in February 2025 Babies 🇬🇧

Swcond night stretch

My two month old is a decent sleeper for the first stretch of the night. We don't have problems putting her down for the night and the first stretch is usually around 3-5 hours. But the second stretch is rubbish. Last night we put her down at 10pm and she woke up at 4:30am. I gave her 3oz (offered 5oz) she fell back asleep, and I held her upright for half an hour while she slept (reflux). Then I transfered her back to the bedside crib. After about half an hour she is restless and kicking her legs up, then she usually is awake again by 6am. Ideally, wake up time would be 7/8am. When I let her rest on me, she immediately falls back to sleep, but in the bedside crib for the second stretch she just tosses and turns, then wakes in an hour or so. It's so tiring and I find myself getting annoyed with her when I know she can't help it. Just wondered if there is anything I can do to help her get another good sleep stretch in, instead of all the tossing and turning, dummy offerings and patting. It goes one for like 3 hour and in the end it's time for the next feed and that's us up for the day but I am physically exhausted and struggle to stay alert 😭

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I think from about 4-7 they’re sleeping is naturally a lot lighter and they will wake up easier (ours is lighter too so we can’t sleep through their antics). The leg kicking is apparently self soothing thing for them and could also be linked to trapped wind as they’ve obviously been very still for a decent while so the gas hasn’t passed through them as easily. My girl was doing the same and she was just in active sleep or unsettled and it felt like it was impossible to get back to sleep for both of us (whilst my husband snored haha). We basically just took it in turns to hold her. If it’s an option for you co sleeping could help? She’s just over 10 weeks now and is going from 11/12 to 5-7 without waking, so fingers crossed that’s just round for the corner for you too! 🤞🏻

@Jessica thanks for your reply. My little girl is 10.5 weeks just now. We have had lots of issues with reflux/colic etc so I know that doesn't help. My fiance is completely against co sleeping ao we've never attempted this. She is an avid contact napper during the day where she will only sleep on my chest, but luckily will go down in the crib for her night sleep. If she could extend the night sleep till 6ish I'd have much more energy to go on less sleep from then haha she's just a little unpredictable with her last feed as it can be anywhere between 10pm and midnight 😅 x

She sounds so similar to my little girl! She’s also a contact napper during the day. It’s honestly a miracle if I can successfully put her down to sleep during the day at all. She’s also refluxy (although after some feeds she’s perfectly fine? No idea 🤷🏻‍♀️) Her night time feeds can vary hugely, she went 8 hours between feeds one night when the week before that she had woken a couple of times a night to feed. It’s hard when there doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason and patterns seem to disappear overnight!

Why not try putting her down earlier? That way she should wake earlier for her feed and then you’ll get more time before her second wake up? Eg if you put her down at 9, she may wake at 3:30 instead of 4:30 My Lb wakes naturally 5:30-6 and I bring him into bed with me for an hour as I’m the same I’d rather him wake at 7. Unfortunately for me no matter what time he is put down or wakes he always wakes up for 5:30/6 it’s just his time x

My boy is exactly the same! I’ll usually get a 3.5 hour first stretch and after that, he’ll either wake as soon as I put him back in his cot or sleep for another 30-45 mins then we’re up. As a girl who loves her sleep, I’m struggling 🤣

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