How do I deal with this….6 months in

[AnaSpain4]

Hi all

Baby has just turned 6 months and generally been a brilliant sleeper, even as a newborn so we’ve been very lucky. Always quick to settle and fall back to sleep.

He’s never been great during the day hes never napped properly despite trying multiple techniques but I could live with it as the nights were good. However since 4 month regression he’s gradually got worse until this week where he’s now waking every hour. I’m absolutely in bits with exhaustion.

We started weaning and I figured his sleeping may improve as perhaps the waking could’ve suggested he was hungry. The opposite has happened! There’s no sign of wind or anything physical making him uncomfortable. He was literally wide awake at 3am.

My partner works long hours and I have no family or close friends near who I can look to for support so this is really the last thing I need. I’m already finding things incredibly tough.

Please does anyone have any advice or can share any tips?
Thank You

Ah yes. Snap! My son is 13 months and now sleeps through...but only because we did sleep training. No "cry it out" but incrementally moving further from where we were (feeding to sleep) to letting him settle himself in his cot without our help. I've heard it called "sleep nudging" too. If you're feeding to sleep then try just rocking, if you're rocking then move onto laying next to them with a hand on their bum, then into cot with hand, then no hand, then walking out of the room. Nothing is a "no cry" solution and there were some tears, but now he settles himself and sleeps through the night. There are lots of sleep consultants on Instagram. PM me if you want the one I used. Good luck!

We did CC technique at 6 months. From 3.5 months she woke every hour to 2 hours. It was a killer. I couldn't cope any longer.

Same here! My just turned 6month old would sleep 7/8 ish hours through the night from being little, without a wake up or feed (we were very lucky) THEN after she turned 4 months, which coincided with our routine being a bit all over the place at Christmas / new year, she wakes every 2ish hours. It’s exhausting & demoralising!

I generally bf (or rock) to sleep as is stops the crying but I know that’s not the long term solution. I’m now trying to at least cut down on time spent feeding during the night wake-ups (she could be feeding / comfort feeding for ages) in the hope that she gradually stops... I’m also trying to make sure she feeds enough during the day. Everything crossed it helps soon.

She’s always been a crap napper too, which is much more worrying now as I feel she doesn’t get enough sleep at night.
Currently considering a sleep consultant…

Solidarity to you & I’m watching the replies with interest (& crossed fingers)

I got my eldest into a day time napping routine at 6 months so it's not too late.

I had to let him cry a bit to be honest. I gave him a drink in his sleeping bag and then put him in his cot. He eventually got the hang of it. Then he'd sleep for 2 hours. Did this until after he was over 2. It helped him sleep at night because he wasn't overtired.

After I tackled the nap we moved on to get him sleeping all night. Basically by sending DH in to settle him as then he stopped expecting milk. Worked after a week or so.

Good luck!