any room sharers found the night time secret?

[lisi's mum]

We need some help. We were away at the beginning of June and haven't gotten back on track. dds routine needed some tweaking but now I've tried both shorter naps and  longer naps, shifting bedtime earlier or later... the poor wee thing doesn't know if she's coming or going AND is waking at 5.30 and not going back to sleep, it's killing me!

She has never slept brilliantly, our very best was 7-4.30-7 normal was 7-2-5.30-7 right now we've got 7-2-5.30 with daytime naps at 9.30 (1.5hrs) and 2 (1.5 hrs) this nap schedule seems to work the best. Tried 45 min am nap and 1.5 hr pm nap (can't get it longer even with w2s). Naturally she sleeps 2 hrs in the am and 45 mins in the pm.

Due to a tiny apartment she's in our room so when she wakes in the night we all wake. I always try replugging and resettling before feeding but my big dilemma is that usually if I feed she'll go right back to sleep (at 2). If I don't she really wakes up and is awake for 2 hrs  singing, shouting and getting generally wild. To feed I pull her in with us and she often stays there. It doesn't seem to really make a difference to her sleep - equally bad whether in our bed or not  tried gentle removal, got down to a minute on a good day but it's always with the prospect of loosing a 2hr chunk of sleep.

Anyone got any ideas? Any room sharers had success? I'm stuck.
Thanks,
Katie

[mummytoJ]

Hi Katie, I am no expert but just wondering if the bedroom is dark enough? Our LO shares a room with us too and we cured his irregular night wakings (it was random but around 2am, 4am and then 5.30am) when we placed some really thick black cloth over the curtains (the room is now pitch black). Our LO still wakes up at around 5.30am (or sometimes 6am) and I am still trying to fathom that one out....

Hope you get to the bottom of it soon 

MummytoJ

[lisi's mum]

Mummy to J,

yup, we close the wooden shutters so have a black out. Sometimes it helps, sometimes not. Past 2 days LO has slept to 7 or 7.30 but has been awake for 1.5 hrs in the wee hours instead   

[mummytoJ]

Hi Katie

Sorry for late reply. Have you had any luck?

When my LO wakes up at 5am sucking his hands (managed to get out of the swaddle) quietly, I normally just swaddle him back and ssh/pat him back to sleep. I don't make eye contact. Do you keep a light on during the night? I don't keep any lights on and only use a night light (those you plug into the wall sockets) during the time I am trying to ssh/pat him back to sleep . Have you tried wake to sleep as mentioned in Tracy's book? I have not done it before but if it is the waking is the same time each night, you might want to give it a go.


MummytoJ

[lisi's mum]

mummy to J,
sweet of you to still be thinking of me! Lucky you being able to get LO back to sleep at 5 without a feed. Mine tends to eat better then than at any other time, so she gets one side, and hopefully (usually) falls asleep again.

Nights are back to normal, not great, but survivable with a wake up somewhere between 2 and 4.30 (makes w2s tricky, had great sucess with it for naps though) and again between 5.30 and 7. I know I rush in when she wakes, this is really my room sharing problem, but it's not forever.

Katie

[mummytoJ]

Hi Katie!

Just thought it would be nice that you have a listening ear if you need it

I sent you a reply yesterday but I see that it is not posted. Don't know what happened there....

Anyway, if it is any comfort, I also tend to rush to LO when he wakes. But now, I've learnt to hold back for a minute as I found that sometimes he settles himself and I don't need to go to him 

Just a thought - have you tried giving LO formula for the dreamfeed (to fill LO's stomach to last a bit longer in the night) or is it all bf? Or maybe give LO more to eat during the day?how old is your LO? Is LO swaddled?

Hope it is getting better.

MummytoJ

[lisi's mum]

LO is nearly 9mo so we're past the df and swaddling. I don't have too many worries about her lasting in the night as I know she can go from 7 to 4.30 when she wants to. Formula stays a little longer but I bet after 9.5 hrs it's a pretty minimal difference!

I've come to a couple conclusions: she needs her own room (which she'll get in October), she needs to get rid of the paci so won't need a replug to get back to sleep. We're going to tackle that in a week or so once I pluck up the courage!! And most of all, I have to leave her to it a bit more. She settles herself so well at nap times. If she wants to play for a couple hours during the night, well that's her business. Easier said than done 

Thanks...
Katie

[linfran]

Hi Katie, just jumping in here...

Does your lo have a crib or is she in a normal sized cot?

I'm justing saying this because my lo was unsettled due to teeth and bronchiolitis about six weeks ago and was having problems sleeping through when he had slept through from six weeks (I didn't know what had hit me, getting up mearly every hour!).

He is now 19 weeks and 20lbs and had been sleeping in a crib in our bedroom.  A couple of nights ago I moved him to the bigger cot (which is in his own room) and he woke once each night for a feed and that was it.

Sorry to be longwinded but in our case the extrabed space the cot gves him seems to have helped (not bashing into th sides!) and keeps him a bit cooler.