My daughter is 10 months old. She’s never been a great sleeper, she was up maybe 2/3 times a night before the 8/9/10 month regression hit her like a tonne of bricks and has meant her night sleep has been 95% diabolical for the last 3 months - we’re talking up anywhere between 5-12 times a night. There were a couple of random nights a few weeks ago where she only woke up once a night that seem like some sort of amazing dream. We then had a holiday abroad, teething, nap transition from 3 to 2, learning to cruise, 2 weeks of illness etc which have all contributed.
She is BF and on 3 meals a day with the odd snack and milk feeds inbetween. I really try to make sure everything is full fat and plenty of carbs/protein etc. She has always been on the small side and is now tracking on the 9th centile, weaning took a while to establish so I continued doing night feeds a couple of times a night at least to make sure we wasn’t hungry. Once she’s decided she’s had enough food, that’s it - she can’t be tempted to overeat like some babies. Her day time sleep is easy and good IMO, she now generally has two naps a day, normally an hour in the morning and perhaps an hour to 2 hours in the afternoon after lunch, sometimes in the car but normally in her cot, going into the cot drowsy but awake after a cuddle and dummy, white noise & blackout blind. Night time routine is always the same - dinner 4.45-5pm, bath 5.45-6pm, and bed between 6.30-7pm. Putting her down is no problem, again goes down drowsy but awake with dummy after a cuddle. Sometimes she wakes once or twice before we go to bed but generally her best stint of sleep is from bedtime - midnight.
Night times after midnight are a different story, she’s up so much we barely have a 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I’ve tried giving her less naps, more naps, a formula top up after her bath, days full of activity and physical exercise at soft play to wear her out, days at home following a regimented GF-recommended nap schedule but nothing has worked. Not even a glimmer. When she wakes, first port of call is dummy back in, lay her back down on her side or her front to try and soothe her back to sleep. This often works for an hour or so, then she’ll wake up inconsolable and unsoothable using these methods, so we’ll pick her up, put her back down again when she’s pretty much fully asleep. Then the whole process with start again about an hour later or less and i’ll end up feeding her as I’m so tired and don’t have the fight in me to deal with her screaming and crying without feeding or picking up. Repeat x 5/8/10 times. I don't mind feeding her once or twice for comfort but the stage we're at now is ridiculous, she's waking up more than a newborn.
My question is - obv all the teething/illness/8/9/10 month sleep regression need to be taken into account, but at what point do I take action? As she’s 10 months now, do I wait till 11months so I know the regression is over? I don’t mind doing a bit of spaced soothing/CC whatever you want to call it if its going to help her as I’m pretty sure such an extended period of crap night time sleep is not doing any of us any favours.
Well done if you got that far! Just thought I should include as much detail as possible. Would appreciate anyone’s advice whose been through a similar extended period of dreadful sleep. I’m getting pissed off because I feel like I’m doing everything you’re supposed to do and its not working.