5M/O sleep issues

[Taylor93]

My 5 month old son seems to barely sleep and I'm becoming exhausted. The longest he has ever slept is 5 hours and that was after his immunisations.

He wakes up at around 7am then has a 2 hour nap at around 9-10am. After this he'll sleep for around 1 hour in the afternoon and that's it for day time sleep.

He goes to bed at around 6pm but wakes every 3/4 hours for a bottle or his dummy. This continues until morning.

During the day he'll only really sleep on me. If I put him in his cot/pram it's as if he can't get into a deep sleep and wakes very easily even with white noise in a dark room.

Don't think it's a sleep regression as he's never slept through the night ever.

Anyone experienced anything similar? Any advice?

16 month old hardly sleeps and online tools unhelpful!
Baby number 4 is a nightmare. I have 3 other children 16,15 and 9 who all slept well. (Not perfect, but slept)
My 16 month old has not slept through one night since he arrived. He will sleep the best part of 2-3 hours and is constantly fidgeting or moaning in his sleep. He has now started only 1 nap a day no longer than 1hr 20/30 mins. (Used to be 2x 40 mins max)
I am exhausted and every time I Google I’m hit with the excuse of sleep regression- not sure they ment to last this long and feel the label is only there to make tired parents feel
better. As you can imagine I’m past that point now. I’m over exhausted and questioning my decision to of had another child. (Yes I feel guilty about this after we needed IVF, and I do love him)
My husband has only just started being hands on now the worse it has got.
we have tried routines, spent nights having him stay on his own crib/cot after a short comfort. Eventually caving days in as moving him in bed with us. (It’s a case of some sleep even poor sleep is better than none)
He is disturbing everyone in the house. My sister won’t have him as he is awful. My parents do a night a week so we can get some sleep.
on top of been exhausted I’m concerned he isn’t getting enough meaningful sleep for his development and will end up being behind one way or another. I have 2 other children who have always been behind in their development that it has caused learning issues academically which I have supported and advocated for them which is equally exhausting and emotionally draining for all involved.
So I am stressed this child will require the same if he doesn’t meet his milestones because his lack of sleep is causing development barriers although l, nothing noted as yet.
He occasionally has an ear infection or cold as do many young children but the times between he isn’t sleeping.
Please can someone wave a magic wand or give me some advise that will actually work on this sleep thief of a child.
Sitting in the bathroom crying while he is crying in the next room with dad while I write this.

@Nikkimumof4 So sorry to hear you're going through the same thing. Actually your situation seems more stressful than mine as this is my first baby so thankfully he isn't disturbing anyone else. I wish I could offer advice but I'm at a loss as well . Hears hoping things improve for us both

I feel your pain. Week 5 here of half hour naps in the day and baby unable to sleep any longer than one and a half hours in a row max at night. They are 6 months old next week. I'm done and yet there's nothing you can do is there?. The cycle of exhaustion continues. I don't know where else to go for help but I can't cope anymore with 8 wake ups a night. If I could get a good nap in the daytime it may help but no such luck. I keep going told that 6 months is the magic turning point but am sceptical what can change in a few days. Never felt so broken. Sorry im no help. Don't know if there's some benefit to knowing you aren't alone though?!

@Sleepisnonexistant It's so hard isn't it. Every day I feel like I can't keep doing this but really there's no choice. Currently nap trapped as I gave in and let him sleep on me. I did see in another thread a recommendation for a book Your Sleepless Baby by Rowena Bennett so I've just bought it.
It does help a bit to know it's not just us as my friends baby's all seem to sleep with no issues which makes me a bit jealous sometimes

My 5 month old I'd similar...30min naps in the day and awake every 1-2 hours at night. I 'cope' by co sleeping, but not sure I am coping really. I'm broken, constantly tearful and snapping and currently a horrible mummy to my 6 year old. No advice I'm afraid but sending solidarity. Is anyone considering sleep training at 6 months? I don't think I could let her cry it out but am considering a gentler method (pupd maybe). Hope things improve for you soon OP xxx

@MooMa83 it seems it's more common than I'd thought! I'm sure you're not a horrible mummy, I'm sure you're doing a great job given the circumstances. Yes we're going to gentle sleep train at 6 months but not sure on which method as of yet

What a change for us in such a short space of time. Thought id share our success as there is hope. Its like someone flicked a switch as she turned 6 months (or switched my baby!). From 1.5 hours to 6 hour stretches at night and she is happily going down for 1.5 hour naps in the day in her cot. It's only been a few days but I'm hoping it's not a fluke!! Literally the only thing I changed is my health visitor suggested giving weetabix before bed to fill her up. Can see how that would help at night, but to see such an improvement in the daytime sleep too. Otherwise I have done nothing differently. Hang in there, it can suddenly change overnight.... and maybe try the weetabix! Xx

@Sleepisnonexistant That's amazing! I'm so happy that things are improving. I really hope it's not fluke! My DS is 6 months 3 weeks so fingers crossed.

Do you do 1 weetabix mixed with formula/breast milk? Around how much milk?

@Sleepisnonexistantwow! Thank you for the hope! And how close to bedtime do you give this?...you can tell we want to copy you exactly!

