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Trusting your instincts?

5 replies

Ayopopaya · 24/06/2023 09:46

My nearly 6 month year old's sleep went haywire at 4.5 months. Since then it's been up and down but recently pretty bad due to learning aload of new skills, the heat and him being ill all in quick succession resulting in me being pretty sleep deprived. I'm hoping things will improve once he's better and when the weather gets a little cooler next week but it's affecting my mood and I'm finding it hard to trust my instincts with how to move forward.

My overriding instinct is to just roll with it - keep doing what we're doing which is feeding to sleep as it settles him really quickly and just see what happens once we introduce solids next week and move him to the big cot as he's getting a bit too dextrous to be in the next to me. However I keep getting freaked out by reading stuff online about how if we don't train him soon we've created a rod for our backs/ he won't sleep well for years etc. Then you look at the other side and get freaked out too - sleep training will just teach him to be quiet but not to sleep and raise his stress levels. What the hell are you meant to do?! And that's without all the comments from family and friends. How do you know what to do/trust your instincts around this stuff?

I've suffered a bit from mild PND and lacking confidence in what to do is a big trigger for me...

OP posts:
DustyLee123 · 24/06/2023 09:48

Do what suits you, and makes life easier for all involved.
I can assure you that he won’t be sleeping with you when he’s 16 !

MaggyNoodles · 24/06/2023 09:50

You're doing fine! He's only tiny so there's plenty of time to work towards an established routine.
My gran used to say that babies are either sleepers or eaters, and I had one of each.
Follow your instincts and tweak gently as you go.

CurlewKate · 24/06/2023 10:01

Go with whatever gets the most sleep for the most people. Mostly you. He'll grow out of this stage, I promise. Feeding to sleep and bed sharing are fine!

CurlewKate · 24/06/2023 10:02

Oh and almost always, if somebody says "You're making a rod for your own back" do whatever that thing is.

Ayopopaya · 24/06/2023 11:04

Thanks all for the kind comments and encouragement, it does make me feel better

Re bedsharing - I only bring him into our bed after 4am when the likelihood of him doing more than 45 minute stretches in the cot kicks in although it's got earlier whilst he's been ill and waking up more to try and grab a bit more sleep for me. I find it really uncomfortable to do it all night! My ear gets really sore lying on my side... cosleeping does help a bit to get slightly more sleep but feel like it's not great quality sleep for me. But again maybe the illness is making everything worse...

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