Split night - very quick question

[Coralp]

Good morning

I'm already working on my daytime naps to stop these but I have a quick question. Should I try to shush/pat back to sleep (so she's back to sleep within 1/1.5 hours) or should I leave her to resettle herself (takes 2.5-3 hours). I'm concerned shush/pat is becoming a nighttime prop, but if it's taking 2-3 hours to resettle herself, doesn't that add to the overtired problem?? I'm expecting the changes I'm making to her naps will take a few days to affect these long night wakings but in the meantime I don't want to be making the situation worse by adding to the overtiredness or creating props....

Thank you!

[trimbler]

Hi there, that does sound tough That dreaded 4mo SR and all the associated routine changes... Tbh I'd agree with the advice you've been given on your GS threads - there's not really much more that you can do, and if she's mostly happy, try to kind of doze through it, if that's at all possible! Yes of course comfort her when she gets upset, as you're already doing. I suspect that once her days are a bit more consistent, her nights will follow, but it does take time, btdt, it can be so frustrating, can't it?

[Coralp]

Thank you for the reply. Last night she woke at 3:30 and I turned off the monitor (I can hear her when she cries without it) we were awake until 4:15 definitely but the next thing I know my eldest was waking me up having had a nightmare at 5:30 and Emily was asleep! Clearly she settled herself at some point and then she woke up at 6:30 whether Dad got in the shower! I can live with that! (For now at least.....)

She's draining all her bottles the last two days too (8 oz) so I'm thinking of introducing a bit of porridge at the weekend and maybe some finger foods (she's nearly 6 months). I'm not expecting anything but it MIGHT help the nights a bit too.

[trimbler]

Great, well done Emily Frustrating when you still get a bad night when they both wake you at different times though, isn't it

If she's really hungry, the milk will still be the most important and you may need to up her milk intake, but yes if she's almost 6mo and showing signs of readiness (sitting up etc) then you could give solids a go, just go gently as too much at once could make the nights worse if she gets a bit uncomfortable... Just make sure you don't replace any of her milk intake with solids, just offer them in addition - sorry you probably know all that anyway!