18 week old sleep

[tootsieglitterballs]

Hoping to get some advice...

DS2 is 18 weeks, so well aware this will be part of the 4 month sleep regression, but hoping for some help moving past it as it’s been ongoing for a few weeks now.

Slept fine until about 11 weeks - was only waking once in the night for a feed, and maybe once for a quick comfort.

Now, we get to anytime between 11pm and 1am and he wakes up crying, and this happens every cycle, so approx every 40 mins... we are exhausted as he needs us to help settle him. He has started to settle himself a couple of times though which is great.

I’m on the verge of buying a sleepyhead just to try and get some sleep, however I’m very wary about then needing to wean him off it (plus, at this stage we would need to get the grand and that is rather pricey!)

DS definitely likes to be cosy and snuggly, can sleep fine in our bed but I do not want to get into co-sleeping for various reasons - this is non negotiable for me.

He is FF, and finally feeding well after a spell of not feeding well.

He is now in his own room, and is slightly better since going in his own room, into his proper cot.

So... any tips to get him out of the regression, to start sleeping a little more?? Should I just sod the future thoughts of difficulty down the line and give in to buying a sleepyhead in the hope it works?!

Help please, from an exhausted mum & Dad!

Just to add... this is so alien to us as our first started sleeping off nights at 6weeks and then slept through most of the time from 9 weeks!

Hello, it's not necessarily sleep regression, they can change at any point and the pattern you had with your first is not what all babies are like.
I understand it's very tiring, but personally I would either accept you need to go into settle while he's in this phase (e.g. staying to hold hand in cot), or take turns sleeping in the room next to the cot so its less onerous on whoever is waking up.
Your only other options will be various shades of leaving to cry, whether it's pick-up put down or graduated CIO. With a baby this young they won't understand its sleep 'training', and they will not necessarily wake up less, but just not make any noise.

They do improve over time, but you might just need to allow that this baby needs more help with waking cycles than your older child did.
Good luck

Agree with the above comments. No point in comparing baby to your first, it’s a prime example of how babies are either sleepers or not. Normally, baby sleep goes up and down in the first years. I’d just do whatever gets you the both most rest, especially if you have another child to look after aswell. I would have suggested co sleeping as it’s a win win if baby will settle there but each to their own. As you are FF take it in turns or in shifts, and the other sleeps separately so that you can both get blocks of sleep. What your baby is doing is normal, it will pass with time and it will get better.

In terms of the sleepyhead, you could you could try that, I worked wonders for us. How heavy is baby? You wouldn’t necessarily need the larger one. Th deluxe is suitable for up to approx 8 months, and if you look at the sleepyhead website it explains that it is meant to be snug fitting. I think a lot of people size up too early. At only 11 weeks I’d thinks your wee guy would be far to small for the big one and it may not work aswell. I don’t know if you’ve seen them but they are massive! My DS used his till just under 10 months and the only reason we stopped using it is that he decided it was a game to crawl out it! He is a slightly smaller baby (below the 25th centile) and still would fit in it now. You can also get really good ones second hand if you’d be okay with that and it’s the cheaper option.

This too shall pass OP!

Thanks both for your responses.

Yep, totally accept that all babies are different - it’s just alien as it feels like this is the first time we have done this due to DS1 sleeping so well!

Co-sleeping is definitely a no go - have had an ‘in parents bed’ death in the family , so it’s just not a risk I’m prepared to take.

He still only feeds max once in the night - it would almost be easier if he was feeding a couple of times and not having the constant wakings!

We will, of course, ride it out! This too shall pass, one day!

We may give it another week or so, and then go to the sleepy head - if just to get some sleep! How did you find weaning off it??