Sleep training - what worked for you?

[ZsaZsaMc]

We are starting to think about sleep training our DS who will be turning 6 months next month but a lot of what I’ve read seems to be geared towards getting a baby to fall asleep at the beginning od the night - our DS does down v easily at the start of the night (usually self settling) but then is currently waking every hour :(

DS is exclusively breastfeed and whilst happy to do this a couple of times a night now he is waking up at least 6 times a night it’s just not sustainable. He’s a big baby (97th percentile) and I’ve tried doing things like (attempting to!) increase day feeds and also giving a bottle of expressed milk to try to get him through but it hasn’t worked. At the moment DH is settling some times and I’m doing a lot of feeding to sleep.

What worked for you? I’ve been hoping that DS not sleeping is just a phase but it has lasted his entire lifetime and I am desperate now!

Our boy sounds similar, except his waking was every 2 hours so survivable. I was just about to post with a sleep quandary of my own and saw your thread title. I didn’t do any sleep training really. 6 months felt too young for me to do any controlled crying. Also our lad has no real settling skills so it didn’t seem fair. We have established a bedtime routine, but have not succeeded in extending the sleeping. We also have a deal where I do the middle of the night and my partner takes him in the morning to give me an extra hour.

If yours can self settle, maybe the empty chair/ gradual retreat approach might work? It takes a while though so I think it’s about have you got the reserves to get through it. I’ve got the no sleep solution book and as soon as we get settled into new routine (I’m back at work) we might give it a go.

It may be a case of this too shall pass. I recall some bad times around 6 months I think.

The final option might be moving him to own room - we didn’t because I couldn’t bear the idea of going up and down to the room in the night. Now regretting it because I don’t dare move him at the moment because desperation anxiety and being away from me more. I ended up bringing him into bed with me in the last month in the early hours. My partner goes next door, I just use a sheet and blanket etc etc . I kind of loathe co-sleeping (can never fully switch off) but I do get a bit more sleep this way. Might work for you?

Lol autocorrect- separation not desperation (although there’s desperation too!)

My 15mo has been always been a poor sleeper, but after the 10 month regression just never recovered. He self-settles for bed, has a bottle most nights and settles back to sleep. However he starts most days at 3.30-4.30am and nothing in the world will settle him.

Naps I feed to sleep, but now this doesn’t work unless he’s attached to me the whole time or if I drive for 1.5hours.

I tried sleep training and it was awful and won’t do it again.

My mental health is getting bad, I have no support from family and friends and he won’t settle for my husband at all.

Will he eventually grow out of it?

He won’t fall asleep in my bed so Co sleep ing not an option

@Daises it sounds like you are going through a horrible time at the moment It’s great that your LO can self settle! I know it may not be fun but could you go to bed when he does so you can get more sleep until your early wake up?