Breaking the habit

[Wingingit2019]

My DS is almost 5 months. For the last 5 weeks I have put his 1/2 hourly wake ups to the sleep regression but i am slowly losing the plot. He can put himself to sleep for naps and at the beginning of the night no problem but wakes every 1/2 hours throughout the night and needs bf to settle. He gets harder and harder to settle as it gets to early morning. I'm sure this is now a habit rather than for hunger and I have no idea how to break it! I am exhausted.

I am happy to feed him during night but not to this frequency, please help!

I haven't got any answers but I feel your pain. My lo is 4 months and is sleeping awful atm. He's up every 1/2 hours all night every night. Only difference is he isn't wanting bf he's wanting the dummy putting, it's exhausting.

@popgoesperfection its awful isn't it! Especially when you have no idea how to improve it 😴☕

My 7 month old is similar - am also totally knackered and feel your pain... we'd formed a habit of feeding to sleep but in the last few weeks he has been waking more often, and now at the end of every sleep cycle. So... in the last few days before lifting him out of his bed I've just laid my head v gently on his chest and held his hands and this has been enough for him to settle, though he needs to be asleep before he'll 'let' me leave. Sometimes just a single handhold is enough. Once or twice a night this won't be enough and I'll feed him (to sleep). It feels a bit like progress - albeit v v slow progress - and I'm hoping to find the energy in the coming days to stop him falling asleep when feeding (which he loves to do in the day, too), then to shorten the time I hold his hands before leaving him. Can anyone tell me that seems a decent strategy? I need some encouragement not to break my resolve! Assuming I'm not barking up the wrong tree, could this also work for you, OP?

It sounds like a good alternative to me @Winchking and if it works for you both I would continue it !! It's all a mind field isn't it @Wingingit2019 .... don't encourage a sleep association but do what you can to get through the sleep regression, don't feed to sleep, but they might be hungry, don't give a dummy but they're a good comfort, don't put them to bed on their own until 6 months but start a bedtime routine early .... 🙀🙀

@Winchking I'm the same as you, I have always fed to sleep - I haven't tried hand holding but I have tried stroking and patting which often makes him worse 😅 I am willing to give anything a try!

@popgoesperfection exactly that! I am constantly on Google trying to get tips but it's all contradictory 😱

@Wingingit2019 google is the worse sometimes isn't it !!!! You wouldn't think I have a older ds 😳 haha