6 month sleep regression: Dear mummies... - Pregnancy and Par...

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6 month sleep regression

Buzzy profile image
2 Replies

Dear mummies and daddies,

My LO is now 6 months old and is truly a bundle of joy for us. She's been going through so many changes in the last week (rolling over both ways, sitting up unaided and creeping around on her belly). As a result, her sleep seems to be affected and I was wondering if anyone else has gone through the same at this stage, and what I should do about it.

From about 3 months old, we started timed comforting for her sleeps, and she got to a stage where I could put her down in her moses drowsy, and she would self settle herself to sleep without a fuss. We moved to a big girl cot last week, and initially was sleeping in her Moses, in the cot, but now we've taken her Moses away. As a result, when she stirs, suddenly she's rolling around in her big co bed, instead of self settling back to sleep.

Would anyone recommend using a sleep positioner, to 'strap' her in place? Or should I just let her roll around the cot, even though its waking her up, and just ride this stage out? I was looking at this sleep positioner:

amazon.co.uk/Snoozzz-Sleep-...

Alternatively, using a sleep positioner may just be delaying the inevitable...one day, we will have to take the sleep positioner away (it goes up to 3 years, and looks like it packs easily for travel, though).

Secondly, she now screams and screams when I try to put her down and wants to be nursed to a very drowsy state before being put down to sleep. On the one hand, she's still very teeny, and if she needs comforting by mummy then I want to give that to her. On the other hand, she'd been self settling for the past 2 months, and by nursing her to sleep now, am I undoing all our hard work and creating a 'bad habit'? I fear I am giving her mixed messages, because I always try to put her down when she's full, clean, and showing some sleepy cues like yawning but not super-sleepy, (in the hope that she will self settle) A couple of minutes after I leave the room, she starts crying , and her crying escalates so much, that within 10 minutes, I'm in there nursing her to sleep. I'm just worried that she is going to learn that if she cries loudly and for long enough, I'll be in there to nurse her to sleep.

According to the Wonder Weeks chart, she's in the middle of a developmental leap, so maybe I should wait till she's out of this stormy period before I try self settling again.

Sorry for the long email, but any thoughts/ advice/ anecdotes would be much appreciated:)

Thanks

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Buzzy profile image
Buzzy
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2 Replies
Jacksonla profile image
Jacksonla

Hey. I'm at the exact same stage, my little boy has just turned 6 months & a week ago today we started 'sleep training'. Before that he had never fallen asleep on his own & I either nursed him or rocked him to sleep every time. After he had an awful cold he also ended up sleeping in my bed & wanting to nurse all night. It was driving me crazy so we decided to do the controlled crying method, going in to sooth him at regular intervals. My husband thought he was too young at 6 months & considering he was used to sleeping in bed with me & nursing all night he was going 'cold turkey' by being in his big cot on his own (he was in a swinging crib before he started sleeping in my bed). As expected, the first night was horrible & it was heartbreaking listening to him cry. I knew he wasn't hungry so he just wanted to nurse for comfort. I crumbled at 1am and got him in bed with me again. The second night was better & he stayed in his cot all night. He woke about 8 times but he either soothed himself or we started timing his cries and going in to soothe him. We never picked him up & I never fed him until he woke at 6.30am. The third night he slept for 10 hours. When I feed him in the morning we stay in bed together & snooze for another hour or 2 so we still both get our sleepy feedy cuddles! Tonight is night 7 and he still wakes every few hours & we are still having to go in and settle him sometimes but generally we're heading in the right direction & I'm really glad we started it when we did. If you can handle it then I would get it over & done with now in the hope of you both sleeping better in just a couple of weeks time. Be cruel to be kind if you are strong enough!

With regards to the sleep positioner I wouldn't bother and I don't think she'd like being restricted. Let her learn to resettle herself as part of your training if she is waking by rolling over.

I wondered whether it was the right time with my LO because we only started weaning 3 weeks ago & he has been suffering from constipation which was giving him tummy ache. I think this has affected his sleep so we wondered whether to stop but we've just continued and he's getting better. There will always be a 'stage' or a 'phase' which would put you off starting any sleep training so in my opinion you may as well do it now!

Good luck with whatever u decide to do xxx

mummymummy profile image
mummymummy

I agree with above there will always be a phase or stage they are going through and while u should be aware of it I dont think u should alter ur routine u sound like u know what u r doing and where ur going wrong.. I'd stick to what u were doing let her settle herself to sleep... Could u use a sleeping bag to stop her rolling around or tuck her in so she feels secure? All the best with it sounds like it doing a great job x

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