7month sleep help

[StarDanced]

Hi. My ds is now 7months and has never slept very well but seems to have become worse in the last month. I'd really appreciate any advice and tips on what I might be doing wrong. At the moment ds goes to sleep in his own room around 9pm (we just can't seem to get him to sleep any earlier) and typically will wake at 10pm, 2pm, 4am, 5am and 6am when we get up. He feeds at each of the wake ups. He has been weaned and is on 3 little meals a day. He has 3 naps- morning, after lunch and then an evening one around 5-6pm. Our bedtime routine is at around 7pm- dinner, bath, story, feed and then my dh settles him in his room as ds doesn't settle for me. Thanks

Also if I put ds back to bed after a feed and he's not asleep he thrashes about in his cot and escalates his cries

Are these night feeds breast or bottle? Do you have a different way to settle him that is not feeding?

Thanks for the reply. These are breastfeeds. He will sometimes go to sleep by just holding him and cuddling him. He tends to feed to sleep in the middle of the night but can doze off being held during the day and in the evening.
So far today he has had 1 half hour nap from 8:30-9am and is currently napping and has been for half hour. These naps are on me or dh, ds wakes if I try and transfer him.

This early into weaning it is not unusual for night feeds to increase, because low calorie first weaning foods (fruit, veg) are replaceing high calorie milk.

But 7 feeds in the 12h between 7pm and 7am is excessive. One or two, maybe even three, fair enough in these early weaning months. More than that is that you don't have a different way to comfort baby - which will be needed.

I would suggest you keep weaning foods high calorie. Use high calorie fruit and veg (banana, avocado), include carbs and protein, cream when cooking, butter.

Increase the portion sizes of each meal. A good way to ensure loads of good goes on is to have two savoury and two pudding courses with every meal. For example:

• spoon fed puree. Then
• what you are having, as finger food. Then
• spoon fed yoghurt or similar. Then
• finger food fruit slices

The spoon feeding ensures the food goes in. The finger food helps baby learn to feed themself.

Also give milk feeds as frequently as possible in the day. Thr idea is to calorie load so that all calories are taken during the day not at night.

Then develop an in-cot settling method that isn't feeding. A dummy may help. Shushing And patting for example.

Thank you so much. We are spoon feeding but I will look at increasing the calories in the day. Hadn't thought about pudding but I will give yoghurt a try too. You've given me some good stategies thanks, I was at a loss of what to try. Fingers crossed over the next couple of weeks I can reduce the wake ups.

My LO was exactly the same and at 9 months we decided to night wean once he was well established on to solids.

My partner took on the role of comforter for three nights and cuddled and rocked and shushed back to sleep.

It's old fashioned but have you tried a big bowl of porridge before bed? We found that helped a lot for the first part of the night before we decided to night wean completely as he really wasn't taking any milk he was just using the breast as a sleep tool. Totally normal and fine if you can handle it but I was going back to work and had to try something else.

He was fine after the few days of what must of been a bit of a shock for him and slept through on night 3. I found the not feeding to sleep at the beginning of the night was the hardest for him but that he quickly got used to a cuddle and a stroke or just a shush and a pat in the cot. They want to know you are there.

You could maybe be a bit gentler and just slowly reduce the feeds. I decided it was quicker and less painful for us as a team to do it the direct way.
I felt terribly guilty and then I realised we were both happier and healthier getting more sleep.

Ultimately you will do what you feel is right for your LO.

Just make sure you are ready to do it and that you offer loads of feeds during the day which he may or may not take.