Sleep protesting
ELF4321
member
We started sleep training with DD shortly after she turned 5 months following the SleepEasy plan (she was 18 lbs at the time, so she met the 5/15 guidelines). So it's been like a month now we've been doing this.
She used to refuse to go to sleep unless I rocked her and waited until she was in deep sleep to put her down, then she would wake up almost every hour all night long and needed to be comforted back to sleep.
Now she almost never wakes during the night, and when she does, she may cry out once but then starts putting herself back to sleep. So overall, I think it's been successful.
The problem is when we first put her down to sleep. We do the same bedtime routine every night that lasts about 20 minutes, so she knows what's coming (I think), but every time I put her down in her crib and tell her night-night and leave the room, she freaks out. It's not usually real crying, so much as angry yelling. This usually goes on for anywhere from 20-45 minutes before she falls asleep. We have similar issues at naptime (except she still takes crappy 30-40 minute naps most of the time). She's definitely tired when we put her down.
I learned recently that she acts the same way even if she's in bed next to me co-sleeping as she does on her own in her crib (thanks to Hurricane Sandy, we had no power or heat for 4 days so I had to put her in bed with me for naps and bedtime to stay warm).
Did anyone else have an LO that protested going to sleep like this, but then slept well once they fell asleep? When do they outgrow this? I hate listening to her yell and kick her legs for so long, but I can't go back to rocking her for hours on end to get her to nap and sleep at night.
Re: Sleep protesting
My kid is 3 and still fights all forms of sleeping.. naps and nighttime. He has too many other interesting things to do!
I know it's a huge no no and your pediatrician will go nuts, but we figured out that Charlie was cold and even with warm footie jammies on, he wanted something to snuggle with, like a blanket. OMG I'm the worst mom ever!!! But once he had a blanket, he setting down pretty quickly. I think he lacked that cuddly feeling. And a stuffed animal didn't seem to do the trick.. had to be a blanket. Still needs one, even during the summer when it's hot.
Do what works for you.
Baby2, however, is a different story and we're contemplating it. I'm sorry i cant help you but i am curious...What is the 5/15 rule? Any other tips?
PS good luck with your LO....I'm sure she'll get the hang of it!
The SleepEasy book recommendes that baby be at least 5 months and 15 pounds before you start sleep training. DD was already almost 18 pounds by 5 months! LOL. SleepEasy is very similar to Ferber, but I found the book a lot easier to digest than Ferber's and the plan simpler.
We did make some modifications as we went along -- for example, we realized the checkins were actually making things harder for DD, so we lengthened the amount of time between checkins unless she seemed really upset and needing comfort. That helped a lot. Some babies take to it really quickly. DD really is sleeping remarkably well at night, just fussing a lot to get to that point.
Sorry to hear your LO is a bad sleeper. Hopefully you'll find something that works for you.