Hi third time, no not tried that. He always tends to have 4-5 oz at 7,11,3,7 etc. If I fed him at 6, then at 8 and 10 I dont think he would take it but guess could be worth a try? I kind of expect him to wake in night for feed as he is only 9lb odd and was premature, but its the getting back off to sleep thing thats doing it.

I usually bath him around 6-630 too so if fed at 6, would I risk making him sick? With Lucy, after the 7pm feed, do you go back in at 9pm and wake her up to feed her? I have tried dream feeding but he doesnt take to it. I am at a loss

is he crying and pulling legs up like he is in pain? or just fussing , does he stop when you pick him up?

its all trial and error hun your not doing anything wrong, im on baby number 4 and im a sucker for routine but even so i cant force buba to sleep (dam it lol) bubs is still v little things take timex x x


third time - i luurvee baby whisperer!

He stops crying when I pick him up hun. I am a routine person too and really thought was getting somewhere but all I can seem to rely on is the bath, bottle bed routine which always guarantees he'll sleep 3-4 hours straight, maybe I will have to relent and get my sleep in from 7:30 pm til he wakes up so I get a decent chunk.

P.S- he' s still asleep now at 18:00 from putting down at 16:30. Should I wake him about 1830 for his usual bath bottle routine? He is due a feed but is knackered from lack of sleep last night x

Well LO did it again last night, bathed him at usual time of 6:30 and he fed at 7pm- he then slept til midnight and took 4 and a half ounces but would not go back to sleep til 2am! He didnt wake for a feed though after this til 7am. So if he had slept I probably wouldve have got my first clear run out of him of going through the night!


He wasnt settling due to wind etc, he was doing little scream outs and kitten cries and it would then turn into like a rage/protesting sounding cry til one of us went back in to console him. I dont know how to stop this happening. So tired.

Hi all,

We're having a similar problem as you were experiencing with your LO's. Harry is 4 months old now - we can get a 3/4 hour chunk out of him if we give him a 7oz bottle and get him down for a sleep at 8-8.30 (he has set this time himself, we've tried bringing it earlier but he just won't settle).

He is mainly breastfed, we give him a 7oz bottle before bed though and this is usually when he gets his longest spell of sleep. He also has another one usually at 7.00am to start the day off, but wish he was asleep at this time!

He seems to have an assocation with falling asleep at the breast and/or bottle. We've tried to do the PUPD that the health visitors have suggested, but he just will not self settle and he ends up crying himself into a frenzy. My wife tried for 4 hours yesterday morning and he just would not have his nap, and really screamed even to the point that picking him up didn't soothe him. So, by doing that it almost became controlled crying/CIO which we really don't want to turn to. The HV wouldn't commit how long we should leave him crying for before giving in, so surely that is suggestive of CIO or CC?

I just thought that as some of you in this discussion were experiencing this back in March that now you are 3 months down the road you may have some success stories that you could share? We are really wanting to find a way to help settle Harry into a better sleep routine as we're currently having to go to be ourselves at 8pm when we get him down so we can get some sleep.

Typically his nighttime pattern is:

6.00pm - brief playtime with daddy when I get in from work.
6.30pm Bath - just water, no products
6.45pm/7.00pm - wind down with a story and or gentle interaction
7.30pm/7.45pm - Bottle
8.00-8.30pm - after being winded, put down in his crib.

11.30pm-12.30am wakes, latched on. It's at this point that we start the problems - he just will not go back down to sleep for any longer than an hour and a half at this point. So, we'll be experiencing night wakings typically at 2.30-3.00am and then again between 4.00 and 5.00am. The 4-5.00am wake is the hardest one to get him back down from. He'll fall asleep in mummy's arms while being breastfed, or in my arms while I rock him, or in his pram being rocked, but he will just not go back down in his crib for a decent sleep.

Does anyone have any ideas they can offer based on their experiences?

EMYJC, have you had a better time of it in the last 4 months?

Please help as my wife and I are really struggling with this - sleep deprevation for all 3 of us isn't making this as enjoyable as it should be.

Thanks in advance to you all!

Luke

i went through exactly this with Austin a couple of weeks ago. It only lasted about 2 weeks and was very very difficult, sorry i cant really help much but just wanted to say it didnt last and im sure he will get better again soon hun xx

Hi Lukeowl. Just wanted to say dont panic too much. My LO now sleeps through the night (majority of the time bar teething spells). I didnt change anything, i just kept on with the same routine and he himself started to tank up with his milk a bit more before bed and now he tends to go to bed between 630-7pm, sometimes without milk at this stage as he is now weaned and has his tea at 5pm. I just let him wake naturally and he tends to around 9pm, takes an 8 oz bottle then goes til 8-830 am.

There's a massive developmental change at 4 months and a well known sleep regression that I do believe in as Lucas definitely went through it. There's a great book called The Wonder Weeks that tells you when your baby is likely to be going through major changes- mentally as well as physically and can become more wakeful in the night, clingy and fretful in the day etc. I also know there's a website on 4 month sleep regression. Just google 4 mth sleep regression and you should find it. X

Thanks. Can I ask though, did Lucas ever self settle and just fall off asleep on his own when put down before that point? Harry has never fallen off asleep without our help - either being fed or rocked to sleep (well not since he were a newborn anyway). I just wonder if we've created a sleep association problem, or if this is just something that will pass with time?

Liam can be like this sometimes as well, sometimes he just wont settle till his next feed!!

I just wanted to add to you, lukeowl, if you and your wife are wanting to break the nursing to sleep association using pick up/put down, you may have greater success if you establish a bedtime routine and try it when you are putting him down for the night. As odd as it may seem, getting them to settle on their own is much easier for night sleep than it is for naps. Try to make sure you start well before he has a chance of getting overtired too, as it will be that much harder if they are.

Good luck. I hope you and your wife, and your LO all start getting some good sleep soon!