@SDaniels19 it's my understanding that it's common/normal for it to take longer at first depending on how long they've previously slept so those early morning wake ups can be harder to settle themselves down/put themselves back to sleep because they've already had a chunk of sleep so aren't as tired as they are initially!
@SDaniels19 I think it depends. Did Your LO wake up multiple times previously? Mine only woke up once before and once during sleep training. But others I know it woke up more. It takes time for them to adjust, 3-8 minutes is good! My girl took 1.5 hours the first two nights when she woke up
@kaym6 that makes sense! @cali1710 yes, he would wake sometimes as much as 4-6 times. Which is why we're sleep training in the first place, so I figured it probably makes sense that he will continue to wake at first.
So at 2:30 he cried for 50 minutes before falling asleep but then woke up 15 min later. Since he has normally been eating around 3-4 am, I went ahead and fed him when he woke again that time since it was about 3:45. He babbled in his crib a little after that but went to sleep and is still sleeping now (7:30 am). However, I kind of feel like I un-did all the work of making him CIO since the next time he cried I picked him up and fed him, but I'm not ready to drop that MOTN feed yet so not sure what to do?? Pediatrician says he doesn't need it, but I'm just not comfortable dropping it yet
@SDaniels19 of course you do what you feel comfortable with! I'm not an expert on sleep training at all. I just know what we did. We stopped feeding her in the night during sleep training. We knew she was eating out of habit rather then hunger. From what I understand (Again no idea if I'm right, no expert at all) we are not supposed to pick them up if they cry or they will expect it. BUT at the same time if you feel hes hungry/poopy or whatever, you do what you think is right and you're comfortable with.
I guess I will see if we notice improvement in the next few days doing it this way, and if so I'll keep the feeding. If it doesn't work then I'll have to consider of that's part of it and decide if we want to drop. Thanks for the help and for listening! As you all know, it's so hard to sit there and hear them cry
I guess I will see if we notice improvement in the next few days doing it this way, and if so I'll keep the feeding. If it doesn't work then I'll have to consider of that's part of it and decide if we want to drop. Thanks for the help and for listening! As you all know, it's so hard to sit there and hear them cry
So hard!! Did you consider dream feeding? I never did it, but a lot of people say it works. Feed him before you go to bed or before he usually wakes for food? May be worth a try too!
Thanks guys! Night one was great, but he had six month shots that morning so it doesnt really count (the only time he's STTN previously was after 4 month shots). Tonight was OK early on- his first few wake ups he took about 3-8 minutes to get himself back to sleep but it has gotten progressively harder as the night goes on- anyone else have this experience? It's 2:30 am and we're going on 13 minutes which feels like an eternity but I'm trying to hang in there since I know you guys have had success! I am wondering though, that first night did your LO sleep for a long time after soothing to sleep or wake up every few hours still?
Yes. Our first few nights were tough with frequent wake ups. Babies need time to learn the new rules and then figure out that it's not worth waking up for. I think you should keep at it for at least a week to see how it goes.
I do a dream feed around 10:30 and then her next feed is whenever she wakes after 4:30 am. She usually wakes for the day around 6:30 and her subsequent feed is after I wake up at 7:45. She still sometimes wakes up before the 4:30 feed but she will only cry a few minutes and then puts herself back to sleep.
@l4rk that's very helpful, thank you! We will hang in there and try to stay consistent to really give it a fair chance to work for him.
@cali1710 I've never done a dream feed out of fear of waking him up and not being able to get him back to sleep but now that we're sleep training anyway that might be worth a shot. If he starts sleeping through the first part of the night (last night he already woke up crying at 9) we may consider it, thanks!
@SDaniels19 we started sleep training two nights ago. My little guy was waking anywhere between 2-5 times a night and would get fees 2-3 of the times. I have trouble getting him to eat enough during the day because he's so distracted and too busy playing to eat. I'm planning to keep 2 feeds for now and wean him down to one in a couple of weeks. If he gets really worked up, I'll pick him up too because I don't want him getting so upset he can't calm himself!
LO just cried for 30 minutes with checks for his last nap. I feel like 5:00 is too late for a nap if I want him to go to sleep for the night at his usual time. Do you just give up on the nap at a certain point, or will that mess everything up?
@mestokes yes, I think sometimes you have to give up on the last na and do earlier bedtime. Sometimes my LO will nap as lathe as 5:45 - 6 or 6:15 and he's still sleepy for normal bed time around 8 since it's just a short nap. Of course we're in the same boat of sleep training, so we may not have the best of sleep habits but the late nap doesn't seem to make anything worse at least
Bedtime is at 7, so if shes not taking her last nap by 5:30 I usually give up and do an early bed (6 or 6:30). However, LO took an unusually long nap yesterday from 4:30 to 6 and was still sleepy by her bedtime.
