8 month old still not sleeping well

[Ashpan26]

Hi I've posted on here before my DD hasn't been a great sleeper since about 3 months old she regularly has 30 mins naps and is up 5 times at night. Sometimes she wil nap of about an hour or more and sleep a longer stretch at night but this is about once or twice a week.

Even on days she does nap well and I feed her about 4/5 times she's still up at night
She is breastfed and eating solids but doesn't eat lots, so we are doing more blw as she will not take much from s spoon. I thought she would have loved food. She would go all day without a breastfeed and maybe only feed a few minutes and I've been trying everyday for months to get her to feed more/longer to fill her up the only way to get her to is if she is asleep which means I'm tied to the house most days because she wouldn't feed out and about.

I also limit her awake time.She shows tired signs after only 1.5-2 hours awake and I get her to sleep during the day by walking with her/feeding to sleep pram or car seat at night I feed her to sleep and we co sleep because she's up so much. It's starting to get me down as I try everything, I've read posts and books I try to be as consistent as I can with sleep cues she sometimes falls asleep on her own after a feed at night she will roll away and settle herself which is getting more regular also when she goes to sleep about 7.30/8 the maximum she will sleep is 3 hours no more.

I do think that night weaning is the way but I honestly can't listen to her crying I think she is just in the habit of reverse cycling. I thought she would be sleeping better by now and I'm back at work on Thursday . Sorry I just needed to get this out.

Sorry to hear this. I don't have any answers for you I'm afraid, but she sounds quite similar to my 6mo DS who is not doing well with weaning at all and is a bottle refuser- will only feed when he is asleep/ going to sleep. Will be watching with interest! The only thing I've found is that if I try not to feed him to sleep he's definitely up more at night to catch up. Do you think she's getting enough calories in?

It's really hard isn't it, I'm in a very similar situation with my 8mo and it's really getting to me.

I'm not sure I have any answers as I'm struggling to know what to do myself. I agree that she seems to be reverse cycling. But I think the first problem that needs to be addressed either before or at the same time is the feeding to sleep. So long as she's fed to sleep she's likely to need you every time she rouses in the night. Will she take a dummy at all? Or you could try introducing a comforter when BFing to see if with time she will settle with that in time?

There's a massive sleep regression/development leap at 8 months too.

Hi newmum I really don't know if she is getting enough calories but I do feed her as much as I can during the day but it still doesn't make a difference it may be because she is fed to sleep any wake up she needs that to get back to sleep. She had a big growth spurt at 6 months which could be what your DS is doing.

Chloe I'm glad I'm not the only one I keep trying a dummy with her at naps and bedtime but she takes it out. I've also been using a comforter for every sleep time I think that it's a good idea as she has something to snuggle.

Titty she is going through another leap but was sleeping a bit better until now and that got me thinking is there another regression as she's feeding a lot more during the night I suppose there's not a lot I can do as it's constant leaps and regressions and growth spurts. Just when you think it's getting better something comes along.

She will never grow or develop as much as she will in her first year. It's going to affect sleep.