sleeping issues.

[Beckyb1991]

Mummys I'm so very fed up

Emilie is now 8 months old. She was sleeping amazingly up until 5 weeks ago after being ill with an awful virus. Before this all I had to do was bath her and feed her and put her in her cot at 7.30/8pm and she slept till 6.30/7 am ... however since being ill she won't settle in her cot at all so I have to keep her up with me ( controlled crying doesn't work she gets so upset she makes herself sick.. also the pick up put down method doesn't work) in the end I have to get her to sleep on me or on my bed .. wait an hour and then put her into her cot .. then she'll only stay in her cot 1/2 hours and be awake again. In the end I'm so fed up with fighting her and trying over and over again to settle her that I give in and let her sleep with me. It's not ideal especially as my other half comes in from work at 5am wanting his bed so in the end I'm up having 2 hours sleep. I'm so exhausted and stressed and want time to myself. I am alone with Emilie 99%of the time so I'm exhausted physically and emotionally 😣 any tips would be great. She also doesn't sleep in the day for more than 10 mins at a time.

Love from one exhausted and extremely emotional mummy.

 

[Browneyed Girl]

Sorry hun I don't have any advice but will be stalking this to see what others say. My lo is 5 months and has been the same at night since Christmas and I'm exhausted. I'm hoping this is the 4 month sleep regression as he was a couple of weeks early, I don't know what I'll do if its not! x

 

[ShowingPromise]

Has anything else in her routine changed? Eating habits?

Is there anyone that could help you so you can get some rest and have another go at pu/pd?

It could be developmental /growth spurt in which case you may need to ride it out, which isn't very helpful I know!

Sometimes being ill knocks them for six and it can just take a while to get back on track.

Big hugs, no sleep is tough x

 

[Nutsyputs]

No advice but my little girl is a similar age and we are going through the same thing at the moment. Maybe they are going through a leap/sleep regression/teething/the moon is in the wrong place in the sky! Con totally sympathise.

 

[Applepie]

Just a quick reply but probably 9 month sleep regression and lack of daytime naps. Im confident if she had good naps in the day, night time would follow too.

 

[Rooster30]

Oh no, you poor thing.

Maybe your little one is still feeling a bit off from the virus? My son used to be an extremely unsettled baby when he felt poorly and would only settle on us.

Have a chat with your HV and ask for some suggestions. I'm a second time mum and i've had to call my HV for advice on sleeping issues with my LG. I had issues with my daughter deciding not to nap at all and she said it could be a development phase - if your daughter is now starting to learn to crawl that might be making her unsettled as her brain is so wired. It could be separation anxiety, because that kicks in around 8/9 months of age.

None of the 'reasons' for it makes it any easier on yourself though. Do you have any family who could look after your LO for a few hours so you could have some 'me' time?

 

[Lucyboo]

I spoke to the hv recently as our LG would refuse to go to sleep in her cot unless she fell asleep on us first. Tried letting her cry for a bit and she got in such a state I couldn't do it. The first night I sat beside the cot with my arm on her face. Well last night after a few nights she went off to sleep within half an hour just looking at me. Tonight I'm going to try moving further away to the point hopefully she will fall asleep on her own. This is all in less than a week. I know it's slightly different to what your going through but just an idea.

Also when she sleeps in the day I put her on my old bf pillow in her playpen so it's nice and soft or in the pushchair x

 

[Karenb]

Lucy, do you put her in cot and stay by her? Did she cry a lot before going off? I tried staying by cot but she cried so much but might be worth another try now she's abit older... I'm getting desperate, controlled crying didn't work out for us x

 

[Lucyboo]

Pretty much Karen. She cried loads in the start but kept persisting. The first night I was pretty much leaning in the cot myself. Then it went to just holding her hand through the bars. Last night I kind of ignored her but sat in the room and she went off herself x

 

[Kiagirl]

We had this at 9 months. Lucie would settle at all in her cot but did fine in our bed. If I tried her in her cot after she fell asleep she just woke up and was histerical. She didn't like being lowered into her cot and having the bars. So we took the side off the cot. We bought some wood and my OH made a bar and screwed it into the holes at either end so she couldn't roll out but could see over it. I then slept in her room for a night, putting her in the cot and me sleeping next to her. Then I just laid there until she was asleep and gradually started leaving her earlier. After a week she was going to sleep on her own and was quite happy in her cot. She never tried to get out as the bar was too high but without her feeling she was stuck. It felt like I got my life back lol X

 

[Beckyb1991]

Thank you for all your advice ladies. I'm hoping to get her settled into a routine again quickly. Tonight she didn't go to sleep until 11.30 though �� xxx

 

[Sprout]

Totally normal for that age...just go with whatever she needs and try to change your expectations of her, it'll honestly make it much less stressful for you. Have you looked into safe bedsharing?