Need sleep help :(

[ss_storm]

I've run out of ideas/options...the last few weeks DD has been terrible getting to sleep and staying asleep at night. Nothing in her routine has changed, except for the last few days we've been sleeping in later of a morning which I know probably doesn't help but she is refusing to go to sleep until after 10.

Basically, she goes to bed at 7.30 and usually goes to sleep within 10 mins or so, the last few weeks she keeps waking up an hour later and won't go back to sleep. I've tried everything, nappy change, burping, water, bonjela, panadol...she just cries and cries and screams if I put her back in her cot. It's usually at least an hour and a half/2 hours before she goes back to sleep, after I've given her another bottle.
People keep telling me she is 'playing' me but I don't think so as it's not a whingy cry, it's a fairly distressed 'something is wrong' cry and if I just leave her in her cot she only gets more and more worked up and is harder to settle back down.

She's been waking up a lot more frequently during the night too, last night she was awake at 2.30 so I gave her a bottle and she actually went back to sleep in her cot, but then was awake at 5 and after that I put her into bed with us (and then she slept until nearly 9am!). I don't want to keep putting her in our bed, DF doesn't like it and she needs to learn to sleep in her own cot but it's the only way I can get her to go back to sleep. She is teething atm, her 2nd tooth just popped through so it could be that making her upset but bonjela or panadol doesn't seem to settle her either. she wasn't this bad with her first tooth either.

Anyone have any ideas? I'm getting desperate, and ready to tear my hair out as I've not been able to have 'me' time since she's started doing this and it's getting harder to deal with hours of crying each night.

Her day sleeps have been a bit mucked up, some days she'll only have one sleep, some days two, but only because she has been sleeping in more due to going to sleep so late at night.
So I'm thinking i'm going to start getting up at the same time each day, 7.15. As much as I love sleeping in I think we need a more uniform wake up time. I don't know what else to do though with her waking up at night, I don't mind if she wakes up once for a feed but multiple times really starts getting to you!

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated

ETA: sorry it's so long...it could be longer though but I thought I better stop typing

[Miss E]

honey, it's just the worst when they won't go to sleep at night. Even when they're asleep you can't relax cos you're expecting them to wake up any moment. I don't really know the answer, I think all you can do is just keep doing what you're doing and wait for it to pass (I hate when people say that, but these things do tend to pass). It could be developmental, with learning to crawl and cruise along with teething.

With the teething I find that Brauers teething drops work wonders along with an amber teething necklace. When it's really bad I give DS some Nurofen because it seems to be a bit more effective than panadol for us cos it has the anti-inflamatory in it. Anyway, just a thought.

Hope it improves soon for you x

[onthefly]

Amber teething necklace really helped us. And nurofen definately more effective than panadol. I also found that each tooth was worse than the last...
I think mostly though it's probably a phase - could well be some separation anxiety in there too. Don't worry about habits or anything like that, just do what works right now so that you can get as much rest as possible. worry about the cot once things settle down again. There's no point banging your head against a wall if it's just not working
I do sympathise - DS was particularly bad between 8-11 months due to teething & separation anxiety. Just do what you need to do for now.

[ss_storm]

Thanks Miss E & marcellus. I'm hoping I've had a victory tonight...she went to bed at about 7.40 but woke up crying (surprise surprise ) at about 8.20..I walked around and sang to her for a bit then gave her a bottle, she fell asleep in my arms and is now back in her cot, hopefully until the early hours of the morning! Her last bottle is between 6.30 and 7.15 so I wouldn't think that she'd be hungry, but considering she went back to sleep maybe she is? Or it's just more of a comfort thing?

You're right though..I should just do whatever works and not worry about what other people are saying about her sleeping in her own cot and that she's manipulating me...

I think I'll look into getting an amber necklace, I considered it once before but never went through with it. I'll propose the idea to DF though, I'm sure he'll be up for anything that may help!
Thanks again

[onthefly]

yes. get one. I WISH we had bought ours 10 months earlier....

[Arcadia]

the other wise mummies have offered all the advice I have.

The nine month age is notoriously bad for sleep. Just search for some of my past threads and you will see my own stress!

I know you have an ideal situation about where she sleeps but some sleep is better than none. This is a phase that's all. You will come out the other side, but in the meantime cuddle your little one, rock feed or cosleep or whatever gets you through!! You never know, we loved having dd in bed with us do much she's still there! I can't convince dh to move her even though he was hesitant at first!!

This too shall pass!! Sending sleepy vibes

[misty]

Baz is doing the same thing lately.

Sometimes I am convinced it may be teething, others I think it might be an ear infection or some other illness. But lately I am thinking it is just a stage and he is trying to get what he wants (which is for me to hold him, and to sleep in my bed with me ). We have for the past couple of nights been implementing controlled comforting (going in every 6mins to resettle), and it actually seems to be working. Fingers crossed, knock on wood....

[Miss E]

You're right though..I should just do whatever works and not worry about what other people are saying about her sleeping in her own cot and that she's manipulating me...

Just my opinion, but I don't think 10mo's are capable of manipulation or playing you yet, so I wouldn't worry about what other people are saying.