If you did any sleep training...

st.augbride

If you have done any sort of sleep training that worked, what exactly did you do and please share your experience! We just switched to a new ped (yay!) and after hearing ds's whole history she joked that despite it all, she's actually not very impressed because he looks great. Fine by me! He weighed in for his 9 month at 15lb 8.5oz and 27.25in long, which is pretty great growth as far as I'm concerned coming from 3lb3oz and 15.25in long. The two main things she wants to do though are to increase his acid reflux dose and to start getting him STTN... Her plan that she suggests is to basically put him down awake after a bedtime ritual (which we already do) and let him go to sleep. He always falls asleep well at first. The problem is a few hours later. He wakes up every 2-3 hours to eat, and actually takes in a large amount of food over night, maybe 5-8oz, which is a big deal for him. She would rather him sleep more and eat a little less. So her method is to let him cry if he wakes up until he goes back, and literally not go in there at all for 90 minutes. She said the first night will be brutal, second night worse, and after that better. We attempted a Ferber version last night of checking on him after 5 then 10 then 15 min, etc... and abandoned ship after one hour b/c we decided we need to do this closer to a weekend and dh will be away this weekend. It. Was. Pure. Torture. So...if you have done this, please share a success story...

sail123

Can you try increasing his feedings during the day so that he needs less at night? This is what we did:

1. Got them to eat more during the day (i.e. approx 32 ounces, which was their total intake including their overnight feedings).

2. Once daily intake was increased, we cut down on the night feedings. If they woke, we only gave them 2 ounces, then only 1 ounce, then just the paci.

3. After a couple of days of no actual eating at night, we let them cry but we would actually go in their rooms and sooth them (rub their back, sing etc) but we did not pick them up.

Once they got the hang of this, we did let them cry a little here and there if they woke in the night but really only after going in to make sure they were ok and to a max of around 15 mins. 

That said, I think you need to do what you need to do to get your little guy sleeping. He needs his sleep so that he can grow.

Good luck! 

Natalie_may

I agree with pp about increasing feedings during the day.  2-3oz at a time seems low for your DS's age.  The boys are about the same age and they take 6-8 each feeding.  Try slowly increasing the amount offered at each feeding and spacing out the feedings a bit more.  (I don't mean let him scream for food during the day but if he can be distracted by something fun for 15 minutes he will be a bit hungrier and more likely to take a slightly larger volume.)  They still occasionally wake once at night for a bottle and take all 8 oz, I'm not big on denying food and this tends to happen when they are working on a milestone or going through a growth spurt, basically they need the extra food. 

 

I think you are doing the right thing by starting Ferber rather than just letting him cry (90 minutes is a reeeeaaaaally long time) but the key with Ferber is consistency, once you decide to start keep going with it until he gets it, it will be fairly quick I promise!

lemen99

We did not do sleep training, but we did what you are saying from day 1.  We put both of our kids down awake and they both STTN at 7 weeks adjusted. If you be consistent I promise your kid will catch on very quickly.  If you are not, it will drag out the process!

 Now just because your kiddo eats a lot at night does not mean that he won't compensate when he STTN by eating more during the day!   Andrew was  terrible eating, but even he was able to maintain enough calories at 7 weeks old when he STTN.  I really think your LO will surprise you and do very well.

 Just remember that in the long run, this is best for all of you.  A few difficult nights now will mean lots of happy nights of cry-less sleep down the road.

 Good luck!

bhilyer

sail123:

Can you try increasing his feedings during the day so that he needs less at night? This is what we did:

1. Got them to eat more during the day (i.e. approx 32 ounces, which was their total intake including their overnight feedings).

2. Once daily intake was increased, we cut down on the night feedings. If they woke, we only gave them 2 ounces, then only 1 ounce, then just the paci.

3. After a couple of days of no actual eating at night, we let them cry but we would actually go in their rooms and sooth them (rub their back, sing etc) but we did not pick them up.

 

This is exactly what we're doing with JS right now.  (H is still small and will not eat enough during the day.) 

 

Is DS on solids at all?  JS eats a rather large dinner - veggie, fruit & oatmeal. And about an hour later he downs 5-6 oz of milk.

At this point DH and I are up for work and school by 5:30 each day.  We've decided that STTN for us means sleeping until at least 5 am.  I can't wait for the 12 hour stretches of sleep that some people talk about, but for us we're good with 10 hours right now.

Good luck! 

sucrets4

We did Ferber because DD couldn't fall and stay asleep without me being there.  I couldn't even sneak away.  I continued night nursing sessions because in my gut I knew she needed them.  I was lucky and she self weaned those night session, though.

If I were you, I'd give him less and less at night.  He may be waking and eating just out of habit and not out of hunger.  See how he is during the day and if he eats more to make up for it.  Once you're down to nothing you can offer some water (to offer something) or not go in there at all, but by then he should know that he's not going to get too much.

I do want to say to trust your gut if you think he's actually hungry.  Pedis know what the books say, but YOU know your child best.  At the very least, I'd try to get him down to maybe 1 feeding at night if he needs something...so that you can all get some better sleep.  GL! 

njdcgirl

1. I'd recommend reading the Ferber book if you can - in addition to his "method" it gives really good advice about sleep cycles and even breaking night time feeding.  It's a pretty quick read.

2.  I'd also try to up the amount he eats during the day feeds.  But, if he won't take more initially, I would still cut back the night feeds.  When DS was waking up once a night, I was convinced he was hungry - and he WAS - because we conditioned him to eat then so his stomach was rumbling.  You need to retrain the belly.  We did it over the course of several weeks - cutting down the number of oz to 6, then 4, then 2 then just water (which he was pissed about!) then nothing.  He slowly increased his daytime feeds when we did this, and I felt much better trying Ferber b/c I wasn't worried that we were depriving him.

3. After he's not waking to eat, you can start working on the crying.  Ferber worked for us in just about 3 days.  He does regress occassionally, and we have to pull it out again, but DS has regualarly been STTN since probably 9 months old (5 adjusted).

Good luck - it's hard, but so worth it!

urbanflowerpot

We are sleep training currently - on day/night four or five? I can't think straight (migraine). 90 min is a personal choice so you can either listen or find another way that works for you. I've been reading that Healthy Sleep Happy Baby book and also read The Baby Sleep Book which is much more our style. I'm reading the Healthy Sleep more for the information it gives on sleep cycles so I can understand it better but that isn't the approach we're taking...I'm a mish-mash but firm with no CIO. <-- except when he neeeeeeeeds a candy bar or he will dieeeeeeee in the future