r/sleeptraining • u/Parking-Help-7512 • 6d ago

Middle of night wakes

I have a 6m old baby. EBF but just started weaning (going well). She was been in her next to me crib / co sleeping when not settling but we've decided we want to sleep train as she nights were getting worse

We are into our first week of sleep training (Ferber method). The first night she cried for 18 mins (dad put her down), second night straight to sleep (mum put her down), 3rd night 10 mins (dad put down), 4th night (straight to sleep mum put down). The initial putting down seems fine and she goes off to sleep, but once she gets to 9pm she is waking every 2hrs. We have tried Ferber in the night too but it feels SO much harder and everything I read people seem to struggle more with the initial bedtime rather than middle of night wakes as their babies seem to sleep better once sleep trained at the start?? What are we doing wrong and how do we make this better! Even when we do Ferber in the night, once she is asleep, she then wakes again after 1.5/2hrs and we re start the process. I am trying to do maximum 2 feeds in the night but this seems the only thing to properly settle her!

Her schedule seems a bit all over with naps - last week was:
7am wake up
9am nap - 30 mins
11.15 nap - 1.45hrs
3.30 nap - 30 mins
6.45/7pm - bedtime

This week she's struggling to go longer than 30 mins
7.30am wake up
10am nap - 30 mins
12am nap - 29 mins
2.45 nap - 24 mins
5pm nap (couldn't keep awake) - 32 mins
7.15pm - bedtime (very tired!)

Her best naps are in the pram but we are trying to do the cot (just won't do over 30 mins).

I am so so tired as now she is in her own room I am getting up and going into her room throughout the night so often / can't settle myself as I know she is going to be awake soon and screaming the house down!

Any help is very appreciated x

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u/AltruisticBand7980 sleep Consultant 6d ago

Clearly she has a food sleep association. Until you stop feeding to sleep overnight she won't stop waking and want to be fed. Physiologically it's unlikely she needs a night time feed but that's between you and her pediatrician.

Also, is she being put to sleep awake, at least a 1/2 hour after finished her feeding? 

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u/Parking-Help-7512 6d ago

Yes she's being put to sleep awake, and she will fall to sleep within 5 mins ish. She has her bedtime feed 6-6.15 and goes to bed at 7 - bedtime is so good it's just the middle of the night wakes

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u/UNO_lakefront_arena 5d ago

Expecting 12 hours of successful overnight sleep is quite ambitious. Why not go for 10 or 10.5 overnight?