Sleep Training and De-Swaddling Update

spikeinc

The first night was brutal. LO was up and crying most of the night and I got almost no sleep.

Naps the next day went well. She cried less and less and napped for much longer than her usual 30-45 min.

Night 2:

We put her to bed and she cried for 14 minutes (it would have been 6 minutes but I accidently slammed a door) then she fell asleep.

SHE SLEPT 11 HOURS STRAIGHT!

Day 2 Naps: 

Nap 1- Cried 2 minutes and fell asleep for an hour and 20 minutes

Nap 2- Went to sleep without crying- woke up after 35 minutes- cried for 10 minutes- went back to sleep for another hour

Nap 3- Went to sleep without crying and slept for 40 minutes. I got her up at this time so she would have enough time between last nap and bedtime and she has slept more than the minimum 3 hours today during naps.

 Although the first night was awful, my husband wanted to give up and hearing her cry was the worst, this has seemed to be working better and better. She was so much happier today and all the sleep seemed to do her well. I hope this keeps up! 

We are following a type of CIO method with the book recommended to me the SleepEasySolution. 

Starfish02807

What its your pre "put her down routine"? I nurse lo to sleep, she sleeps about two four hour stints at night and naps for about an hour three times a day. She is four months and I have been thinking about sleep training.

spikeinc

We pump and bottle feed and she is heavier than 15 pounds which is a factor. We also did not have to wean her from night feeds as she had done that already on her own.

The routine we have followed the last couple nights and will continue is:

Bath, turn on the white noise machine and close the curtains and darken the room, read a book, turn off that light, feed her and keep her awake during the feed. When she seems drowsy but hasn't shut her eyes, I pick her up and put her down in the crib awake, kiss her, tell her I love her, that I know she will sleep well and good night, then we leave the room. 

littlebean4

How many weeks is your LO, I'm mobile. Also ate u still swaddling?

spikeinc

She is 18 weeks and no we stopped swaddling on the same night we started sleep training. Our Pedi recommended doing it all at once rather than one and then the other. She is now in a sleep sack with her arms out and free. I think it freaked her out the first night but she seems to be fine on day 2.

Starfish02807

Last two questions....that first night did you put her down and then not pick her up at all until morning? Second question, my lo is a decent sleeper but I nurse her to sleep and starting next week I am back at work so I am debating doing this so her transition to a sitter is easier because she won't be expecting to be nursed to sleep, what do you think? I read that book as well.

spikeinc

Last night, on night 3, she cried for 17 minutes and then slept through for 11 hours again! She woke up once around 4:30am but she didn't cry just babbled for 5 minutes and then fell asleep again. 

Yes, the first night we put her down and never picked her up until morning. It was very difficult.

I think it sounds like a good idea BUT I would ask your Pediatrician before you start anything. That is what we did and he encouraged us to go this route. I believe it is the same principle with nursing as with bottle feeding. That you do it but don't allow them to fall asleep on the boob but move them to the crib before then while they are drowsy but awake.

Another note, my husband talked to a guy at work that has three kids. One older and then twins. He said they did not sleep train the older one but did with the twins because they didn't know what else to do. The twins are now two and he said that he noticed a great difference with the twins and the older child. The older child is now coming in to their room at night all the time to be soothed at bedtime and the twins are able to put themselves to sleep with no fuss. This is what convinced my husband to keep trying.