I’m prepared to be told I’m a terrible mother but please hear me out.

[stillreallytired]

My 5 month old has had one half hour sleep between 1045 this morning and now.

He is screaming with exhaustion, and I’ve been sobbing as well.

I really need advice but it does need to be actual advice I can use. So:

The sling is a no go.

He will sleep in the pram but I don’t want to be overly reliant on this.

He will feed to sleep sometimes. But the problem is if he doesn’t I then have to wait until he’s hungry enough to accept another bottle.

Dummies don’t work as he spits them out or knocks them out of his mouth.

So - I’ve no idea but I am desperate.

White noise app on the phone, cracked up to max, put him in his cot and shut the door. Have a cup of tea. You need a break, and he will be safe in the cot for a few minutes alone.

Desperate times, etc, and you can't come up with solutions if you are crying with exhaustion yourself.

Is this a good idea, OP?

been there. My sympathies. One of mine was like this.My solution was to use the pram and push it up and down the hall over and over whilst listening to a podcast or something? Sorry not to be more help. Or sometimes I put her in a bouncer chair and bounced it with my foot but as I remember that didnt work too well! Hang in there.

Yes thanks but that doesn’t really help either of us. He just gets worked up and I can hear him anyway. Sorry if I sound sharp there but I need help with his sleep.

Put him in the pram if it works. Don't be a hero, these are the days when you chose the path of least resistance to get you both through the day.

If he will sleep in the pram just do that! Why make life harder for yourself? Nothing you do now will have any lasting impact.

Didn't want to read and run, I don't have much advice apart from that this WILL pass and it WILL get better. Don't worry about lo getting reliant on a method of sleep, if they will sleep in the pram then use the pram! sounds like you're doing a great job

Take him for a walk in the pram. When he conks out, come straight home and have a rest yourself. There is nothing wrong with napping in the pram especially when you're at the end of your tether.

pp advice about white noise and a cuppa sounds excellent. Made me remember my eldest who got over stimulated and tired and was actually better off just being put down and left alone for a few minutes; some of them are.

My advice is if he will sleep in the pram, you go with the pram.

Pram. This is a phase and you do what you need to do to survive it.

Just read your update. Put him in the pram; do what works.

@kneesbentarmsstretchedrararaaa

Take him for a walk in the pram. When he conks out, come straight home and have a rest yourself. There is nothing wrong with napping in the pram especially when you're at the end of your tether.

OP can’t go out because of the weather, apparently.

There’s nothing wrong with being reliant on pram, they change so often it’s honestly not an issue. Same with car seat.

I spent many an hour sat in a car for the sole purpose of a nap.

Hairdryer noise on YouTube place baby down in usual sleeping area play noise and pat gently you will get crying you will also hopefully get sleep

I'm assuming you have made sure nothing is physically wrong?

Put him in the pram, if that’s what works for now, do it. He won’t be reliant on the pram forever.

Use the pram, don't worry about being reliant on it. If it works go for it. I used to go for an after lunch walk with the pram. Then DC slept in it in the hallway when we got back whilst I had a lie down and a cup of tea.

(Several of us have been trying to help all afternoon. OP wouldn’t accept any suggestions, including calling her HV.)

If he sleeps in the pram, for the love of God woman put him in the pram.

I spent the first few months of my son's life listening to the same song on repeat because it stopped him crying. We have all been there.

If he feeds to sleep, persist with a dummy. Buy an ugly brown cherry one and keep putting it back in his mouth.

If he will sleep in the pram just go with it. My first was like this. I used to have to walk constantly for about 2 hours per day as if I stopped she would wake, if I even went into a shop she would wake. It wasn't forever, when she got bigger and would tire herself out in the morning she used to have one long nap in bed after lunch. I sympathise OP. I used to get very frustrated as well. The only saving grace was she used to go to bed 5.30/6pm and sleep all night until 8am.

Mine liked to sleep in the pram too, in bad weather I'd put all the lights off and roll it backwards and forwards in the hallway until they went to sleep!

Pram. You're martyring yourself - do what works. You cannot possibly expect to set good patterns for sleep when they are so overtired - you need to try those when they're in the right headspace. Pram!

You don't need to go out; just push it round the house if you have room. Also; no idea why you would think anyone would call you a terrible mother; This is an issue nearly everyone has had to contend with! Youre grand, don't put yourself down on top of everything else.

After your earlier thread I'm not sure this will help you. People are just going to come and give the same advice.

He can't be asleep all the time at 6 months, spending the hours he's awake desperately trying to get him back to sleep is just stressing you both out.

Just play with him etc when he's awake instead of constantly trying to force sleep on him.

@polkado

Mine liked to sleep in the pram too, in bad weather I'd put all the lights off and roll it backwards and forwards in the hallway until they went to sleep!

Yes. Many hours spent over several min to a doing that. Still worked at age 4 when she needed a nap at Disney.

OP can’t/won’t though.