A night sleep is 7pm - 11pm apparently:0(

[forevermore]

This is the most unbroken sleep DD2 will have if I'm lucky. She is nearly 8 months and was EBF till 5 months and we coslept till 6.5 months.
She had 7 oz at 7, 3 and bed time and a dream feed. And solids in between.

I am Sooooo tired and regularly cry at night whilst she is up. The thing is she isn't really crying just up. For this reason I have stopped offering night feeds to try and break the 'habit' but it's made no difference. I have noticed she feeds better in the day but no better sleeping at night. She is happy durin the day and naps quite well if at home but wont nap for long in pushchair so we stay in a lot just because I want her to catch up on the lost sleep from
the night before.

She regularly wakes 1am ish and stays up for 1-3 hours. Then wakes again 5-7am ish. I used to feed at 2am but stopped on HV advice but she still wakes and stays awake.

I am back at work soon and haven't slept for more than 3 hours for 8 months. It's so tiring. What should I do? I shush and pat for most of the night and she just stares at me! She will fall asleep eventually if I let her in our bed but CANNNOT keep doing this as she crawls now and I don't trust DH rolling onto her.

Please help. Should I increase milk feeds again/leave her to be awake (she will eventually cry if I do this and I am scared of her waking my 4 year old).

Please help.

I'd buy a bed guard for your bed and stick her in bed with you - next to the edge not your dh. then dream feed lying down and you will soon sleep through pretty much most of the feed. this might not suit your view of babyhood but it's what used to happen and imo what babies are designed to want at night (well, maybe not the bedguard bit)

either that or get your dh to do the night shift if you've decided not to feed her then = no reason for him not to get up with her. no way would I be patting her to sleep for hours on end - you must be knackered

What naps does she have during the day and do you usually feed her to sleep?

She is FF now. And sleeps for up to 3 hours during the day in either 2 or 3 naps. DH wakes for work at 4.30am so gets very little sleep anyway. Thinking that I should just feed in the night again? But then remember it hardly impacts on jow well she sleeps anyway. Tonight dropping dream feed and letting her wake for last feed instead whenever that may be. No point dreamfeedingif she is gonna wake anyway.??

I know she's FF but does she fall asleep drinking it that's what I meant. If she does that's her sleep cue.

I never found that giving a dream feed made any difference to when they woke so didn't bother! At least you can go to bed earlier that way.

The other thing I've heard of doing is wake to sleep.

Just wondered if the timing of her day time naps is interfering with the night time ones.

I understand what you are saying about staying in because you want her to catch up on sleep, but if she naps less during the day and then crashes out in the evening and sleeps for a bit longer then you are some way to breaking the cycle.

She needs fresh air and daylight to sort her bodyclock out, and getting out will make you feel better as well.

I really do sympathise, DS has been an awful sleeper and we've only got him going reliably through the night without BF in bed with me in the last month or so. The advice I'm giving you is advice I wish I had heeded myself when DS was about the age your DD is now!

I missed the bit about you staying in a lot. Yes you def need to go out and about and make daytime very stimulating and interesting perhaps her brain working in overdrive will wear her out!

Perhaps you need to be a bit more strict with when she naps during the day rather than where IYSWIM. Routine her daytime sleep and see if that influences her nights?

sorry, thought you were mixed feeding

I'm unclear why you are staying with her while she's awake at night if she's not crying. what happens if you go back to bed and leave her awake? as alibabaa said, no need to stay in during the day so she can catch up on night's sleep - vicious circle. speaking of daytime sleep, who is looking after her when you go back to work and what will her daytime sleep pattern be with them? no point introducing a new daytime sleep routine if it's all about to be changed again soon

Is her cot in your bedroom?

If it is, move it to her own room now.

Forget about the dream feed. Don't disturb her, see what happens.

If she wakes in the night for a feed, go in and feed her, wind her, put her back in the cot. Don't turn the light on or chat to her.

If she won't settle back to sleep after this, I would seriously consider controlled crying. But I know many others would disagree .

Let her sleep a couple of times during the day, once at about 9ish, and again after lunch. Don't let her sleep beyond, say, 3.30/4.00pmpm. It is absolutely fine and, I would argue, a really good thing to let one or other of those sleeps be in the pram outside in the fresh air.

Have to admit we all slept much better when they were in their own rooms!

Well yesterday tw thngs. Changed. Her 'long' nap was after breakfast and she didn't sleep past 3pm she usually has a 4pm nap. Alsowhen she woke at 10.30 and refused to feed we didn't wake her
later for it and she never properly woke till DD1 woke her this morning at 6.40. Is it a fluke. I in fact was up
from 3-4 am unable to sleep:0( even though she was.

I am now worried that she only had 21 oz formula yesterday as didn't have 4th bottle and no time to fit it in during the day if we are also offering 3 spoon feeds.

Thanks for your advice so far. What do think about the dare I say it turn of events/ fluke last night.

BTW I have 3 months till I go back to work and a 10 day hotel room holiday which I am dreading due to sleep issues.

And I stay up with her because she just ends up pulling up on cot and bashing her head when tripping over in sleeping bag then crying etc etc.

It sounds like her not having a nap at 4pm definitely helped. I would persevere with that.
It may well be that she follows the same pattern through the day today but then doesn't sleep so well tonight, but she will get there. The key is to be consistant and not do one thing one day and then change another day.

I don't understand your last sentence - do you mean you are staying up even when she is asleep so that she doesn't fall over?
Perhaps ditch the sleeping bag? DS was 8/9 months this time last year and we had him in a short-sleeved vest, sleepsuit and then a doubled cellular blanket and he was lovely and cosy. If he felt chilly we would just put another blanket.

Just joined Mumsnet after not having much sleep again last night. Looking for help . where do i find a list of acronyms so i can join in the discussions?

Nosda: here

Welcome to Mumsnet - hope the sleeping improves.

When my youngest was weaned onto solids at 6 months, she rapidly dropped her milk feeds she just preferred real food (perhaps wanted to be like all her older sisters)!!! I did BLW and she just went for it in a big way by 8 months she had dropped 2 milk feeds so just had 3 per day.

All babies are different, my middle 2 were milk aholics (fortunately only during the day!)

I would stick with not letting her nap after 3 and not waking her for a dream feed. She will get hungrier during the day and start eating more if she needs it, babies are very good at self regulating. You can always offer her a cup of milk with her "meals"

wow fingers crossed for tonight then! at the irony of you being awake and her asleep - how annoying is that?!

Hope things continue to go well!

Good article here on night waking. x