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.

Go for a walk! I used to take mine out in all weathers. As long as you are both dressed appropriately and use a rain cover it's fine.

Buy a cheap umbrella stroller to keep as your inside buggy. I used to be a childminder and can't tell you how many terrible sleepers I have rocked to sleep in my hallway in a buggy!

@stillreallytired if he has got himself in a state, are you able to give him a warm bath (maybe with you?) to calm him down and then try some skin to skin time? Even if he doesn't go to sleep maybe it will calm him a bit so he is more receptive?

If you aren't willing to try any of these suggestions then your only alternative is to let him howl till he conks out. Long term this won't do any damage. Let him sleep today and figure out plan B tomorrow.
I suspect your goal was to get someone to validate your desire to let him cry it out. If nothing else works, or you won't try anything else, then that's your only option.

Am I missing something? The baby didn't get up till 10.45 this morning and has had a half hour nap yes? What's the emergency here?

If I was you I'd be thinking more about how to keep him awake now so that in an hour or two when he's totally knackered and well fed he'll hopefully get a good long night time sleep.

What's your usual bedtime for the baby? Just aim to go through to that time and do your usual bedtime routine and feed.

@FourTeaFallOut

Ok, try swaddling, shushing and rocking at the same time. When my kids would get beyond it like this I'd wear noise cancelling headphones while doing the above - you already know you are doing what you can to help and it doesn't help to have your last nerve rattled by the full thrust of the crying volume. And then just keep going.

I used to do this too. Much better for your mental health than getting worked up whilst doing your absolute best anyway.

I’m trying hamburger but everyone is just fixating on the pram.

I guess that’s it then. He will only sleep in the pram outside.he’s going to nursery soon where that won’t happen, so he’ll be overtired and exhausted all the time and I’ve done that

All day I kept thinking he’d give in and sleep, he just can’t. So I don’t know what I can or should do. That’s why I’m reach out out here even though I knew I’d get abuse. I think it’s what I deserve.

I am shit at this and should never have done it.

And don’t remove this post please MN. I want it to stay. I want to have it here just how shit I am.

I know you're frustrated but there are only so many options.

A. Pram
B. Car
C. Sling
D. Cot
E. In your arms

We've all been there, the crazy 11pm walks around the block just praying they go off, the nights and days you are demented. It does pass.

Yes honey you have not missed something you have totally misread

Baby up at 6, nap of about 30 mins at 830

Then another nap in the pram about 10-1045.

Then awake until 3. Slept until 330.

So no not an emergency just a miserable awful day which has made me realise I can’t do this

I've posted on all of your threads OP on this issue. I've been kind. I've also said it sounds like you need help and support.

Lashing out at people here is not helpful. I hope you can heed some advice and seek some support from your health visitor or GP as soon as possible.

Is he poorly?.

Right OP. What you have here is an overtired and overstimulated baby and an exhausted mum - all round shitter of a time!! You need a large baby blanket or swaddle muslin, fold it in half lengthways so it's a long strip. Tuck one end under your armpit. Pick up DS and put him on your chest, and wrap the blanket around his body, tucked under his bum a bit, and then tuck the end under your other armpit tightly. The blanket should pull him in securely against your body, and you can now pat him or just hold him there, but the blanket will be taking some of the weight. Make the room very dark and put white noise on loudly. Now sway Sway back and forth going from one foot to the other for as long as it takes for him to sleep. It WILL work, as sleep finds us all in the end OP. Then you need to have a big glass of water and a snack and put yourself to bed too, you must be shattered.

I’m not the one lashing out but if that’s what you think I’m doing then don’t post please

Just now I would use ANYTHING that will help him fall asleep.
Puschair, the car. Doesn’t matter.

You BOTH need a break and for him to fall asleep.

After that, I found my dcs horrible when they were overtired. They just couldn’t fall asleep then.
I had to watch Dc2 like an awk to spot any sign of tiredness and then put him in bed ASAP. A routine helped too, at least to have an idea of when he was likely to need some sleep.

