Baby has never slept well

[ArizonaOne]

Has anybody else been in the same situation, if so how did you solve it?

My baby is now 7 months old, he has NEVER been a good sleeper. I am so exhausted I need to fix this somehow. He is already in his cot but that hasn't helped at all. He sleeps for a couple of hours at the start but then wakes up every half an hour/hour all night long, I cry most nights. The thing is he sleeps better in the carry cot of the pushchair, problem is that he is almost too big to fit it in 😭

When he sleeps in the cot he rolls over to sleep on his front, ends up pushing himself down the other end of the cot which I think is what wakes him. He can't move in the carry cot so this is obviously what he prefers. I've considered a double floor bed so he has more room to move about, and i can sleep next to him if i need to, but now I realise more space isn't what he wants! What do I do when he's too big for the carry cot?!

It's hell isn't it.

Is it time for his own room?
White noise/pink noise/heartbeat
Nightlight if he hasn't got one/ get rid of nightlight if he does
Putting his sheets, pjs and sleeping bag/blanket on your chest to get tour scent on them
Too hot / too cold
If he's not in a sleeping bag try one/ thicker one/ smaller one
Teething? Anbesol?
Sleep training as PP said
If breastfed try a bottle of formula before bed? Some people swear a knob of butter before bed works or you could try a Farley's rusk or something like that
Later Bernie/earlier bedtime
Humidifier
Lavender in his room, lavender shampoo, body wash, moisturiser
Gas? Baby massage

I have thought about it in the past, but wasn't sure how worth it they are and who to go with. Do you have any suggestions? He is 7 months so is it too late to try?

Thanks for all your suggestions @toomanytocount2025 , we are trying to sort out the spare room this week to get him in his own room, I'm not sure how much it will help though! We have white noise through the night, I could try making the sleeping bag/sheets smell of me good idea. He's also formula fed but never seems to want much milk before bed 🤯 so I usually try to do a dream feed, doesn't always want that either! Happy to feed him in the night but he isn't waking due to hunger 😬

Do you put uour baby in one of those sleeping bags? (Can’t remember what they are called!) and for us a noise machine worked brilliantly

unfortunately some are just bad sleepers, I’ve got one who’s 8 and still wakes multiple times a night most nights.
plenty of fresh air is the only thing that has any effect

What happens if you put him to sleep so his feet are already at the bottom of his cot? That way he doesnt have anywhere to go so to speak.

Also you are going to have to teach him to link his sleep cycles on his own and not need you. The fastest way to do that is some sort of gradual retreat approach. It will involve an amount of fussing, but at this age he will be teachable in a week, you just have to pick an approach and stay the course so you arent giving mixed messages and confusing him.

When you pick your approach think about the types of things that stimulate or sooth him, noises, faces, lights, movement. Dont use anything that stimulates him when you are going into resettle. Do I had one dc that was very stimulated by smiles and faces, so when I went into sooth, I would never look him in the eyes, just kept my eyes on the floor and shushed with pats and night nights. Another dc got reved when the lights went on, so I went in with a little light as possible and made sure there was no lego on the floor at bedtime. Another dc was stimulated by everything (he has ADD) so we never went in at all, as it wound him up. We left dummies all around his cot and he learned how to find one and self soothed very quickly

If you’re struggling to see the wood from the trees you should really consider a sleep consultant

@Ph3 yes he is in a sleeping bag with a white noise machine!

@SeaToSki thank you so much. I will definitely have to do some research and give this a go

@Candledrip thanks, financially I'm not sure if I can afford one at the minute.

@ArizonaOne if you think sleep training/sleep consultant is right for you, try the online course from the bedtime champ. She has a Facebook group you get access to to answer questions if you buy the course, so a bit of personalised support without spending a fortune. And she’s fab, really supportive and someone who’s been there and really gets it!

We sleep trained at 8 months from a similar situation, I’d thought about it for a while and really didn’t want to but reached the point where I needed to. It wasn’t easy, but from the very first night we went to only one wake up. We’re all such happier for it

@PeopleAreToads thank you!

@Mummyandmini thank you!