Right from birth Jamie hasn't really slept but we trained him to a point where he'd go 2 hours at a time and sometimes even 4. However for the last week or so his not been going longer than an hour and sometimes only 30 mins. He doesn't want feeding (although did last night but guessing thats another growth spurt) and will sometimes settle himself down but other times will just scream. On top of that his been really grotty and has spent the last couple of hours just screaming although he has now fallen asleep on me.

I'm really not sure i'm coping very well and i've no idea what to do. I can deal with Jamie and spend the day walking, singing, playing etc to try and keep him happy. However i'm starting to feel like i'm doing something wrong. Its really getting oh down as his tired and i'm the only person Jamie settles on when his really bad although thats partly because oh gets stressed after about a min. Just wondered if anyone else had been through this and had any ideas

aww hun. ((hugs)0 i know it can be hard, deffo hard when it comes to not being able to sleep and lack of sleep. does he aybe have colic or any thing? a upset tummy? what do you do when he wakes up/. x

His biting and dribbling so may be a tooth. Depends. Sometimes he'll settle himself back down. Other times I hold his hand or rub his tummy. If that doesn't work i'll give him my finger to suck (he refuses a dummy). If all else fails and I know he isn't hungry I put him in bed with us

oh liberty, i didnt want to read and run but i dont have much useful advice at all i am afraid.

is it a specific time it happens, is it possible he might be refluxy/colic/windy i know you have probs tried all this but have you tried infacol/dentinox/gripe water?

does his positioning help him settle better? is he like it all day

Sorry loads of questions but just trying to see if i can help, for the first 13 weeks of ediths life all she did was scream apart from at night because she had a cough we had propped her mattress up meaning she settled better, but around that time she also developed her own bedtime, she would start screaming (again) anything between 5.30-7pm it turned out she just wanted to go to bed.

Hope some of that may help, will come back and see if i can help more

Tbh I could cope with the lack of sleep if he wasn't screaming as his normally so content. He used to struggle with wind and I don't think its that. There's no logic to when he screams. He doesn't have a temp and there's no indication his ill. He'll been fine one min and then screaming the next. He does get overtired, always has. It can easily take an hour or more to get him to sleep as he fights it and even the car and pram don't always work. I suppose its possible his got himself really tired now and thats why his grotty. Good to know i'm not the only one thats had it though

In that case hun, try him with a little calpol. if it is his teeth it should calm him down, if it doesnt then i would think it wasnt teething and maybe overtired.

Thats the only time Edith cries now is when she is tired, and she can SERIOUSLY Temper like a toddler

aw, i would love to say i remember this well, but i will actually say - i am very familiar with this. there are a lot of things you can try though:

-propping the cot up on one end so it is tilted
-putting a folded up sheet in an arch above his head (under the cot sheet) to help him feel secure
-introducing a teddy or blankie
-trying again with the dummy
-pick up put down technique (tracy hogg)
-controlled crying (gina ford)
-introducing a really consistent routine (elizabeth pantley)
-doing anything you can do get him to nap - even if that means holding him - so he isn't overtired at night
-getting a light show or mobile for his bed
-letting him sleep in your bed/co-sleeping
-putting more/less clothes/covers on him
-calpol/baby ibuprofen
-baby gaviscon
-cold wet flannel to chew on
-various kinds of teethers
-keeping the light on dimly/or making sure it is very dark
-keeping the radio on quietly in the background...

the list is endless and im sure i have missed lots, i am not great on advice as my baby still has to be sneaked into bed and i am gradually going completely insane, however we have tried a lot of things that you still have time to do!

Thanks. Have tried some of those things but will give others a go. Mum says I never slept so this could just be karma. She did say I would just lay quietly in my cot though

i really feel your pain - and i definitely wish we had been tougher before elijah was big enough to *really* complain, we did start the tracy hogg pick up put down and tried it for quite a long time but it became a nightmare; i would really recommend 'the no cry sleep solution' by elizabeth pantley, although lots of ladies swear by controlled crying too so that is either side of the coin!

(it's also possible he really is just teething or it's a phase - try the calpol/teething gel and if it calms him it's more than likely that)

if he's teetching, his gums might be hard and warm to touch, try a ice cube rubbed on your finger, then rub it on his gums.

cold use to work a treat with rich, i used to have cold cucumber in the fridge but jamie is a bit young for that at moment.

If it is overtiredness, Have you tried the EASY method? It really helped Sophia to nap better in the day, and coz she had napped better in the day she was not overtired at ngiht so slept better then.

apologies if alraeady know this, but basically it goes Eat, Activity, Sleep, You time. So as soon as he wakes, feed him, then let him play, chillout etc, then after 90 minutes, attempt to put him down for a nap. Give it a while to try. If he doesnt take to it, then wait another 90 minutes and try again. Basically, every 90 minutes put him down to sleep.

Once he gets used to it, he will sleep better when asleep coz he is never overtired and it helps you to recognise sleep signals (like touching an ear, sucking a thumb, pulling hair etc etc). As he gets used to it, you'll learn his signals and so you will notice the wake time will get bigger. Which is brill because he will start then to recognise a difference between night and day.

So long ago cant completely remember but this did help a lot.

Mandy xx