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Babies: 9 - 12 Months
ccwalker26
member
Help With Sleep Training
ccwalker26
member
My son is one year old now and we desperately need to get him sleeping in his crib. For the first 10 months of his life my husband was away with the Navy, so I let DS sleep with me. This was easier on me since I have been breastfeeding. Now Daddy is back and we want to put DS in his crib to sleep.
So I need some help with sleep training. Everyone keeps telling me to establish a nighttime routine and to let him "cry it out." Sounds so easy, but it's not. Plus he has maybe slept through the night 2 times. Here's some questions I have:
1. So should I get him to sleep in my arms and then put him in crib or just put him in crib when tired?
2. If/When he wakes up how long should I let him cry? What do I do when I do go in there?
3. He's used to nursing in the middle of the night. If he wakes up in his crib during night should I nurse or just let him cry?
All of this seems so overwhelming to me.
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Re: Help With Sleep Training
Here's what worked for DD at about 7 months: I put her in the crib after her bed time routine. She cried - a lot. It sucked! I did the checks at increasing intervals: 5, 7, 10, 15 and I would have done the 20 minute check but she was asleep! What got me through was posting a message this board and having other moms tell me it was worth it (everyone was so reassuring & it DID work!) I also folded laundry as a distraction - distraction is key!
In the middle of the night when she woke up I would do the same thing: check on her at intervals.
Now she goes down with minimal fuss. Sometimes she cries when I put her down, but most of the time she'll just amuse herself until she falls asleep & that doesn't take long. If she wakes up, she can put herself back to sleep pretty quickly.
We had cut out the midnight feeding before sleep training. So I can't give advice on cutting that along with the training, but I know that with CIO the point is to soothe them without picking them up.
If DD wakes in the middle of the night & she seems thirsty I give her a sippy cup of water or small amount of formula.
So "just cry it out" doesn't sound easy because it really isn't. You need to have a plan & stick to it. Once you're done & the routine is established, then it's easy!
You'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner! Good luck!
Thank you so much for your advice! I think I just need to here advice in a supportive way like you have done.
So when you would check on her what would you do? The times I have tried to let him cry and go check on him he is screaming and grabbing on to me and I just end up picking him up.
I would strongly recommend reading a sleep training book first. There are several threads listing suggestions. I personally had success with 'The SleepEasy Solution'.
A book will answer your questions and give you the appropriate steps to follow. I definitely advocate for sleep training. It worked miracles with DD. It isn't easy - and it isn't just 'cry-it-out'.
I promise, promise, promise - pick a method that you feel comfortable with and read the associated book. You will not be disappointed.
To answer your questions:
1. We have a very consistent bedtime routine - bath, pjs, bottle, bed. DD is put in her crib awake and goes to sleep on her own.
2. This will always depend on the situation. If she is teething, sick, dirty diaper - we assess and take action. If she is fussing b/c she woke up - we do nothing other than watch her on the monitor.
3. DD is weaned from night feedings. We formula feed and know that she has consumed her daily calories prior to going to bed. If she wakes - it is most likely not from hunger.
GL!
I did what the previous poster did for my oldest son -- it's basically Ferberizing. It works but you have to be really committed.
Now with my youngest two children I did the cry it out method. No checking in on them, and at times they were crying for up to 45 minutes
but by the third day they were over it and went to sleep with minimal crying and no night waking. I did check the video monitor quite frequently, but it is really hard. You just have to remember that he will get a better, more restful, night's sleep in his own crib, which is crucial for a young child. So what you are doing, while hard, is really in his best interests.
I also highly recommend "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. It's not an easy read, but I have used it for all three of my boys, ages 6 through 15 months and they are really great sleepers and quite pleasant because of it. Good luck!
We just did Ferber, but I am still nursing her once in the middle of the night. She had been getting up about six times a night so this is a huge improvement.
It is hard to listen to your baby cry. I never could just leave her in the crib either when she was having a hard time. I would pick her up, and soothe her. It still worked for us though. Now she goes down in her crib with about 5 minutes of fussing, and then falls asleep. She gets up in the middle of the night to nurse, and then back to sleep until the morning.
Good luck!
UPDATE: Last night we gave him a bath, read a book, and I nursed him to sleep. As soon as I layed him in the crib he woke up, but I said goodnight and left. He cried and cried. After about 10 minutes I went in and hugged him and put him back down. I did this one more time and then my husband went in and got him to sleep! We didn't hear a peep till 3:45 am! I was in shock! I kept waking up throughout the night wondering if he was ok. Hopefully this will an indication of how future nights will be.