6 month old stopped self-soothing entirely?
Ever since she started teething a month ago things have been rough.
I never formally sleep trained her as I never needed to. She used to be able to settle herself in the crib just fine. Now she can’t seem to wind down. Ever. She will roll over onto all fours, thrashing and screaming on her stomach and getting herself into the most uncomfortable positions. This happens every time she stirs as well, which obviously escalates into a full blown wake up.
Sometimes I resort to the carrier/car or letting her sleep on the boob but honestly even these methods aren’t guaranteed.
She’s definitely teething (biting down on her teethers seems to make her cry even harder?), painkillers can help but not always.
How do I help her calm down? I feel so bad for my baby she’s clearly struggling but I don’t know how to help her! My biggest concern is how she gets onto all fours and starts going crazy and working herself up. I don’t know how to help her deescalate from this.
Note please don’t suggest any CIO methods that’s a hard no for me.
Extra info:
Aiming for at least 3h of naps through the day with 3-4h ww and one night wake where she feeds.
In reality we get maybe 2h of naps with 4-6h ww. multiple wakes through the night. Sometimes she wants to start her day as early as 3am. Getting her to fall asleep or go back to sleep can take 3+ hours.
The more she naps in the day the better she sleeps at night and the happier she seems.
Her bedtime routine is dinner (solids), a bath or wipe down, change into PJs, a breastfeeding snack, burping, cuddles & lullabies, into the crib.
Posted Dec 5, 2025, 3:28 PM UTC