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Babies: 6 - 9 Months
valeivegas
member
How to start sleep training...?
valeivegas
member
I feel like we've totally failed with DS's sleep habits.
Naps: I was on a really good track until he went to daycare at 4 mos & they started rocking him to sleep for naps - previously at home he would sleep on his own when I put him down. Now we just rock to be consistent with the daycare, but he's getting so big it's hard for me to carry him around. I'm home 2 days during the week w/ him & I'm afraid if I just put him in his crib he won't fall asleep - then he's cranky & it's tiring for me too when he doesn't sleep all day. Should I just start putting him down & let him be overtired until he figures it out? I'm afraid to continue rocking him since it will become even more difficult as he gets bigger. Will he be totally confused since they rock him at daycare?
Nights: I nurse him to sleep & he goes down well, but he's up by ~11pm, sometimes DH can shush him back to sleep (rocking & w/ a pacifier), but then he's up again around 1-2am & I nurse him & he sleeps w/ us the rest of the night. We can't take it anymore - he's all over our bed, we don't sleep well. I don't even know how to start trying to get him to STTN. The Dr said to CIO, but Dh is really against this. When DS wakes up & cries, he cries LOUD. I guess we could try Ferber for a few weeks, but I suspect he'll still wake up every couple hours. Dh's suggestion is to just rock him back to sleep - I don't think this is a long-term solution since he'll always rely on that & not learn how to get back to sleep. Any tips?
I feel like we really dropped the ball in the sleep area & DS is already 8 months & not sleeping well at night. Maybe this is normal though..
This discussion has been closed.
Re: How to start sleep training...?
I"m having a tough time too........I've been doing the baby whisperers' pick up/put down method. Not working for me I guess...........it's been over a month and still no improvements. I'm so exhausted. Pedi wants up to do CIO too.
But I'm going to try ferber...leaving soon to get the book. GL!
Not related to my post - but in the pic on the right of your sig - is that a bath holder that actually fits in the regular bathtub? I'm looking for one but haven't been able to find a good one.. thx!
I still don't get why pedis feel the need to comment on sleep and parenting methods. It annoys me. Keep your opinion to yourself unless it is medical and based in science/research.
I would recommend figuring out first, what method you want to try. It may not work but you are most likely to have success with a method you feel fits you, your family and your baby. Then do the reading. This is the part that sucks.
Then go for it. And be consistent. If you Ferber, stick with it for more than one night. If you do No Cry Sleep Solution, stick with it for a bit. Be prepared to make adjustments to make it fit better.
Good luck!
ETA: And tell daycare to knock off the rocking if it doesn't fit with your sleep training. Tell them what you would prefer they do instead.
In the beginning I asked daycare not to rock, but they said they tried putting DS down & he cries so loud he wakes up all the other babies & even kids in other rooms! =( I can try to talk to them again about it... otherwise DS is just going to have to figure out he'll get rocked at daycare only, not at home. And I don't think they'll even be able to do it much longer, he's so heavy!
Definitely read some books: Ferber's "Solving Your Child's Sleep Problems," Mindell's "Sleeping Through the Night," and Weisbluth's "Happy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." I've read them all and for you I'd recommend Mindell first because you can work on the nights' sleep and the naps might fall in line and she has specific passages about that.
I don't think your pedi was offering parenting advice. He neeeds sleep; he's overtired. The reason why it's so hard for daycare to put him down is because he's not getting the kind of sleep he should get at night. Overtired really is a medical condition and your doctor is giving you the right advice, you just have to study up and find an approach that works for you and your family. (CIO is probably not what you think: it's def NOT leaving your kid in his room all night and not doing anything.)
You sound so frazzled in your post, I hope you figure it out SOON! GL!
I have a question for an earlier poster, or anyone who knows the answer. What is CIO, if it's not letting them crying and not doing anything about it, what do you do while they CIO?
I've been going thru similar situation the past week. I always rock my 7 1/2 month old to sleep but have been putting her into her crib, which is in her own nursery. Previously she slept in a playpen in our bedroom. She sometimes stays asleep a few hours, other times wakes after an hour. She's been waking up 4 times at night usually, but by 4 am she is so exhausted she'll sleep until 9. A few nights ago, I laid a blanket on the floor and had her fall asleep on the floor in there with me on the floor too, and then put in her in her crib after she fell asleep. I want her to get used to sleeping in there, and I hope eventually she associates positively her nursery and sleeping. I'm exhausted too, and hope she eventually gets used to. She is too big to sleep in the playpen anymore.
We don't want to let her CIO, and my DH is against it anyway. I just know we need to be consistent with her sleeping in her crib and hope it works out soon.