How do I get a baby to sleep during the night?

karenx

My first son who is now 6 was wonderful when he was a baby, from about 2 weeks old he slept right through the night. Occasional night he would wake up but as soon as he got his dummy he drifted back to sleep.
Fast forward 6 years and my baby is a nightmare during the night! During the day he is as good as gold! He has about 2 or 3 naps during the day of about 30mins each, no problem getting him to sleep for these either. He gets all grumpy and once rocked for a few mins he goes to sleep with ease and I can put him in his cot and half an hour later he will wake up all happy!
He goes to bed at about 8ish for the night, I give him a bath using bathtime things and then he has a bottle and he goes straight to sleep. He will wake at about 11 and thats when the problems start! He will want another feed and once given that he will either stay up for about an hour or be really really grumpy and just cry for ages to try get back to sleep. Once asleep again, can sometimes take up to an hour to get him to settle he will wake up every hour through the night, sometimes he wants a wee drink other times he just gurns for ages.
And at 7am thats him up till about 11am when he goes for a nap!
Im totally lost as to what to try to get him to sleep. I thought it would of helped once he was on foods but its not. He has just turned 5 months old and he has his 3 meals in the day and 3 full bottles of about 200ml each.
I get virtually no sleep at all and all I hear from people is to sleep during the day when he sleeps. Well thats impossible as he will sleep for 30mins and also I cant sleep when its light outside!
Im really running out of ideas and im due back at work in less than 2 months and I really dont know how I will cope with being up all night then having to work during the day??

Anybody have any tried and tested methods of helping a baby sleep through the night?

Thanks in advance!!

feelinggood_2

Would you consider co-sleeping? Does he happily sleep on people?

Has it got worse since starting solids? 6 months is the recommended age and often sleep can regress when solids are introduced before then (and even after) as the body isn't ready for it.

karenx

He has been like this since before I started food, I thought food might of helped by filling him up more so he is more peaceful at night but nothing has changed. Its not solids yet just baby rice etc!

Mips

Feed the child, wind the child. Put the child in the cot. Then go downstairs and enjoy your evening.

Get child out of the cot at a suitable time, the following day - I find 8am is a nice time, then repeat every night.

Jakesmummy

Have you tried a 'dream feed'? I didnt drop the dream feed till jasmine was about 5-6 month old, I'd put her to bed at about 7.30-8 then go up with a bottle at about 10.30 and feed her while she was still asleep, pop her dummy back in then she was fine till morning. It was a few weeks after I'd weaned her till she could manage without the dream feed. She's a great sleeper now at 9 months, like dippychick says I feed her put her in her cot then dont hear from her again til about 8ish in the morning.

elektra-2007

It a tough one, id try limit his naps to 1 small 45-1hr nap a day, then do your routine bath bottle bed, At 11pm try give him his bottle in the dark so he associates dark with bed, try not to talk to much dont let him play(i know its tempting!) And put him back down. Try controlled crying if you think u can bear it, but dont give any stimulation, he will soon learn night is for sleeping, i did this with my lad but it took about 3 weeks and was very exhusting! But even now at 8 he goes to bed 7.30 and sleeps til morning.
Have you put him on the hungrier milk for babies?

fernliebee

When DD was tiny she was a good sleeper, but she did go through a phase where she would wake up and think "playtime!" I wasn't gonna play that game, so decided I would leave her in her cot and try to settle her there, rather than take her out like I had been doing. I really didn't want to do controlled crying properly, but didn't mind if she was just grizzling iyswim. That is just my personal opinion, not saying it's bad to do CC or anything- whatever works IMO, as sleep is so important for their development- and ours

To settle her in her cot I would pat her tummy rythmically, while making shushing sounds, she would cry but i was right there, and I was adament I wasn't getting her out. She would settle down after about 10-15 mins (once she worked out she wasn't getting picked up,) and then I would slow my patting down, then after a minute just rest hand on tummy, then slowly take hand away, then stop shushing, then she would be fine. She would then usually sleep through until 3-4 AM when she would want BF, so I would bring her in with me so we could both go back to sleep until a reasonable hour 8ish.

Sounds like a right faff, but worked for me, and once she realised I was pretty boring at night she didn't seem to wake up much.

karenx

Dippychick wrote: »

Feed the child, wind the child. Put the child in the cot. Then go downstairs and enjoy your evening.

Get child out of the cot at a suitable time, the following day - I find 8am is a nice time, then repeat every night.

Iv tried this but its kinda hard when he starts screaming the house down! And he is the next room to my 6 year old so it ends up waking him up!

karenx

elektra-2007 wrote: »

It a tough one, id try limit his naps to 1 small 45-1hr nap a day, then do your routine bath bottle bed, At 11pm try give him his bottle in the dark so he associates dark with bed, try not to talk to much dont let him play(i know its tempting!) And put him back down. Try controlled crying if you think u can bear it, but dont give any stimulation, he will soon learn night is for sleeping, i did this with my lad but it took about 3 weeks and was very exhusting! But even now at 8 he goes to bed 7.30 and sleeps til morning.
Have you put him on the hungrier milk for babies?

I do this already, once it gets to bed time I put the small light on. The bedside light has 3 options for brightness and I leave it on the lowest when he wakes for a feed.
He has been on hungry baby milk since he was 5 weeks old as he was wanting 100ml every 2 hours- day and night! Since on hungry baby it took a while for him to get to every 3 hours but now he is alot better during the day with feeds.

karenx

fernliebee wrote: »

When DD was tiny she was a good sleeper, but she did go through a phase where she would wake up and think "playtime!" I wasn't gonna play that game, so decided I would leave her in her cot and try to settle her there, rather than take her out like I had been doing. I really didn't want to do controlled crying properly, but didn't mind if she was just grizzling iyswim. That is just my personal opinion, not saying it's bad to do CC or anything- whatever works IMO, as sleep is so important for their development- and ours

To settle her in her cot I would pat her tummy rythmically, while making shushing sounds, she would cry but i was right there, and I was adament I wasn't getting her out. She would settle down after about 10-15 mins (once she worked out she wasn't getting picked up,) and then I would slow my patting down, then after a minute just rest hand on tummy, then slowly take hand away, then stop shushing, then she would be fine. She would then usually sleep through until 3-4 AM when she would want BF, so I would bring her in with me so we could both go back to sleep until a reasonable hour 8ish.

Sounds like a right faff, but worked for me, and once she realised I was pretty boring at night she didn't seem to wake up much.

Thanks, I try leaving him in the cot first and give him his dummy and stroke his face or hold his hand etc just to let him know Im still there and Iv not left him. And then after about 10 mins if I let go he might be ok for a few mins then he starts crying again. Or if I let go he wakes up straight away and crys. I always end up bringing him out as I dont want him waking up the rest of the house.
Its really frustrating, I think more so as my first was a gem at night from the start so Im just not used to this!

woody01

Vodka or Chloroform usually do the trick