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Original poster

9 month sleep regression- any tips how to survive?!

17 replies

Sarahlouise86 · 11/04/2021 23:47

My son is currently going through what I think is the 9 month sleep regression. He had just started sleeping through the night, having always been able to self settle most of the time but still woke for one bottle a night.

That has all gone to pot as of two weeks ago. We've got a good nap and bedtime routine and he goes down no problem at about 6.30pm, but he is now continually waking in the night, either crying or shouting. It's 11.45pm and he's just woken for the first time. Doesn't want a bottle and won't settle. I've tried shush and patting him, tried picking him up and rocking to sleep and putting back down, but he just wakes up once he's back in the cot. I know I've now got a night ahead of wake ups but I just don't know what to do to help him? He hates cosleeping so not an option. Any ideas anyone?? Thanks in advance!

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Thesearmsofmine · 11/04/2021 23:49

6.30 seems quite an early bedtime, he has been asleep for 5 hours so maybe he isn’t tired now?

RomainingCalm · 11/04/2021 23:57

This might not be very helpful but when DC went through similar phases I did everything I could to make it as easy for me as possible (whilst trying to remember that it's a phase and that it won't go on forever).

I had a comfortable sofa bed in DC's room so that I could cuddle them, lots of blankets to stay cosy, a flask of tea so that I could have a drink and my Kindle/phone/audiobooks. I tried to snooze during the day but obviously not always possible.

It was rubbish. I hated being up for hours during the night but decided that if that's what I took I'd try to make it as easy as possible. And then it stopped, DC started sleeping though again and I became a nicer person!

Original poster
Sarahlouise86 · 12/04/2021 15:22

@Thesearmsofmine

6.30 seems quite an early bedtime, he has been asleep for 5 hours so maybe he isn’t tired now?
Thanks for your reply.

We do vary the bedtime from around 6pm-7.30pm as it just depends on his day naps what is the best bed time for him. But he normally sleeps 12 hours at night so not sure that he's not tired when he wakes up in the night. It's just very confusing Confused

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Original poster
Sarahlouise86 · 12/04/2021 21:28

Thanks @RomainingCalm, I think that's exactly what I need to do! There is bed in his room so I may just sleep in that if I'm up and down in the night instead of going back and forth.

Unfortunately I'm back at work full time so napping in the day is not an option but I'm just about surviving with buckets of coffee and early nights. Just got to remember it will end!

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WarwickAvenue · 15/04/2021 10:10

Hi @Sarahlouise86 I've just found your thread and wanted to ask how it's going? My baby is going through the exact same thing you describe. She was sleeping through or having one easy bottle and going back down, and we have a good nap and bedtime routine. She goes down no problems at bedtime but has now started waking in the small hours and crying. Can't get her down often until 5.30am Confused

I am desperate and looking forward solutions too. If it's a phase it's been going on nearly 5 weeks so wondering if or how it will stop. If it's not a phase then I can't cope!

Would love to hear how you're getting on x

Original poster
Sarahlouise86 · 15/04/2021 10:27

Hi @WarwickAvenue, sorry to hear you are going through the same thing.

We are still very much having this problem, probably on week 3 now. Some nights are better than others and I think I'm learning a bit better how to deal with it.

So for example last night he went to bed at 7pm, no issues and went straight to sleep. Woke up crying at 9pm, I managed to settle him within a couple of minutes. He likes to sleep on his front or side so I've found I can just roll him back over, pat his bottom and support his back while shushing him. I think because I've never had to settle him before I had to figure this out 🤷‍♀️ He then woke up at 10pm and I give him a bottle at that point (he normally gets a dream feed at 10pm). He then woke at 3am crying and again I offered him a bottle and he went back to sleep until 7am.

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Original poster
Sarahlouise86 · 15/04/2021 10:32

@WarwickAvenue sorry I hit go before I meant to 🙈

I have friends with babies the same age and they are going through something similar so I'm assuming it's developmental. My LO is crawling, pulling himself up and trying to walk so it's just all go at the moment.

I'm just trying to survive without creating any new sleep associations such as rocking to sleep. I already still fed him bottles so not to bothered about that one and will work on that once his sleep improves. I would say that I see the same in the day as well, he's much quicker to cry than he used to be.

Hope that helps even if it's just to say your aren't alone! Xx

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legalseagull · 15/04/2021 10:34

Teeth? Calpol?

My DS was horrific around this age. Probably 7-10 months old he woke every 1.5 hours. I got so ill I ended up getting pneumonia. That spurred me to say 'enough is enough' and sleep train. Within 3 nights he was sleeping through. I wish I'd just done it straight away

WarwickAvenue · 15/04/2021 10:50

We already sleep trained before this happened @legalseagull , which makes it even more frustrating. What sleep training did you do, and did you do it right in the middle of the sleep regression?

legalseagull · 15/04/2021 11:26

Yes his 'regression' wasn't ending so I had to. I didn't really use a method. I just ignored him and only checked if he sounded really upset. Most of his screaming was anger rather than upset. The first night he was a nightmare but even by night two he was much better. Night three he slept. He's been so much happier since as he's not shattered.

Jodielaa · 22/05/2021 20:42

Hi Op.
just wondering how your going ? I’m going through the exact same my LO is up every half an hour through the night and I return to work next week. This has been going on for 4 weeks now. LO always been a good sleeper up until now! It’s torture!!

Original poster
Sarahlouise86 · 23/05/2021 08:54

Hi @Jodielaa, pleased to say whatever it was finished after about 5 weeks and his sleep is now much better, sleeps through happily from 6.30pm to 7pm (after we weaned him off his night bottle).

It was a tough few weeks but we just did whatever we needed to do to get a bit of sleep as we were both working. He didn't seem to pick up any bad sleep habits.

Sorry to hear you're going through something similar. Hopefully it won't last too much longer for you either! X

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Original poster
Sarahlouise86 · 23/05/2021 08:55

Or even 6.30pm to 7am!

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Jodielaa · 23/05/2021 09:16

Thank you for replying!! That gives me hope 😂 it’s so hard! She’s 9 months now and crawling , cruising etc so I think it may have something to do with that! Last night was horrid- asleep at 7pm. Woke 10pm/11:30/1/2:30/3:15/4/5:30 and up at 6:20 I cannot cope like this! I weaned her off night bottle a while ago , she dosent wake up she just cry’s in her sleep I give her a dummy and she goes back off but the broken sleep is driving me nuts 😩 sorry if I’ve rambled on... you have give me hope though lol x

PocketRocket12 · 31/05/2021 08:56

How did it go @Jodielaa? Did you ever come out of the regression? Sorry to revive an old thread but this is my life. Sometimes hourly wakes again with my 9m old after sleep training (he never slept through but did only wake once or twice after the training). Dyinggggggggg and going back to work shortly.

Jodielaa · 31/05/2021 10:20

@PocketRocket12

How did it go *@Jodielaa*? Did you ever come out of the regression? Sorry to revive an old thread but this is my life. Sometimes hourly wakes again with my 9m old after sleep training (he never slept through but did only wake once or twice after the training). Dyinggggggggg and going back to work shortly.
Still terrible. Waking hourly from 7pm until she’s up for the day at 4am. It’s a nightmare!! I’ve tried absolutely everything it’s awful x
Original poster
Sarahlouise86 · 31/05/2021 10:48

I wish I had some helpful tips as to how we got him to start sleeping again, but i really don't think we did anything! He just got gradually better over a couple of nights and then slept without issues so it really felt developmental to me (it was when he was crawling, climbing etc and starting at nursery).

Sorry you're both having such a hard time. Lack of sleep is horrendous 😭

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