7 month old wakes at least 10 times a night between 8 pm to 7am.

[cers123]

Hi girls

As the title says I am exhausted and worn out. It needs to change. I want to sleep train but I've no idea where to start.

My little boy is 7 months and he's a greedy little bugger.

My questions are
1) What methods have any of you used?
2) What type of a bedtime routine do you use?
3) How much milk per feed does your baby take
4) How often does the baby wake?

Any advice is helpful please I'd do anything for a nights sleep

 

[Colleen1988]

Bedtime routine... 6pm every night he has a bath then a bottle and then bed.
He feeds every 4 hours in the day 7am, 11am, 3pm, 6.30pm and a dream feed at 9pm (all bottles are 8-9oz) dream feed is about 6oz and that gets him through the 7am!
He only has 3 hours of naps in the day, split between 2, short morning nap and long afternoon nap!
Ive not had to use any sleep training as I started the routine when he was about 6 week old (obviously it's changed a bit as times gone on, he's 5 month now)
He doesn't have a dummy or anything so he's learnt to self sooth by sucking his hand or thumb which is a god send at night as he just gets himself off back to sleep xxx

 

[Colleen1988]

Ps he sleeps from 7pm after his bedtime routine and bottle until 7am (with the dream feed) if he doesn't have the dream feed he wakes in the night at about 2am for a bottle! Maybe you could Introduce a dream feed? xxx

 

[cers123]

That's amazing. I've a little 2.5 year old boy who was a nightmare and didn't sleep until he turned one. But I can't hold out that long I am starting back to work I Feb and I'm getting married in March.

My wee boy has literally 10 minutes of sleep since 6:45 this morning. I could cry am so tired

I think I will start with a bath tnyt at 7 pm. Can I ask, do you put him down awake?

 

[Rooster30]

Ugh poor you. How horrible for you. Does your baby settle okay for naps?

I have been very lucky with my daughter she has slept through the night since about 2 months of age. She sleeps 6pm-830am ish. She currently has 2 x 7oz, 1 x 5oz and a bedtime 8oz (we tried taking the 5oz away but she woke at 6am wanting food, her usual wake time is about 8/830 - again we've been SO SO lucky!).

As for bedtime routine, ours is pretty basic. Dinner, then straight for getting ready for bed - change nappy, dressed for bed, clean teeth, then upstairs with bedtime bottle then sleep.

My son was a completely different kettle of fish and was a terrible (non) sleeper. I developed PND and my HV advised me to do (dread to utter it on this forum but...) CC for mine and my sons sakes, and eventually it worked and had no problems since.

Speak to your HV for advice also... that's if you get on with yours of course! You must be so so tired

 

[cers123]

Yeah I've been trying for 2 days to get in contact with my HV. I don't think I'd care at this stage about doing CC if it works. He needs a full night sleep and so do I. Lol

Am colleen could I ask what you mean by dream feed?

Rooster what way did your CC work what way do you do it?

 

[Rooster30]

My HV told me to tell my son it was sleep time as we went up the stairs, give him a kiss and put him straight into the cot and leave, go back after 5 mins if he was still unsettled, soothe him (but try not to interact too much), then leave again and so on until he went to sleep. Obviously if he was absolutely beyond himself then don't wait around. It took about a week and persistence was key.

Prior to the CC he was having to be rocked to sleep (about 8/9 months of age). Routine is always good, but my son had one but still didn't fancy the sleeping lark. I was unsure about CC myself, but the depression and anxiety was hitting boiling point due to lack of sleep. Being advised to CC with the full support of the HV was reassuring and above all it did work and my mental health started to get better thanks to getting some sleep.

 

[Colleen1988]

That's amazing. I've a little 2.5 year old boy who was a nightmare and didn't sleep until he turned one. But I can't hold out that long I am starting back to work I Feb and I'm getting married in March.

My wee boy has literally 10 minutes of sleep since 6:45 this morning. I could cry am so tired

I think I will start with a bath tnyt at 7 pm. Can I ask, do you put him down awake?

errrm after his bedtime bottle he's drowsy when I put him down, but for his naps in the day I put him down awake!

