It's 4:25 a.m here, so that should tell you I know EXACTLY how to make a baby go to sleep,

I have posted before that the way I do it is to kind of co-sleep? We have 2 mattresses on the floor in our bedroom now. One for her and I and one is for OH and I. I nurse her to sleep and then move from one bed to the other as I am "wanted", haha!

I just recently am starting to use a rocking chair to rock her to sleep. I will get back to you, . . .

Sorry if that's not much help! Good luck!

I'm sorry so many are having sleep problems - but it's reassuring too as I often feel surrounded by babies who sleep really well, and here we are with a catnapper who will not go down in her cot awake and recently went through 2 months of waking every hour from 7 to morning (thankfully that's settled down now!) I have no great advice but you are not alone. I often feel frustrated when well meaning friends tell me the secret to sttn is bath, feed, bed calm routine, or introducing a comforter - they really believe that's all we need to do to solve our lack of sleep. If only it was that easy! We have tried all sorts, not cc as I can't face that, and I really believe some babies just don't sleep well... I just cling to the hope it will improve one day! What we do... Consistent routine every night (surely it will pay off one day, right...?), then I either feed or cuddle to sleep. I was worried about creating bad habits but recently have decided it's so much calmer to go with our Lo than to try and fight it. On a good night, I can get her very drowsy with the feed/cuddles and lay her down and sing/stroke for the final bit. Things have improved and I'm not sure it's down to anything we are doing, just her getting more settled. We also sometimes let her sleep on me for a while and then transferring to cot, or my oh does the same on the bed, sits with her and reads his phone for a while and then transfers her to cot. I hope the situation improves for you, lack of sleep is the hardest thing I think.

((hugs)) Hope things are better soon...CIO or CC has never been successful in this house and I am not one who likes doing it or who would encourage doing it xx

My Mother constantly complained that I was a very bad sleeper and that I refused to nap throughout my childhood. She promised me that I'd get what was coming to me one day and here we are!

It is very difficult when people around you claim that their baby sleeps through the night. I have one friend who's daughter is the same age as LO, she's gone to bed every night at 7pm and wakes at 7am, not a peep all night long.... since birth! Another friend did CIO and it has worked for her and me who is all high and mighty saying "I'll never do CIO" is up all night. It's hard to know what's right.

ooh i had someone do that to me. Claimed her LO STTN since birth, even through teething! My OH came home to find me sobbing on the couch

i used shush/pat since 4mths and LO STTN 3/4x a week now but its only been since we dropped his nightfeed. He was only taking 2/3oz so i switched to water and after 3/4 days he started sleeping though more. Hugs hun!

I tried that as I was told it by another mum...didn't work as he still kept screaming so much through then night I went back to milk in the hope it might make him sleep through. Haven't found anything that works yet. He fell asleep a lot earlier tonight, 7.45 instead of 12am+ so I took advantage of it and put him in his cot. It's 9.10pm and he's still asleep! I'm praying it lasts

I was also going to suggest cosleeping, you could try putting your mattress on the floor (it's a pain, I know but it could get you some sleep) or rails on your bed.

know how you feel, i was like that with breastfeeding when i was pregnant - then when LO was born he just wouldnt latch no matter how hard i tried.....since then iv kept an open mind on everything

Im not really sure what i can say that hasnt already been said:
1. good consistent routine: bath. bottle and a cuddle. bed
2. make sure all needs are met (hence the bath and bottle before bed)is LO in pain? dentinox teething gel/calpol for teething just before bed if so
3. nice dark room, make sure when you are getting to sleep that there is no lights or tv on and its quiet (though saying that we always have the tv on, just turn the lights off)
4. is baby having enough naps in the day? 2-4 hours of naps altogether
5. is baby having enough to eat during the day?

apart from all that, i would try controlled crying. for it to work you needs to be consistent, night time and day naps. theres no point doing it one night and then giving up, or not seeing it through the whole night. it could take several hours the first night and a couple of weeks altogether.

Just wanted to send some hugs my toddler is still up at least once a night he has always been a bad sleeper we tried everything apart from CIO/CC as just couldn't face it and nothing worked. I just got used to it when he got to about a year he went from refusing to sleep till 10pm and being up 3-6 times a night to going to bed at 8pm and being up 1-3 times a night now he goes to bed at 7 and is asleep by 7:30 and wakes once a night. I did find that he sleeps better in a bed so a mattress on the floor might be worth trying if he sleeps ok in your bed.

I always said I would never use CIO or CC but after 3 weeks of no sleep and the situation getting worse and not better at 2.30am on Tues I got to breaking point!

My boy had always been a great sleeper. Yeah he woke a few times in the night but always settled well. Even during growth spurts etc he was always really good and napped great too. Then just before he turned 8 months it all went wrong!
When he woke at night he wouldn't settle, then he stopped going down at bed time, he wasnt taking his milk as well as before, lost his apritiate and was teething.
We made sure he wasnt ill, his 4 teeth were through and no longer an issue and things were still getting worse! I had to do something.

I decided we would try CC.
I put LO to bed on Wed, usually routine bath bottle and cuddles and before he fell asleep I put him in his cot, said good night and walked out.
At first I thought it was ok, he just laid there talking to himself....then he started to cry!
The first five mins was hell but I did it. I went back in stroked his head to calm him and told him its time to go to sleep. I then left him 6 mins and went back, then 7 etc.

I got to leaving him 9 mins, went back and was leaving him 10 this time but at 9 mins 30 seconds, he stopped and went to sleep.
I felt guilty all night.

He woke a few times but didn't cry, just chatting so I left him and he finally woke at 7.15 am!

That's the most sleep either me or hubby had in the last 3 weeks put together!

Last night I did it again but he was in bed and asleep in 15 mins! No crying just a bit of moaning. Again woke a couple of times last night but no crys so just left him.

Both today and yest he woke up happy and smiley. Yest he ate so well, his feeding had started to be affected by the broken sleep too and so far today he's had a full 8oz bottle and porradge!

Just these two nights means I finally feel like I can function again and be a good mummy. I was a walking zombie with no energy before.

I hope it continues this well and whilst that initial night was hard, I would say its worth it!