Sleep Training... It can't be this easy can it?

huzzahuzza

We decided last night to sleep train J.  He used to be able to fall asleep on his own but the last couple weeks have been a nightmare.  He wouldn't be put down until he was asleep and then would wake up 3+ times a night and sometimes for hours at a time! Then when the Pedi at his 1 year apt could tell that he was being fed at night because of his height/weight ratio, we knew that it had to happen.  

Last night he cried for 45 minutes at bedtime.  We had originally agreed that we wouldn't feed him until 3:00 but when he woke up at 2:00 I could hear his tummy growling so we fed him, he cried for 5 min when I put him back down, and then went to sleep until 6:00 which is when he has to get up to get ready for the day anyway! 

Tonight he fell asleep after 15 minutes of crying... 

I'm feeling very pessimestic right now that this will work... Tell me your sleep training stories again please! (I did a search but it's not coming up!!!)

Kashy

When we did this DS cried for 27 mins the first night, then 16, then 5 and then on the fourth night he sort of whimpered for a few seconds then was asleep.  This was back in Feb and now I can lay him down while sleepy but awake and he will just roll himself over and go to sleep. 
I too was thinking it was to good to be true but he has slept through the night since.  He only wakes up at about 4:30-5, I will then nurse him and then he is back in bed 10 mins later and will sometimes sleep for another two hours. 

bumpuser3155624

Good job @huzzahuzza! We were goig to start last week but then DH caved at the last minute. He's going out of town this week so putting it off again till he is back.

I'll be able to put my 2 cents in next week.

smg2302

We did it, about an hour the first night, around 20 minutes the second night, 10 the third, and now she sleeps no problem.  Even if she is awake, she just talks to herself and doesn't cry.

Boo0512

I hope it works well for you. The first time we sleep trained she cried 30 mins night one, 15 mins night 2 and then I think it was an hour night 3. The fourth night went a lot better if I'm remembering correctly. She STTN for 2 weeks and then got sick and we had to start over. She had about the same pattern as the first time I think. However, then she started waking up 1-2 times per night. We've sleep trained 2 more times (due to illness and teething) and each time it was hard and then less effective with reducing MOTN wake ups. She has been waking up 4-5 times every single night for the last 3 months. From what I've heard though, our situation is not the norm. Apparently most babies don't usually cry as much the 2nd time around and fall back into their old pattern. ETA: mobile ate my paragraphs.

kelseyhh

We also had a really easy experience the 1st time. He hardly cried, and by the third night he had become a proficient self-soother. We had months of good sleep.

However, like @Boo0512‌, we had a major set back a little over a month ago. I don't know if he wasn't feeling well, or teething, or what, but he started waking every hour all night screaming. We often couldn't get him to go back to sleep, and I would give up and take him downstairs to play for 2+ hours. After a couple weeks if no sleep, I decided enough was enough. Retraining him was so much harder since he could now stand up in the crib and scream for hours. It broke my heart watching him walk around his crib crying for me. I give up and got him every night. Instead, I just waited an extra few minutes to get him at every wake up and in about a week he stopped. That was a really rough month, and I hope I never have to do that again!

huzzahuzza

So last night he did great and slept until 4:00.  We fed him, I put him in his crib and then there was almost a full hour of off and on crying!!! Poor bug!!! But it's only night two and the Pedi said that the first three nights were the worst... I can see gains!  :-S

@boo0518 and @kelseyh  those regressions are what made us start this in the first place.  He was able to fall asleep on his own and he was down to one wake up a night but then something about Easter made his sleep habits go down the crapper! I figured we might as well give it a shot because I didn't officially sleep train before.  However, genetics scare the crap out of me on this one because we've got some terrible sleepers in my family! 

huzzahuzza

Okay, I have a question now... we're on day 4 and last night he cried for 40 minutes and then tonight cried for 15.  Did all of you find a time when your LO went into the crib without crying? 

Also, how did you deal with MOTN wake ups? We had kinda decided that we would deal with the going down at bedtime first and then deal with MOTN but now I'm starting to wonder...

smg2302

How are you sleep training?  We used the interval version, check after 5 min, then 10, then 15.  According to that version, if they wake up, you start the intervals over.  We also found that putting her to bed earlier was better because she wasn't over tired.  Now she does to bed around 7-7:30.

huzzahuzza

smg2302 said:

How are you sleep training?  We used the interval version, check after 5 min, then 10, then 15.  According to that version, if they wake up, you start the intervals over.  We also found that putting her to bed earlier was better because she wasn't over tired.  Now she does to bed around 7-7:30.

We're having to do straight up CIO . J gets more hysterical if we go in.  But there's no way in heck I'm letting him CIO in the middle of the night! 

He slept till 5:00 last night... maybe we're getting some where?!?!