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Original poster

Feel like our sleep is getting worse and can't cope!

20 replies

Mums123456789 · 29/01/2022 06:40

Hi,
Im looking for some advise or any helpful tips for my 6 month old daughter. She is a TERRIBLE sleeper and I just don't know what else to do. We went through a small phase when she was 3 months of sleeping so so well, waking once for a bottle then back down again and you wouldn't hear from her at all. But from 4 months she wakes pretty much every hour with her being fidgety which wakes her up or just her waking fully up on her own. She's not wanting a bottle although she does have one at midnight (ish).
She has a solid bedtime routine and her day sleep is a max of three hours. She has a good amount of milk in the day 7oz every four hours. I just feel like we're making no progress at all with her sleep causing myself to have little or no sleep each night. We have no family or friends near us to give us a break either. We have just started solids this week which I'm hoping might help her sleep better. I just don't know what else I'm doing wrong to make her sleep so badly at night. I'm having to go to bed pretty much at 19:00 when she does just to get any sort of sleep which then makes me not spend any time in the evening for myself or see my partner which is getting me down.
Anyone else been through this and tried something that made a difference? Or does it just randomly get better on its own?
Thanks from a tired Mumma!

OP posts:
ElmtreeMama · 31/01/2022 18:07

Bumping for you x

Mayblossominapril · 31/01/2022 18:15

You’re not doing anything wrong.
Where does she nap and does she nap for 3hrs in a block?
How is she when she wakes in the night? Happy but wide awake or screaming? If screaming possibly cmpa.
You could try a dose of calpol for a night or two see if that improves things. If it does then it’s probably pain somewhere.

Mayblossominapril · 31/01/2022 18:17

Is she in a sleeping bag or blankets? Mine hated sleeping bags and my hv suggested fleece sleep suits which worked well.
Too hot too cold? You keep disturbing her obviously not on purpose?

SnackSizeRaisin · 31/01/2022 19:59

4 month sleep regression?

Original poster
Mums123456789 · 02/02/2022 06:48

@Mayblossominapril

You’re not doing anything wrong. Where does she nap and does she nap for 3hrs in a block? How is she when she wakes in the night? Happy but wide awake or screaming? If screaming possibly cmpa. You could try a dose of calpol for a night or two see if that improves things. If it does then it’s probably pain somewhere.
Hi thanks for the message. So she has the naps over three naps. Generally the first ones is 30th minutes long then a two hours one in the afternoon then a bridging nap for 30 mins to keep her going till 19:00. I don't believe she's too hot or cold. She generally wakes up fine but sometimes with fry or shout out. I try and leave her until she cry's out. I then either put her dummy back in or she loves to hold your hand and she'll fall back to sleep but this happens to often that I think I can't do this every night. She's currently still in our room but when she goes into her own I'm unsure how this will look. She does get into bed with us at around 6am and doze's until 7am.
OP posts:
Original poster
Mums123456789 · 02/02/2022 06:49

@SnackSizeRaisin

4 month sleep regression?
I originally put it down to this but I just feel like it's going on soo long. I mean it could be anything developmentally I guess?
OP posts:
Original poster
Mums123456789 · 02/02/2022 06:50

@ElmtreeMama

Bumping for you x
Thank you, I appreciate that.
OP posts:
LapinR0se · 02/02/2022 06:54

How does she go to sleep

sarahc336 · 02/02/2022 06:59

I've found the Lucy Wolfe book good for helping me figure out nap routines and sleep stuff, it's on Amazon, she also has an Instagram page. Maybe she would be ok on just two naps now etc. x

Keladrythesaviour · 02/02/2022 07:01

Could you be disturbing her if she's still in the room with you? I'd perhaps try the move, if you'd be planning it anyway, and see if she sleeps for longer stints. If she's often looking for a hand hold and then drifting off okay I'd be tempted to do some very gentle sleep training, the pat and shush kind. So she knows you're there and gets some contact that slowly reduces.

