Any sleep training experts? - ?s

kgail11

cross posting from April board!

 

We plan to do the Ferber routine with DD. She gets up every single night, getting fed about twice (I try to keep it stretched btwn feeds though).. every other time it's being rocked/etc. Last two nights have been riiiidiculous.. like 6-7 times. She caught a cold last Mon - is still slightly congested/mucus-y... so would you say to wait til she is 100% mucus-free? Or just do it? There's LOTS of opportunities to use the graduated-waiting method right now....  ha!

I'm a bit confused about feeding versus waking though - I know, given her age and daytime feeds (and hefty weight!), she should be able to sleep ALL the way through, no feeds. But she is so used to at least one feeding... how do I differentiate between getting her up to feed or doing the graduated waiting? Her night feeding(s) aren't full meals AT ALL - more a soothing thing than anything else.  I'd of course LOVE to just cut out all feedings.. so maybe that would simplify things overall - just let all wakings be treated the same way - graduated waiting?

Also- our routine is me nursing her to sleep, after her bath/etc. She is always totally zonked and I put her in her crib and she's fine (til the 1st wake-up around 10:30)... would you say to go ahead and switch it to nurse-bath-bed... so she's awake when I put her in her crib (and, will cry, without a doubt) or keep the routine the same, just to keep SOMETHING the same in her little sleep-related world (since it's about to get changed up big time!??

She has us trained.. noooo doubt about that, so we are excited to finally be doing the right thing by teaching her to put herself to sleep!

dutchgrl678

She's too young for sleep training. You shouldn't start until they are at least 6 months old but even then I'd hesitate to do it. Why do you feel the need to do this? And please don't do it when she has a cold. That's just cruel.

 DS si about the same age. He is congested as well, just learned to roll over onto his belly and then can't get back, and he's getting his first two teeth in. So he wakes up a lot. It's tiring, but it's just a phase. I usually go in there, flip him over, feed him if he needs to be fed. If I get too exhausted after 3-4 times I take him into our bed, nurse him and he falls asleep until the morning. This is usually 3-4 am. And it's not going to last forever because he will outgrow those things soon. Normally he only wakes up 1-2x per night to eat and I'm fine with that. DD started STTN at 7 months when she rolled over both ways and found that she was most comfortable sleeping on her belly. 

CanuckFan03

I bought Ferber's book.  I really helped me understand why I was doing what I was doing and gave me a concrete plan.  LO is now sleeping through the night (which he was almost doing anyways) and going down for naps and night MUCH easier (this was our problem). 

Teaching your child to sleep is not cruel. But buy the book (or a book) and be clear on what you're doing.  Don't just wing it.  I would wait until your LO feels better.   

kewltif

I would wait till your LO is feeling better.

I don't think sleep training is cruel. My baby cried for one day and by day 2 I forgot I was even "training" her. She can completely put herself to sleep and stay asleep now. Before when she constantly woke up she was doing much more crying.

Lisa Frank

Here come the "YOU ARE EVIL FOR LETTING YOUR BABY CRY" opinions. Yay.

I'm always open to a PM convo to avoid the above.

In the meantime, wait until your little one is feeling better.

Lisa Frank

dutchgrl678:

She's too young for sleep training. You shouldn't start until they are at least 6 months old but even then I'd hesitate to do it. Why do you feel the need to do this? And please don't do it when she has a cold. That's just cruel.

 DS si about the same age. He is congested as well, just learned to roll over onto his belly and then can't get back, and he's getting his first two teeth in. So he wakes up a lot. It's tiring, but it's just a phase. I usually go in there, flip him over, feed him if he needs to be fed. If I get too exhausted after 3-4 times I take him into our bed, nurse him and he falls asleep until the morning. This is usually 3-4 am. And it's not going to last forever because he will outgrow those things soon. Normally he only wakes up 1-2x per night to eat and I'm fine with that. DD started STTN at 7 months when she rolled over both ways and found that she was most comfortable sleeping on her belly. 

Can I ask why you are flipping your son back over?? Most pedi's will say to leave them be to figure it out on their own.  My DD started STTN at the same time that she was rolling to her belly. A few nights of fussing it out and she's a happy, sleeping-through-the-night belly sleeper. Sounds to me like you just prolonged it for your daughter and now you are doing the same for your son. 

kewltif

Lisa Frank:

Here come the "YOU ARE EVIL FOR LETTING YOUR BABY CRY" opinions. Yay.

I'm always open to a PM convo to avoid the above.

In the meantime, wait until your little one is feeling better.

I actually wish people wouldn't PM you for advice, because I think a lot of us can learn from watching other people's problems and seeing the advice given to them. Keep it public

Lisa Frank

kewltif:

Lisa Frank:

Here come the "YOU ARE EVIL FOR LETTING YOUR BABY CRY" opinions. Yay.

I'm always open to a PM convo to avoid the above.

In the meantime, wait until your little one is feeling better.

I actually wish people wouldn't PM you for advice, because I think a lot of us can learn from watching other people's problems and seeing the advice given to them. Keep it public

Eh. I see what you mean, but I've had so many people ruin that for others (and in turn, lash out at me) that I don't like to keep it public anymore. 

I'm sure you are all telling each other what I'm PM'ing you on the FB board anyway. lol 

kewltif

Lisa Frank:

kewltif:

Lisa Frank:

Here come the "YOU ARE EVIL FOR LETTING YOUR BABY CRY" opinions. Yay.

I'm always open to a PM convo to avoid the above.

In the meantime, wait until your little one is feeling better.

I actually wish people wouldn't PM you for advice, because I think a lot of us can learn from watching other people's problems and seeing the advice given to them. Keep it public

Eh. I see what you mean, but I've had so many people ruin that for others (and in turn, lash out at me) that I don't like to keep it public anymore. 

I'm sure you are all telling each other what I'm PM'ing you on the FB board anyway. lol 

I know how you feel. People are asking you questions that you answer and then you have to put up with being called a monster for doing it.