I thought my DD1 was a poor sleeper. I was wrong!!!
DD2 is 6 months. She co-sleeps which I don't mind, she wakes frequently but I barely notice. She won't entertain naps in her cot so we use a sling.
It's the evenings which are driving me spare. She was sleeping with me in the living room on my lap until about 6 weeks ago. We'd do toddler bedtime then go downstairs and she's generally fall straight to sleep feeding. Then she started getting too tired to make it through so I've started putting her to bed around 6/6:30 whilst toddler plays or DH does toddler bedtime if he's home.
She feeds to sleep or is rocked with dummy. She prefers to sleep on her tummy. We had one glorious week of 2 hour stretches until I went to bed, and very easy resettling. Then she got a cold and a tooth popped through and now we are back to sleeping in my arms but waking the minute I put her down. She won't settle herself if I leave her. She cries harder if I pat her etc, she wants to be picked up and is asleep almost instantly when I pick her up.
The odd night when I can't take it I've taken her back downstairs but I feel like if I keep doing that I will never get her sleeping in the evenings. And to be honest I feel just as trapped sitting in the dark on the sofa watching tv on low as I do sitting in the dark in the bedroom on my phone!
I don't want to go to bed that early in the evening as I never see my husband and I feel resentful enough of him as it is!!
I feel quite embarrassed that I can't leave her with my husband or get a babysitter to do anything in the evenings. I can't even catch up with a friend on the phone :(
I'm considering controlled crying but it never worked that well with DD1 and everyone I know who has done it has to repeat it every so often which does not sound appealing. I am also worried about disturbing DD1 who is not bad at sleeping now but we have our ups and downs still!!
I'm scared that she will be sleeping like this forever and I am never going to have a life again :( the last two nights I have been in tears at bedtimes as it feels that nothing I do makes any difference
Does anyone have my advice??