help!! i need sleep!!

[carly_s]

Ok, sorry if this drags on, i want to make sure i give enough info.

DS (8.5months) has taken up not sleeping, every 30 mins a night i am up to him taking anywhere from 20mins to 1hour to settle him and as for day sleeps, well they dont exist! i am tired!!

he has never been a good day sleeper but of a night i could bank on at least 10hours from 8 weeks old! maybe getting up to replace dummy once or twice. by the time he was 5 months his day sleeps also improved and he was sleeping 2hr of a morning and 1.5 hours of an arvo. and i have a good routine in place ;

up at 7am bottle
7:30 breaky
9:30 bottle and bed
11:30 wake and lunch (well at least he used to sleep this long)
12:00 outside/park
2-2:30 home bottle and bed
3-4 awake and snack
5:30 dinner then bath, bottle, cuddles and bed

i never had an problem now all of a sudden he just refuses to sleep unless im holding him!! and i havent rocked him to sleep for MONTHS!!

he has been diagnosed with asthma after three cases of bronchitis so i know that illness played a roll in his bad habits but he has been well and health and on a asthma plan for around 6 weeks and he still hasnt returned to normal sleep habits!

i guess im really just looking for advise and support, i have no family or support around me and i dont know where to turn, or where to begin to correct his "new" sleep habbits! i CANNOT stand to hear him cry it gives him asthma attacks and he becomes terribly clingy!

[ll80]

I don't know what the answer is. I'm struggling myself. My almost 11mth old is still waking 4-5 times a night and I am tirrrrred!
Yesterday I gave myself a major burn on the steam from the kettle I reached over it for the coffee, my brain just doesn't work at the moment!

So all I can offer is a hug and an extremely strong cup of coffee!

[BekZ]

Fistly you are doing a great job and you need a hug. Around 8 months is when some bubs experience seperation anxiety and many become clingy especially for bed time. Given that your boy has also been sick recently I would say that this would not have helped. Personally I would just take this as a phase and do what ever you need to get hime down to sleep peacefully. Bare in mind that he may not need as much sleep as before either. If I was going through this I would be assisting bub to sleep but slowly withdrawing myself over time. Start with using your sleep associations (egdarkend room, teddy in hand), tell him it is time to sleep and put him down. If you can see he is going to protest, pick him up and cuddle him, then try and put him down again when he is settled. If he goes down ok then maybe pat his bottom or rub his tummy. Then gently withdraw. I usually avoid eye contact and I only talk if I have to. HTH

[onthefly]

It could well be separation anxiety. Health issues and teething are other options. You may find you just have to change your expectations for the time being - he obviously needs you more for sleeping at the moment. Sometimes short-term bed-sharing or lying down next to him on a mattress on the floor can work wonders. It reassures them enough that they can relax and get some sleep (and you can too), then when things are better you may find he's happy to sleep alone again.

[Arcadia]

8 months was so, so hard for us too! Hang in there, it does improve...I was up every two hours for at least two weeks and I had a total burnout. It was horrible. Take care of yourself as best as you can and recruit some friends if you can. Even if they can take him for a walk each day so you can rest/have a break.

Don't change anything, it'll only make it worse I think. He just needs to be held and cuddled so he can make a massive developmental leap. It will pass...just ride it out as best you can.