Hi! I'm Paula, and I really need help getting my 5 month old son Oscar to sleep. Just to give you a bit of background info first. I have a 4 year old son who didn't sleep through til he was 2 and he went into a bed, I sat and rocked in a chair, then lay by the side of the cot on a made up bed, he had a night feed til he was well over 18 months, although he had reflux to start but when he was prescribed infant gaviscon and started solids he improved although he was in a bad routine by then, I didn't let him cry it out and didn't have him in bed with me, although I didn't try any other methods to help him sleep neither. Eventually we put him into a bed and everytime he tried to get up or woke up we'd go in say go to sleep tuck him back in and then leave. Eventually it worked. So this time I swore I would never get into that situation again, we started off fine, by 2 months old Oscar was sleeping 6 - 8 hours at night from 7pm, but I was rocking to sleep and putting him down asleep, he would wake up have a bottle and then be quite unsettled for the rest of the night where I would then put him in bed with me. By 4 months he went from that to as he is now. We have a routine which we follow everyday but he just won't settle, the routine is:
7am Up for the day, breakfast rusk + bottle
He then plays for 1/2 an hour
8am Get dressed plays in cot while I get dressed etc
9am Nap in the pram (will be dropping eldest at school next week)
9.45 wakes up
10.45 - 11am bottle has a kick about under baby gym
12.30 Solids usually baby rice and veg
1pm Nap time again in the pram, he won't sleep in cot
3pm Bottle playtime again
4.30pm Solids
6.30pm bath, pajamas
7pm bottle
Usually I try to put him down in the cot awake but most of the time he is asleep, he usually settles in the cot for about 45 mins, then he wakes up and I have to rock him back to sleep only to try and put him down again, this repeats all night. He usually has a bottle about 11pm and 3am too. Usually I end up so tired I take him in bed with me just to get some sleep, but by 5am he won't settle there either so my husband brings him downstairs and he sleeps in his arms while I get an hours sleep. His cot is in our bedroom. We only have a two bedroomed house so the other option is in with our eldest. We have tried crying it out - sorry - on my health visitors recommendation but he vomited and I couldn't carry it on. So now I feel it is all my fault.
I'm really hoping someone can help as I'm feeling quite exhausted.
Many Thanks.
Paula
