Sleep Training Part Deux - thoughts?

itsmexine

We did sleep training for DD when she was 5.5 months and it went great. We could put her down and she would go to bed and STTN.  Now at 1, we've had a major sleep regression. 

DD started walking on 5/13, got a cold on 5/16 and ever since then she has had problems going to sleep on her own. As soon as we walk out the door she starts to cry (not the case previously). If we stay in her room there is no crying and she really doesn't want to be held - in fact she pushes off of me and reaches for her crib so I know that she is ready for bed. 

Do you think this is separation anxiety or a sleep regression from her newest milestone? Oh and she is starting to sprout a molar - she is fine through out the day so I'm not sure if she is just concentrating on the pain more when she is in her crib and not distracted by other stuff. We are going to give her a little ibuprofen tonight so we know she isn't in pain when we start.

We are going to do ferber like we did before - any suggestions if this is in fact a separation anxiety issue? Telling me about any experiences you've had with re-sleep training would be appreciated. I hear it may take longer now that she is a little older.

 

vanverth

We are having the same problems, although we never did sleep training, he just started sleeping through the night.  I think it is teeth because Michael is waking up after being asleep for about 3 hours crying but after something warm to drink he goes right back to sleep. 

itsmexine

Ours is more of a going to sleep problem than staying asleep - though she woke up last night, I went in and picked her up. I think she just needed a quick assurance that we were there because she cuddled me for about 30 seconds and then wanted to be put back down in her crib and she fell right back to sleep.

Has anyone done the sleep lady shuffle?  Maybe that would be better....I just don't know.....

BrideBuddies

When you put her down and leave the room and she cries.. how long before you go back in to reassure her?   Immediately?  A few minutes? 

itsmexine

Generally a few minutes.  I think it is because we went in a little too quickly this last time when she was sick ( we had house guests we didn't want to disturb ) so I'm sure it is our fault.    And since then we've been going back probably too soon.

BrideBuddies

Charlie's a really good sleeper for the most part.  But if he's super tired or grumpy/sick, he will cry for a little bit.   I will let him go and he usually falls asleep or stops fairly quickly, without me going in to reassure him.

He does have a FP Seahorse and a few stuffed animals in his crib that he loves to cuddle with.. sometimes just snuggling him with one or two of them will also do the trick.

GL

KerryHS

Does she have a lovey or a transitional object?  If not, maybe you could introduce that along with Ferber or the Shuffle.

daisydana

Hey stranger! I'm sure you'll do just fine re-Ferber-izing. She just needs to know what to expect, just like the first time around. Wait before you go right in. She will remember that she doesn't *need* you, just that you are still there. Good luck! Again!

itsmexine

Hi Dana!  Good to see you.  I love your siggy pic of Sydney, too cute.

Tonight went ok. We only had to do 2 checks and she settled down and fell asleep just before the 3rd check - so about 20 minutes of crying. I hope tomorrow goes better and that she figures this out again quickly.

Oh and she has a few stuffed animals in her crib but she really isn't attached to any of them.

Piranha54

After having out of town guest for a week and all the activities that go along with them, Ellie's sleep schedule was trashed and we had to retrain.  We used the extinction method from Healthy Sleep Habits and it took three nights.  We first did it around 4 months and then around 10 months - she's generally a very good sleeper but every now and again will fuss and we don't go in unless it is an unusual howl.  Before we tried CIO, I did try the shuffle and some of the other "no cry" methods and Ellie thought they were a great game but not effective for us.  Good luck!

gimmietimmies

Sounds like you've got it figured out! If she isn't into stuffies, loveys and knit blankets work too. And leaving her to cry for longer periods is okay, she'll eventually settle knowing that you will come back, but only if she really needs you! I think the crying is always harder on us.