5 1/2 month old does not sleep!!!!

[saf1]

Any help PLEASE. My 5 1/2 month oold only cat naps in the day max 45 mins each nap and constantly wakes every 2-3 hours for a feed.
I've just started weaning but has made NO difference whatsoever!!
I'm fed up of being tierd please help this is my 2nd baby. Had no probs with 1st dd so new group 4 me hence exhaustion!!!

Saf1 - Does he/she sleep at night?

saf my son is around the same age as your lo... and he also won't have any nap during the day of longer than 45 mins.... i think that's pretty normal.

he also feeds every 3 hours... again, normal

ditto toothache... is s/he sleeping at night?

Didn't make it clear earlier sorry, no she does not sleep at night never has since she was born waking for feeds...think it's a comfort thing to be honest but as she's still in our room at the mo it's pretty hard to ignore her.
So I'm just feeling v fed up with being constantly tierd and irritable especially with my older dd.
Feel guilty for cat napping when dd2 naps but not getting enough proper sleep....
HELP!!!!!

Saf1 - My ds (now 4) was exactly the same and controlled crying just didn't work. I think putting her in her own room will really help you. I found that although ds only woke for a feed twice, he woke me up perhaps 4 or 5 times. I put dd in her own room at 5mths and didn't even have monitors! As far as I know she didn't wake, and if she did she only had to shout for us to hear her, but she didn't..... although she gets up at 5am now!!! She's nearly a year old now.

HTH

I don't think this is what you want to hear but I'll share it with you anyway....

I had this with number 3. He Just didn't seem to want much sleep. If he ever did drop off, he seemed to be awake and raring to go just minutes later. I tried everything to no avail. By the age of 1.5 he had completely abandoned his daytime sleep and I was exhausted.

He's now 3.5 and, I hate to tell you, he's still always first up in the morning and full of energy all day. He flutters about the place chatting non-stop and climbing on things and on me. He's absolutely lovely, and very popular, but very hard work.

I've just come to the conclusion that he doesn't need to sleep as much as his brothers and sister. I suppose I'm more used to him now but I know how desperately tired you must be.

Can you have him in bed with you for night feeds? I found this made the most of my night times.
I also gave up on child-free time in the evening for a while and used to go to bed at 9. It made the days so much better.

saf1
i echo what tipex says, and at her age she might need to be taught how to settle herself,
i think the whole day needs to be looked at, where does she nap, are you breastfedding, does she have a doodie, how many milk feeds does she get from morning til evening and supposed bedtime, if she has 4 then i doubt she needs more than 1 feed in the night?
what time is she up at? when does she have the longest day nap?
weaning wont make a difference, if she wakes she wakes, thats it
imo it ll be a few nights of heartache and no sleep for u, whilst trying to settle her at the times shes not due a feed,
my ds was like this and over a week or two i cracked it with him, andif he did wake he very quickly settled again - i might have had to give him a doodie, but now (at 1 tomorrow) if he cries out in the night he just rolls over.

hth

I totally feel for you. Surviving on disturbed sleep is like a form of torture!! It won't last forever though if that's any help. I know that she is very controversial!! but Gina Ford did work for me (well my interpretation of here routine) I found it amazing how one simple thing like top up feeding at 11pm could have such an effect on ds night sleep. I also agree with other posts about putting baby in own room, dh snoring was also an issue with us. Good luck

Thanks for all your advice. AMAZED but dd2 slept for 2 hours yesterday daytime!!! I actually had to wake her cos I was worried she would be up even more in the night.
Have been giving dream feeds when I go to bed usually at 10-10.30 pm, dd2 did wake at 2am but I just rocked, patted and then left her to wriggle, giggle???!!! and jump/move herself to sleep which she did until 6am where I woke with a wet slee bra and covers..but who cares!! She had another feed went back to sleep until 7ish then played some more and went back to sleep till 8.30am!! HURRAH I FEEL HUMAN AGAIN
THANKS AGAIN ALL XXX

My dd is the same!!! She's 7 months and has 20mins in morning and 45 to 1hr after lunch. bed at 7.30 and feed at around 4.30am. sometimes i can settle her back to sleep but we are up at 6.30 no matter what. singing and chattering is the main culprit.
having her in her own room has helped. I was being woken by her and now she will shout but i can ignore until its a proper cry!
I also found giving her things to play with in bed and a teddy to cuddle gives me more time in the morning but mainly she comes in with us while i feed her and doze.

yey for our lively little ones!