Starting nursery and sleep going up the wall

[Remy87]

My baby (12m) has never been a good sleeper but since starting nursery it is absolutely horrific. Waking every 20-40 mins. I think we sometimes occasionally get a 1.5-2h stretch. It’s marginally better when we co sleep but I really don’t enjoy it! Nursery say he naps! 1x 45mins and 1x 1-1.5hrs. Has anyone experienced this, PLEASE tell me it gets better I want to cry every day.

It's a huge huge change. If you can tolerate bed sharing I'd do that (I slept on a double mattress on the floor with my baby with a baby gate on the door, DH was in the other room), as otherwise you'll get no sleep while they get used to nursery. Imagine starting the most stressful job you can imagine - your sleep would go to shit too, and you can rationalise what's happening as an adult - and also you've chosen the job! It'll get better, but make life as easy for both of you as you can for now x

Thank you @SwaytheboatI am cosleeping from 9.30-10 but I really don’t like it and not sure what to do about the evening!? Just accept that we’re running up and down the stairs every 20-30 mins? Otherwise i don’t eat! Don’t suppose you can remember how long it took to pass? What I’d give for 3h stretches!

Yeah ours was like this. Worst period of sleep ever, got better once she’d been at nursery a couple of months. It’s completely to be expected, it’s a massive adjustment. We got a floor bed and coslept, still do in the early hours even though her sleep has generally improved.

Hmm I remember having a hideous month of them waking every twenty mins, but then it did improve. Both of mine were crap sleepers until 15 months (most we got was 1.5-2 hours) and then without me doing any sleep training or anything like that they started sleeping through. But before then we did a hell of a lot of running up and down the stairs. Well, typically I'd do it for the first hour then give up and just go to bed and read or doom scroll advice on how to help babies sleep 😂 hopefully you won't have too much longer!
As an aside, I'd also try a dose of nurofen in case they are also teething.

Thank you! I can hold out if I know it gets better and of course rationally I know it will but it’s so hard when in it! It’s been 3 weeks so I guess I’ll buckle in for a few more 🤪

Have you thought about getting some help? I can send you the name of a sleep consultant we used if you like but there are lots out there. I thought about it for ages but it wasn’t until I saw a friend share the one she used on instagram saying it changed her life, and she actually liked her husband again! I knew I needed to try it!

It wasn’t until I had to keep a 3 night log of the wake ups that I realised just how bad it was. 8 months old, we had to take turns sleeping with baby, up 10 times a night. Gentle sleep training massively changed our lives.

Im not going to lie, baby is now a toddler and it’s not perfect, but its survivable!

I would also say 45 mins plus 1.5 hours is quite a lot of day sleep at that age? If I were you I'd ask nursery to wake after 1 hour in the afternoon. Might help her be more tired for the night.

thanks everyone! @MrsScotlandyes we have so open to recommendations? I just didn’t want to pay £400 to have someone basically tell me to pickup put down or whatever. Interested though if it worked for you! That’s interesting @Peonies12as he’s normally so shattered when comes home?!

Two hours sleep at Nursery is not a huge amount on the basis that they will be extremely active and overstimulated without that time to recalibrate the sleep would probably be worse at home.
Co sleeping is most definitely the answer, they haven’t got you during the day so they want to make sure they’re damn well getting you at night once they feel secure enough to know you’re there even when they wake up
They’ll feel happier going to sleep for longer stretches