Dont worry about nursery. They do voodoo magic and all the babies sleep 🤷‍♀️

You can't go for a walk because of the weather and you can't bring the pram in the living room becaue the wheels are dirty?

Wear a coat and use the raincover or wash the wheels and bring the pram in the room

I'm baffled at you making such a big deal when you know your child will sleep in the pram. Put the baby in the pram then

Other ways of doing motion for a motion-reliant baby without a pram:

• baby in bouncy chair and push on the back of the chair to bounce it
• baby swing
• hold baby in your arms and bounce/rock either side to side or up and down
• hold baby on your lap and jiggle
• lay baby on side or tummy and firmly pat bottom to make them jiggle.

Dark room & white noise (loud).

He's not only ever going to sleep just in the pram. He must sleep sometimes in the house, it's not like he's awake 24 hours a day! It's just a bad day. He's had a nap, and to be honest I think you're more worked up about him needing to sleep than he is.
Are you sure he isn't hungry? When did he last eat? Does he have wind? Reflux? Maybe he just wants to be held?
Just give in and take him for a walk and get him to sleep.

Why can't you go out with the pram?

@stillreallytired

I’m trying hamburger but everyone is just fixating on the pram.

I guess that’s it then. He will only sleep in the pram outside.he’s going to nursery soon where that won’t happen, so he’ll be overtired and exhausted all the time and I’ve done that

All day I kept thinking he’d give in and sleep, he just can’t. So I don’t know what I can or should do. That’s why I’m reach out out here even though I knew I’d get abuse. I think it’s what I deserve.

I am shit at this and should never have done it.

And don’t remove this post please MN. I want it to stay. I want to have it here just how shit I am.

Ok, pram is a no go.

What helped me overall was the routine of when sleep happened. Rain or shine we went for a walk in the morning for that nap. Afternoon nap was in the cot and I put them down and sat next to them until they slept. Gradually (and I mean gradually) they went to sleep without me.

Don't worry about nursery. They can get babies and toddlers to do all sorts of things we can't get at home. They have some kind of magic wand I think.

For right now. A cuddle from you or dad and just sitting together might help. Stop trying to make him go to sleep and just cuddle and be. Get dad to bring you some food and drink

Ok

I've been nothing but nice to you.

Thank wish you all the best

So he’s had half hour this afternoon? This wasn’t in op.
How did you get him to sleep then?

@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.

@stillreallytired

I can help you with ways to get a dummy accepted. It is rather late at 5 months, but doable.

Without a dummy, your baby WILL cry to sleep. Sucking physically stops the crying. So accept that baby will cry to sleep and don't take the crying as a sign a method isn't working.

Without sucking, you're going to need to use movement yo get baby to sleep. My recommendation is a bouncy chair.

Park yourself on the sofa with a cuppa and TV remote. Bouncy chair at your feet and bpuce with your foot.

Be relentless
Even tempo
Even rhythm
Non-stop
Just keep going and going all the time.

Baby will cry.

Baby isn't sucking so baby will cry. He still needs to sleep though and without the option of comfort sucking, movement will have to do. But there will be lots of crying - just keep going.

Also limit awake time. While baby is very sleep deprived (like now), never more than 1h awake between naps. Even when not sleep deprived limit awake windows.

HTH

I guess that’s it then. He will only sleep in the pram outside.he’s going to nursery soon where that won’t happen, so he’ll be overtired and exhausted all the time and I’ve done that

My DD (23 months) has only ever breastfed to sleep, or napped in the pram while with us. Not once in her life at home has she napped in a cot/Moses basket/bouncer. At nursery she naps in the cot and always has. I don’t know what they do or how they do it, but that’s something that I’d try not to worry about. They’ll figure that out.

@doadeer

Dont worry about nursery. They do voodoo magic and all the babies sleep 🤷‍♀️

This is so true. Mine got DD to nap like an absolute champ, something I never managed at home.