Hi I've posted on here before and found it really supportive but, despite all the help, naps are just not working and nights are still awful.
My LO is definitely a spirited baby. He is now exactly 5 months. We started EASY about 8 weeks ago because I wanted him to go down for naps independently and I knew a routine would help ensure he got the right amount of sleep and hopefully improve his mood! The only thing I feel I've achieved is getting him to sleep independently after using shush/pat. Starting EASY coincided with him having shorter naps and for the last two months I've battled with him twice a day to get longer sleeps and I am still in the same place.
He usually only sleeps 30 mins before waking up crying. He doesn't sleep any longer in the pram so he always naps in the cot and we base our day around his naps. Today is atypical day. He woke up after 30 mins from his first nap. Despite giving him his dummy, shushing, putting my hand on him in his cot and eventually rocking him he would not sleep. At lunchtime I had little more success at settling him in his cot - he slept for 10 mins - then needed resettling again - then again after 10 mins- then again and then I gave up and fed him and then he fell asleep in my arms straight away and I just let him sleep because I was worried he hadn't had enough.
When we get a day of short naps then our nights are bad - waking up the first part of the night every hour and then being awake between 3 and 4 just chatting happily. When we manage the right amount of daytime sleep we don't get this and he is generally in a better mood during the day. Whatever his day is like though, he still wakes up at 5.30 every morning and by this point I simply give in and put him in with us as this is the only thing that seems to get him to sleep at that time. I know this probably isn't helping the problem but we are very sleep deprived by that point.
I have never actually got the routine to work properly - it all needs to change before he manages to make it! We are now trying to be on a 4 hour EASY because he can easily handle being awake for 2.5 hours and someone on here suggested my attempted 3.5 hour routine might not be helping short naps.
To top all of this off his dummy is no longer our friend anymore as we now have 3 or 4 times in the night when he cries and is unable to settle without it which just compounds the rubbish nights sleep my husband and I get. I am a bit worried that getting rid of it is going to make it even harder for him to nap properly.
Do some babies just never manage the longer naps until they're older? Should I just give in for now to save my sanity? I feel like I am putting everything in to this and getting nothing back! Is there a routine which might work with at least one short nap? Or should I just keep battling on and it will get easier??
I should mention I've tried wake to sleep but it didn't work for me- either woke him up or didn't get him to stir. Tried slightly later bedtime to see if it helped with early morning but just made everything worse! Here is our routine when I have fought him back to sleep:
E:6.45 - we wake him at the same time everyday after getting him back to sleep at 5.30 am
A:
S:915 - this is the hardest nap to get him back to sleep so usually only 30 mins
E: 9.45 - it's a lot easier to feed him when he's just woken up and still sleepy as he messes around with his feeds, also he won't last 4 hours if he's awake all that time
A:
S: 12.15 - 2.15 - broken sleep there is probably at 20 - 30 mins of resettling in there and sometimes a feed in the middle like today
E: 2.15 - if didn't feed during nap
A:
S: 4.30 30 min cat nap
E:5.00
A: 6.30 feed and bath
S: 7.00
E: 11.30 (dream feed)
I'd be really grateful if someone could advise on any of the issues. We are one over tired and grumpy family!
