What will tonight bring?

[Kezzzza]

Hi everyone

Am hoping someone out there has been through the same as me and can help!

DS (7 months) is a serial catnapper due to reflux being undiagnosed for 4 months = bad habits! Try as I might - nothing seems to work!!! I have tried CC and persisted for 10 days - he just got louder (day and night). Was introduced to Tizzy and her routines and things improved when I weaned him from the breast (too much milk, too fast flow - long story) at 5 months and introduced the dream feed. This used to tide us over until about 3.30AM... We then started solids and were up to 3 feed/day - he then started teething and shut up shop and would only have milk. He's now VERY fussy and I'm lucky if I can get 1 solid feed/day. Anyway - Tizzy was working great and I decided to stop the 3.30AM feed after he rejected his morning bottle for 3 days in a row - still going okay - he seemed to accept that I wasn't going to feed him. Now - the last 4 - 6 weeks have been crazy!!! He's taken to waking at 4AM and playing in his cot for up to 2 hours... now he's not crying, so I don't go in a re-settle. It gets worse - he's waking earlier and earlier each night and staying awake for longer, just playing a chatting away in his cot. I've tried feeding him - and it doesn't work. I've tried not feeding him - and it doesn't work. I've tried re-settling him, and I think it's worked - until I go back to bed and get cosy - then he starts up again! It seems that he finally nods off, then my alarm goes off to start the school day with DD.

Any advice? It's really starting to take its toll. DH works away 1 out of every 2 weeks making it even tougher. I will try anything!!!

Cheers

[Me]

Firstly :hugs: to you.
Does he share your room? If so if it is possible to move him to his own room. Apparently this helps to cut down the 'room service' calls from about 6mths onwards. I would also turn off any monitors if you have them - this way if he wants to stay up and play/chat by himself there is less chance of you being woken up and :fingerscrossed: that he will soon realise that no-one will come and play with him at this time.
Another line of thinking is what time does he go to bed? perhaps it is time to think of a later bedtime or cutting out some of his late afternoon cat-naps?
Anyway I'm not really sure what advice I can offer apart from my pathetic attempts above.
I really hope it starts to settle down soon for you. I'm sending sleep vibes your way:sleeping:

[Kezzzza]

Hi everyone

Just wanted to update you all in the hope that I can help someone!

Well, things got worse before they got better I'm sorry to say! He started waking earlier and earlier and staying awake for longer... not crying, just havin' a chat! I continued with trying to resettle, but nothing seemed to work. I think I had tried too many things, that I just forgot what went with what.

Anyway, after battling the little bugger - I called Ngala (which is WAs one stop help me baby/kid shop) and they told me pretty much what I knew already - he just didn't know how to resettle without me. He was just as confused as I was with what works. They told me to simply turn off the monitor and let him chat, then when he starts to cry - listen to his cry and when you think it's time to go in, try to resettle - but get out of there as quickly as possible. They call it "vocal experimentation" which I thought was a hoot! They also asked if he has a dummy - yep! They said that this could also be causing him to wake (which I knew too), but since he liked it he could keep it but buy a chain for it. Then when you go in to resettle at night (a dumy run as we call it), guide his hand down the chain to the dummy, then guide the dummy to his mouth. He should get the idea!

He did! It took one night of waiting for him to vocally experiment for 5 minutes, then I went for a dummy run and did the "guiding" technique and lo and behold - I haven't had to get up in the middle of the night for A WEEK!

He's not sleeping through yet, but is "dummy independent" and is getting better at resettling!

If something doesn't work - just keep trying! Persistance pays, believe me!

:smiliedance: :smiliedance:

Kez

[ozzysmum]

:sleeping: i'm going out to buy one of those chain things tomorrow!