Why has it all gone tits up??

[lionsandtigersandbears]

Ds, nearly 6 months was doing a good 8/9 hour stretch, has been since about 3/4 months but last few weeks has started waking at around 4am and then waking every 20 mins or so until getting up. Not hungry as doesn't even really want a bottle until after 10am, doesnt cry(except for a 'i want my dummy' whinge). Which leads me to the question...is the dummy the prob? We've started trying to get him to bed without it which works when he is knackered or, failing that, we take it out when we go to bed but doesn't seem to be making a difference. Plus we're in 1 bed flat so cant sleep while he's awake and I'm crap sleeper at best of times....4 hours sleep every night is starting to really tire me out.

hello lions. i was posting the same thing a couple of months back. my good sleeper started waking up at 2am and crying for about 3 hours. nothing would settle him....not milk, not sleeping with me. he just cried or moaned on until about 5am when he would go back to sleep. The HV said I had to do controlled crying. I was so desperate I tried it and it worked initially but then he started waking up again. I couldn't continue with the CC because of the stress on both me and DS. In the end I just had to put up with the 2am episodes and it was AWFUL. I was so tired and moody. But DS grew out of it in about 4 weeks. It was bizarre - as quickly as the phase started it stopped and he went back to sleeping well. He still woke up occasionally but at least he would have some milk and go back to sleep. Now he sleeps 12 hrs straight about 3 days out of 7 and the other nights just wakes up briefly and quickly goes back to sleep after 3 oz of milk. Hopefully you will be the same and DS will just grow out of it. You know how these babies are, they have inexplicable phases and they tend to pass. We're currently on the phase of refusing to nap even though DS used to be a brilliant napper. I'm trying to chill out about it because I know it won't last for ever.

No good advice from me I know, but perhaps some comfort that this time next month you are likely to be sleeping well.

Two things; first is the six month growth spurt. The second is the explosion of gross motor skills that occurs from around 6 months onwards. My son just turned 2 and I'm still waiting for his sleep to go back to the lovely two regular wakings a night days from when he was 4-5 months old.

thankyou both.....