Rubbish sleep

[Anothernewmum1]

Hi all. we’ve never had a good sleeper but it’s really taking the biscuit now. He is 6 months old.
We put him to sleep at 7:30 ish when he shows all the signs of tiredness - he is rocked to sleep. But we’re lucky if we get 10 minutes before he wakes again - niggling then crying if not attended to, sometimes he is waking with outright crying. The best we are getting is 30/45 minute stretches where he manages one sleep cycle. Then today he is awake at 5am. Cosleeping is something we do from around 2am when we give up but it doesn’t actually help. Just means we don’t have to get up. He has a dummy and it doesn’t seem to help. He just plays with it.

Hes on 3 naps a day - not consistent times because he wakes at different times. Day naps are never really longer than 45 mins unless contact nap and we’ll get an hour and a half. I think his wake windows are right because we use an app. Could he be over tired? Or undertired? He breastfeeds but we don’t feed to sleep.
I don’t think he’s in pain because he settled the minute he’s back in our arms (except during the early morning).
I am so over it and so angry at people who tell me the baby should be sleeping through - I am sure this is the case but he isn’t so it isn’t helpful.

Some babies do sleep through it this age but MOST do not. Ignore all the people commenting and making suggestions or giving unsolicited advice. They are probably what’s more frustrating right now then your baby’s sleep!
Contact naps and needing to be close for sleep are really normal and natural for our babies, it’s just the modern world has made this a problem.
I would have a real good think about what you and your baby want/need and drown out the noise. Just tell the people that are nagging you that they are sleeping better and focus on what works for your family.

Hi @Anothernewmum1 i have a 6 month old is also a poor sleeper and was doing very similar to what your little one was doing. I decided to set some sleep goals and mine was stop cosleeping and to get some long stretches of sleep. I think a small goal is better than sleep through the night which seems impossible currently. Anyway to achieve these I did a few things but basically I realised that if she falls asleep independently we do get a stretch of sleep of about 4 hours so she ends up now with two wakes 11pm and 2Or 3am and up for day 6:30/7.
it wasn’t easy as I was used to rocking her to sleep. So maybe try cuddle and put down awake and be there to comfort but let them fall asleep independently. It may take a while and if baby is distressed of course stop but I found that my daughter was crying if I put her down after rocking anyway so a little cry whilst I patted and shushed her was better.

our sleep is not perfect and I too hate hearing about these kids sleeping through but honestly they all have their own temperament but i do believe intervention is a way to get improvement.