help with routine

**eli's mum** · 26-09-2005 14:19

Hi guys,

I have an 8 month old daughter and i can't seam to get her in a routine. She is still not sleeping through the night, so everyday is different depending on what time she wakes up. I am still breast feeding her and don't know if i should give her a feed as soon as she wakes up (4:30-6:00am) or just wait it out until breakfast time and give her milk after food. Any suggestions???

I've also been on the Save Our Sleep website and don't feel comfortable paying for parenting information that should be available for free. I understand that she needs to make a living but i'm on maternity leave and every little bit counts. What do people think?

Sleepless in Sydney...

**JanetF** · 26-09-2005 14:46

Hi

Sleeplessness sucks, sorry you're there *hugs* There is plenty of help around without paying for it, never fear! It's great that you're bf your lucky bub but have you thought about cosleeping with her? When she wakes up you just pop her on the boob without getting out of bed or having to wake up much at all. You could just be all snuggly and cosy in bed then on the boob and the hormones involved would help both of you go back to sleep really easily. We don't get up till after 9am here

Another way to get some baby and mama-friendly help is from the No Cry Sleep Solution site. You can buy the book or get tips from the site. My son is 22 months and has never "slept through" - I don't expect him to. But he's bf and cosleeping so feeding him has never kept me awake. In sleep research etc "sleeping through" actually means only sleeping 5 hours in a row, not sleeping all night. My son fed every 2 hours till he was 10 months old. So never fear, you can get extra sleep without disrupting your life or your child's. I hope you get some rest soon! Never forget, the best parenting mantra "This too shall pass"

**Artemis** · 26-09-2005 15:22

Yep.. sleep deprivation can be a real killer.

My daughter was a truly appalling sleeper until she was 2. I thought I was going to go bonkers.. but as soon as she cut her last molar she started to sleep between 10-12 hours per night. Obviously teething was very tough for her.

But while we were waiting.. we did some things to maximise our sleep. We would give her a nap a bit later in the afternoona nd pop her off to bed a bit later and follower her to bed ourselves to maximise the sleep. We would also co sleep after she woke. Having her in bed with us and giving her a breastfeed when she woke meant that we were able to relax and get back to sleep quicker. We also had a sleep in in the morning.

good luck

**eli's mum** · 28-09-2005 19:01

Thanks Guys,

Great advice. On saturday i put her in my bed (for the first time) at 5am and she slept for another 3 hours!!! YEHHHHH

I am new to this website and it is fantastic. I just can't get enough.....

**Artemis** · 28-09-2005 19:08

That is so great to hear

**Rell** · 28-09-2005 19:34

I can relate to how you are feeling. My son only started sleeping through at 10mths and has never had a routine. At first I was realy concerned about getting him into a routine but then I just figured it wasn't going to happen and I just went off his hungry and tired signs.
As far as the sleeping through goes people suggested to me offering a bottle with water or resettling him instead of feeding him but none of these worked, at 10mths he decided he no longer needed the night feed. Unfortunatly both my kids wake at 5am and will not go back to sleep in our bed so everyone is up early in our house.
Try your local library for books on sleeping.
Hope things improve soon

**JanetF** · 28-09-2005 20:12

Well that's just excellent to hear! Let's hear it for cosleeping!

**superbaby** · 30-09-2005 21:28

I also have an 8mth old. Keeping roughly set times for all sleeps really helps. At 8 mths I have recently been told that they should be up for a maximum of 3 qtr hours during the day as a guide. Try starting your day with a milk feed if possible at the same time each day and this will make it easier to establish set sleep times. E.g if my baby wakes at 6am he stays in bed talking to himself and I don't get him up until 7am. He then has bfast at about 8.15am. Then he goes for a sleep generally b/w 9.30 and 10.30 and then between 2 and 4. Re dropping night feeds, again try and keep these at a set time and gradually reduce the feed until eventually you should be able to drop it. I think you might find the Baby Whisperer book helpful.