I asked a question a few weeks ago and although I appreciate the answers, they didn't really help much! My 16 week baby goes to sleep in his cot fairly well in the evening, but wakes up several times through the night and will not settle again in his cot. He will take food if it is offered, but he doesn't seem to be hungry, because most of the time he will go straight back to sleep if I give him a cuddle. However, he does wake up again as soon as I put him back in his cot. I do try to settle him in his cot for quite a while before I eventually pick him up and I do all the same things as when he is put to bed but nothing works. As soon as I put him in our bed he goes straight back to sleep! Both my husband and I are really suffering with back and neck problems now from sleeping in awkward positions to make room for him and also don't sleep very well as we are worried about squashing him and I really want to know how to get him to stay put in his cot! The cot is right next to my side of the bed and I sleep as close to him as I can but he hasn't slept a full night in his cot for weeks! He takes a big feed before he goes to bed, usually breast followed by 7oz of formula and is well winded, but he still can't stay asleep. We have had several nights previously where he has slept through without stirring but I can't put my finger on what was different on these nights. He had started to fall into a sleep routine in the night and would only wake at about 5 for a feed and then go back to sleep til around 9 but now he is all over the place and I never know when he's going to want to be fed. He is 4 months next week but I don't really want to introduce solids straight away as I don't feel that he is ready. Does anyone have any tips on trying to keep him in his cot through the night?

Comments 10

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Jackie160570
Reply Jackie160570 2 months ago
Hi I was a first time mum at 36 and now have two daughters aged 2 and 6 months and have enjoyed ever minute. I too am a young at heart mum and quite happy chasing my 2 year old round the garden and jumping into the paddling pool!!! lol xx
etennant
Reply etennant 2 months ago
Hi there,
I'm also not a first time mum. I have two older children 24 and 20 and then a six year old and an 11 month old. My last child was born last August when I was 46 years old and after being told by a gynae consultant that I was menopausal and would definitely not be having any more children. I am now 47 and boy am I knackered! But, I'm enjoying motherhood even more now as I now have more patience and knowledge. I have given up my full time job and will be staying home to take care of my little ones. Would I go through it again at my age?...Hell yeah!
Hi everyone, I will be 37 in October and am now 5 weeks pregnant with my first baby. i am really excited, but also very scared!!!
cindyaihun
Reply cindyaihun 2 months ago
Hi there,
I'm also not a first time mum. I have two older children 24 and 20 and then a six year old and an 11 month old. My last child was born last August when I was 46 years old and after being told by a gynae consultant that I was menopausal and would definitely not be having any more children. I am now 47 and boy am I knackered! But, I'm enjoying motherhood even more now as I now have more patience and knowledge. I have given up my full time job and will be staying home to take care of my little ones. Would I go through it again at my age?...Hell yeah!
aliceknight
Reply aliceknight 3 months ago
Hi I became a first-time mum two months before my 41st birthday and she arrived at 36 weeks on the day I was due to finish work! But am a young-at-heart mum! Find the lack of sleep the hardest thing! But loving motherhood! My little girl is now 14 months old and I'm hoping/trying for another but worry that, as I will be 42 later this month (june) that I may be getting too old for a second baby! Any other in their 40s mums?
I became a first time mum just after I was 41, and I have to say there is no way I have the energy to go through it again! But good on you if you're going to give it a go. My 15 month old daughter is wearing me out and she's not walking yet, but she does sleep through the night beautifully (which is the only thing which has kept me sane!). I seem to have much less energy than all the other 'younger' mothers I meet (but are they all just pretending?!). I have to say I never felt old until I had my daughter, now I meet mum's I could be the mother to, and realise that I'll be nearly 60 when my daughter turns 18. Fortunately my husband is alot younger than me... so I let him do the running around when he's at home (not enough!). I think I have resigned myself to having only one child, as I don't have the luxury of waiting until my daughter starts school to do this all again. The one thing I think I do better as an 'older' mother is being relaxed and not getting stressed with my daughter; I accept that I am taking time out of my work life to look after her, and I don't try to shoehorn her into my work commitments. I suspect this is because I've done the career thing, and can let all that work madness go for a while (it helps that the mortgage is tiny and a long way to being paid off!), I let my husband worry about careers, and settle down to enjoying my daughter.
WendyinKent
Reply WendyinKent 3 months ago
Hi I became a first-time mum two months before my 41st birthday and she arrived at 36 weeks on the day I was due to finish work! But am a young-at-heart mum! Find the lack of sleep the hardest thing! But loving motherhood! My little girl is now 14 months old and I'm hoping/trying for another but worry that, as I will be 42 later this month (june) that I may be getting too old for a second baby! Any other in their 40s mums?
girlsnboys
Reply girlsnboys 3 months ago
hi, im not a first time mum iv two families, a daughter of 20 ason of 18 then a big age gap now im a mum again to a 4yr old and 19 mnth old and they say life begins at 40[which i am in sept]. anyway i would still like to join this group because so much has changed it would be nice to speak to mums my age. i can tell you that im just as tired as the first time round and im just as skint lol
hollysmama
Reply hollysmama 10 months ago
Hi there,i agree with the longer daytime naps,i know it sounds like your defeating the perpose by letting him sleep during the day but your baby can actually become too tired for sleep so neads long daytime sleep .Also a totally different daytime and bedtime routine is neaded,my three kids ALWAYS slept in their prams during the day untill they were too big,then at night time the differnt cot surroundings helped them understand that this was the biggy sleep! Try putting the top you wore that day under your baby so he can smell you(honestly it works!) and try wrapping him tight so he feels secure. Holly always slept well untill we went on holiday when she was 5 months and completely wrecked her routine,in the end we had to do the controlled crying technique which only took 3 days to work and shes slept 12 hours ever since. If you nead advice on this send me an email and i can explain it to you,hope some of that helps,good luck!
RACHAEL1970
Reply RACHAEL1970 10 months ago
Hi,Hope I don't repeat any advice you've already had.It took months for my son to sleep in his cot too and he used to sleep on my chest for weeks.I started to put him in his moses basket and then placed it in his cot. It may sound strange but it worked for me ,by 5 months I tranfered him to his cot with a few towels roled up around him and gradually took the towels away. I think the cot is to exposed for them sometimes and he may feel a bit more secure in a smaller surround.Have you got space in your babys room to put a single bed so you can still sleep near him but he will start to get used to his room.By six months you should be back in your own bed. During the day let him play in his cot too so he gets used to it. I know your breast feeding but you do give him a bottle of formula have you tried a hungery baby formula? Good Luck 'dit will improve.X
Good Luck it will get better soon.x
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