11 month old sleep gone to pot... advice please!

[RC000]

Hi all,

DD started off not a great sleeper, then magically, around 7 months, started to sleep through (most of the time).

I the last few weeks it has all gone wrong, obviously coinciding with me going back to work next week. She now screams, manages to sit up and stand up in her cot despite her bag and sleepy head grand thing. I'm scared to leave her crying at length (we have done the doubling method of crying before which worked well) incase she falls over in her cot. Should I leave her? Sometimes she's in a little ball at the bottom of her cot. When I go in I normally get a big smile but the longer it goes on the more tired she gets and cries. She used to self settle so well just playing with and sucking her muslins.

She gets up at half 6, first nap around 9am for an hour or so, second nap around 1pm for around 1.5 hours.

Any advice or experience gratefully received!

[Mylittlebird16]

We seem to have improved in that the random wake ups where we can't settle her have stopped, but her 'natural' wake up time seems to have moved to anytime between 4am and 5am where there's no settling her at all, she's wide awake and ends up dosing in our bed. Our alarm goes off at 6.15 so we've just had her in our bed rather than sit for an hour listening to her cry in her cot and then getting up anyway for the alarm.

So we're better in that it's not two/three times per night, but can still only get a stretch of sleep until about 4am which TBH, even though it's annoying, I can deal with it for now. Still hoping it's a phase and she'll eventually do more of a 7-7 or 7-6 period of sleep...,I can dream!

[RC000]

How is everyone getting on?

We had a few days of improvement but just now two days on trot of two hourly waking...

[Kariana]

I was just wondering if that's why she's struggling. She might be waking sooner than you think, standing up for a while and then getting stressed when she realises she can't get back down, especially if her legs are restricted in a sleeping bag. It couldn't hurt to help her practise lowering herself back down a bit more and maybe not using the sleeping bag to see if it helps. I'm not sure it's safe for her to be in one if she's standing up anyway as she could easily tumble over with her legs restricted, especially if she's actually standing up for several minutes before she starts crying to alert you to it.

[RC000]

Kariana- she can if she's not too upset but if she's stressed I think she finds it more difficult

[Mylittlebird16]

Messy Bun I totally agree - she started walking at 11 months and has just turned one so she is literally non stop all day so I can imagine there is a lot going on in her little brain right now. She's also in the process of cutting two more teeth, she's been really late with her teeth and only has the bottom two!

Kariana - she will lie back down but usually ends up side on and then has no room. I'm still super paranoid about her falling and whacking her head, I know she has bumps throughout the day but I still don't like it really. I wouldn't be surprised if she turns into a cot climber, she's frantically trying that's for sure!

[Kariana]

If she's standing or sitting up in the cot does she know how to lie back down again by herself?

[RC000]

Mylittlebird poor you - hope you can have a quiet day today? I find a walk and fresh air helps too?

Messybun I agree- think it must be something like that.

We weirdly had a better night last night so will see what tonight brings x

[MessyBun247]

Just to say Im in the same boat! DD turns 1 next week, sleep has really gone to shit the past couple of weeks. Also v v clingy during the day, only wants me . Lots of bfing and comfort sucking and has gone off solids mostly.

I do think its a developmental leap. Theyre leaving babyhood and becoming toddlers, walking and talking are starting to happen. Bit of an unsettling time for them. Am sure it will calm down again soon.

[Mylittlebird16]

Just realised how appalling my grammar is - I'm blaming my I pad keyboard not my brain haha

[Mylittlebird16]

I've not but we're on whole milk now so not going back to formula.

Last ngyear he was horrendous, I've woken up moody, emotional, tired and needing a bloody shower. She was awake form2.5 hours. Perfectly fine lay in her cot to begin with, with us in the room. I sat there shhhh ing and stroking her head, she was trying to doze but wouldn't go off and every time I tried to leave, th e first time Being after at least 90 minutes she'd just stand up in her cot. After a while I left as I was just achieving nothing, then she was throwing her toys out of her cot, standing Up, throwing herself back down, emptying her cot tidy which she's never touched before. Then my husband tried for ten minutes before giving up and bringing her in our bed.i want to be mad at him but I was getting to the stage where I'd have done the same. Then this morning she's asleep in our bed, so I can't even shower after Dh goes to wrk for fear of her rolling out of bed. He gets up at 6.15 which is early enough when we've had zero bloody sleep.

