HELP!!

[Jay53]

Hi everyone just wanting some advice.
So my 5 month old just does not sleep. He's never really slept for longer than an hour all through the night. Although when I first started weaning he did really well for a week or so sleeping from 8pm until 2am then bottle and back down until 6am. Did only last a week or so but now he is horrendous.
He has a bath and bottle and normally falls asleep on me after the bottle. Put him down and first hour don't really hear a thing then that's it every 10-15 minutes allll night long. So the dummy is in and out all night long too. Sometimes I have to cuddle back to sleep, sometimes he just turns and goes back off but the minute I get back in bed and close my eyes that's it again. I will admit when I am struggling I have put him in my bed and he does sleep although I'm still putting the dummy in all the time. Last few nights I've been adamant that he was not coming in our bed but really struggling now as I'm not getting sleep at all. I also admit I probably rush in way too quick but I don't want him keeping my 3 year old up all night. My 3 year old was such a good baby used to put him down awake and he was always great at sleeping. Does anyone please have some advice before I go crazy.

If cosleeping is working and you can do it safely then do it.

As for the Dummy - I would try the glow in the dark MAM ones and get him to practice putting them on himself during the day. Lay him on the floor and scatter dummies around him.

A few people have this this to me however I don't feel comfortable having him in bed with me. Its just the tiredness. I'm not sure if putting him in bed with me has caused him to be worse.

Have loads of dummies around the cot and your bed.

You should be able to grab a dummy, reach over cot and reinsert from your bed, without actually waking up properly. Its finding the dumny that wakes you up. So remove that by having loads to hand.

Is baby over tired from lack of daytime sleep?

Would it be easier to ditch the dummy for sleep so he doesn't have that sleep association?

He doesn't go to bed initially with a dummy. He falls asleep fine without but with the constant waking it's the only thing to settle him sometimes. I didn't mention either the cot isn't in my room ( really small house) so I am up to a different room every time and it is literally as I get back in bed close my eyes then he starts again.

Also daytime sleep is better today for instance gone down sleepy but awake had two 90 minute naps. Then nighttime come and well I just don't know...

the cot isn't in my room ( really small house) so I am up to a different room every time

Ah, that explains why you're so knackered.

This phase really is best done with the cot in your room, so the dumny reinsert are done without actually waking up yourself (and certainly not getting up).

It is worth rearranging your room to fit the cot in. Even if that means removing furnature.

A chest of drawers takes about the same floor space as a cot. Or a wardrobe. Remove your drawers and/or wardrobe out of your bedroom and in to the nursery (making the nursery a temporary dressing room) so that you can fit the cot in your bedroom. This may well save your sanity and stop you ending up cosleeping through utter exhaustion.

I honestly wish I could we have silly built in wardrobes, the bed and 1 bedside table. The cot in about 10cm too big. We can only just open the wardrobes because of the bed. Total nightmare. Didn't realise how lucky I was with my first baby.

Could you fit in one of the small IKEA cots?

Can you fit the cot and a bed for you in the baby’s bed.

Alternatively what could you do to make bed sharing safer?

Shift your partner out to sleep on the sofa/a mattress somewhere?

Have you tried a dream feed to see if they could actually be hungry and hence not settling? Having had 2 x dummy addicts live through the pain now and ditch them and you share cuddling baby back to sleep/do pick up put down?

I had 2 thumb addicts too - dummies have their advantages!

Just dont rush to him. I bet the three year old will sleep thru. He wont learn to self settle if you dont give him the chance to.

Sorry for the late reply just been tough few days. So the IKEA cot wouldn't fit and baby's room is box room. Me and hubby are going to try ditch the dummy over the next few nights so think it's going to be a long week but hoping at the end we are sorted x