Help needed with 5 month old DD, think she's waking out of habit (hers and mine!)

[phee96]

DD is 5 months old. We have been working on establishing a bedtime routine (bath, bottle, bed) for a few weeks. She now regularly settles to sleep in her cot sometime between 7 and 8pm (although she often falls asleep on her bottle).

However, with the exception of 2 nights, she regularly wakes between 12 and 2 and won't resettle. On only one of these occasions she has needed feeding, the rest of the time she isn't interested in milk. She doesn't have wind and her nappy is never dirty. I usually end up bringing her back into our bed where she then sleeps until about 6am.

I know that by bringing her back into our bed I am just reinforcing the habit but I am so desperate to sleep that I bring her in, knowing we will get more sleep. I can't bear to let her 'cry it out' but I need to stop bringing her into our bed as I'm not sleeping her properly when she's in there and it's starting to hurt my back as I can't get comfortable.

I think I could cope with her being an early riser if I was getting more sleep during the night and I think DD would be better rested sleeping in her cot than in our bed.

Has anybody got any suggestions on how I can break this pattern and help her settle back to sleep in her cot?

hi i know the feeling but my son is 15months old he wakes at night and has done more so since he moved to a cot and dropped his dummy at about 6months old he wakes sometime a few times a night he still has the bottle and im that tierd at night i put him in our bed now i think we have both got into the habit i dont like him sleeping in my bed but i feel so tierd and i have other children as well i just dont know whats the best way to sort this out anybody got any ideas???

Phee, come and join your fellow sufferers on the 4-5 months sleep thread

I'm sorry but waking once a night at 5 months is bloody fantastic.

Thanks feralgirl I will pop over there now

Ches she only wakes once if I put her in our bed, otherwise she won't resettle and if she does, she sleeps for no longer than an hour at a time

I had great success with getting DD (4 months) to resettle at night using Pick Up Put Down (Baby Whisperer technique).

It was hard work for two nights, so having DH around to help was crucial. Before we began, DD was going to bed at 7pm then coming in with us from about 11.30 and snackfeeding all night until dawn , waking 3 or 4 times just out of habit and then getting up for the day at 5.30!

Since doing this, DD is now going from 7pm, dreamfeed at 11, one night feed between 3 and 4 and then wakes at 7am.

All we did was PUPD when she woke but wasn't hungry. First night we did the PUPD exercise 2 or 3 times for about 15 minutes each time. Second night we only needed to do it once for 10 mins. Since then, on the very rare occasions that she wakes outside of a need to feed she either resettles herself within a minute or two, or I just shush her gently from the side of her cot for 30 seconds or so and she's back off.

I haven't followed Baby Whisperer routine, but her PUPD technique (and shh/pat - or shh/rub in our case) have worked wonders.

Thanks Crazycatlady. My sister lent me a copy of 'The Baby Whisperer' so we are planning on trying the PUPD method as it seems a good compromise. I think we may try it on Saturday night so DH can do the first night as he is less likely to give in than me