11 month old WILL NOT SLEEP!!

[FirstTimeMummaB]

Sorry for the long essay that’s about to follow.. but I need a rant or I’m going to explode!!!

DS has never been an ‘easy’ baby. We’ve had more than our fair share of issues along the way but we’ve coped, as you do.

Since around 5 months old more often than not DS would sleep 7-7 (if I was lucky!) or wake for maybe 1 night feed (ebf).
Day time naps have always been shite and very hit and miss. Sometimes an hour, sometimes 10 mins.. but have just come to accept that’s how he is, still drives me mad especially when I know he’s tired, but a tad less stressful than fighting him to nap I suppose.

All of a sudden, he hit 11 months old about a week ago and everything has gone wrong.
Every single night for the last 2 weeks he’s woken about 4 times a night, I don’t always go into him unless he’s really upset/lost his dummy as he can self settle. But now every morning he wakes up at 4:30. 5am the latest. WHY?!!!
It doesn’t seem to make any difference if he naps well in the day, skips naps altogether, what time we put him down etc.. he is just awake by 5 every day and it’s starting to really drain me. Especially with nights like tonight where he’s only just given in (god knows for how long though!) and I know he’ll still be up at 5am regardless!!
He won’t be awake happy at 5 either, he’ll be groggy and miserable like he wants to sleep longer, but he won’t! He just cries until I or DH go and get him.

I should add that I have recently gone back to work, and DS now goes to nursery 2 full days a week (where he also DOES NOT SLEEP!) but it can’t surely be just because of that? Can it??
It’s getting to the point where I’ve considered sacking off work altogether because I can’t be doing with the stress. I was miserable being SAH towards the end of my maternity leave, but I’d almost rather that if it means we get some sleep!!
What am I doing so wrong?!
Please help out a very tired and emotional mummy!!

You're not doing anything wrong! DS is just being a perfectly normal utter bastard. It's a phase almost all of them go through, some of them repeatedly.

Keep trying different patterns - if nothing else at least planning out new schedules might keep you too busy to tear your own hair out.

Lots of sympathy xxx all this will pass soon, you'll make it through!

SpoonBlender he is an utter bastard at the moment!! 😂😂 thank you for that lol it was the little laugh I didn’t know I needed!

I really hope it is a phase. 🤞🏻
It’s hard because we have a lot of issues with cmpa and other food allergies, so every time he gets unsettled I automatically blame myself for eating something or giving him something he can’t have 😩

Oh, hell - allergies and sensitivities are such a trial. Sympathy! Have you gone through a full allergen testing regime with the doctors? Totally worth it.

I've got friends who have three kids - one is fine, one is sensitive to a bunch of things and allergic to peanuts, the third is basically allergic to everything in the world apart from clean air. But they have a good handle on what, thanks to the testing. And very effective antihistamines eight times a day.