Will he ever sleep through ?

[lilly_kitt]

Hi

Tyler is almost 9 months old and i can count the number of times he has slept through on one hand.  He is a very happy little boy who naps well in his cot at home and in nursery, our typical day when i'm not in work looks abit like this (todays)

5.30AM Wake up (grr) brought in with us to play
6AM Downstairs to play with daddy
7AM Bottle
8AM Breakfast
8.20AM Nap
10AM Wake
10.30AM Activity (shopping)
11.30AM Snack and watered down squash carry on playing
12.30 Lunch with some milk
13.30 Nap in cot
14.35 Wake
15.00 Activity
16.00 Snack
17.30 Dinner
18.30 Bath, Bottle and Bed

His activity is usually around 3 hours now apart from first thing which is sometimes only 2.5, he did sometimes have a catnap (30 mins) between 4-5 but have found if he has this, he either wakes up early (like this morning, napped on the way home from nursery), or takes ages to settle.  He usually wakes 1-2 times in the night, but we have sometimes had terrible nights due to teething.  When he wakes i try and get him back down using shh/pat as this sometimes works, PUPD just upsets him.  But I usually resort to feeding him (I know), he takes a full bottle then which makes me wonder if it is hunger that wakes him.  After a feed I put him down and 9/10 he will then settle himself.
Please help, am fed up of hearing from SIL how her LO (12 weeks younger than Tyler) has slept through since 10 weeks.  Have also discovered he has never slept longer than 9 hours.....
(sorry its long)

Sarah
x

[JayLeigh]

Have you tried a dream feed? He is like my DS was, he is waking because he know he will get a bottle, and it soothes him back to sleep. Everyone on the boards said I had to quit BF cold turkey. He does not need it at his age. He needs not only to be able to sleep independantly, but to fall BACK asleep when he has partial wakings during the night. He knows you will feed when he wakes. You need to dedicate several nights to NOT feeding him. Don't worry he WILL up his calories during the day. He just needs to know you will not break down and feed him.

PU/PD also upset my DS, mostly I just comforted him while he rolled around angry at me, in the crib, rubbing his back to comfort him.  There will be many tears on both parts!

[lilly_kitt]

Hi

Thanks for your response, I tried a dreamfeed in the earlier days (4 months ish) and he just used to wake up all the same so I stopped it.  The thing is, I know he can do it as he's done it before.  He's not the best at eating (another thing which am trying to sort), so am trying to balance the bottles and solids as he doesn't eat enough to drop the bottles right down to what he should be having, I tried this and he woke several times at night.  So am reducing them slowly so its not such a shock to him.
Did you offer water when he woke or nothing at all ?

Thanks

Sarah
x

[JayLeigh]

Some moms dilute formula, but he will eat more during the day if you don't feed him at night. I don't think there will be any shock for him. Our bodies shouldn't need to eat in the middle of the night.  If you are worried about it, I would suggest a dream feed if he doesnt wake fully up. And refuse anything else during the night.

Like I said if you are strong and stick with it for a few nights, all of a sudden he will surprise you and STTN   Be consistent!

[lilly_kitt]

Hi

We start his bedtime routine at 6.30 and he's in bed by 7pm.  He has a bath, change into his jammies, into his room with lights off, sleep sheep and lightshow on, into his gro bag and then i give him his last bottle.  When he is finished and is drowsy I put him in his cot 9/10 he will then settle, sometime i leave him to it and may have to return if he gets too wound up and do shh pat on him until he drops off.
He is rubbish at eating, but eats loads on nursery.  I need to work on the timings of his food abit more, he will eat but mostly bits and pieces despite my best efforts.  At the moment he has 7oz in the morning, 7oz at 11 (ish), then 4oz (the cut down one) at 3 and bedtime bottle of 7oz.

[JayLeigh]

I agree with Jane, at his age, he should have a 12 hour day max.

[lilly_kitt]

Hi Ladies

Will give it a try tomorrow night and see what happens, fingers crossed i'm not up even earlier !

Sarah
x

[JayLeigh]

How did the day go?

[lilly_kitt]

Hi

Well last night he was in bed and asleep by 6.30pm..  he then woke at 11pm and 3am, before waking for the day at 6am (which is better).  Just have to sort out the feeding at night now !  Am planning to start tomorrow as he's in nursery for the next 3 days so will be tired and should be less of a fight to re-settle with no bottle (well thats the plan)

Sarah
x

[lilly_kitt]

Hi

Well as usual its all gone wrong, Ty was in nursery yesterday and they only managed to get an hours nap from him which ended at 11.40am, so when I picked him up he was exhausted and fell straight to sleep in the car for 30 mins.  Then he wasn't ready for bed until 6.30 then we started his bedtime routine.  He went out like a light as he usually does but was then awake at 10pm then again at 3am and up for the day at 5am !!!!  I just dont know what to do about the NW and EW's.  It becoming dangerous as my hubs is a fireman who works shifts so desperately needs his sleep, I drive to work after only having sometimes 4 hours sleep which is not very safe.  I love my son so much, but we have to sort out his sleeping.  9 months of no sleep is now taking its toll on my health and our marriage.  No two nights are ever the same.
Please help us, 
Sarah

[lilly_kitt]

Hi

He is in nursery 3 days a week when i work, so he only had one nap yesterday 10.40-11.40 and then on the way home in the car 16.30-17.00.  His usual EASY is posted further up the page.  So I suspect OT had alot to do with last night, but on these days I have no control over his naps.

Thanks
Sarah

[lilly_kitt]

I think they put them down when they get really tired.  Just picked him up and today he napped for 40 mins this morning and then 3.40-16.00 this afternoon.  He hasn't napped on the way home today though,

sarah
x

[JayLeigh]

That is very young to only be on one nap, it seems to me that he is stuck in a cycle of OT. Can you talk to the nursery and ask them to put him down for a nap by a certain time of day at the latest.  And then does he sleep on the car ride home? Can you put him into his bed when you get home to get a longer nap out of him?

[lilly_kitt]

Hi

This evening he didn't sleep on the way home, his last nap in nursery ended at 4.  He's now in bed after starting his bedtime routine at 6.30.  We dont get home until 5.30 so by the time we get in, he has his tea (which he is usually too tired for) then its bath time so no time for a nap.  When he's not in nursery then i make sure he has good naps but this still doesn't mean he would sleep through.

Sarah