Well we are on night 5 of sleep training... The past two nights he didn't cry at all when I put him down after bedtime routine, however tonight he's been crying for 15 minutes so far so I feel like we're going backwards. He still wakes 2-3 times between about 12:30 and 3 but will put himself back to sleep within 5-10 minutes. After I feed him around 3 or 3:30 he has gone back to sleep until sometime between 7 to 8:45 with minimal or no crying when I put him down. I've been telling myself to give it a week but at what point do you think we should say it's not working? The only other thing I can think to do if this isn't working is to night wean.. any other suggestions you guys can think of? I know I need to stay consistent with our current method for at least a week but having a back up plan in my head just in case we need it helps my sanity. TIA!
@SDaniels19 Night 6 for us and having the same issues no crying at bedtime last night but cried for 30 minutes tonight. Just woke up after sleeping for 4 hours and has been fussing off and on for 30 minutes. The last 2 nights, he hasn't woken up for at least 6 hours to start. Ugh I just feel like throwing in the towel. I'm starting to feel like I'm never going to sleep again.
@mestokes I know, it's so frustrating I just keep telling myself that like anything it takes time to learn so while some ppl see improvement each day, I think for others it may be a more gradual process? Hang in there! DH and I take shifts so that way we each get a half night of sleep at least
Those that have already sleep trained what do you do when your baby wakes from teething? He's previously been STTN but so far tonight has been up SCREAMING twice already, it's soooo sad. My husband just went out to get infant Tylenol which we haven't needed yet (we're out of town at my parents and he's been sleep fine here previously). I'm fine with the wake ups but just don't want to create bad habits, he's inconsolable unless I'm rocking him though!
@SDaniels19@mestokes hang in there both of you! It can take time. Id say that if you are seeing improvements then it is working. On night 5 mine cried after not crying to sleep for 3 nights, then it went away again. Its a learning process for them, don't worry . If there was no improvement at all Id say give it a few more days and see, if not then maybe find a new method but because you do see improvements Id say keep up the good work! Could they be teething? Good luck!
@kaym6 we havent started teething yet (well shes teething but not at the painful stages yet). I have heard stuff like colds and teething can set back the sleep training process and sometimes need to sleep train a bit after. I don't know, I'm a ftm and no expert but I'd just do what you need to do to make your LO comfortable. Hold him, rock him. Good luck!!
@cali1710 I have heard the same! There was no way I could have just left him crying last night it was more like screaming even when I picked him up until he fell asleep. Poor little man he hates his new teeth lol he has four!
@cali1710 I have heard the same! There was no way I could have just left him crying last night it was more like screaming even when I picked him up until he fell asleep. Poor little man he hates his new teeth lol he has four!
Poor guy!! I hope it passes quickly! We still have no teeth over here
@kaym6 aw poor guy! I hope he feels better soon. No teeth for us yet. I think pain is a different story with sleep training, I'd definitely hold my LO too!!
Thanks everybody. I'm feeling better today and planning to stick with the sleep training. It's so easy to feel defeated and frustrated when they are crying in the middle of the night. Hopefully tonight will be better!
We're having teething setbacks here too. Even with the Tylenol, sometimes he wakes up screaming and the only thing that seems to console him is nursing. Hopefully this tooth comes in soon.
@nackie are you automatically giving the Tylenol before bed or waiting until he wakes? And after you give it are you giving it once it's been 4 hours or waiting for him to wake again? I don't want him to be in pain but I also don't want to be giving him tons of Tylenol either lol
@kaym6 I also did Tylenol for my LO when she was teething. I did it automatically before bed and if she woke up I gave it to her again. During the day, I gave it as needed. If she was terrible, I gave it to her every 4 hours on the nose lol. But if she was ok, I only have it before bed. She has 2 bottom teeth! Good luck!
@kaym6 we give the Tylenol before bed, but it's pretty clear he's uncomfortable. We usually give him another dose when he wakes up if it's been at least 5 hours. We don't use it during the day through, he just uses teething toys or mommy's fingers to deal.
@nackie@JanuarysBaby1 thanks so much! Good to know what other people are doing. I've been so hesitant to give it but seems like it's going to be crucial at night when teething gets bad because he's in so much pain!
We had one terrible night up every hour screaming every time he would fall asleep i am 99% positive was teething related followed by 2 really good nights! We just got back from visiting family a few days ago so still trying to get back on track with naps! Had one really horrible day and today was better. First two naps in the crib no problem (first time ever) and we were out for the third so he snoozed in the car! How's everything going for you??
Question for you ladies... our son will go to sleep OK at night usually after a few minutes of crying. Our problem is middle of the night wakings. He was getting better but now is usually up twice a night. He cries and I try to let him settle himself but instead he only gets himself more worked up. When I walk into the room he immediately starts screaming hysterically. What are you all doing about this? Just let him cry longer? The problem is that he rarely settles himself and me going into the room sends him into a tailspin that almost has to end with me nursing him. He does still eat at night although the doctor said at 4 months that he no longer needs the nutrition at night.
