Having a nightmare with sleep with my 10 month old since just before Xmas, so nearly a month. Non existent/very short day time naps, waking up far more frequently and sometimes for 3+ hours overnight, taking ages to settle to sleep, wanting constant feeds overnight. To be fair, day time naps are now better and overnight a little better (still more feeds than I’d like but at least no wake ups lasting hours) but the big problem now is just how long it takes him to settle for any sleep.
Up until about 7 months he used to feed to sleep in the middle of my double bed, I’d get up and walk away, done. Then he stopped feeding to sleep. He can be rocked to sleep but it takes 20 minutes+ and i just don’t have the patience. Plus half the time he then wakes when you put him down so you’re back to square one. Putting him in the crib after feeding doesn’t work, he just screams and screams. Cuddling takes ages. Sometimes he does feed to sleep or self settle quickly, only to wake up screaming 20 minutes later and we have to start again.
problem is I have an older child too (5) so bedtime currently requires 2 adults and takes at least 1.5 hours (not including bath etc) so really eats in to our evening. If either parent ever wants to go out in the evening it’s a nightmare for the one at home. Generally the baby ends up being left to scream for half an hour while I do stories etc with the older one, which is upsetting for everyone. The fact it takes so long to settle for a nap (up to an hour) means he then sleeps later than I want and then isn’t tired enough at the next sleep. But starting the nap routine earlier doesn’t help either.
I don’t think cry it out will work because as I say sometimes he is left to cry for ages out of necessity and he doesn’t go to sleep. He is then so upset it takes even longer to settle.
Im absolutely at my wits end here and would love some advice. Sorry this is so long, thanks for reading so far!!