**@Sle@Sleepisnonexistant@Sleepisnonexistant@Sleepisnonexistant

Don't know what happened there....was meant to say does your baby self settle/use a dummy?

A baby is a baby unfortunately. We have 3 none slept long that young its what you take on having them

Why can't people be supportive on here? I see it on so many threads where it's like 'what did you expect' or 'get on with it'. We all expected difficult times. But frankly the fact that we are on here taking advice and support from complete strangers shows how difficult some of us are finding it! Maybe I was naive, but after 6 weeks of very, very little sleep I'm struggling.
Also the 'village' it takes to raise a child is no more. Mums have more and more pressure and expectations put on them every day. Everyone around us is living such busy lives, we havent got endless support. Add in then that you are expected to magically pick up your career in just a few months and go to work in a stressful and demanding job on no sleep just makes it worse. The anxiety I have over this already is unreal.
So all I'm trying to say is even if your opinion is that you think we are being unrealistic and need to 'get on with it' a little 'hang in there', 'you've got this' or other encouragement would be nice. Don't kick a dog when it's down!

Sorry to bear the bad news too, but the weetabix was a fluke. A week of good sleep and back to 45 min wake ups all night. I'm so tired it's unreal 😰

@Sleepisnonexistant I could have wrote your comment!! i’m going through the exact same with my nearly 6mo, sudden 30 min naps (and not a moment longer) during the day and on average 9 wake ups per night i’m at rock bottom!! Since you posted has it got any better???

Hello ladies - another exhausted Mama here! My DD has just turned 5 months and her sleep is horrific! Seems to be different to most of yours in that she naps well during the day - I put her down for a nap 2 hours after she last woke religiously and she'll usually sleep for an hour and a half or 2 hours with the occasional random 30 minute nap but she basically doesn't sleep at night at all! She was doing a 4 hour stretches (10-2) and then it went down to 2 and now it can be an hour or less before she wakes and she just wants to sleep on me all night. If I put her down in her bedside cot she cries instantly. And I'm slowly going insane. I've even tried putting her down for naps in it in the day and she goes down fine so no idea what's going on at night. I feel as though as I should be doing more to improve her feed but I don't know what as her naps are fine!

@MrsSamR Feel your pain!! Yeah i have no ideas at all. I have tried to tweak all sorts to make sure he’s not undertired/ overtired (although tonight he’s missed his last nap so i know the night will be awful)
My LO goes down to bed at 7 and i get him up between 6-6.30 (i won’t get him up before then) But between 1/2-6am it’s pure hell. Waking constantly. We use white noise, he has a dummy, black our blinds, feeds at 11/12. Just baffled and knackered!!!

I'm well past this phase but at five months many many babies are ready to start weaning. I know the official advice is "around six months" but some babies are bigger or hungrier or more advanced with their tongue reflex. If they can sit up and keep their head up, and they don't push the food back out with their tongue, and they reach for things and put them in their mouth then they're ready to eat solids.

Oh my little one has been weaned since 19 weeks it made absolutely 0 difference to sleep haha. If anything at first few days it made it worse until he got used to it!

Just wanted to check back in and see how you're all doing?

My LO is still a nightmare at night. So far she's woken up at 1.20 (after going down at 9!) and has just woken up again and is refusing to sleep anywhere but on me!

She has a cold and seems to be teething...again (but with no actual sign of any teeth!) So tired and really don't know what to do or when this will end!

He wakes up at around 7am then has a 2 hour nap at around 9-10am. After this he'll sleep for around 1 hour in the afternoon and that's it for day time sleep.

I think that your problem is the 2 hour morning nap and another long nap. Mine used to do following

7am get up
9-9.45 nap
12-2 nap
7pm go to bed

Your bedtime is also too early. Try keeping them up later. Might be linked to hunger too. Probably ready for solids.

Hi...Still sleepless here too I'm afraid. Maybe a slight improvement in that I get some 2-3 hour stretches, then usually when she wakes I can feed to sleep (half asleep myself) so we both settle back to sleep quickly. Still getting 30mins cat naps in the day which is driving me crazy! The worst time is around 2/3am, she is usually very unsettled then for a good couple of hours. It feels endless doesn't it? Hope your little ones cold gets better soon xx

Reading this as LO has just woken at midnight after going down at 9 and just wants to be held! We're going on holiday next week and she turns 6 months and was hoping so much the sleep would have improved by now but if anything it's worse! I think she's sleeping too much in the day but don't feel as though I can wake her from naps as she's sleeping so badly at night - particularly as she's poorly. When we move her into her own room in a couple of weeks I'm going to have to try something different though as I'm losing my mind!

Hang in there everyone, it will get better! Huge improvements here again and on about week 3 of a good routine. A nice 2 hour nap in the morning and another 2 of roughly an hour ish each. The nights are so much better. Bed at 7 (me and hubby have actually started cooking a decent meal and eating together again) then 2 wake ups for feeds roughly throughout the night. Get some early wakings of 5:30 but can't complain. Most mornings it's up at 7. I would never have believed it if someone had told me we would be here at 7 months. Still obviously get the odd rough night, had one a few nights ago due to teething, but it's now the exception not the norm! I really think it's just something they learn with age as the only thing I have done is stick to a bedtime routine and time. There is light at the end of the tunnel. And if you are anything like us it will click suddenly! X