positive stories from the other side please!

[Sleepysally]

Hi all,

First time poster, just looking for some positive stories to make me feel better.

I have an 8mo who is not a huge fan of sleep, at the moment we get 1.5 hour stretches at best, in her whole life the longest stretch she's slept is 4 hours.....once. In short she sleeps like a baby!

I'm not looking for solutions, we have a bed time routine, we have a quiet non stimulating nursery, she eats plenty of solids blah blah blah

What I would really love is some hope from people who also had babies that had similar sleep patterns that have eventually grown out of it without sleep training/controlled crying etc etc.

TI

That should be

TIA

Clearly sleep deprived!

Going through the same with 7 month dd - you have my sympathies.

My older son was even worse - woke every 45 minutes until he was two. And then it changed. He started sleeping through the night. And ever since then he's been the best sleeper ever - able to get up by himself to go to the loo from age two without asking us, able to fall asleep totally by himself if I was too tired to do stories, ablet to sleep through pretty much any noise.

Two years feels like a long time, but looking back it seems like it was over in a flash. Something just clicked with him one day, and that was it.

Going through the same with 7 month dd - you have my sympathies.

My older son was even worse - woke every 45 minutes until he was two. And then it changed. He started sleeping through the night. And ever since then he's been the best sleeper ever - able to get up by himself to go to the loo from age two without asking us, able to fall asleep totally by himself if I was too tired to do stories, ablet to sleep through pretty much any noise.

Two years feels like a long time, but looking back it seems like it was over in a flash. Something just clicked with him one day, and that was it.

Going through the same with 7 month dd - you have my sympathies.

My older son was even worse - woke every 45 minutes until he was two. And then it changed. He started sleeping through the night. And ever since then he's been the best sleeper ever - able to get up by himself to go to the loo from age two without asking us, able to fall asleep totally by himself if I was too tired to do stories, ablet to sleep through pretty much any noise.

Two years feels like a long time, but looking back it seems like it was over in a flash. Something just clicked with him one day, and that was it.

Going through the same with 7 month dd - you have my sympathies.

My older son was even worse - woke every 45 minutes until he was two. And then it changed. He started sleeping through the night. And ever since then he's been the best sleeper ever - able to get up by himself to go to the loo from age two without asking us, able to fall asleep totally by himself if I was too tired to do stories, ablet to sleep through pretty much any noise.

Two years feels like a long time, but looking back it seems like it was over in a flash. Something just clicked with him one day, and that was it.

Going through the same with 7 month dd - you have my sympathies.

My older son was even worse - woke every 45 minutes until he was two. And then it changed. He started sleeping through the night. And ever since then he's been the best sleeper ever - able to get up by himself to go to the loo from age two without asking us, able to fall asleep totally by himself if I was too tired to do stories, ablet to sleep through pretty much any noise.

Two years feels like a long time, but looking back it seems like it was over in a flash. Something just clicked with him one day, and that was it.

Um, sorry about the multiple posts . . . .

Thankyou for your reply. 2 years does seem like a long time on paper but knowing how fast the first 8 months has gone makes me realise every phase will pass quickly on the grand scheme of things.

I'm most worried now about when I return to work in December, I'll be like an extra in a zombie film!

You may well feel relaxed and refreshed simply because of the child- free time, which might make ethg a little easier :)

Yeah my DD was pretty shit. I quit breastfeeding and we did gradual retreat when she was 11 months, but the game changer for us was her starting nursery when I went back to work. She's so nosey and so determined not to miss out that she sleeps only for about 45 mins there all day (she's 1 and is there from 7.45-5.45). As a result on the whole, she sleeps 11-12 hours solid at night, 9 times out of 10. It's bloody amazing. I was so worried about going back to work but it's actually been brilliant!

My daughter was a terrible sleeper as a baby, four month sleep regression, teething, etc. But now at 2 1/2 she is great! Lots of my friends (who had great sleepers to begin with) have now had to start co sleeping or have terribly early risers or whatever and mine goes to bed great, tells us when she's tired and often (not always ) sleeps through. So, yes, bad sleeping baby does not have to mean a bad sleeping toddler!

My ds was a terrible sleeper for over 2 years, waking as you describe op, every 1.5 hours or so. My tips for staying sane - sleep when he sleeps if possible eg afternoon nap. My parents used to have him overnight one night per month - we would eat dinner then go straight to bed and sleep in till lunchtime.
In the end I had to be referred to a sleep clinic run by my hv- she was ace. I kept a sleep diary for a week and she suggested gentle changes ( reduce milk, increase supper , only offer water at wakings, pat shush bit no talking, blackout blinds) She said it would take about 6 weeks as I wanted a gentle approach- within a week he was sleeping 7-7

2 years here, until DD did her first full nights sleep.
Now shes straight into my bed at 7pm, asleep by 5 past & awake at 7am.

I never thought the day would come, it was so so exhausting. I cried more than her I think.

Thankyou all so much for your replies!

When I'm at baby groups it sometimes feels like I have the only bad sleeper, it's reassuring to hear your experiences.

Most days I think "I can do this, sleep is for losers" but occasionally have days I feel like I'm going to crash and burn.

She hasn't been left much with other people as she just screams the place down even if other people dare to look at her but she seems to be getting over that phase now. I'm dropping her off with my MIL for a couple of hours today, hopefully that will go well and I can start doing it on a regular basis and come home for a snooze while she is there!

DS was the same. He was 21 months when he got the hang of sleep but has never woken in the night since apart from if poorly. He is seven now xx

@sleepysally realise this is an old post, but are you on the other side? I'm where you were 2 years ago!