5 month dd won't sleep at night!

[Funghoul]

Dd is 5 months old. She pretty much slept through at around 12 weeks, with only a couple of short wakings. At around 15 weeks this all went to pot and we put it down to regression. Things picked up but then she had last lot of jabs, then a cold so things have never really recovered.

For the past couple of weeks she has been going to sleep at night later and later. The last couple of nights have been around midnight, compared to her 7-8 oclock normal bedtime. Everything we try never seems to work and it seems to be a case of waiting for her to become exhausted. As a result she wakes late at around 10 in the morning, obviously becoming later and later as she goes to sleep later.

She's never had set nap times in the day but does usually nap twice at least and these are gradually working round to the same times every day.

This morning I got her up early and felt really bad for doing it but tonight she's been asleep since 8.30! Should I just get her up at a set time regardless? I'm just very aware she needs sleep and don't want to get her up if this is the wrong thing to do.

Sorry, this is an essay!

[Reiltin]

Watching

[knickyknocks]

I think getting her up earlier is one of the keys. Plus making lots of noise round whatever wake up time you want it to be (7/8am?)

Do you have a bedtime routine? Bath, book, feed (though would,never feed to sleep, instead would purposely wind then to wake them a little before lying in a dark quiet room). It sounds as if with a little bit of adjusting she'll get used to her new times. I often find it takes a few days of a new 'routine' for things to settle again.

[Funghoul]

Have tried routine and different combinati

[Funghoul]

Combinations of things but haven't found a routine that fits properly if that makes sense. She's not the best at settling on her own either and the past couple of nights out of exhaustion shes been fed to sleep. It's not a habit we want to get into so trying to nip it in the bid.

[knickyknocks]

It sounds as though you had some success with the earlier waking so think it's definitely worth sticking with, albeit you'll have a tired baby on your hands for a couple of days.

Definitely worth keeping going with a bedtime routine and a starting to help her self settle. We've just done this with DS who is just 7 months old. Started to teach him to self settle from just over 6 months with dark room, and shush patting (and picking up when upset, but as soon as calm place back down again). He started to sleep through in the past week but picked up self settling really quickly, and it's paid off as I can hear him settling himself in the night.

[GuernseyTeddy]

Always get DS (10 weeks) up at a set time. If he's not awake by 7, then it's off with the grobag and on with the lights. If he's still sleepy 10 mins later then it's a nappy change too. Similarly it's bed by 7 every night - only change would be slightly earlier if he's not napped well.

I don't think it's cruel as he's always a lot happier when he's slept well. Even adults respond better to regular bed/waking times so I see it as my job as the parent to follow a good routine

[Funghoul]

The earlier waking is helping and I'm going to keep on with it. I think I'm over thinking it a bit because I know it's best for her but can't help feeling cruel or doing it. Thank you for your help, you've sort of confirmed what I was thinking so tonight its all change and I'm making dp stick to it too come hell or high water! It's only really been the past week that's been very bad but I know a few people who've had problems with babies and bedtime and these problems have just carried on as they've got older. I don't want bad habits sticking and then causing more problems if we have dc2 in a couple of years time.