This is getting silly. 6 month old now waking 10+ times a night. (Wouldn't this topic be better named 'Lack of Sleep'?)

[BroccoliSpears]

Until a few nights ago ds was waking every couple of hours and feeding for 20 - 30 minutes. It was pretty rubbish but I went with it thinking it was a growth spurt / he was teething / it would calm down as I introduced solids.

I posted about it (on my bucket of poo thread) and took on board some of the suggestions. Have been feeding him lots and lots in the day time. Tried putting him in his cot but he just wakes up and cries (could persevere with this I guess). Am ramping up solids, and offering carbs at supper time. Now he's waking every 40 - 60 minutes. The only way he knows to go to sleep is by feeding to sleep. He has a quick feed and dozes off again for a while.

I'm a gibbering wreck! It's a vicious circle because to be honest I'm just too knackered to implement any sort of solution.

I'm wondering if more sleep in the day time would help? He's not been napping much in the day, and have been really really tired by bedtime. Could he be too tired to have a proper feed to keep him going for a few hours?

Or is it just habit?

Somebody tell me this is a phase and will fix itself.

So how many nights has this been?

DD was teething last week and was pretty clingy at night. For a few nights I had to feed her back to sleep and then sit with her in my arms for ages because although she was knackered she was really unsettled. But we knew for sure that she was teething as there were other things going on.

I generally also find that she sleeps better if she isnt too tired at bedtime. I know that when I am overtired I get this falling feeling when I am trying to nod off.

BTW - my DD isn't a great sleeper, not a really bad one either. Just pretty average. She is almost 8 months.

BS -was it you who posted on parenting (can't type question marks as dd puked on laptop!).

Will he sleep in the pram. If so (and I know you are knackered), take him out in the pram during the day to get some decent naps.

You poor thing, you must be shattered. However, if you really want to sort this out, then I think you need to bite the bullet and think about how you want to go about doing some sort of sleep training (and it doesn't need to be cc). If you do decide to go ahead, then I am sure people can give you a plan to help you. It will probably get worse for a few days but will reap the benefits when you both get some sleep.

Try the naps and see what happens. It looks like your ds is reliant on bf to get back to sleep.

If he isn't napping during the day, perhaps he's getting overtired and waking after every sleep cycle (45-60 mins)? You could try putting him down for a nap within a couple of hours of waking in the morning and then again after lunch. If he won't nap in his cot does he sleep in the car or pram?

This thread from earlier in the year covered some of the same issues - might be useful.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/sleep/600933-i-give-up-i-submit-ds2-you-ve-won-now

Hi Broccoli,

I read your thread the other day and would just like to offer my sympathies as my 6 m.o. will not wean at all (causes him pain) and is waking up every two hours or so in the night to feed. He has been doing so since 3.5 months.

I also want to try sleep training but don't know how to go about it. He never goes to sleep unless he has had a feed.

Oh Broccoli, it's rubbish isn't it? We are starting BLW on Saturday, and I'm hoping it will have some effect on my similarly wakeful DS.
I'm trying a range of things from No Cry Sleep Solution, including lullaby music and a little doll that carries my 'mummy' smell.
Is he warm enough? I am buying lots of long-sleeved vests, and have him in a 2.5 tog grobag thingy.
I'm also going to get some cotblock things to lift one end of the cot slightly, as his nose is very stuffy at the moment. I'm sure I've heard this is good for teething as well.
I'm going to give all this stuff a couple more weeks, but if he doesn't start to sleep better, I may have to resort to something a little harder, as I am a wreck.
I keep ending up sobbing in the middle of the night, and it really upsets DH. DS weed all over himself while I was changing him at 2.30am last night, and I got so upset, DH came running in and he slept through the earthquake we had earlier this year so it must have been quite a loud moan of despair. I'm fine all day and evening, despite the terrible exhaustion, but if things aren't going well in the night I end up crying.
We'll get there.

xx

have you given pain relief? when teething is bad babies get relief where they can and if its hurting they are probably self soothing by feeding/sucking. if this is the only realief they then get a bit dependant on it and need it every time they stir in the night.

give him some nurofen and then see if you can do some shush/patting the first couple of times he stirs after going down for the night. this may mean you need to stay with him for a while to wait for the stirring as you don't want them to wake up.

still happening at 9 months. oh god!!

i've been posting about no sleep alot recently . its obviously a common problem.

my sis has 4 kids. I said 'he doesn't sleep' she says 'they don't!'
i said 'what can i do?
she said 'nowt!' its shit!

thats the best advice i've had so far

Breaking news: A tooth has just pushed through his top gum. Could we be in for a better night tonight?

I've just looked at that other thread. This weaning at 26 weeks is a bugger isn't it? I had big, exclusively breast-fed babies and they were both getting closer and closer between feeds as we got up to (when we were thn advised to wean) 16 weeks! I would never have got to 26

Hey Broccoli, how did last night go?
Mine was rubbish between 12 and 6. That's the night, really, isn't it?! But he went back to sleep at 6.15, so I got another hour! I've ordered baby bed blocks, which should arrive tomorrow. Though he wasn't as snuffly last night. I think he may be having some teething pain again! If it's not one thing it's another!

xx

Glad I've found this thread - makes me feel less alone. DD is 5.5 months and hasn't been sleeping properly (i.e she's been waking up for food every 2-1/2 hour) for about 6 weeks . It is painful. I am okay once we're up but at 6am when she wants to get up, having been up every 1/2 hour for food (I am bfing) it's a bit hard.

