Reluctant CIO - night 2

kkramer99

I posted yesterday about how 2 nights ago we were "forced" into CIO because DD would not calm down any other way, including co-sleeping. It took 10 min of her "working it out" and she slept all night.

 Last night was even better - still put her down w/ her usual nightly ritual of bath, story, etc - she slept for an hour and woke up crying - I checked on her, but it was clear that she was again going to demand my presence but was exhausted.

 I left the room and again told DH we would wait a max of 20 min before going back in.

5 minutes of mild crying...and she was out all night!

I am starting to feel less guilty because she actually cries LESS this way than she was when we were running right in to her - I think it's a factor of us overstimulating her. I also think that now she's over a year old, and more sophisticated, she has the capability to soothe herself.

MomToMaia*

Glad it's going well.  I know it's hard but it does work out.

kkramer99

Thanks - the sleep thing is so stressful - I think there's always concern about doing things "right" - like all of parenting,right?

Seriously, though - one thing the past year has taught me is to follow my instincts and follow DD's lead - I feel like she was telling me that she needed her own space to work things out.

So, it's working for now - hope it sticks!

MomToMaia*

I know what you mean!

LukeAndAmanda

Just a little mommy to mommy note...After you get it worked out, and it's going great (because it will), you WILL have setbacks. Illness, fever, a change in schedule...Just remember that it will go better. DD had tonsillitis last week, so we didn't have her CIO for bedtime. But it only took us two days get back into the swing. Just remember that even if you do have a setback, it doesn't mean she's just done with it all together.

kkramer99

Thanks - I'm prepared for that. Actually, one reason why we didn't even consider CIO until now was because we were going through one stressor after another: teething, houseguests, more teething, 3 week long cold, more houseguests, more teething. Also, I didn't entirely feel comfortable doing it when she was younger - just my own thing - A friend told me that I would know at bedtime when she was "messing" with me, and then it would probably be time to walk away - I never really felt like that until 2 nights ago. It's like, I KNOW she was tired and comfortable and didn't need anything. She just insisted that I HOLD her continuously. Not good for her or me. Sometimes, parenting is about making a hard choice - one you know will be good for the kid in the end, but not necessarily one you enjoy making.

LukeAndAmanda

They're smarter than we give them credit for. My DD has been Ferbered for almost a month now. When I take her in her room, she lays her head on my shoulder like "I'm behaving mommy, just stand here and rock me to sleep". She knows what it means, and she's got it all figured out. I put her on one side of her crib, and she walks around the whole perimeter while I'm walking out, making a kissy face so I kiss her like 4 times before I leave...because she knows it stalls me. They're smart