Askyfullofkindness · 02/02/2022 07:03

6-7 months were awful for us sleepwise. We turned a corner at 7 months once we moved her to her own room. Is she still in your room
? Does she have a dummy? Is she teething?

Original poster
Mums123456789 · 02/02/2022 07:07

@LapinR0se

How does she go to sleep
She'll go down at 19:00 with a dummy and go to sleep herself. We may have to go in once or twice but not always.
OP posts:
YukoandHiro · 02/02/2022 07:08

The 4 month sleep regression lasts ages. Definitley until about 8 months with both mine. Hang in there. It starts to get better just as you're almost falling apart

Original poster
Mums123456789 · 02/02/2022 07:08

@sarahc336

I've found the Lucy Wolfe book good for helping me figure out nap routines and sleep stuff, it's on Amazon, she also has an Instagram page. Maybe she would be ok on just two naps now etc. x
Oh great thank you for that. I'll take a look into it
OP posts:
Original poster
Mums123456789 · 02/02/2022 07:34

@Keladrythesaviour

Could you be disturbing her if she's still in the room with you? I'd perhaps try the move, if you'd be planning it anyway, and see if she sleeps for longer stints. If she's often looking for a hand hold and then drifting off okay I'd be tempted to do some very gentle sleep training, the pat and shush kind. So she knows you're there and gets some contact that slowly reduces.
It's just me in the room currently. My partner sleeps in another room due to the hours he works. So I don't think I'm waking her. I think I'll definitely try the patting now as that will be easier than hand holding on the long term. Thanks
OP posts:
Original poster
Mums123456789 · 02/02/2022 07:36

@YukoandHiro

The 4 month sleep regression lasts ages. Definitley until about 8 months with both mine. Hang in there. It starts to get better just as you're almost falling apart
Thank you so much for this message. You have no idea how nice it's to read that it's not just us that is/has struggled with the sleep! We definitely saw a change at around 4 months so it's probably still that combined with a whole host of other crazy developmental things they go through, bless them.
OP posts:
Original poster
Mums123456789 · 02/02/2022 07:38

@Askyfullofkindness

6-7 months were awful for us sleepwise. We turned a corner at 7 months once we moved her to her own room. Is she still in your room ? Does she have a dummy? Is she teething?
It's nice to know other have experienced this and that you come out the other side! She has a dummy. Teething g is a hard one because sometimes it looks like it then other days I'm not sure. I'm sure they're coming!
OP posts:
Skyla01 · 02/02/2022 09:23

Not much advice but my LO hit four month regression, sleep went to sh*t for about six months. Gradually getting better now. Tried a bit of sleep training which helped a bit. I survived by co sleeping on and off, and I also had to go to bed at 7pm more often than I would of liked. I also napped with her in the mornings. Was grim but doesn't last forever.

Original poster
Mums123456789 · 02/02/2022 11:18

@Skyla01

Not much advice but my LO hit four month regression, sleep went to sh*t for about six months. Gradually getting better now. Tried a bit of sleep training which helped a bit. I survived by co sleeping on and off, and I also had to go to bed at 7pm more often than I would of liked. I also napped with her in the mornings. Was grim but doesn't last forever.
This is the type of things that help so much. I really appreciate you commenting- thank you. It's helpful to know you're not alone and things slowly get better. We also co sleep from time to time to get better sleep when she's not settling.
OP posts:
SnackSizeRaisin · 02/02/2022 12:13

Of course there could be something else going on but if she was previously a good sleeper that suggests to me that it could be the 4 month regression. Waking up every hour is not going to be due to hunger so unlikely solids will make much difference. Getting rid if the dummy may be a useful thing to try though, if you baby relies on it to get to sleep.

The 4 month sleep regression can last months or even years, until the baby learns the skill of going to sleep without your help. If you search 4 month sleep regression and sleep training there's loads of info out there. If you decide to sleep train you can get much better sleep within a few nights but it's not for everyone.

I have been where you are and it is awful - but you can do something about it.

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