when did your LO's frequent waking improve?

[momma-z]

I'm feeling SO frustrated and sleep deprived right now and I'm looking for some light at the end of the tunnel. I'm trying to accept that my 5 month old DS's frequent waking (every 45-60 minutes) may be a phase we have to live with for a while. If your LO woke frequently (every hour or two) when did their sleep improve, and did you do anything to help it improve? Thanks.

[newmoon2000]

I have twins. Both woke frequently during the night for the LONGEST time. One of them still wakes up every couple of hours (and he's almost four years old). The other one started mostly sleeping all night around the age of three. But most nights, he still wakes up a couple of times. Fortunately, we co-sleep and, unlike when they were babies, they are both easily comforted back to sleep. My theory is that some children sleep soundly and others just don't. Not to discourage you, but I know for me it really helped when I'd visit this message board and discover that a) I wasn't the only one, and b) I could let go of my expectations around when they should start sleeping through the night. I extended my expectation out pretty far, telling myself that SURELY, as teenagers, they will be good sleepers. Somehow that's been easier for me than thinking it was right around the corner. Anyway, my heart goes out to you. It's hard, hard, hard to be sleep deprived. Hopefully you'll get some relief soon!

[D_McG]

Both of mine started sleeping in longer stretches once I restricted nursing at night (round about a year). I stopped nursing DS at 22 mos and from then his wakings were minimal. I have yet to n/w my little girl (18 mos) but I am anticipating the same thing w/her. It's just hard to n/w her b/c DS is in our bed by morning and I don't want her crying to wake him up...

[Louisep]

It was around one year. I can't say there was anything that really made the difference, just time. We partially night weaned at one year but I honestly didn't see an immediate difference. We also dropped to one nap around that time, so perhaps that helped?

Have you checked into food intolerances? Every 45 minutes is tough.

[LindsC]

DD (10 months old) has just started waking less in the last month or so. We recently moved her into a full size bed in her own room and that seems to have helped her to sleep better at night. I still nurse her whenever she wakes up at night but she has decreased her night wakings from 8-10 times per night to 1-2 times per night.

[LadyCatherine185]

my DS woke every hour or more for the first year of his life. He had a few months (month 11-12 and 14-15) where things would improve (as in, he'd sleep for 2-3 hours at a time) for a little bit and then he'd go right back to the hourly waking. Around 18 months things started getting a little better, and around 19 months my milk supply started dropping due to pregnancy and I began gently nightweaning. He will be 20 months tomorrow, and in the last month he has consistently had 5-6 hour stretches almost every night. The last few nights he has been sleeping 7-8 hours at a time. It feels like a miracle.

Sleep deprivation can be really tough. Your baby is too young for any nightweaning anytime soon, but here are a few things that helped me get through the worst of times--

*making the bed as comfortable for ME as possible
*bedsharing and nursing laying down
*fan for white noise
*blackout shades
*napping when baby naps
*having Daddy take baby for an hour in the morning before he goes to work so I can sleep
*having Daddy take baby out on Saturday mornings for a couple hours so I can sleep


A book that really helped me as well (though it applies more to older babies/toddlers/young children) was Sleepless in America. It helped me figure a good routine for our day to maximize our nighttime sleep.

it will get better mama. trust me, i thought we were hopeless and going to be waking up all night for the rest of DS's life. But here we are getting 7 hour stretches!! yes it is 20 months later, but it goes by so fast, and I know I will miss those late night snuggles.