10 month old waking constantly - please help!

[OurVelocity]

Apologies in advance for the long post but I really need some help!

My 10 month old DS has always been fed to sleep. Up to 5 months old he slept fairly well and only woke up a few times for a feed in the night. Since he was about 5 months old however, he’s been waking up constantly and with decreasing intervals of sleep.

For example, he used to wake every two hours, then every hour and now it’s getting to be every 40 minutes with an occasional spell of two hours sleep in a row. Needless to say I’m knackered!!

He won’t be rocked to sleep, won’t be put down by anyone else but me. He pushes my DH away and climbs down my body for boob every time. I know that I have ‘made a rod for my own back’ but at the time this was the quickest way to get him back to sleep!

He begins the night in his cot (in a sleepyhead) from 7pm and will more often than not sleep til about 10:30. Then 9 times out of ten he comes with me and my DH in a sleepyhead in between us both in bed at night so I can feed him every time he wakes. I know it’s for comfort/habit and not hunger as he feeds well during the day with milk and solids.

I don’t want to wean him off the boob until he’s a year old preferably, and neither my DH nor I have sufficient time off work to train him to be resettled by DH as we’re both working. I want to know if there is a magic way of getting him to sleep longer during the night.

I’m realistic and would take two hour chunks! Or, has anyone else gone through similar and come out the other side? I hope this all makes sense, I’m so sleep deprived I can barely see what I’m typing! Thanks

I want to know if there is a magic way of getting him to sleep longer during the night.

There is no magic wand. But consistency is the most important thing.

(1) Baby (at this age) wants consistency of place to sleep. Daytime naps, going to bed, through the night - all happening in the same place.

(2) Baby wants to go to sleep where he will stay asleep.

(3) Baby's method of going to sleep needs to be consistent.

From reading your post, you read as unlikely to sleep training but are expecting the outcomes of a sleep trained baby. You need to change your expectations. You can get 2 hour (plus) chunks of sleep. But you need to accept that your method of parenting is night conducive to independent sleep. That's not a problem or a bad thing, just a fact.

So I would suggest your place for baby to sleep (1) is in your bed. All naps, bedtime and through the night. This then solves (2) because instead of going to sleep in your arms and then being placed in a cot, baby goes to sleep lying in the position he will stay asleep (lying down feeding to sleep).

Then finally, if feeding your method then use it consistently. Know that you will be feeding to sleep in the night so deep with your top off and just let it happen without waking up properly.

At this age I'd ditch through sleepyhead and just cosleep 'properly'. Baby will be able to find breast and latch on without needing much of your help if he can move around. So everyone gets more sleep.