For naps I wait until I can see he's tired and then put him in his cot, he does cry sometimes but I leave him for 5 mins before I go in.. When I put him down I make sure he's not hungry, has a nappy change so that I know it's safe to leave him to cry for abit! I ony ever leave him for 5 mins crying before checking on him but he usually just falls asleep! he's brill at night but can be a mare in the day with naps!

The bedtime routine is really good as the bath calms him down after playing and his bottle just sends him off to sleep!

I always make sure that I wake him at 7am, he never gets a lie in (mean mummy) but if he sleeps after 7am it knocks out his rouitne for the day! good luck hun, sleep deprivation is awful!

Congrats for your wedding I get married in 5 days eeeeeeek and I also go back to work in feb, my Lo will only be 6 month im dreading it.

I don't know how you manage with a baby and a toddler! Babies are a handful lol xxx

 

[Colleen1988]

Ahh rooster... I do this too! When my Lo goes in his cot I say "go to sleep isaac, love you" for naps and for bedtime xxx

 

[Colleen1988]

Yeah I've been trying for 2 days to get in contact with my HV. I don't think I'd care at this stage about doing CC if it works. He needs a full night sleep and so do I. Lol

Am colleen could I ask what you mean by dream feed?

Rooster what way did your CC work what way do you do it?

Dream feed is when you wake them up from their sleep to feed them (I wake isaac at 9pm) he's not really awake though he just takes the bottle lol! it works for some babies and not for others but it's worth a try if it's hunger that is waking him xxx

 

[Shepherdess]

I had this problem at about 6 months and did CC, now nearly 8 months and so much better. She was up every hour but now she has a feed at 730 and a bit chill time with me and I read her a story then she goes into her cot at 8ish. Sleep until 11/12 when she has a feed and then until 4.30ish, this is where we have a problem but I'll not go into that now as like I said she used to be up every hour and take ages to go to sleep

For CC I'd make sure she was fed and clean and happy, put her into the cot and say good night and give her a kiss. I'd leave for 2 minutes at which point she cried. After those 2 mins I went back in and calmed her but didn't pick her up. I then left again for 4 mins and repeated. I was supposed to the leave for 6 mins then 8 then 10 etc but I hated leaving her so after the 4 mins went back in every 5. The first night she cried for 30 mins and woke up 3 times taking 20 mins to go back to sleep each time. The second night she took 20 mins to go to sleep and woke twice but not crying she just needed a little settle. The third night she didn't even cry and just woke up once for a feed.

That's how it been until this last week when we've developed a 4am issue but we'll get past it

 

[cers123]

Thanks very much for your replies.

My little guy isn't in a routine and never has been so I want to maybe introduce that at night. I bathed him at half 6 and got him dressed ready for bed, read him a book and gave him a bobo I tried to make him take 6 oz (cos he's a greedy little boy) hoping this will fill him up. He was sleeping for 7 pm.

He woke at 7:40pm and I swore when he woke I'd give him water n he would learn to take a full feed every 4 hours. Because he's so used to taking feeds in drips n drabs. Was actually one of the reasons I had to wean him at 4 months.

Anyways he refused the water so I put him down for 5 mins of light crying went back in with a bobo of milk and he refused that too. So nursed him and he fell asleep in my arms. If I can hold off a feed until the 4 hour mark being around 11. And doing this through the night this will be a success in my book.

If I could even start this way... cos he has a small cold atm so can't start CC u til he's well.

Girls why is it so hard.

 

[Applepie]

That's amazing. I've a little 2.5 year old boy who was a nightmare and didn't sleep until he turned one. But I can't hold out that long I am starting back to work I Feb and I'm getting married in March.

My wee boy has literally 10 minutes of sleep since 6:45 this morning. I could cry am so tired

I think I will start with a bath tnyt at 7 pm. Can I ask, do you put him down awake?

errrm after his bedtime bottle he's drowsy when I put him down, but for his naps in the day I put him down awake!

