Lack of sleep

[Vishenka69]

I've pretty much gave up on DS sleeping. At this point it might be easier to figure out how to fight fatigue on my end than to train him. My housekeeping standards have become non-existent and I barely cook as it is. I'm so exhausted that I'm walking into walls. He's not a great napper either and often when I do try lie down with him, my mind keeps spinning and I only get more worked up.

Between DH helping and my parents, I get one night a week off but it doesn't even make a dent. Any suggestions other than increasing coffee intake from my current gallon a day? I already go to the gym twice a week but it does nothing to boost my energy levels. And I try to get outside as much as weather permits.



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[HouseofWool]

How old is he again and what is his current sleep schedule?

I don't have a ready answer for you. S is 4 and she still wakes once or twice a night 3-4 times a week. It kills me. I'm exhausted and grouchy all the time.

[ladymoreta]

I'm so sorry. It's just an awful feeling!

When I was too tired for sleep training, I would just cosleep for a few nights before trying the next idea to kind of catch me up. Will he give you a little longer stretches of sleep if you're there with him? Sleeping in the chair with my kids seemed to work better than having them in our bed.

[SoonerTexan]

I'm sorry

We are finally mostly past it, but co-sleeping was what kept me sane (and actually, I cant really say I was sleep deprived at all after weeks 1-8). We had her in the cosleeper next to our bed til she was 6 months old and I would nurse her as needed and put her back. When she was older we put her to bed in the crib and I would bring her back to our bed when she woke up. It all depends on what you are comfortable with, though. Don't worry that it means he will be there forever though. My 16 month old is now consistently sleeping through the night in her own crib.

[Vishenka69]

He's a week shy of 6 months. He's currently teething, so I don't know if co-sleeping will help. I'm not nursing and he doesn't really care who goes to him. In fact he got up every 2 hrs when my mom was with him and every 3 hrs with us.

DD was only getting up once at this point, so I'm at a loss.

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[Pollyanna]

He's a week shy of 6 months. He's currently teething, so I don't know if co-sleeping will help. I'm not nursing and he doesn't really care who goes to him. In fact he got up every 2 hrs when my mom was with him and every 3 hrs with us.

DD was only getting up once at this point, so I'm at a loss.

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Any chance he has reflux? Dd8months was up every 2-3 hours every night with very little napping in the day. I gotta run but will type up her symptoms in a bit. Prevacid has been a huge help!!

[Thirteen]

Teething throws a huge wrench into everything. He also could be about to hit a major developmental milestone: is he sitting up, crawling, etc. already? If not, that would be my guess.

We alternated Tylenol and ibuprofen when the teething was really awful. As far as sleeping goes, I've got nothing but sympathy - DS did not have reflux, but he just didn't sleep as a small babe.


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[TulipsAndSunscreen]

I agree with teething seeming to worsen things. We coslept until 6 months and then she came to bed on first wakeup until 10 months. At 10 months, I would go sleep in her bed (a bed on the floor) and that continued until I weaned her a 1 year. She started sleeping through the night at 1 year which has been glorious.

If you're not BFing, can you dream feed him formula before you go to sleep?

[moonlight]

How long have you let him cry? i don't mean to say he needs to cry it out, but my baby really cried a lot right before she went to sleep. she did that for a long time it seemed. I'm sure you've tried everything. Have you let him fuss for a few minutes before you get him up when you know he's ate and shouldn't be hungry? Waking every 2 hrs at 6 months old seems crazy to me.

[Pollyanna]

I'm back. Certainly not all sleep issues signal a reflux problem but it is something to consider. Dd was stuffy almost from birth (reflux rhinitis) , initially spit-up a lot, never slept well unless in her car seat, would arch and pull away during feeding, coughed though has never been sick, burped through-out the day, was fussy or whiney nearly all day. All or some of these symptoms can add up to reflux. Once she started on meds we saw an immediate improvement in her. She is still not a great daytime sleeper but most nights she gets up only once and she'll even go all night from time to time. It took me until she was 7 months to realize what was going on so her symptoms didn't scream reflux.

Teething is certainly a disturber of sleep. You could try Tylenol and see how he does.

6 months is too young for CIO (even Ferber doesn't encourage his methods at that age) so I wouldn't go there.

