Many many wakings, have to rush in or other child wakes up...

[sokkies]

Help. I have a 2-year old that is a very light sleeper, so I have to make sure my 5 month old doesn't ever cry or even make loud happy sounds during the night. Her routine is Ok, she eats every 4 hours, and during the day she naps great, she has a 1.5 hour nap in the morning, a 2 hour nap in the afternoon, and a 45 minute catnap in the evening. I do a dreamfeed at about 11, and she eats again at 6ish then goes back to sleep until 8ish. Her bedtime is around 8.

My problem is that she wakes up Very frequently all night. She used to sleep 5 hours in a row but now it's 2 at the most.  I do rock her back to sleep or do the pat/shush or both. I have to rock her because otherwise she cries unless she is only a little bit awake, then I can get her back down in the crib. She will wake up a couple times in the evening, and then all night long. It's horrible and I'm going out of my mind. I've been letting her stay in bed with me from the 6-8 stretch after she eats cause after a night of getting up I'm completely exhausted and weak, and give in...

I can't take much more of this... Any advice?

sokkies

[Jo-FrasersMum]

Hi sokkies

Well I don't believe that allowing your DD to sleep in your bed from 6-8 is weak or giving in.  You are tired and if that is what is working for your and your LO then by all means you go right ahead.  Know that down the track it MAY take some work to wean her off that little treat but if that is what you need right now then just do it.

Now as for the night wakings - can you tell me what is your DD's daytime routine like and how does she fall asleep at the beginning of the night?

[sokkies]

Thanks for the reply. Makes me feel better somehow that someone cares, you know?

Here's my routine. It does vary a bit from day to day but the amount of time she is awake and asleep and the order is pretty consistant.

8:00 eat/play
10:00 sleep(1.5 hours)
11:30awake/play
12:00eat
1:00 sleep(2 hours)
3:00awake/play
4:00 eat
5:00catnap(45min-1hr)
6:00awake
7:30 eat
8:00bed
11:30 dreamfeed
5:00 eat

 Basically she wakes every hour after I put her to bed, and in the evenings, I can usually just pat/shush in the crib or pop the soother back in, but the 2:30 waking is a struggle, and sometimes the other wakings I have to pick up, rock, pat shush and try to keep her from crying. Sometimes she'll go a nice 2 hour stretch.

Her bedtime routine is eat, bath, walk around and rock/sway till she's calm, then pat/shush to sleep. I wait till her eyes are closed before putting her down, but I put her down right away after they do, so that she can rouse a bit when I put her in the crib, and then be patted/shushed to sleep.

When she was younger, I'd just wait till she yawned, then pop in the soother, put on a blankie and she'd fall asleep independently. I don't know why it changed...

sokkies