HELP ME. IVE BEEN TRYING TO GET MY BABY TO SLEEP FOR HOURS

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Please help me.

My partner is away. I've been trying to get my baby to sleep for 5 hours.

He won't sleep. He goes from laughing/crying hysterically.

We started bedtime at 5.30pm. He was asleep by 6.15pm. Woke up 25 mins later.

I don't know what to do.

I'm at breaking point.

Help

Awake for 14 hours

Hopefully he will get lots of rest tonight and have lots of naps tomorrow to recover!

Thanks @lovinglola - I can't help but worry! He's my absolute world but I feel like I can barely keep my anxiety under wraps these days!

He'll be fine, counterintuitively you might find he wakes up more than normal (not what you want to hear I'm sure!)

I hope you have an ok night!

He'll be fine OP. If he wakes up you'll hear him. Go to bed now!!

Thank you. He is just overtired and overstimulated - totally my fault. I just need my husband to come home.

Hats off to single mums, you're absolute rockstars. No way could I do this alone! 😣😓

Also, I spent the last 3 days 'sleep training' and this is the end result.

I think I'll go back to flying by the seat of my pants.

It’s going to be ok. You need to get yourself to sleep now, maybe some relaxing quiet music and try not to think.
I hope you get some rest, everything will look better in the morning

My little girl is the same tonight. I put lullabies on YouTube and just let her listen. There's a classical music one so it's not overly stimulating.
She's asleep now and I'm predictably wired and awake.
Good luck!

Far too young for sleep training! Pretty sure that isn't recommended until at least 6 months.

It isn’t your fault! It’s babies. They’re just like this. Little gorgeous soft merciless dictators

Woohoo you did it! You are the rockstar! He will be absolutely fine and is probably already happily dreaming about milk

I feel absolutely wired now and unable to sleep!

I think I need a glass of wine!

The power of Mumsnet. I honestly was at breaking point. So lovely to see all these nice and supportive messages. X

He's far too little for sleep training so don't waste time on that any more! If he's just turned 4mo it's a very early bedtime too, DD was still going to bed at 8-9 at that point when we went upstairs to bed too and gradually transitioned herself to 6.45ish, so if it happens again, I wouldn't worry about just getting him up and watching TV with him on your lap or doing whatever he wants to do until he's ready to sleep for the night.

Go to bed !
4 month olds are gorgeous
My almost 20 year old is booking her Airbnb for her European interrailing this summer !

I remember this very well myself, and also remember coming to the realisation that nothing I could do would make any difference whatsoever to a baby who would sleep only when they wanted / needed to.
So long as the not sleeping baby is in no danger or pain I believe it is perfectly acceptable to focus on your self / your own needs at times
ie, try to take a nap, have a bath, eat a snack, cry or scream into a pillow,
Sometimes stressing around a baby provides the baby with entertainment and inadvertently keeps the baby awake.
Easy for me to offer advice I know, I just remember how stressed and exhausted I was at the time, and in hindsight I would have not tried so hard and not over thought it all.
Love and strength to you both.

My husband has a good trick for making yourself go to sleep - lie in bed and mentally talk through everything in your room. I. E. And then there's a chair. It is brown and has four legs and a seat. It is under the window. It is remarkably effective as it is extremely dull good luck!

@ContessaferJones
Love your dh !!!!

He's 4 months,sometimes they sleep 10 hours and sometimes 10 mins. That's what Netflix is for 😉

He'll be glad to hear someone appreciates him LovingLola, he's been annoying me something chronic recently

😂

I haven't read all the replies but I think 4 months is too young for a proper sleep routine and for sleep training. Cut your losses. If he naps at 6, great. Keep him up for a bit longer. Nice big feed at 9-10pm, then bed. Give it a try

You got through the night ! Hope you both got some sleep. (?)!

I feel a bit worried about you today OP.

Is your anxiety being addressed more generally?

Hope you can chill a bit today x

OP are you on Facebook? There are a couple groups I'm part of that are super supportive when your baby's keeping you awake. The two I'm in are for parents who don't want to sleep train - they're called 'The Beyond Sleep Training Project' and 'Desperately Seeking Sleep' - so may not be helpful to you, but there will be others for parents who are sleep training. I spend many, many 3a.m.s scrolling through those groups just reassuring myself that my baby is normal and we'll get through the night, or picking up tips!