For naps I wait until I can see he's tired and then put him in his cot, he does cry sometimes but I leave him for 5 mins before I go in.. When I put him down I make sure he's not hungry, has a nappy change so that I know it's safe to leave him to cry for abit! I ony ever leave him for 5 mins crying before checking on him but he usually just falls asleep! he's brill at night but can be a mare in the day with naps!

The bedtime routine is really good as the bath calms him down after playing and his bottle just sends him off to sleep!

I always make sure that I wake him at 7am, he never gets a lie in (mean mummy) but if he sleeps after 7am it knocks out his rouitne for the day! good luck hun, sleep deprivation is awful!

Congrats for your wedding I get married in 5 days eeeeeeek and I also go back to work in feb, my Lo will only be 6 month im dreading it.

I don't know how you manage with a baby and a toddler! Babies are a handful lol xxx

Sorry to say but its actually not safe to let a 5 month old cio

 

[Colleen1988]

He doesn't cry it out... (This thread isn't about my child)

Cers you really need to stick with the bedtime routine every night, it takes a while but your LO will eventually begin to realise that bath and bottle means sleep time!

When you go in at night time try not to talk to much and keep lights low.

Also with his feeds... my baby used to snack in the day rather than take full feeds to HV suggested distracting him so he didn't feed straight away, so I started walking around with him when he seemed whingy and he started going longer between feeds and taking more at each feed, that's how I got him on a full 8-9oz every 4 hours xxx

 

[kumber]

It's not safe for a 5 month old to be left to cry. Simple as.

I think 7mo is still very young to use CC, I recommend using the pick up/put down method. It's very gentle and, although it takes longer to implement, it has a higher success rate than CC or CIO at such a young age.

 

[Colleen1988]

Thanks very much for your replies.

My little guy isn't in a routine and never has been so I want to maybe introduce that at night. I bathed him at half 6 and got him dressed ready for bed, read him a book and gave him a bobo I tried to make him take 6 oz (cos he's a greedy little boy) hoping this will fill him up. He was sleeping for 7 pm.

He woke at 7:40pm and I swore when he woke I'd give him water n he would learn to take a full feed every 4 hours. Because he's so used to taking feeds in drips n drabs. Was actually one of the reasons I had to wean him at 4 months.

Anyways he refused the water so I put him down for 5 mins of light crying went back in with a bobo of milk and he refused that too. So nursed him and he fell asleep in my arms. If I can hold off a feed until the 4 hour mark being around 11. And doing this through the night this will be a success in my book.

If I could even start this way... cos he has a small cold atm so can't start CC u til he's well.

Girls why is it so hard.

Can I ask what a bobo is lol?? Ive never heard of this xxx

 

[kumber]

From the NHS:

Controlled crying:
This approach is not recommended for babies under 8 months, (cont.)

http://www.dchs.nhs.uk/home/our-services/find_services_by_topic/healthvisiting/advice_guidance/hvs_sleeping

 

[cers123]

Thanks colleen he done really well last night with 4 hours between feeds. He woke at half 11 then 3 then 7. Which is a massive achievement lol. Only think is he only took 4 oz at 11, 3oz at 3 and then 4 at 7 this morning.

He was never a big fan of his formula. He began being breastfed which was amazing tbh he slept from 10 d 6 every night n up at 6 for a feed n bk over to 9. But he was loosing weight and I eventually had to put him on formula. Which he hated but he put on weight

That being said he was 10lb 9.5 at birth lol so him losing weight wasn't too big of a deal lol. He could afford too.

Anyways I'm gonna continue with this routine for a week. N see how I do. How long did it take ur lo to respond well to his new routine?

 

[cers123]

Haha sorry a bobo is a bottle lol. Wat we call a bottle in Derry n . Ireland lol xx

 

[Colleen1988]

Aww that's brill... Yeah please keep going with it hun, they don't realise straight away but they do click on, your LO is 7month so should click on quite fast hopefully.

Well my LO took a good 2-3 week to get into this routine properly but he was young like 5-6 week I think he was, but it got easier every day!

Ahh I did wonder if it was a bottle but thought it might be a comforter or something!

Ooh isaac was a big baby at 9lbs, I also Breast fed but stopped as I was on loads of meds that were making him violently sick. Xxx