What a great start to the week - I'm so fed up :(

[RC000]

Yes probably - I have no idea!

Just done some googling and some people swear by hipp organic goodnight milk? Has anyone tried that?

[Mylittlebird16]

My dd just isn't ready to drop yet - she's only ever done an hour in morning and an hour in afternoon. The other morning she slept until 7.25 which is a record so I thought right perfect opportunity to try this one nap business but my half 10 she was shattered so I just let her stick to 2 naps - I'm sure they'll tell us when they're ready for one?

[DappledThings]

Just done an hour too! Hope it gets better for everyone

[RC000]

So confusing! I have just done an hour morning nap with mine - she still fought if after so little sleep though! So glad it's not just us gong through this x

[DappledThings]

Having quite very similar time and have my own thread so following this with interest.

Prepared to try to drop morning nap but after such a shit night it seems counter-intuitive. So confusing.

[RC000]

That's v interesting - she does seem more clingy than usual. Fingers crossed it passes for us soon!

[Mylittlebird16]

I've no idea - I used to follow wonderweeks but gave up on that as I was getting too fixated on it. With our daughter it was/is definitely an attachment phase as she is funny even going to her dad after work, grandma who she usually dotes on etc. So I think she's waking, thinking woah where's mummy I wanna go sleep with her and not be in my room on my own! We also found it was much quicker for my husband to settle her than when I tried, as she seemed to get even more worked up when she saw me! (Which was a fab excuse for me to stay in bed when she woke haha)

[RC000]

ThAnna for quick reply! That's good you have had some improvement! I know - just really hoping it's some sort of phase that will end soon! Is this a normal time for a sleep regression? I'd always heard of the 4 month one but not an 11 month one!

[Mylittlebird16]

RC000 thats what we were like all over christmas! Spending ages by her cot trying to settle for her to wake up again an hour later.

It has got slightly better for us, we had three nights where she slept through but then the last two nights she's been awake at 3am and ended up in our bed, but Im putting it down to the weather battering her window and it being slightly chilly. We still couldn't resettle her last night so she ended up in our bed so bad backs all around this morning,

It's so hard isn't it, just wish they could tell us what the problem was!

[RC000]

Oh my just had 4 horrendous nights on trot - up every 2/3 hours like with a newborn. It has been 2 weeks of this now.

Is 11 months a normal regression? Will it end soon? Struggling to cope and getting v teary.

[RC000]

We have had minor progress (am aware saying that will mean it won't be the case!) by dropping the morning nap...

[CityMole]

It's a common age for developmental leap and separation anxiety. You just need to be there for your child and know that it will pass.

[Starfish25]

Sorry i have no advice just the same problem, my lb is nearly 11 months and he's been like that for what seems like eternity. I never thought of taking him out of his growbag, maybe that could be our problem. I've tried most things with my lb, he's even gone back to having a bottle during the night as i thought that might be the issue but nope!
I've been advised so many times over his naps, people saying he's sleeping too much/not enough give him another nap or make sure he's asleep before 7 as they get another "gust of wind"? Sorry if that's not the correct saying! and they won't be able to settle. Well i gave my boy a bath, read a book with a bottle in bed and asleep by 7 up to now he has woken up/cried approx 6 times. I'm a first time mum so i will try anything x

[Mylittlebird16]

RC000 let me know how you get on! We tried a duvet, and also tried draping a blanket over her sleeping bag to no avail. She's such a light sleeper at the best of times....ahhhhh!

Even contemplating the cry it out approach, but I don't think I've got it in me just yet.....?!

[RC000]

Thank you for advice- will try tonight with out sleepyhead!

A friend also suggested maybe dropping morning nap?

My little bird - it's so tough isn't it? I'm a zombie at work today...