baby enjoys the water and there's no sleep improvement!

[meysey]

hi

my baby is jolly by day but wakes up and screams a few times in the night, for over an hour a time. we have gradually cut back on night milk feeds and he gets some water from a bottle, which calms him down, though he goes beserk again when put in his cot.

BUT he seems to enjoy the water and for the past few weeks there has been no improvement in his sleeping patterns. (He is 8 months and has 2 daytime naps, is pretty much on a GF routine, but wakes at 11.30 and 5.30 at the very least. He goes down easily for all sleeps, but night waking is a nightmare).

We had one go at controlled crying 2 months ago. After an initial improvement things went down hill and we gave up after 2 weeks. I think it just taught him how to scream harder, and now his first response to waking is to scream.

Help!

Hi,

We had a similar problem with our dd and at 11 months I had finally had enough. Working 8-5, 5 days a week and having a child who didn't sleep at night was taking it's toll on both my dh and I.

I did controlled crying, but with a difference. Firstly, I placed a radio in my dd room, playing very, very softly. Then I had a very, very strict bedtime routine as follows:

6.30 - Bath
6.45 - Nappy and pj's
7.00 - Bottle and story
Then bedtime no matter how much she screamed.

What I did differently with the controlled crying, was to not go in AT ALL, while she was crying. So instead of Ferberising with the 5/10/15 minute schedule I just lay her in her cot and pulled the door to, not closed.

We waited 25 minutes the first night and she woke again at 9.15 for about 15 minutes. I haven't looked back since then. Now my only problem is that she wakes with the birds at any time from 5.15am. But we finally cracked the nighttime problem by not going in at all when she was crying. then once it was silent for at least 30 minutes I would return to make sure she was ok.

Not sure if this is going to help you, because I know every child is different. But at least you know you are not alone, my dd NEVER slept well from the moment we brought her home from the hospital. But at least there was a light at the end of the tunnel!

Good luck and I hope you all get some sleep soon!

I give my ds (7mo) a dream feed at 11 as he was doing the same as yours. waking at 11.30 and 2.30 and not really taking much milk either time.
Go in and give him a bottle in his cot without waking him at 11 - it may just give him enough to see him through a bit longer. My ds can now go from 7.30 plus his 11 oclock through to anythime between 3.30 and 7. he only takes about 2 oz at 11 - but seems to keep him going