is it worth bringing in sleep experts?

[verds]

I can't crack my 6-month-old's sleep, and I'm thinking about bringing in a pro.

Has anyone had any success with a sleep expert? And do any of them work without controlled crying?

The best sleep we've had was 11-5 until 5 months, and now we're up at 4 to feed and 5 for the day. Naps are all over the place, too...

[Jo'sEnglish]

Personally (and I'm sure people will disagree with me) at 6 months I only just started thinking about a schedule. Until then he was fed on demand, napped when he was tired, still fed at least once a night, often twice and generally we just went with the flow. To me it sounds like your bub is doing ok!

From 6 months we did start to get into more of a routine, mainly because he started on solids and so you try and fit around them and he settled more naturally into regular naps. He also went into his own room about 7 months or so because I think we were disturbing each other at night. He's 10 months now and naps great and generally sleeps through (although does regularly end up in our bed about 5am when he wakes, I find this is the best way to get a bit of a lie in!)

Anyway, I suppose what I'm saying is if you can bear it save your money for a few months and see if he sorts himself out. And don't worry about those people who have babies that sleep through from the get go, they are lucky but not the norm!

[Convex]

I agree with Jo,

That sounds pretty similar to us at 6 months. We are now at 7.5 months and he is pretty good at going 7pm-5 or 6am with a final feed in our bed to get him (and us) through to 7am.

BUT if it's doing your head in and you really feel its a problem then I think a few people on here have had some success with bringing in outside help. So worth a try if you can get someone recommended.

(nb we try to follow a rough schedule but are fairly relaxed about it)

[Ruth_Baldock]

If you feel the situation isn't working atm, and you can afford a sleep expert, then I'd say go for it. We are having

major sleep problems with my 2.5y/o atm and I'd get an expert in to us in a heartbeat if we had the ???!

[Pickle]

I reality a sleep expert is pretty much going to put in place a routine, and these tend to end up being along the lines of up at 7am, nap at 9, nap at 12, nap at 4, then bath/milk/bed, with the small naps dropping as they get older (my 6mo still has 3 a day). So unless you've given this a good try yourself personally I would save the money.

Feel free to pm me if you like, I think we may have spoken before on the subject? My baby is the same age a yours.

P x

[KateW]

I second Pickle. Millpond Sleep Clinic has been recommended on this forum several times and they also do a book called 'Teach your child to sleep'. It might be useful (and save you money) to try the book first.

[etta166]

I wouldn't rush out to use a sleep expert yet. It sounds like you have a pretty typical baby and that you're doing well. Like Pickle said, you can put a routine in place yourself and see if that makes a difference, but babies often don't sleep well until they are over a year. That said, I did speak to my GP about my second child's appaling sleep at around 6m (much more erratic than what you've described and terrible snoring too!) and it turned out to be caused by sleep apnea and an allergy...

Have you tried books like the Baby Whisperer or the No Cry Sleep Solution? Health Visitors can also be very helpful with sleep issues.

[verds]

Aw thanks, wise forum types! I think it's just getting to me at the moment as I have a full-on toddler too. I feelbad that I don't have enough energy for her

I'm going try those books, and try again with the routine. Her sister was a real schedule type at this age, so I'm stumped. It's good to hear how different all your babies are too!

[lenster]

If you decide to find an expert, worth looking into a group session with Nicola who posts on here as childsleepsolutions. I think it was ?20 each (6 people needed) and the host doesn't pay. I'm not sure if she is still running the sessions, but you can also reach her on her website (same as forum name).

If you do get a group together, best to arrange with babies of similar age so the session can address similar concerns.

[dulwichgirl2]

Nightmare. Literally. You must be exhausted.

What have you tried? Maybe we were lucky but ours slept for ten hours from about two months/ nine weeks onwards. Those weeks were bad enough. We initially followed a schedule of 7am wake up and we stuffed as much as possible in for every feed. Maybe that is the difference - are you feeding the baby yourself or formula? They tend to sleep longer on the latter as it takes longer to digest. Once the girls slept through, we let them do their own thing and wake when they chose or needed, more or less, but quite tentatively as I was worried they regressed.

Can you avoid dependence on the feed at 4am by giving water or sugared water?

[sandy_rose]

It's early days still and sounds pretty normal to me but you could try wake-to-sleep technique if you haven't already(google it).

[Ruth_Baldock]

If you're going to replace night feeds, if bf, replace with formula rather than water/sugar water (!) if under a year; I don't think night-weaning is medically advised under about 9mo iirc.

FWIW, my one year old still wakes once a night for a feed (around 3-4am) and she gulps her milk down so I know she definitely needs it and it's not a habit.

[verds]

Well, she's breastfed and refuses a bottle, plus I'm a bit of a feed on demand/feed to sleep/make a rod for your own back merchant

Dreamfeeding at 11, and 3 naps a day used to work u to a point, but it's beenrandom for 3 weeks now. I thought it was teeth or a development/growth spurt, but it's lasting ages...

[Jo'sEnglish]

They do have a big wonder week/development spurt at around 26 weeks. This really did upset my baby's sleep at the time. But, it does pass! Maybe persist in trying to get her to take a bottle so you can have a bit of a break? I definitly wouldn't be giving sugar water (!) Does she seem hungry when you feed her or more that she just needs a feed to settle? Because if she is really hungry I'm not sure what a sleep expert could do to change that, if you see what I mean.

[Pickle]

Just wanted to add that two of my children (#2 and 3) have been exclusively breastfed and still slept through from a dream feed at 10ish until 7/7:30am, so formula isn't always necessary to achieve this.

[Saffron]

Growth spurts can last much longer than many people realize, eg 6 weeks!

Verds, what you say does all sound very normal. But if you can afford to get some "expert advice" that's w/in the parameters of your parenting style, then I say go for it. Just don't let someone talk you into a sleep arrangement that really doesn't suit your parenting style just b/c the person is an "expert". xx

[gillandjoe]

What about nap dropping? Maybe your baby is getting is getting ready to drop their third nap?

I remember feeling super-tired at 6 months and almost gave formula but just hung in there in the end with breastfeedinv and my body finally started to adjust to it's wretched new sleep pattern. My baby still sucks at sleeping but co-sleeping is helping because I feed him without fully waking - to the point where I can't even remember how many times I've fed him in a night. Maybe your baby would sleep longer in bed with you after the morning feed? Good luck!