@katiedid0907 does he stop crying when you come in the room? I realized when my little guy is crying just because he wants me in there he will stop crying when I go in and scream even louder when I walk out!
@katiedid0907 4 months old? Most likely the 4 month sleep regression! Hang on tight its a bumpy ride. Lots of wake ups. They go through a lot diring it so they want comforting. Its a Huge brain development and I think they get confused and upset and just want snuggles. Give it to him I say. As for the not needing to eat at night, I'd have to disagree. It wasnt until 6 months mine didnt need food. If hes hungry I would feed him. 4 months seems young to not feed at night.
@kaym6 hopefully things will be back to normal for you soon! Weve been good though the last few nghts she woke up. Wednesday night she was crying for two hours, no idea why. Last night she woke up for maybe ten min but put herself back down.
@cali1710 it's definitely better but not as good as I had hoped. We are still struggling to get naps to last longer than 45 minutes. The third nap is always a struggle and if he misses it, he's an overtired mess for bedtime. He's been going down really well at night with minimal crying but still waking up twice. I give him time to settle but eventually cave and feed him
@mestokes she sometimes cries. Definitely whines until shes asleep. How long do you keep him up between naps? Have you tried keeping him up a bit longer or shorter? I found she slept a bit longer after I lengthened the amount of time between naps. Now we go about 2.5 hours. 3 hours before bed.
@cali1710 He usually stays up about 2 hours between naps and 3 hours before bed. I can try to lengthen awake time and see if that helps! Now that your LO is staying awake longer and taking longer naps, have you been able to transition to 2 naps yet?
@cali1710 He usually stays up about 2 hours between naps and 3 hours before bed. I can try to lengthen awake time and see if that helps! Now that your LO is staying awake longer and taking longer naps, have you been able to transition to 2 naps yet?
Usually yes! Just started about a week ago. If her first nap is randomly short then she usually gets a small catnap around 4 but for the most part shes at 2 naps. Our mornings are usually shot because she gets up at 7 (give or take) and usually goes for a nap around 930 (10 if it takes her a while to fall asleep) then shes usually sleep until 1130/12. But then we can go out after that until about 230. Its nice we can schedule stuff around naps now but that first nap i don't like to mess up because its always the longest.
@katiedid0907, my LO falls asleep on his own consistently for naps and bedtimes and also wakes once or twice/night to nurse. I tried letting him fall back to sleep without nursing a few times when it seemed excessive, but he just cried forEVER. I gave it an hour and a half one time and he never settled. So I just nurse him. He's often distracted during the day while nursing so it doesn't surprise me that he might actually need to eat. Lately he's been down to one (or on rare occasion, no) wakeups, and not because I trained him into it. Everything I read about it said that if your baby is capable of putting him/herself to sleep, you're on the right track and night wakeups will diminish as the baby matures. Good luck!
@cali1710 I can't wait to be on a 2 nap schedule! Today is the first day since I don't know when that LO has taken 2 naps longer than 45 minutes! Baby steps
@cali1710 I can't wait to be on a 2 nap schedule! Today is the first day since I don't know when that LO has taken 2 naps longer than 45 minutes! Baby steps
Re: CIO Questions
@cali1710 yes, he would wake sometimes as much as 4-6 times. Which is why we're sleep training in the first place, so I figured it probably makes sense that he will continue to wake at first.
So at 2:30 he cried for 50 minutes before falling asleep but then woke up 15 min later. Since he has normally been eating around 3-4 am, I went ahead and fed him when he woke again that time since it was about 3:45. He babbled in his crib a little after that but went to sleep and is still sleeping now (7:30 am). However, I kind of feel like I un-did all the work of making him CIO since the next time he cried I picked him up and fed him, but I'm not ready to drop that MOTN feed yet so not sure what to do?? Pediatrician says he doesn't need it, but I'm just not comfortable dropping it yet
I do a dream feed around 10:30 and then her next feed is whenever she wakes after 4:30 am. She usually wakes for the day around 6:30 and her subsequent feed is after I wake up at 7:45. She still sometimes wakes up before the 4:30 feed but she will only cry a few minutes and then puts herself back to sleep.
@cali1710 I've never done a dream feed out of fear of waking him up and not being able to get him back to sleep but now that we're sleep training anyway that might be worth a shot. If he starts sleeping through the first part of the night (last night he already woke up crying at 9) we may consider it, thanks!
@kaym6 we havent started teething yet (well shes teething but not at the painful stages yet). I have heard stuff like colds and teething can set back the sleep training process and sometimes need to sleep train a bit after. I don't know, I'm a ftm and no expert but I'd just do what you need to do to make your LO comfortable. Hold him, rock him. Good luck!!
@kaym6 hopefully things will be back to normal for you soon! Weve been good though the last few nghts she woke up. Wednesday night she was crying for two hours, no idea why. Last night she woke up for maybe ten min but put herself back down.
Do your LOs still cry for naps sometimes?