I bet she'll sleep through tonight - the one night I am staying awake anyway (to watch the election!)

MM

hmm.. can i join in here.. dd is just past 5 months and has been waking every hour, plus being wide awake at 4.30 every morning. it's not hunger as i get by with not feeding her but that means hours of rocking and tears and putting in bed with me.

it must get better..

Bump to see how Broccoli's faring?

xx

I'm still alive!

Haven't had time to post properly as my children have been possessed by demonic entities and I've been busy sluicing ectoplasm from the walls.

Monday night was the worst ever. He woke every 40 minutes. Dd got up for the day jsut after 4. She pranced cheerfully in and asked if it was breakfast time and I thought I was going to burst in to tears.

Anyway, last night was better. At one point he slept for nearly 2 hours which is the longest stretch I've had for a while and I think it helped. Also, double bonus, dd didn't wake up until 5.35 !!!!! I can't believe that is genuinely a lie-in these days, but I'll take it !

Today has been dire. He just hasn't slept and has got rattier and rattier. Gave him spud for tea and a dose of calpol as I really wonder if his teeth are worrying him.

Fingers crossed.

Gosh I really feel for you - sounds like when my twins were newborns.

If he is teething (which he prob is at that age) try Medised if you can get hold of some - it has been reclassified as only for over 2s but is not harmful for babies as long as it is not given with other paracetemol-containing products. Have you got a friend with a 2+ year old who can buy some for you? It will help him sleep, poor little thing.

Newborn twins? Eek! Puts things in perspective!

This happened to me by 11 months ds was sleeping approx 45min to 1 1/2 hrs at a time and I was a wreck. He'd never been a good sleeper and by 6 months things were getting worse. I tried everything and I mean everything and in the end as a last resort did cc and it really helped and only took 3 nights. That said ds still never slept through and at 3 still doesn't but at that point the night feeds ended and I didn't end up in the loony bin. By the way I'm on here today about to post about my 5 month daughter who is night feeding like a newborn!!!

Whether its twins or one baby, it's still sleep deprivation on a massive scale!

(Would like to point out I never gave my newborn twins Medised to help them sleep!)

I did cc with my twins a couple of weeks back to get them to go bed at 7pm (bedtime had become 10pm or even after midnight) and it did only take three days. It is not for everyone but it was very helpful for me (and the sense of achievement is great when it works!). They now go straight down at 7pm and they seem to still like me .

The last couple nights, I've fallen asleep after feeding, with DS in my lap! Not safe, and I can't tell how well he'd be sleeping if I'd put him back in his cot. My back and knees are agony!
Neenz, were you feeding to sleep before the cc?
I know that I need to stop feeding him to sleep, I want to stop feeding to sleep, but I can't see how to start?

xx

Wastingmyed, yeah I always fed them whenever they woke. They always settled themselves to sleep for daytime naps. But if it was sleep time and they woke from sleep I fed them back to sleep IYSWIM (be that evenings or in middle of night).

How old is he? He should be six months at least to try cc. Mine were only 25 weeks but I was desperate!

Is there a time in the day you can try cc that is not the middle of the night? That may be less stressful. eg in the evenings. Do you have a good bath/bedtime routine?

What I would do (and don't know if this is textbook, it's just what I would do) is get him to sleep in the normal way. Then when he wakes go into him and pat him on the tummy and go 'shhh, shhh, time for sleep now, shhh'. You can do this for up to two minutes. I don't give my Dts eye contact during that time, it is just to let them know you are there. Whatever you decide to do, be consistent. Even if he doesn't stop crying within two minutes leave the room. Don't pick him up. Five minutes later go back and do the same thing. Then go back after 10 minutes, then 20. I would then go in every 20 mins, I wouldn't leave mine longer than that. I have heard of it taking 3hrs before they go to sleep . just keep telling yourself that it will all be over in three days.

It is very hard, especially on the first night, but it does get better very quickly.

Someone will be along in a minute to tell you to read The No-Cry Sleep Solution, which i am sure is a great book, but its solutions take a long time apparently. I needed something quicker! . good luck.

if you google controlled crying you will find many sites about it.

Yeah I've has the NCSS for a while, and if I'd had it 6 months ago, we might be better off! I'm just reading up on everything, and working on NCSS techniques til we move him into his own room in a couple weeks. Then we will decide what to do. Thank you.

xx

Just wanted to say thanks to you all. Now I feel like I am not alone! I was starting to think I was the only one with this issue as all my friends children sleep through well. I have been feeling like an awful mother!

My DS is 5 & 1/2 months and has never been a great sleeper. He co-slept for almost 4 months and he often ends up in my bed lately too as I just can't face sitting on the edge of the bed rocking him to sleep at 4am.
I think I was the cause of the problem though as I was responding at every whimper during the night in case I woke DH up. Now I leave him to fuss for a while to see if he settles himself, which works sometimes. Not a big fan of the CIO method so will have to put up with it until he mamages self soothing....if ever!

There are tons of different methods around without having to resort to CIO if you want to try and sort things out.