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How to reduce night wakings and get baby to sleep in his cot??

10 replies

paddypops · 02/11/2017 20:06

Hi all, our DS is 9.5months. He goes to bed ok around 7pm and wakes around 7am. However, he has always woken v.frequently – every hour (or more) 7-11pm then every 2-3 hours from then. Typically he starts the night in our bed before I move him to his cot (when husband and I go to bed), then around 11pm I take him to the spare bed as I find it less tiring to breastfeed him to sleep each time he wakes, than get up to do this. I would really like it if he could sleep in his cot with fewer wakings so my husband and I can share our bed, like before(!). It is too small to fit him in too – we have tried. I would also dearly like it if he would let my husband put him to bed and get him back to sleep when he wakes. He just cries if he doesn’t get me. We have been following 'Gentle Sleep' advice and have a bedtime routine with lavendar bath oil, no screens, a red 'lumie' nightlight and play alpha music all night. We’ve tried getting him attached to a comforter but no joy. He seems to wake with wind, teething pain, or because he ‘falls’ on to his back from his side, or who knows???. He’s hard to put down in the cot as he wakes easily. And he nearly always wants a (short) breastfeed when he’s woken up, a pat/shush/kiss won’t do it. Any more recommendations gratefully received, although we are averse to crying methods – thanks - one extraordinarily tired mummy!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
crazycatlady5 · 02/11/2017 20:24

I think 8-10 months is particuarly rough with sleep, could you wait until 11/12 months and see if anything changes?

Anatidae · 02/11/2017 20:27

That’s a lot of moving around.

Is there any way you can babyproof a room, put a mattress in the floor and put him to sleep on that? We had zero luck with cots.
Maybe have a crack at night wearing too?

FATEdestiny · 02/11/2017 20:31

You have very inconsistent methods there. On a very basic level, baby has 3 different environments/rooms for sleeping overnight.

Baby's need consistancy.

No matter how tired you are, no matter what time it is, you need one place baby sleeps and one method of getting baby to sleep.

So if you think you are too tired to cope with being uber consistant with in cot settling at all times, then you will get more consistancy (and therefore better slerp from baby) if you just choose to cosleep and feed to sleep full time.

The main issue now is that you're doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Baby can neither learn to sleep independantly nor settle into cosleeping, because neither are used with any level of consistancy.

Themummy76 · 02/11/2017 20:34

Agree with the just use one method and one room

ScottishDiblet · 02/11/2017 20:39

Baby doesn’t need to feed at night at that age so it would be about reducing the habit. The sensational baby sleep plan but alison Scott Wright is really good for advice about this. Good luck.

Wetwashing00 · 02/11/2017 20:48

I agree with the one method,one place for sleeping.

koalab · 02/11/2017 20:57

I'm afraid I haven't got much advice but hopefully a ray of light as your story sounds very similar to ours. My DD is approaching 11 months and in the last week has dropped all but one night feed (at around 4am). All of a sudden if she stirs either me or DP can resettle her quickly by rolling her back on to her side. She has always hated the cot and has been in bed with me but we have visitors this weekend and need the spare room back (where DP has been sleeping), so we have put the cot next to the bed (luckily it just fits) with the side off, and she seems to be ok in it. I'm hoping in a couple of weeks we can move the cot back to her room!

Rainycity · 05/11/2017 16:48

We’re in the same boat, OP. Watching with interest as I’m in a near identical situation with my DS! We also have three sleeping places. I also know I need to stop feeding to sleep all the time but it’s so much easier on us all if I just feed and cuddle him rather than him get upset and everyone awake while DH try to re-settle. Just wanted to say you’re not alone!

paddypops · 01/04/2018 09:10

hi Rainy City, really interested to know what happened? We paid for gentle sleep advice two months ago and bed time improved dramatically (it became problematic after I posted the first message on this trail) but night wakings still very very common. I don't want to actively night wean. We made a floor bed but when he wakes me for the 3rd time i just take him to bed with me because it's too tiring to get up and down >3 times a night... so wish he would start sleeping through!

OP posts:
Creatureofthenight · 01/04/2018 09:47

Some babies do need to feed at night at this age, perfectly normal.
We’re having similar issues and I’m strongly considering a floor bed in DDs room and getting rid of the cot.

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