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Original poster

Those of you who had babies not great at sleeping - when did it get better?

101 replies

tinierclanger · 14/12/2008 14:32

Just looking for a bit of encouragement and something to look forward to. When did DC start sleeping for longer stretches at night, and get easier to put down for naps?

OP posts:
supersalstrawberry · 05/08/2009 21:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

sjcmum · 06/08/2009 14:46

DD1 it was about 13 months before she stopped wanting a feed in the night, and regualrly slept through - though she's now 3 and I still have to pop in quite often once or so a night. DD2 - worse, and 7 months and still up 3-5 times a night... just hoping too that she'll grow out of it.

My DD was like your DS and didn't feed well in the day - she's just too nosy and interested in anything - so makes up for it with big feeds at night. Taking her to a quiet dim room in the day helps, and now she's getting the hang of food a bit more, that seems to be helping reduce the night feeds a bit too.

hang on in there .....

mathanxiety · 15/08/2009 03:03

Five DCs. None slept until about 2.5 years. Yet I'm still alive.

AvrilH · 15/08/2009 18:08

Have seven month old DD who never sleeps for more than 30 min at a stretch.

Going crazy, and dismayed to learn it might last.

TrinityRhinoIsInDetention · 15/08/2009 18:10

around about 3 for my eldest two and gecko is two an a half and I have my fingers crossed

zonedout · 16/08/2009 21:02

AvrilH, you have my sympathies. Ds1 only ever did 30 - 45 min stretches until he was well over a year. He would wake at least 5 times a night until around 18 months. From then on he continued to improve as time went on. Now at 3.6 he is, most nights, a very good sleeper. Ds2 (10 months) on the other hand has gone from waking 3 times (torturous to most, bliss to me a night to every 45 mins during the second half of the night (from about 1am). I am wrecked. It will pass. We will get through it [hopeful emoticon]

AvrilH · 18/08/2009 13:52

Thank you zonedout!

Stupid question, but did you try controlled crying? Our babies clearly can't settle themselves after a sleep cycle. I am begining to think I have to try it as I go quietly insane and every man in the street comments on how incredibly fatigued I look....

Supercherry · 18/08/2009 18:19

It got better in stages, so it was easier at 6mths than newborn, then easier again at 9mths, and now much easier at 18mths, but there are always bad nights and good nights, bad nights mainly due to colds or teething.

zonedout · 18/08/2009 20:07

Avril, i never did cc with ds1 partly because he had reflux (could this be a possibility for your dd?) and i could never be sure that he wasn't in pain. additionally i sway more towards the ap style of parenting and just don't have it in me to do any kind of sleep training.i am also far too exhausted in the middle of the night to do anything more than bung him on the boob ds2 does seem to know how to self settle, has done it many times... he has been poorly a lot recently so i am blaming his recent illnesses on this latest habitual waking . i remember people telling me ds1 would never learn to self settle if i didn't do cc or similar with him which i know is simply not true as he is a great sleeper now (except for loads of falling out of bed and the odd bad dream ) so at least i have the courage of my convictions this time. but it is rather hellish in the meantime and i am really struggling.

AvrilH · 20/08/2009 12:03

I don't think it is reflux (she rarely gets sick) but suspect TEETH

aaargh

Though, I just left her for exactly two minutes to see if she would self settle for her nap - and she did. So maybe I really have made a rod, etc.

maccyw · 23/09/2009 10:00

just joining in...am co sleeping with ds and he sleeps froma bout 8pm-12pm on a good day in cot then wakes about every1.5 hours for bf till 7amish...he isn't miserable and doesn't scream but then again he really doesn't get a chance to as I stick a boob in his mouth when he starts to cry...am panicking as going back to work in a month and can hardly speaknever mind mke a decision..... help please and not controlled crying i couldn't do it

PinkTulips · 23/09/2009 10:06

dd, night time settling improved when we got tough at 12 months (i was preg, had to be done) but sh still came in t our bed from 4am onwards until ds1 was born when she was 18 months.

she tried to drop her nap at 9 months but we managed to keep it going til 18 months by physically holding her on us on the couch until she fell asleep but once ds1 was here that became impossible.

ds1's nights improved between 12 and 18 months, he tried to drop his nap at around 18 months but changed his mind and only dropped it about a month before his third birthday.

ds2 is 7 months and is getting a bit easier at night but i won't hold my breathe

Bucharest · 23/09/2009 10:07

Dd slept through for the very first time at 8mths and 5 days. For the very second time at 4 years and 2 months.

That was how bad it was....

