7 month old suddenly waking

[Baby Georgia]

Hi there,

We've been extremely lucky and our DD has slept through the night since she was 4 weeks old. She's never needed a DF and generally is a good sleeper once she's asleep. Getting her to sleep on the other hand, can be a very emotional experience! A 30 minute PD is considered quick for her.

About 2.5 weeks ago, DD started teething again, and straight after teeth 3 & 4 popped through, she got a bad cold that made her terribly congested and with a bad cough. The teething lasted two weeks and the cold/cough is just coming to an end after day 5.

I am concerned, as when teething, DD generally woke once during the night and she would get a cuddle and then Calpol if still distressed and in obvious pain. However, last night, when her teeth definitely weren't hurting her any more, she still woke at roughly the same time and was very distressed.

We tried PU/PD, but she got more upset with this. In the end, we were able to put her in her cot without her getting upset, but as soon as we took a step away, she would cry in a very distressed state. I ended up giving her a teddy to cuddle, which in itself I'm not sure is a good idea (please can someone advise?), but it seems to give her the constant comfort she needs. In the end, she was awake for 2 hours.

She was still pretty congested last night, and so I'm aware there's a chance her sleep was disturbed because she couldn't breathe properly and then she needed the comfort of mummy or daddy and didn't know how to cope without us there. However, I'm also aware there's a chance she's got into habitual waking and so if this is the case, I really want to be prepared so we're not panicking and stressing at 3am like we were last night!

If DD wakes again tonight, what are the best ways to break habitual waking? Should we persist with PU/PD regardless of how long it is taking, as she'll give in eventually? Is it a bad idea to offer a comforter such as a teddy bear? We're not sure if it's good distraction or not.

Any thoughts are gratefully received. We're aware of how important it is to handle these things correctly at the start of any issue, to avoid it getting worse rather than better. Also, we have my stepson staying tonight and they share the bedroom! Would like to efficiently handle the situation to make things better for him! And also a friend staying on Saturday, so all in all, not excellent timing!

Thanks very much xx

[katie80]

Hi,
You are lucky indeed with DD STTN from such an early age.   I can understand the hesitation on the NW, esp if you feel like it's becoming habitual. 

First things first, the teddy bear is actually a great idea.  It's what we call a lovey and will be something that can comfort your DD for years to come.  So, continue to use that.  My DD had and still has several things that she attached to, and would often hug one, roll over and fall asleep. 

Secondly, if she is still congested and not totally up to par, I wouldn't go ahead with the PUPD.  PUPD is meant to be a last resort when it comes to sleep training or re-training.  How does she normally go to sleep?  Is she an independent sleeper?  You mentioned that putting her down can often take awhile.  What are you doing in that time?

If she wakes again tonight, I'd first try to soothe her with shh/pat or rubbing her back while she's still in the crib, or whatever you do when you comfort her in the initial PD.  Give her the teddy to hold on to and help her to fall back to sleep.  If you need to just stand by her crib, as your physical presence is comforting her, then do it until she's back to sleep.  This will hopefully be the minimal disruption to your stepson as well.

If the wakings continue through the weekend and she is no longer congested, the first thing I'd try to break the habit is Wake to Sleep.  Have a look at this link and see if you think it would work for you.  http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=213387.0

[Baby Georgia]

Hi there,

Thanks so much for coming back to me and sorry it's taken me so long to thank you! Fortunately the night wakings have sorted themselves out, however she's back to being very problematic in getting her to sleep. Poor little lamb is such a happy, chilled out thing the rest of the time, but put downs are always pretty emotional!

Anyway, I think I need to post about this problem in a different forum, so I'll be off. But wanted to say a big thanks. The information on the teddy bear, and also the PU/PD method were really useful.

Thanks, Ali x

[katie80]

Glad to hear the NWs are gone. . If she's having trouble settling it may be due to a routine issue, thus a post on the EASY forum would help or you could always post in General Sleep. Hope you get things figured out!