OMG 5 months old and still up EVERY HOUR

[Wugz22]

Not really looking for advice - I know all the "whys" and "hows". He's up every hour because I nurse him to sleep and that's the only way he knows how to go back to sleep. I know I can sleep train him, but I'm just still waiting it out I guess.

Really, I'm just looking for "light at the end of the tunnel" stories! When did your HORRENDOUS sleeper start sleeping longer stretches, without any sleep training? I don't even care about sleeping through the night, I would happily take 2 or 3 hour stretches!

 

[sevenofnine]

My first was worst around 5 months, but by 9 months she was generally sleeping 8 hours a night!

 

[Symphony7]

I will say our 4 month sleep regression started around 3 months and we have just figured out the sleep thing at 5 months. I made one change which was nursing her downstairs and then going up and getting in jammies and going to bed. I've just now been able to put her down awake and she falls asleep on her own within the last week. When that first sleep happened on her own then she stopped waking every hour or two. Still up 2or 3 times a night but so much better. Maybe just try making one small change to see if you can't stay slowly breaking that sleep association.

 

[xdxxtx]

Yes. It gets better. It gets so much better, and soon. I co-sleep with my babies, topless, nursing them to sleep in a sidelying position. My fourth-born would nurse ALL night long. Literally. All night. If I would pop him off of my nipple to roll over, he'd cry immediately until I brought him over onto that side with me and let him latch back on. Haha. It got A TON better when I starting having OH put him to bed at night and give him a pacifier. I was pregnant and needed more sleep, and that worked a treat! I still let him co-sleep when he needed to... He's back in my room now that the baby is born, though. And I love co-sleeping with him again. He only wakes once or twice during the night, and he doesn't cry, just snuggles. He's 20 months old, and he has been a great sleeper since 8 months old. The new baby doesn't nurse during the night at all, so my more needy toddler still gets my undivided attention. I hope you can start to enjoy this time with your baby as well... I hope you get better SLEEP! SOON!

 

[gingmg]

Ugh, my first was like that!!! I sympathize! It's so hard!!! 8-10 months was our absolute worst time, and it started getting significantly better around 11 months as far as sleeping longer stretches, and occasionally actually sleeping through. He started sleeping through a few times a week around 18 months. I hope it happens sooner for you though.

 

[jessmke]

It's not necessarily because he is nursed to sleep. I nurse my 4 month old to sleep, and he has to be in a deep deep sleep before I put him down otherwise he wakes up screaming, and he usually wakes 2-3 times a night to feed.

My daughter on the other hand sounds a lot like your LO, she was up 5+ times a night until she was about 8 months old, and after that it got so much worse and she was up every 1-2 hours until she was 11 months. I didn't nurse her to sleep, she settled herself from a very early age so I always nursed her at the start of bedtime, then we would read stories and I would put her down awake in her crib and she would just go to sleep. She didn't have a pacifier or other sleep crutch, we did everything "right" according to the "sleep experts" and she still couldn't get herself back to sleep when she would wake in the night, I would have to go in and nurse her. Then one night a few days before her first birthday she slept for 15 hours straight and has slept through (for the most part) ever since.

Try not to get stressed about creating "bad habits" by nursing him to sleep, because there a very real chance that he would still be waking as often even if you didn't.

 

[Unlucky41]

Oh I am the same nurse ds to sleep at night and he is big because he loves his milk and used to wake up every 2 hours or less until 8 weeks. Then he started to do a 3 or 4 hours stretches. Eventually he did 7 or 8 hours at night but after the 4 months regression back to 2 hours or less.

Took maybe 6 weeks before he started to do longer stretches. Now he can do between 5 to 8 hours at night. At least better than every 2 hours .

I like you waiting for him to just get it but pretty sure will have to train him a bit before I go back to work. I keep delaying it but should at least give him the opportunity to try and sleep on his own one day eh.