Cry it out!!!! HELP

deebride1020

This is ridiculous my 15mo old son will not go to sleep on his own anymore now that I've removed his milk bottle in crib. Water will not work and "cry it out" was the worse recommendation I could of gotten from anyone. It will NOT work for MY son. Now that I've tried this "CIO" crap my son flipps out when put to bed in crib. It's like he has anxiety about us putting him to bed and I feel so bad. He never used to do this. Im so frustrated and at a complete loss as to what to do now and I have another baby due in less than 3mo.

aylafsu88

Did you cut out the milk bottle cold turkey?  If so that is probably causing him a lot of stress.  Maybe you should gradually reduce the milk bottle to gently wean him away from it.  So if you give him 5 oz reduce it to 4 oz for a couple of days, then 3 oz, then 2 oz, and finally 1 oz.  By the time you get to 1 oz he should be better adjusted and give it up more easily.  Maybe that would work better for him. 

aeh72

A couple, maybe obvious (that you've already tried) suggestions.  Are you still giving him a bottle right before bedtime, just not in the crib? If not, maybe try that in case he's truly hungry and then slowly wean off that last bottle.  And, how about a pacifier when you put him in his crib? and/or a lovely blanket/favorite stuffed animal/toy, if you're comfortable with that.

I don't know that I'm a proponent, per se, of CIO.  We never really had to implement it long term but DS did have some sleep regressions where we had to struggle through a few (maybe a week's worth of) rough nights.  How long did you try letting him cry it out?  Again, I'm not trying to push CIO but maybe you need to give it a bit more time?

MNgirl326

Have you tried- sitting in the room on the floor and not interacting with him?   and then every few days move your spot farther and farther from the crib and eventually out the door?

 

foreverapartofme

First I would try slowly weaning from the bottle.  If he normally drinks 6 oz before bed reduce it to 4 oz for a week and so on until he no longer needs a bottle.

My pedi suggested that I read Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems Second Edition... I swear by it!  Basically you re-create your child's sleep associations/routines.  It was rough the first few nights but by the end of the first week it was a total miracle!  After bath time, snuggling, bedtime prayers, and 3 stories she cannot wait to get into her crib. She is in bed every night latest at 7:30 and sleeps until at least 7 in the morning.  Best wishes!

shannm

I would read a couple of sleep books, take your pick, (I liked Ferber), and then make an educated decision and plan.  I think for any of the methods, consistency is the key.

deebride1020

aylafsu88 said:

Did you cut out the milk bottle cold turkey?  If so that is probably causing him a lot of stress.  Maybe you should gradually reduce the milk bottle to gently wean him away from it.  So if you give him 5 oz reduce it to 4 oz for a couple of days, then 3 oz, then 2 oz, and finally 1 oz.  By the time you get to 1 oz he should be better adjusted and give it up more easily.  Maybe that would work better for him. 

Yes did cold turkey and think this is what messed everythig up. I listened to the stupid pediatric dentist telling me to do cold turkey and it was bad idea.

aeh72

deebride1020 said:

Did you cut out the milk bottle cold turkey?  If so that is probably causing him a lot of stress.  Maybe you should gradually reduce the milk bottle to gently wean him away from it.  So if you give him 5 oz reduce it to 4 oz for a couple of days, then 3 oz, then 2 oz, and finally 1 oz.  By the time you get to 1 oz he should be better adjusted and give it up more easily.  Maybe that would work better for him. 

Yes did cold turkey and think this is what messed everythig up. I listened to the stupid pediatric dentist telling me to do cold turkey and it was bad idea.

I'm sure that's it, then!  So, unless the dentist had some specific dental/medical concern other than it's bad for babies teeth to get a bottle in bed and you need to stop right away, try giving him a bottle shortly before bedtime, brush his teeth and then have some cuddles before putting him in his crib.  While we never gave DS a bottle in the crib, we were giving him one right before putting him in the crib so we had to wean him from that process. It took about a week to two weeks (we started over a weekend in case he had a meltdown).  Now, he gets his last milk in a sippy cup about an hour before bed time, we do bath and teeth brushing, and then he has quiet/cuddle time with DH before we take him up to bed.  You can definitely get through this period.  Just give yourself and your DS a little time to make the adjustment.

kdjudd

The No Cry Sleep Solution book has worked wonders for us! I highly recommend it.