PS- since that day though, she's only ever woken in the night if she's sick.

stargirl30 · 23/09/2009 10:28

maccyw, how old is ds? Sleep pattern sounds a bit like my dd who is 11 months.
stargirl

stargirl30 · 23/09/2009 12:58

am just wondering if your ds might be too hot when you co-sleep? DD often needs grobag taking off when she comes into our bed. And when she's hot she gets thirsty! Or could he be teething?

maccyw · 23/09/2009 16:39

HE'S SIX MONTHS AND I'LL TRY THE HOT THING..AM THINKING ABOUT PUTTING HIM IN HIS OWN ROOM BUT NOT SURE IT WILL HEL(HIM OR ME)...HE JUST DOESN'T SEEM TO LIKE TO SLEEP...ALSO HE WON'T TAKE A BOTTLE AS I'M ALSO THINKING ABOUT GIVING UP BF TO SEE IF THAT WORKS BUT I REALLY WANTED TO STILL FEED HIM UNTIL HE'S A YEAR AS A LAST THING AT NIGHT FEED....BUT DO NEED TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE NEXT MONTH

Hulababy · 23/09/2009 16:42

My DD didn't sleep well when little either. She was a nightmare to put down some nights, and woke several times int he nights.

I don't like the controlled crying thing for babies, as I don't think it is good for them, and wasn't actually designed for under 12 months anyway.

We did try several things and did a lot of cosleeping. We ended up buying a bedside cot to aid that.

DD was fine for naps if in her bouncy chair, pushchair or when out in the car.

Unfortunately for us nothing solved it longer term at that time. We did resprt to some very gentle CC methods when DD was 20 months old and the problem was solved within days. But I think by then she as of an age to understand the prcess more.

gallery · 25/09/2009 10:51

I remember those sleepless night, the waking up feeling hungover from lack of sleep- the crawling into the shower hoping to wake me up, the dead feeling around 3pm when I needed a nap. Two boys, both different, first one slept about 4-5hour stretches and was still getting up around 4am when he was 12months. The second one has been ok, he is 18months but recently (since Aug) up twice a night. It does get better, having at LEAST one good nights sleep invigorates you. Any chance you could pass baby over to your husband for a whole night and sleep in another room? I know this might not be easy if BFeeding but you might manage a way

ReallyMum · 14/10/2009 14:44

Just want to say how good it's been to read all these posts, they're giving me strength. Am going through a particularly challenging period with DS2 (8 months and not a good sleeper). DS1 (5 yrs now) was a breeze and has always slept well so this time's been tough to adjust to . At least I know I'm not alone and all children are different. Not surprised this thread's been going since Dec 08, such a difficult subject, sleep deprivation is torture. Will try to relax a bit and not feel so negative towards DS2 who is wonderful and beautiful in every other way .

Restrainedrabbit · 14/10/2009 14:47

DD was a dream sleeper, text book baby I guess - down to one feed a night at about 12 weeks then slept through at 5mths. Even now she only wakes if ill or had a nightmare etc.

DS however has always been wakeful, finally slept through at 11mths (wakes at 6am though - groan). I found I had to be firm with him day and night and he thrived on a routine, unlike DD who would sleep when she needed too. DS couldn't fall asleep even when really tired.

Pinkjenny · 14/10/2009 14:50

Dd still doesn't sleep through. She's 2.5.

BadPoet · 14/10/2009 14:59

Answering for 2 dcs - both started taking proper naps (rather than catnaps) at about 1yr (but both dropped naps at 2yrs), and sleep improved dramatically at about 2.5 for dc1, nearer 3 for dc2 - going from waking many times per night to just once and then not at all.

mdavza · 15/12/2009 21:50

Ds, who is 9 and a half months) slept like a log from about six weeks (he was bottlefed) up to 8 months, most nights 7-6 or close by. I followed Baby Whisperer and he's been napping really well.
But then, at 8 months, all changed. Now we're lukcy if he sleeps until 5am with only one wakeup! I think a combination of teeth ( he has 8), illness and just growing and developing so fast.
I went into a big flatspin, thought I must be doing something wrong and tried this or that, but I feel better now that I've made peace with the 'bad' nights, and I'm not going to change much. He has been sleeping in his own room and his own big bed (due to me having had a back injury) since about 3 months. Every now and then he'll fall onto the matress beside the bed, but it's nice to lie next to him. He falls asleep by himself at night.
Great thread!

DwayneDibbley · 15/12/2009 21:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

loopyloo82 · 16/12/2009 16:46

Bizarrely, given all these hellish tales, this has made me feel better... it sounds like all the worrying and trying to make your baby sleep are pretty much futile if your baby is just a crap sleeper. I'm sure a large proportion of exhaustion comes from trying numerous ways to get your baby to sleep... just going with the flow seems to be the way forward.

I know myself and dh both woke many times a night until the age of 2 so not much hope for dd (18 weeks) who so far is proving to be a match for us. Giving in is the easiest option.