5 month old - sleep regression help!

[Etherealhedgehog]

It's eight weeks and counting since we entered the dreaded four month sleep regression and it's getting worse, not better. What I would like to know is - if your baby came out the other side of the sleep regression without you sleep training them, how long did it take to see that improvement? Essentially, is there any chance things will just improve (in the next month or so) or are we now those people for whom the sleep regression lasts forever?

In terms of what sleep looks like - naps fairly crap. She cannot do longer than 35 mins, even on the move or on me, which is the only way naps currently happen. She gets about 2-2.5 hrs per day. Feeds to sleep at night (I know, I know), currently does a first stretch of about 3 hrs and then wakes every 1.5 hrs or less, but earlier in the regression this had been improving, ie. first stretch 4-6 hrs followed by 2. From her 'last' night feed around 3-5am she cannot be put down without becoming WIDE awake so I try to get her to doze on me if I can before thrusting her at my partner as early as reasonably possible to get some desperately needed sleep myself. NB. Pre-regression she was doing 6-8 hrs and life was grand!

Is there any chance this will just improve? If not, what are your best suggestions for some genuinely gentle sleep training? We experimented recently with popping her off the boob while 80% asleep and putting her down and the screaming was unbearable so it turns out I'm not as hard as I thought I was...yet (though as the stretches of sleep get shorter that could well change).

We are in it as well!
We thought things had got better as last week he’d gone back to doing 8hrs before a feed and only taking 1hr to go back down.
Last two night have been horrific!!!
I also would like to know how it ended or what people did to change things?

@Needmoresleep123 maybe there's something in the air! The last three nights have been way worse for us than previously (though it didn't improve quite as much as yours did by the sound of it - hopefully that's a good sign for you!?)

Who knows!!! Feel like I’m second guessing. So different from our little girl

Same here with our 5 month old. Friday night we thought we'd cracked it as he slept through the night (although I still woke up every 1-2 hours because my body is used to it 😭). He only woke once last night, and up at 5.50am which is incredible, although I would prefer a little later waking, need to take the victories where we can.

He goes in his cot, none of this drowsy rubbish though as he doesn't get drowsy. He does cry before sleep though. Anything from 10-30minutes 😭 nothing we do can help, cuddles/dummy/talking to him just doesn't help. He's been like this since birth though, so I think he's just a bit sensitive. Now, we put him down, put his dummy in and hold his hand.

His day naps are all over the place. So I don't know what works best for him and if he's getting too much day sleep or not enough. All the information you find online is so contradictory

Got to be honest - sounds pretty normal. My nearly seven month old never does a 3 hour stretch, he's up every hour or two hours since I stopped co-sleeping and moved him to a cot three weeks ago. Even when we were fully co-sleeping the longest ever stretch was 5 hours and that was only when he was totally knackered.

I go to the spare room to co-sleep with him from 3 or 4am onwards as I get no sleep otherwise at that time of night - he'll only sleep on me or next to me in the early hours.

Sleep training shouldn't be attempted before 6 months, although it's not something I'm a fan of anyway. There's nothing wrong with your baby, the lack of adult sleep is just hard!

Also - baby sleep is not linear. It'll get "better" and "worse" in their first year and beyond, but overall night waking is totally normal

@4amWitchingHour thanks - I agree with you to an extent and, to be clear, I'm not looking to end night waking this early. I'm just wondering when I can expect to see improvement and if it is likely to take longer than my deadline for returning to work (8 months), what we can do to help, as I can't work like this. She used to do 8 hours regularly so she's not one of these 'never slept much' babies (and unfortunately won't cosleep in the wee hours - I've tried - it has to be ON me or bust, so I am really running on fumes!) A few days ago I'd say that I would be happy with 1-2 wakings, as we used to get. After the horror show of the last few nights, I'd settle for the three wakings we've been getting used to, instead of the 5-6 we're getting now!

@Ajahd that sounds pretty good from where I'm standing - well done! Hope you're able to start getting as much sleep as he does soon! When you say you cracked it, do you feel like you did anything in particular other than your usual routine as described? Or did it just just improve by itself? Can I ask how long you felt the whole regression lasted for? (Assuming you are out of it now - fingers crossed!)

Very sadly, we never managed to get her to take a dummy, despite much trying, so I'm not sure how effective just putting her down and staying with her would be, but worth a try!