CIO at 11.5 months

kellyrn9956

CIO has NEVER worked for my son. However, the last time we tried, he was six months old. We did the Ferber method at that timeSo I'm ready to try again. Last night went on for an hour. Nothing. He SCREAMED to the point of almost vomiting. I checked on him at 2 minutes the first time, 4 the next, 6 the next, and so on up to 10 minutes. I stayed with him for a minute at each check, and did not pick him up. I think I followed the method. So I'm not sure what to do here. Any suggestions? 

BigPoppa22

On a first night it may very well take more than an hour, however, your efforts could be undermined if there is some other reason for the crying, like molars coming in, etc.

Shoecrazysarah

I agree with PP. Before doing CIO I think it is wise to see Pediatrician and get a clean bill of health. With whatever method you choose consistency is the key.

If you let him CIO for an hour, but then resort to your old method your LO just crIed for an hour for no reason.

Why are you doing CIO? What about trying the PU/PD method?

Bizzy80

We did Ferber when DD was 7 months old and it worked pretty well.  The first few nights were the hardest though and the first night she ended up crying for an hour before finally settling and going to bed.  You have to be very consistent. Did you son start to settle at all in that hour of crying or was it constant screaming?  Did he get more worked up when you would go in and do checks? If so then maybe extinction method would be better for you. What did you do at the end of the hour? Did you end up going to get him? If so it will make it that much harder next time you try because he knows that if he cries for an hour then you will get him anyway.  

aibrean

We tried CIO around 4/5 months and it didn't work. She started hyperventilating. We re-introduced a few weeks ago and it was about 20 minutes the first day, 15 the next, then 10, 5 and now if she cries it's literally one whimper and that's it. We cuddle her first before transferring her to her crib so she still has mommy/daddy snuggle time, but she is definitely awake when she gets put down. 

cassied7

Ferber didnt work for us because every time we went in he got even more upset. So we did CIO to extinction and he has slept through the night ever since. The key is to be consistent. Now, when he sees his bottle we knows it's bedtime. I always put him down awake. I have noticed for naps especially, that if he falls asleep before I put him in his crib he will wake up soon after very unhappy. But if he is awake, he will play for a few minutes and put himself to sleep and stays asleep. Sometimes he plays for a good half hour, but he never cries anymore and falls asleep when he is ready. I've creepily watched him through the crack in the door a few times and it's fascinating.