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Original poster

7mo desperate for sleep

9 replies

Knackeredlemon · 03/08/2022 05:43

Posted a while back about my 7 month olds sleep but it is just going from bad to worse and we are getting desperate. She is breastfed and a very happy baby in the day, and we are now managing to get in a decent amount of feeds and solids in the day. Naps are not great but not awful, usually does about 1.5 hours at about 8:30, another hour in the early afternoon and a catnap about 3:30.

Goes to sleep around 7 fairly easily and then the hell begins. Wakes after 45 minutes screaming, last night was then awake for 2 hours, eventually got back off before waking every 45mins - 1 hour until 4 when she woke and wouldn’t go back off.

Cosleeping isn’t really an option due to a medical issue (mine not hers) but even when we have tried out of desperation she sleeps no better. At times she seems to want to be permanently latched on but if I put her down or even unlatch her next to me she is immediately away screaming. Won’t take a dummy despite huge amounts of trying. Does anyone have any ideas please, before the exhaustion kills me? We have an older child too so catching up in the day isn’t really an option.

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PurBal · 03/08/2022 05:51

Breathe. You’re doing great.
How does she go off to sleep? Is she fed/rocked to sleep? We “sleep trained” at a similar age, it was horrendous for a few nights but it worked. I know it’s controversial but it worked for us. Other things: wearing a muslin in your bra to put in the cot, introducing a comfort item (doesn’t have to be a dummy), shifting bedtime by 15-30 minutes, working on daytime sleep.
Good luck.

Original poster
Knackeredlemon · 03/08/2022 06:59

@PurBal thank you, I know it’ll all be ok in the end but this amount of sleep is just unsustainable. She goes to sleep in her bed with me (has to be me!) nearby without much fuss. Tbh although I’m not keen on sleep training we’d try almost anything at this point if it worked but I have no idea where to start. What method did you use? We have a comforter for her and I’ve been rotating it to sleep with, and I’m going to really try and get day sleep on track…

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PurBal · 03/08/2022 07:13

@Knackeredlemon we loosely followed Cara babies. The main thing we didn’t follow was the night weaning element. So if DS woke before 12 he would be comforted (words and touch but not picking up), after 12 I would feed him. I tried cutting down the feed but he started waking even more frequently due to hunger.

jumperoozles · 03/08/2022 07:27

We were literally in the same situation two months ago but we did some tweaks and now my breastfed baby only wakes twice in the night.


  • moved the first nap back to at least 9 (baby was catching up on sleep by napping too early)

  • changed from 3 naps to two (game changer!) He has an hour/hour and a half between 9-10/10:30 then he does around hour and a half to two hours starting around 1pm. If he wakes too early we try to pat him back to sleep or pop in pram to finish nap off

  • stop feeding on demand in the night (this is controversial but he was constantly waking up for comfort rather than hunger. When he wakes we patted and soothed rather than a feed. The first few nights were so hard! But then he settled down. I decided I wasn’t ready to night wean or drop to only one night feed because he was literally feeding 5/6 times a night before!! So I went with two feeds. I don’t have exact times but it’s usually one around 11/11:30 and another at around 2:30/3

  • introduced a small comforter for baby to have in his cot (I asked my HV for advice with this one I she said after 6 months it would be ok) it’s a small jellycat toy and two months on he snuggles into it to sleep


sleep his transformed! I’m happier and he seems happier and sleeping better!

Original poster
Knackeredlemon · 03/08/2022 07:47

@PurBal and @jumperoozles thank you. I will have a read of Cara and try the things you did. It’s hugely reassuring to know it’s possible to come out the other side alive….!!

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sunflowerandivy · 03/08/2022 10:30

@jumperoozles how did you introduce a comforter please?

jumperoozles · 03/08/2022 13:52

When I breastfed I would tuck it in with the baby so it would start to smell like me and put it in with him to sleep. He wasn’t v attached at first but I’m noticing him start to reach for it more and more now and find him cuddled up to it in the morning. It’s definitely not a quick fix though - it takes a while for them to become attached.

sunflowerandivy · 03/08/2022 19:59

jumperoozles · 03/08/2022 13:52

When I breastfed I would tuck it in with the baby so it would start to smell like me and put it in with him to sleep. He wasn’t v attached at first but I’m noticing him start to reach for it more and more now and find him cuddled up to it in the morning. It’s definitely not a quick fix though - it takes a while for them to become attached.

Thank you, my baby is 6 months and it d like to introduce something. She's very mobile, can grab things and can roll both ways so now just need to find something safe to put as comforter

Original poster
Knackeredlemon · 07/08/2022 21:18

Well, we changed the routine to 2 naps and moved the first nap later as @jumperoozles did and immediately had our two best nights ever. 3.5 hour stretches, amazing. But last night was back to awful, and we’ve had three wakes tonight already. I know it’s early days of the new routine, and I know this isn’t forever, but I’m exhausted at the thought of the night ahead. Tiredness is making me short tempered and a rubbish parent 😔

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