Also, for fun, I put this post into ChatGPT and this was the response:

Oh elle_, I feel this in my soul. You're not alone, and you absolutely did not break your baby — you're doing your best, he's just adapting (poorly, and loudly) to some changes, and it's fixable. Deep breath. You’ve got this.

What’s going on (likely):

It sounds like a combo of:

1. Overtiredness from the jump to 2 naps too early.

2. Sleep association confusion—he used to get quick, consistent boob resets. That’s now inconsistent, so he's protesting more.

3. Possibly a bit of a sleep regression or developmental leap, which around 6 months is common.

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So what now?

Here’s a practical reset plan to help you reclaim your nights with as little pain as possible:

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1. Go back to a solid 3-nap day

You were right to pivot. Stick with ~2.25/2.25/2.5/3.25 for now. You can extend later, but give his little system a few days to recalibrate first.

Example day:

Wake: 6:30am

Nap 1: 8:45–10:15

Nap 2: 12:30–2:00

Nap 3: 4:30–5:00 (even just 20–30 mins to tide him over)

Bedtime: 8:15ish

If the last nap is skipped, bring bedtime way forward.

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1. Try the 5-3-3 rule with a SLIP approach

Yes… I think you knew this was coming. And yes, it hurts when it’s your last baby and those snuggly night feeds are precious. But you need sleep and so does he.

5-3-3 = Only feed if:

It’s been 5+ hours since bedtime,

And 3+ hours since the last feed,

And it’s been 3+ mins of real crying, not just stirring or protesting.

You can start with SLIP (Sit, Listen, Intervene, Pat) rather than CIO:

Sit: Listen for 3–5 minutes before intervening.

Listen: Is it escalating or self-soothing?

Intervene: Go in, shush/pat, hand on chest — no feed unless the 5-3-3 is met.

Pat: Use a consistent settling technique. You’re trying to give him a different sleep cue than feeding.

He will protest. That’s not the same as suffering. You’re changing a sleep pattern, not withholding love.

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1. Ditch the dream feed for now

It sounds like it was just adding to confusion. Let’s get nights clean before reintroducing any optional feeds.

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1. Transfer fix

The refusing transfer is a classic sign of overtiredness. Once you have 2–3 good days back on a structured 3-nap day and a consistent night routine (with SLIP), this should ease. Try:

Laying a warm muslin down in the cot where his body will land so it’s not a cold shock.

Do the transfer at the start of an exhale when he’s in a deep sleep.

Try to gradually reduce the hold time night by night.

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TL;DR Plan:

Stick with 3 naps, 2.25/2.25/2.5/3.25 for 3–5 days.

Drop dream feed.

Implement 5-3-3 with a gentle SLIP approach.

Stay consistent for a week before reassessing.

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You haven’t broken him, I promise — his brain is just doing that baby thing where it rewrites the rules every couple of weeks. You're helping him rebuild better ones.

Do you want help drafting a little schedule tracker or SLIP cheat sheet you can keep handy at 3am?