7.5 month old suddenly won't sleep alone/ settle

[Cheesyk]

Hi folks

Please does anyone have strategies to help? Im exhausted.

I'm new, I'm sorry if this seems like it might better belong on a different board but it happens at nap time, bedtime and certainly through the night. Possibly it's about getting back on track, but I'm not sure.

So...
For past month my son, now 7.5 months won't sleep alone/ settle. If he's drowsy or newly asleep in my arms he screams on contact with the cot mattress. He can't settle back, it's full on screaming, rigid body, lots of distress. I can't sooth him unless I lift him out. He won't sleep except with me in our bed or in my arms. I've resorted to co sleeping so I can get some sleep but it's not what I want long term.

It's the same at nap time or bedtime. I can usually get a 90 minute stretch from him at bedtime if he's sound asleep in my arms but at whatever time he stirs, he becomes inconsolable.

He's never been a good sleeper, the last if our NCT group to go through the night. But he used to settle just fine and always just fine in his cot. He managed a week of sleeping through then teething kicked in (2 have now emerged) and trouble started. I don't see signs of teething fever now. He's back enjoying purées vas finger food.

How do we reclaim sleep? I just don't know what to do.

If it helps as background I BFed on demand. Still do between meal times. Didn't have defined nap times but they followed a rough pattern of 9am ish 1 ish and a catnap at about 5. Bedtime about 7:30 with bath, story, final boob etc starting from about 6:45.

He can play in his cot happily while I shower. Unless he's v tired or unhappy he's fine when I leave the room for short periods. I just don't get it.

Thanks for reading

[ZacsMumme]

Hey there and welcome to the boards

This is a funny age, they have so much going on developmentally and their sleep needs change.

How long is he awake before you try for the first nap? Most LOs are only doing 2 naps a day by 7-8 mths and are doing over 3 hrs A time. It could be he's just UT so he's fighting you when you try to make him sleep

[Cheesyk]

Thanks for your reply.

There could be something in it - that in my mind we're still on 3 naps but he's ready for 2. But he's always giving all the cues for sleep first. And it's at it's worst at night.

 He now wakes about 90 mins after bedtime, I don't think hungry, screams the place down. Last night I could sooth him back at the 9:15 meltdown but it repeated at 10:15, and I was so tired I took him to bed with me. He settled on me first of all and later slept by my side. I get v little sleep this way and I think I disturb him too. I just want him to sleep in his cot like he used to.

As I'm writing this I realise that since the co sleeping shortcut isn't a v effective one for me, I might as well accept the broken sleep, get up hourly or whatever the frequency is and keep trying to cuddle him back to sleep at night in his room. And act immediately, so he isn't distressed. Think I got that wrong at first and was leaving him a few mins in case he stopped.  Maybe at some point he'll resume self soothing? And for daytime I'll look into dropping a nap or changing the times, although they've always been baby led anyway.

[ZacsMumme]

How long does he sleep for his first sleep? Maybe try extending the next A time if he sleeps well first up. Some LOs like a longer A as the day going in and a long one to bt.

Any teeth coming through? Maybe see if medicating before Bt helps with a longer stretch at night - which would indicate maybe discomfort is the reason for frequent waking?

Hugs. It's tough. We had a recliner in Ts room when his sleep was rubbish