PSA for shitty sleepers (6-12mo): Your baby might be iron deficient
I'm not talking "wakes up every 3h". I'm talking "wakes up seemingly every hour or half hour for months even though I've tried everything and am already cosleeping". Because that was me. It was brutal, I'm not sure how I survived, but I was just so miserable. My doctor wouldn't really listen to me when I suggested low iron might be an issue (I was deficient in pregnancy, only discovered in third trimester), and just told me to sleep train.
Please please please do yourself a favour and try an iron supplement for baby. I am a well educated and science literate person who always does her research and asks many questions of health care providers, but somehow it had escaped my notice that the recommended iron for breastfed babies 6-12mo is far beyond what is possible from solids consumption. I tried giving my baby a piece of my own chewable supplement and literally that night his sleep was better (only 3-4 wakes). The following night he slept through the night (9-4 with some wakes after 4am)! He'd only ever sttn once before in his life. It's been a couple days now and sleep is overall much better. Still a couple wakes but much more manageable. (He also naps better and has more energy. )
Of course, you should consult a health care professional if you intend on supplementing baby for an extended period of time.
In case anyone cares to know, the supplement I'm on is a jamieson chewable with iron and b12 (amazon). Just tastes like candy. There's an amazon gummy I tried but did not like the taste of. I have not yet tried the baby-specific iron supplements.
Edit: My baby was ebf, started solids at 6mo but refused formula.