November 2012 Moms
gnomemom
member
Sleep training progress AW
gnomemom
member
So we decided to start Ferberizing after weeks of LO sleeping worse and worse. He went from being a very good sleeper to waking up multiple times an hour, and I was going crazy.
Night one: I played him down and he started crying right away. Went to soothe him at 3, 5, and 10 minutes. Before another 10 minutes could pass, he was asleep. He woke once in the night and I fed him and laid him back down, and he went back to sleep and slept the rest of the night.
Last night: I laid him in his crib and he went straight to sleep. He woke up about 2 hours later. I went in after 5 minutes and he fell asleep 2 minutes after that. Then he STTN.
I really didn't think I could let him CIO at all, but I think overall there has actually been less crying than usual. I certainly think he is happier being able to wake up and put himself to sleep than he was when he needed to be rocked and shushed each time.
Sorry for the AW post. I know some of yoy may be considering trying something like this, and the difference that I can see after just two nights is amazing.
Night one: I played him down and he started crying right away. Went to soothe him at 3, 5, and 10 minutes. Before another 10 minutes could pass, he was asleep. He woke once in the night and I fed him and laid him back down, and he went back to sleep and slept the rest of the night.
Last night: I laid him in his crib and he went straight to sleep. He woke up about 2 hours later. I went in after 5 minutes and he fell asleep 2 minutes after that. Then he STTN.
I really didn't think I could let him CIO at all, but I think overall there has actually been less crying than usual. I certainly think he is happier being able to wake up and put himself to sleep than he was when he needed to be rocked and shushed each time.
Sorry for the AW post. I know some of yoy may be considering trying something like this, and the difference that I can see after just two nights is amazing.
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Re: Sleep training progress AW
I don't know how naptimes will work. I am not home with DS during the day, but DH is. He usually puts him down in the swing or wears him. His schedule was thrown off a bit the last couple of days with grandparents visiting him.
The book still recommends going in and soothing at different intervals, but not for more than 30 minutes, I think.
Can I join in the AW train? I finalllly convinved DH that CIO was ok to at least try for longer than 5 min.
When we were going in every 5. F would just eventually fall asleep while we were in the room with him telling him it's ok.
Last night he cried himiself to sleep twice! After like 8 min. both times.
So, he went down immediately when I put him down at 7.
He woke up screaming hungry at 11, I feed him, and he CIO'd for 5 min, I went in, then he CIO'd for 8 min and passed out.
Woke up at 2, CIO'd for 5min, I went in, then he CIO'd for about 8 min again and passed out.
Woke up at 430 hungry, I fed him, and he went right back down and slept until 630.
BONUS: He went pretty much paci free last night, too because he spit it out during all his CIO episodes. And it was out every time I went in to feed him.
ETA: line breaks!
"A new baby is like the beginning of all things--wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities."
WRT Naps:
So, we'll see if this is a fluke, but the last two days, which coincides with us beginning CIO (althought not really bc DH refused to let him go longer than 5 min.) F has refused his third nap.
Last night he was up for 4 and a half hours before going to sleep. Which I feel like is waaay too long.
So, if this keeps up we'll prob. move his second nap to more of a mid-afternoon time frame.
"A new baby is like the beginning of all things--wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities."
I think I'm in the minority among sleep trainers, but I've only trained naps, not at night. You asked about naps. We did this:
- His first nap of the day is the easiest for him to fall asleep, so we started training just for that nap. Put him down awake after a simple routine (sleep sack on, lights off, one song while cuddling), and let him fuss for as long as it took to go to sleep, or until he started really crying. The results for that nap were amazing. After 3 days of never crying more than 10 minutes, he'd go down for that nap without crying at all.
- Then we tackled his second nap of the day. Did the same thing. After 2 weeks of letting him fuss, he still fusses for at least 5 minutes for that nap, but nothing traumatic.
- If we give him a third nap, we still have to assist him to fall asleep for that one. We let him fuss/cry for 10-15 min, then go in and sing softly to him and sometimes rock the crib. We try to leave the room before he falls asleep, so that he's technically doing it himself.
I didn't want to do sleep training, but we needed to bounce/walk/rock a fussing baby to sleep for every nap, for at least 20-30 min, 3-4 times a day. It was unsustainable. Now, he gets to sleep with MUCH less crying than before, ironically.
And finally, since nap training, his nap times have at least DOUBLED. He was napping 40 minutes like clockwork, and now he gets at least 1.5hours per nap. Maybe he would have done this anyway as he got older, but I don't think it's a coincidence.
I like Ferber, but the going in-and-out of the room at intervals just made him mad/confused. He seems to do much better if we just leave him alone, and only go in if he starts really getting worked up. I'm now a big cheerleader for nap training, as you can tell