Better sleep needed…

[SErunner]

I’m going back to work in Sept. Baby will be 6 months old (currently 4.5 months). I need to be getting more sleep by then as currently it’s minimal and I’m exhausted. I can cope with this without work but have a busy job and a long commute. I just don’t know where to start - point me in the right direction please!

Currently sleeping in love to dream swaddle and Moses basket. Needs to come out of swaddle as is trying to roll. Also needs to come out of Moses basket as is getting too big for it. Has 3 naps per day - mostly in Moses basket. Is rocked to sleep for all of these. Usually 1.5 hours, 1 hour, 30 mins. Has set bedtime routine and settling/rising times. Down to sleep at 7.45, up at 6.45. Wakes after first 40 minutes every night, resettles okay with rocking. Sometimes sleeps for a few hours before needing feeding, sometimes continues the waking every 40 mins pattern. From 10.30/11 onwards he is up every 40 mins. Somewhere middle of the night I usually give up and put him in bed to try and get more sleep but to be honest it isn’t much better. I don’t want to cosleep.

What would you do?

7.45pm is a late bedtime, which might be meaning your little one is overtired and then struggling to link their cycles (hence waking every 40mins). All babies are different but if I begin bedtime with my DS (6 months) by 6.30pm and he’s deeply asleep by 7.00pm, he then only wakes twice for feeds. However, if I begin bedtime routine any later than 6.30pm, he definitely gets an adrenaline spike, leading to “tired but wired” and then I end up trying to get him to sleep for ages and loads of night waking. Maybe try bring it closer to a falling asleep by 6.45-7.00pm?

I wouldn't say that bedtime is late at all. Sounds like the 4 month sleep 'progression' where they've to learn to link their sleep cycles. Hopefully it will have passed by the time you get back to work OP

I’m not sure bedtime is too late either. He doesn’t seem overtired, he settles quickly when I put him down without much of a battle (so long as I’ve got the naps right). And he has 13 ish hours sleep a day which I think is about right? Days when he has had more sleep don’t seem to go any better?

I think it is the 4 month change, but he’s been a terrible sleeper since birth to be honest so it’s hard to tell! I’m just not optimistic it’s going to sort itself out and wondered what I can start doing to try and nudge us in a better direction?

Our eldest did the same but she was wedded to her dummy and learned to self settle with this. He won’t take one and I think is going to be more problematic…

Sorry if I sounded blunt with my first message — that wasn’t intended :) I’ve always read and been told that 8pm is the absolute limit for being asleep at this age, which taken as true means 7.45pm is late, and that’s certainly the case for my DS. If not for yours then, of course, every child is different and disregard my advice 🩷 No judgement was intended!

Oh gosh no offence taken whatsoever! I’m just not sure it is too late, and practically will be hard to shift much earlier due to older siblings bedtime! Appreciate the suggestion :)