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Original poster

10mnth dd suddenly not sleeping. WHY???

8 replies

Ab31 · 27/09/2007 07:29

Hi all!
My 10 mnth dd has always been a really good sleeper and between 3 and 9 months she put herself to sleep and frequently slept from 7pm till 7am. Suddenly (since she's started crawling) she won't go to sleep on her own (I have to feed her to sleep) and wakes 3 times in the night finally wanting to get up at 5.30am. I can't seem to settle her without Bfing her back to sleep and even that doesn't work at 5.30. Really conscious not to ruin all the good hablts but it's driving me crazy and with DH working abroad for 3 months it's all a bit overwhelming. She's been teething on and off too which may be part of it.

Any suggestions?? Is there a famous 10 month phase that I don't know about? If so how do you deal with it and still have the happy sleeper from before at the end of it? Or have I just been lucky and it's run out!!

Help!
x

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skirmish · 27/09/2007 07:33

can't really help...i have a 10mth old ds who wakes anywhere between 5 - 6am...all started from around 6mths, before then he would sleep 7 -7.

I wish I could say I'm getting used to it...but i'm not. 5am is a ridiculous time to get up!! The last couple of days (not today he has slept til 6 and that has felt like a lie-in for me!

sorry, can't offer anymore adivce

Original poster
Ab31 · 27/09/2007 11:38

I know Skirmish, isn't it a ridiculous time?! And it makes such a long day! I used to blame the light and/or noise from the road, but last week we were away and she stayed in a room that was pitch black and silent and she still woke at 5! Don't know if this might help you but saw the HV this morning who reckons I should feed her something starchy at 6 (previously last solid meal was 4.30) as an extra meal and that it will help see her through. I know she wont BF to sleep if I do that but I suppose it's better to have trouble getting her to sleep and her sleep later than the way it is now. Will try tonight.
Good to know I'm not alone...!

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bubblagirl · 27/09/2007 11:57

hi my ds went through a stage of waking agin but you must be careful not to give them to much attention as they will suddenly need this all the time it will become new routine

try to feed a rusk maybe before bed i had to do this with ds and pop dummy in then leave to go to sleep you can do cc leave 1 min then go in reassure then leave go back in again after 2 mins then evry 5 mins then every 10 mins then dd will gradually learn to settle herself back off

if she doesn't have dummy try a dummy as this helps soothe and also if painful gums gives something to chew on you can also try ashton and parsons teething powder its a herbal remedy which is fantastic at sootheing them

babies learn how to manipulate you so if not really hungry dont feed and try to not pay to much attention it is really hard but they tend to always need it otherwise to settle off

bubblagirl · 27/09/2007 12:00

my ds realised every time he cried i went running he is 2.5 and i have a sleep therapist to help me with him as he wont sleep without my company so thats why i urge although hard do stick to it as i did and it worked with my ds until he was 2 had real bad cold so let him sleep with me ooops big mistake he doesn't want to sleep without me now

sar123 · 27/09/2007 12:10

hi Ab31 my dd is 14mths but i had similar episodes at 10 mths and later too! I think they just go through phases, the thing to hang on to is that you have already established good sleep patterns in the early days. My advice would be to stop feeding her to sleep when she wakes, just comfort and resettle. Perhaps you need to give her the final meal of the day a bit later. Maybe you need to cut down her daytime naps if she's waking really early. I'm not sure I'd introduce a dummy at 10months if she's not had one before. Also make sure her final meal of the day and any pre-bed snacks are not too sugary so avoid rusks etc and make sure it's good grain rather than refined processed stuff so that it sustains her longer. Anyway hope some of that helps! And for what it's worth my dd still goes through phases of waking at 5.30am for a few days.

Original poster
Ab31 · 27/09/2007 19:52

Good advice, thankyou. As you say sar123 I'm a bit reluctant to introduce a dummy so late in the day. She never had one as she always sucked her thumb but since teeth arrived she doesn't do that so much. Tonight I fed her masses of mashed potato before bed so fingers crossed....!

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neolara · 28/09/2007 21:28

Apparently it is very common for babies to start waking when they are learning new motor skills like crawling and pulling up. Some babies just seem to want to practice them all the time. When my DS started to crawl a few weeks ago, he also started waking up much more frequently. I would go into his room and find him on all fours, revving backwards and forwards. I would like to say I had some good ideas about how to make your DD go back to sleep, but I don't really. I tried CC, but after two and a half weeks it hadn't made any difference at all, so I ended up feeding him and that settled him quickly. However, I do genuinely think he was hungry as his activity level had massively increased and he was on solids strike, only eating a teaspoon or so a day. But then he started waking up more frequently and I'm not sure if that was because he liked being fed at night. So it doesn't have a happy ending yet.

On the early waking front, does your DD have a nap within an hour or two or of waking up in the morning? A book I was reading suggested that if this is what is happening, then often the morning nap is just a continuation of the night sleep. The suggestion was that you try to move the first nap later, to two or three hours after they wake up. If your baby finds this difficult, move the nap forward by 15 mins or so each day. My DS was waking before 6 most days, and I have tried this technique now for less than a week and today I only had to get him at 7am. At 10 months, the book suggests two naps a day, the first one of about 45 mins to an hour and the second longer one of about two hours just after lunch.

I really hope tonight is more settled for you.

Original poster
Ab31 · 28/09/2007 21:58

Thanks neolara, that's really interesting. The mashed potato last night didn't make the slightest difference but I'm persevering with confidence! She doesn't sleep in the morning till 10ish so it's a long stretch. And she certainly doesn't get another two hours in the afternoon. She spent 9 months sleeping so much and so well I think she's filled her quota !
I wonder if they grow out of the hands and knees thing? Does your DS sleep in a bag? I was wondering whether she would get back to sleep better without it as it gets all tangled.
It's difficult to know though as teething is getting in the way too. Phew...

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