Big hugs to you!!!

[Vishenka69]

Thanks for all the advice. I do give him tylenol every night (our peds said no motrin until 6m). Giving him a bottle around 10pm doesn't change anything. I do give him 5-10 min to fuss it out. Sometimes he'll go back to sleep and sometimes not.

He doesn't have any reflux symptoms. He was super gassy due to poor latch, then DD got him sick, then he had an ear infection, then another cold and now teething. We've had a few great nights in between of all the issues, so he definitely got potential.

At this point I just need to either learn to fall asleep quickly (I'm often still awake by the time he starts crying again) or figure out how to be more functional on very little sleep. I've burned a couple of pots (hence no cooking), mailed all our taxes without signing them, left the house with mascara applied to only one eye, etc.

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[OrionGrad]

No advice, but lots and lots of sympathy. I remember coming here for advice after a few particularly hellish nights a few months ago. We tried so many things, and ultimately DS started sleeping better when he was ready in his own time.

Have you checked out Wonder Weeks? It seems like whenever we're having sleep issues it's right before another developmental leap.

[alison]

First of all, congrats on your new addition! I had no idea. . I have no suggestions on how to get more sleep other than put him in a confined area where he can't get into any trouble during the day and take a snooze.

[SoonerTexan]

My mom sent me this. Apparently a mom who is tired of sleep advice wrote it. Love it:

"You shouldn’t sleep train at all, before a year, before 6 months, or before 4 months, but if you wait too late, your baby will never be able to sleep without you. College-aged children never need to be nursed, rocked, helped to sleep, so don’t worry about any bad habits. Nursing, rocking, singing, swaddling, etc to sleep are all bad habits and should be stopped immediately.

Naps should only be taken in the bed, never in a swing, car seat, stroller, or when worn. Letting them sleep in the car seat or swing will damage their skulls. If your baby has trouble falling asleep in the bed, put them in a swing, car seat, stroller, or wear them. Use the crib only for sleep and keep it free of distractions. If the baby is having trouble adjusting to the crib, have them play in it first. If the baby wakes up at night and wants to play, put fun toys in the crib to distract them.

Put the baby in a nursery, bed in your room, in your bed. Co-sleeping is the best way to get sleep, except that it can kill your baby, so never, ever do it. If your baby doesn't die, you will need to bed-share until college.
Keep the room warm, but not too warm. Swaddle the baby tightly, but not too tightly. Put them on their backs to sleep, but don't let them be on their backs too long or they will be developmentally delayed. Give them a pacifier to reduce SIDS. Be careful about pacifiers because they can cause nursing problems and stop your baby from sleeping soundly. If your baby sleeps too soundly, they’ll die of SIDS.

Don’t let your baby sleep too long, except when they’ve been napping too much, then you should wake them. Never wake a sleeping baby. Any baby problem can be solved by putting them to bed earlier, even if they are waking up too early. If your baby wakes up too early, put them to bed later or cut out a nap. Don’t let them nap after 5 p.m. Sleep begets sleep, so try to get your child to sleep as much as possible. Put the baby to bed awake but drowsy. Don't wake the baby if it fell asleep while nursing.
You should start a routine and keep track of everything. Don’t watch the clock. Put them on a schedule. Scheduling will make your life impossible because they will constantly be thrown off of it and you will become a prisoner in your home.

Using the "Cry It Out" method (CIO) will make them think they’ve been abandoned and will be eaten by a lion shortly. It also causes brain damage. Not getting enough sleep will cause behavior and mental problems, so be sure to put them to sleep by any means necessary, especially CIO, which is the most effective form. CIO is cruel beyond belief and the only thing that truly works because parents are a distraction.

Formula and solid foods will help the baby sleep longer. Solid foods shouldn’t be given at night because they might wake the baby. Don't stop the baby from nursing when asleep. Be wary of night feeds. If you respond too quickly with food or comfort, your baby is manipulating you. Babies can’t manipulate. Babies older than six months can manipulate.
Sleep when the baby sleeps. Clean when the baby cleans. Don’t worry. Stress causes your baby stress and a stressed baby won't sleep."

[v-girl]

Ha ha ha!