11 month old sleep. Please help I'm back to work soon!

[Member828886]

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions on my little one's sleep, as I'm sooo tired and back to work in a couple of weeks!

My 11 month old was self settling and sleeping through until 5ish for a couple of months but we have recently been away, he has had a cold, now seems to have separation anxiety and developmentally is crawling / pulling himself up / cruising and it's all gone wrong! In the past couple of weeks he has slept through till 4.45 three times but otherwise he can wake several times in the night and then will get up for the day at about 4.

Previously if he woke at night we could leave him to whinge for 10 minutes and he would go back to sleep but now he'll stand up and scream until I go in. I can usually give him some milk or rock him a bit and he'll go back to sleep. If I offer water he just screams. Please help! I'd like to get him self settling again as I think that was why he was able to sleep through before but now he has seperation anxiety I just don't know what to do to get him to settle alone as he just screams if I put him down awake. I would love to go back to the 5am starts even though that still feels too early as 4am plus night wakings equals a very tired mummy!

Any thoughts?!

Hi, what is your nap routine like? I have a 10month old and he is an early riser! We are trying everything we can to encourage him to sleep till 5.30/6 but he wakes up crying around 4am and wants to get out the cot, I try giving him a bottle but have no luck, we end up bringing him down and he dozes off again in his rocking chair at about 5.15 till 6.30am! Really frustrating!! We have ok naps too, he sleeps 9.30-11 then 1.30 till about 3pm,bedtime is 7pm. I wonder why they wake this time? I've tried a later nap still no joy! Sorry I have no real helpful advice just looking for some myself!

I'm glad it's not just us! Your nap schedule seems much more organised! We usually put him back down at about 8 (this will be either in cot or pram depending on whether I've taken his sister to pre school) and he will sleep till around 10 and then the afternoons are really hit and miss depending on what we are doing. I can usually get him down for about half hour - an hour more at some point. Then he is in bed usually at 7ish. Even if he goes to bed later he is still up at 4! Grrr!
I keep thinking maybe he is overtired as he had a really long nap on Sunday in the car and he slept well that night where as yesterday he hardly slept in the day and then last night was up twice by 10pm!

Hi! Our DD slept through until 5am from 8 weeks, but at 10 months started to have the same issue as you. We sleep trained using The Happy Sleeper book, and haven't looked back (though have had to start from scratch a few times due to subsequent colds/teething).

Ah yes maybe he would benefit from a longer afternoon nap then, does he self settle? Can you put him in cot awake? Maybe try putting him down the same time everyday for a couple of days? My little one still has a cry now and then but usually nods off fine after 10mins of whinging! It was hard cracking the naps I've been quite strict on times and I'm always rushing back home in time! I have 2 other children so I had to plan them around the school run! Is he awake for long when he's up at 10pm?

Yes I think the dodgy nap times don't help. I think I need to get strict for a couple of days.
And no we can't put him down awake now 😩 He used to self settle really well but not now. He just screams! He usually goes off on the bottle and I'll put him in the cot and sort of prod him to try and wake him and he'll open his eyes but then goes to sleep. When he wakes in the night the length of time he is awake depends on whether I give in and go straight up with a bottle or try and leave him! The other night he was up for about 2 hours as I was trying to hold out and failed!

I think you should try adjust the afternoon nap first, try put him down awake and if he starts really crying keep going in and settle how you feel you should, I turn mine on his side and pat him and he's used to this now he goes straight back off. You will need a lot of willpower as I was going through the same thing as you and I got to the point were I was about to burst into tears all the time- it was so stressful! My little one sleeps from 7ish and he sometimes wakes once in the night just for a few mins then he's up around 4 i would love a lie in till 5.30am

Hi, thanks I didn't see your respond on the Happy Sleeper book - I will check that out!

Gosh isn't it terrible that 05.30 can be considered a lie in!!

Thanks, I think you are right I've really got to sort the napping out. I just find it so hard balancing it with a three year old. Tonight we put him down awake and left him and he screamed. I went back after a few minutes and patted him and sssshhhd him and once he was calm moved my hand and just stood by the cot and then after a bit he just rolled over and went to sleep. Fingers crossed that helps tonight!