Is sleep training my only option?

[Fluffypeach]

My little girl is 5 and a half months old and for the first 4 months she went to bed at 9pm, woke for one feed between 4 & 5 and back to sleep until 8pm. She is teething and has probably gone through the 4 month sleep regression but now she goes down at 7, wakes at 1, 4 and sometimes 6, aswell as stirring and crying a few times inbetween, waking for the day around 7.30.

I feed her when she wakes which is probably the wrong thing to do (im exclusively bfing) but im so desperate to get back to sleep and its a quick fix. We are also cosleeping as she wakes herself up every hour in her next 2 me.

She has 3 naps through the day but will only nap for 30 mins at a time unless in the pram or car.

I know her sleep is by no means terrible but i got so spoiled by the early months and her great sleeping that im exhausted :(

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Not at all. You’re doing brilliantly and she’s just being a normal healthy baby. She’s doing fine, it’s a normal number of wake ups - mine changed massively at 4 months as many many babies do - and you’re doing exactly the right thing by feeding her. How could it be wrong? It’s what nature intended, it settles her straight away and the hormones from feeding help you go back to sleep quicker. The way you’re parenting her and responding to her normal baby needs is intuitive and great. She’ll have longer sleep cycles as she grows, sleep is entirely developmental. Like eating, walking, talking. She’s doing great from what you say and you’re responding well. It can be exhausting but things change so quickly, maximise your own rest when you can.

Will she still wake after half an hour if she’s contact napping?

I echo everything PP said, sleep is developmental and will change loads over the next few months. I considered sleep training (controlled crying) but couldn't do it, you really don't have to do it if you don't want to. At this age she'll be developing so much her little brain is trying to keep up which won't be helping.

She sounds like my DD - great sleeper until she hit the 4 month regression then bam, it really hits you for six! Mine is 8m now, I still bf her to sleep during her night wakes but try to put her down awake at the start of the night, and only go to her if she's crying not just grizzling a bit. We're now going to through a stage where every night is different - in the last few nights we've had one where she woke up every hour, a couple when it was every two hours, one where she was restless from 7-11 then slept from 11pm-6:30, last night she only woke once at 4 for a feed then up for the day at 8.

Napwise, she sleeps well in the car, and occasionally in the pushchair, at home I feed her to sleep and we mainly contact nap. Occasionally I wonder if I should do it differently but for now I enjoy the cuddles.

You're doing great!

I’m sorry, I think this sounds developmentally normal

I , too, would just hang on.Her sleep is reasonable for her age and I don't really see the problem to solve. Hang on for a couple of months and she will have changed again.

No. Your baby is acting like a perfectly normal baby of that age. You had a good first few months for sleep, try to accept it for what it was, and that not all good sleepers stay that way.

My first serve from doing a 11-6 stretch pre regression to washing up every 2-3 hours. Its very normal.

Your body will get back into the swing of wake ups. I'm sorry to say that sleep is totally up and down for the first few years. Its not a linear thing at all.

It’s just normal, try to ride it out, though I know just how tough it is - second born only started to sleep through at around 18 months old (only one night wake up though thankfully). Both of mine also slept better once in their own rooms. You might find it improves once you do this after 6 months (if this is your plan).