes DD after a while Last week was meant to be the week fixing it, but DH and DS were both ill so it didn't happen.

I know its either just go with it or have a few weeks of pure exhaustion while we try and fix it... I think my biggest worry is doing it for a fortnight, it making sod all difference and still having no sleep

Oh poor you. I'm of the 'give in and give them what they want for a couple more hours sleep' school of thought, though I know many would scoff at me! It was about 10 months I stopped bfeeding my dc's - I remember the pinching and noisy suckling only too well. I got so fed up of the constant night-time maulings (not dh) I moved on to bottles (of warmish milk, like you they screamed with water) in their cot which they held themselves. TBH I think they only had a few gulps before going back off to sleep. Hope things get better whatever you decide though, I know it's a toughie. Best of luck x

Ooooh hadn't thought of just chuckin a bottle at him to do himself...

we went the controlled crying route at more or less the same age, for the same problem

took a few nights but now she's a poppet

As a different approach, have you tried ditching the 11pm feed instead? I'm not really one to advise because BabyDragon is a nightmare too but I know she can sleep from 7:30pm until about 4am therefore I do not feed her if she wakes before, say, 2am. Unless she's ill, not fed well in the day (hahaha!) or something else untoward. I've been doing that pick-up-put-down thing if she wakes before 2am and she usually goes back off to sleep in about 10 minutes.

Of course, last night she woke every 3 hours and was wide awake from 5:30am. Sigh.

Oooh that's an idea too - I have been doing the 11pm one in the desperate hope that feeding her then would = full for the night, but i KNOW he is perfectly capable of lasting 6 hours or more in the day, so yes, he could easily drop that, and CC/PUPD would be much more tolerable at that time of night.

Feeding her??? HIM I know I wasn't keen on having a boy, but not enough to make him change sex!

I kind of figured it's easier to approach BabyDrago's sleep from that end in the (probably vain) hpe tht she'll extend her sleep at the other end IYSWIM. Both DSs did it this way. Although they did it naturally with no need for intervention. Bah!

I'm doing something similar to soupy, only my time limit is 12.
I've decided it was the messed up routine that Christmas caused which has affected ds so badly (ie not sleeping until12 then up 3 times) as after two days of dp back at work, we are back to a more managable night pattern, with earlier waking.

Hope something works for you.,..

I'm doing something similar to soupy, only my time limit is 12.
I've decided it was the messed up routine that Christmas caused which has affected ds so badly (ie not sleeping until12 then up 3 times) as after two days of dp back at work, we are back to a more managable night pattern, with earlier waking.

Hope something works for you.,..

Oh ffs - he fell asleep in his dinner, and now he's up there sobbing his heart out!!!

Call me selfish Flamey, but its reassuring to know that, judging by this, I'm not the only one with a messed up baby due to xmas. I think ds2 is heading rapidly down your road, also due to his recent ill spate. He was on milk at 7 then not till 4 or 5am, but its creeping back to 2 or 3am, then in our bed till wide awake at 4am. Do you think its just their age? I honestly cant remember what ds1 was doing at this age.

DD was sleeping lovely at this age

No, I lie - at about 9 months I remember doing CC with her because she'd messed up again. Maybe it is age (all ages seem bad for him )

I should go and read an old diary to see what ds1 was doing. But I've locked them all in a box on top of the wardrobe in prep for uor new bed coming on 11th (which, rather stupidly, has no storage space underneath). I know ds2 is a much lighter sleeper. Really keen to move him out of our room now! But I'm too lazy to do the week or so of silliness from ds1 because he'll be in with him. Plus I dont want them to disturb each other right as ds1 begins nursery.

Are they sleeping too much in the day and what are their night time sleep associations? Are they really hungry or is it habit? Is it their feeding routine that needs sorting?

Having a bad time with 16 month old crying from 12-4 the last 2 nights but that's teeth - grr!

We had no problems with the room moving whatsoever, so that side of things could be easier than you think.

I really should keep diaries . All my big baby events are only recorded because my sister saves the texts I send with "She walked!" "First tooth" etc. Kept an online diary of this pregnancy though which is sooo nice to read back.

He has dropped a nap during the day so I don't think its that - with DS its more of a just needing mummy thing... he's very much a mummy's boy! He is tired and does sleep... just wakes and then only sleeps when touching me

I have a first year record book for each of them, which ds1 loves looking at now. And I've kept a personal diary every day since 1987 And a recordof every fiction book I've read. And I used to keep a list of all the post i'd sent and received (had alot of penfriends when schoolage)

Hmmm... not at all ocd

Ohhh, I DO feel better reading this - dd is nearly 10 months, and wakes twice a night most nights for a bottle - although increasinly only one ... and to come in bed for a cuddle of course . We thought DS was a bad sleeper, but his siter is beating his record.

TBH, we haven't done anything much about it to date, other than watering her milk down to half strength, and she never has more than 4 oz (and yes, I realise this may be lsightly harder for those of you still bf...) - she will go back to sleep almost immeadiately with milkies and snuiggles, and tbh, I lurrrve the cuddles...

We were debating doing the get tough/cry down thing, but this never worked with ds, so I'd rather do something more along the lines of No Cry Soln, but know that'll take ages ... can I be arsed??

Sorry Flame - that's no help at all is it?!?!

I'm far better now.. eg, now I only pair up chips before eating them. I used to doshreddies and all sorts of things.

We'll get on fine - you sound like my sister, I'm used to it

FP - I wish I loved the snuggles He seems to take comfort from pinching teeny tiny bits of skin (and throws a hissy fit if I hold his hand/put something in the way )

Perhaps you need to start on the learning to sleep without touching mummy thing then. Or wear lots of clothes so he can't pinch?

I'm so evil mine never even shared my room and they didn't have night feeds from early on even tho I b/f. They will probably all need help later in life to come to terms with my harshness!

Good luck tonight flame - are you going with tring to drop the 11m feed?

Yup. And I think DH can get up to do the middle of the night one....

Yup.. not happy