Advice... Help.. Anything.. Please?

I'm so tired. I have a 4 1/2 month old and a 4 year old. My eldest has always been a bad sleeper and had just got on track sleeping on his own all night when I was pregnant but now the baby disturbs him and he ends up in bed with me and last night woke about 10 times crying.





My baby used to sleep from 7pm til 4am have a feed and sleep til 7am. She had a growth spurt 4 weeks ago and since then wakes twice for a feed( and several times more) Last night went like this:





7pm feed


7.30pm sleep


10pm awake but re-settled by herself


11pm awake searching for a feed. Fed her


12.45am awake would not re-settle even with my help


1.45am asleep


2.00am awake again for feed


2.20am back in cot would not re-settle not even when I rocked her


3am in bed with me went back to sleep


5.30am - 6.30am kept waking up and I kept patting her back to sleep.





Like I said on top of that my son woke like 10 times. I'm so tired I feel like I'm going to burst into tears. It's wearing me down. I don't think I can take much more of this.





My husband can't help much during the night as he has to get up for work at 4.45am.





Please help. Any help.Advice... Help.. Anything.. Please?
our little ones were like this,we put them on solids early,as they were always hungry,uset step up formula,and used lavender bubble bath and scent for there pillows(calming).


with your 4 yr old,pasta for tea is good,as its a complex carbohydrate,and takes time to break down,so makes you sleepy,try the lavender with him aswel,and be afectionate,so that he goes to sleep happy,less likely hel wake up then.


i know what you mean about no sleep though!


chin up,it does get betterAdvice... Help.. Anything.. Please?
I don't know why anyone has given aeden b thumbs down it sounds a good answer to me. All i will say is routine routine routine...it worked for mine xx


good luck hun
My husband also had to get up super early for work and couldnt help much. But he does come home! And you can take a NAP! It's not much, but it's something. Hand him the baby and go to sleep! Sounds like big brother is having a little trouble adjusting to baby as well. I know that it's hard, especially when you are pooped, but try not to let him come into bed with you. That will be a big battle you'll end up fighting in a few months. Do the kids share a room? If so, try to separate them. If not, talk to the oldest before bed. Explain to him you know how annoying it can be when the baby wakes everyone in the house up. And how hard it is to go back to sleep. But, he has to stay in his big boy bed. Tell him that if he has trouble going back to sleep you'll read him a short story after the baby is quiet. More than likely, he'll have fallen asleep before you get back in there. If not, short story, kisses, prayers, and quiet. Let him have the book in bed (only hardback -- we learned the hard way) so he can look at the pics with a very dim lamp on. It will get better, but in the meantime, you get that nap!
the things that I have found most helpful in sleeping (I have a 3 month old) are:


1.) swaddle him! I use the ';miracle blanket'; (search amazon for this, it's awesome!). my son still startles himself awake at 3 months, unless i use this blanket. This is the thing that has made the MOST difference with my son, so definitely give it a try!


2.) use a pacifier to get them to sleep. this might not work for all babies, because some babies will wake up and cry when they lose the pacifier. my baby does NOT cry when he loses it after he's asleep and it helps him go to sleep so much!


3.) routine. every night i feed him around 8:30, in bed at 9. i read him 3 stories and then into the crib. he is so used to this already he falls asleep during the second story.


4.) i have a motion sensor under his mattress... it sounds an alarm if he stops breathing. This has really helped me sleep, as I don't have to worry at every little sound he makes (babies are noisy sleepers and he is in the same room with me)
Is there room for the baby in your room? It does make things easier for the night feeds and your boy wont be disturbed.Naps during the day are good too .As are kind relatives if you have them to help.Talking to the child health nurse might be useful too.Just remember different things work for different people. I used controlled crying (eventually!) on my son after consulting a specialist mother and baby unit. However they dont reccomend it under 6mths.Anothr source of sanity was a book by a Dr Christopher Green called Babies. He has another one called toddler taming which was a life saver Sorry to waffle on so long hope some of this helps
oh sweety i know it can be tough, do you wrap up your 4 1/2 month old still? i still wrap up my daughter and she sleeps so much better. how do you feel about co sleeping? i know its not '; recommended'; but if she will sleep better with you then maybe try that at least that way you will get some sleep as well. and maybe if your little boy doesn't hear her crying he wont wake up either ( fingers crossed). my daughter slept in with us for the first few weeks up until about a month and a half, then she transferred fine into her own bassinet. just remember, it does get easier, and things will seem a whole lot better once you've got their sleeping back on track. also try and have a rest when ever the kids are having a sleep during the day, even if you have to leave the dishes or whatever. getting a bit of rest is so much more important. good luck and i hope things get better soon.