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Please tell me it will get better! Visiting from 6-9mo.

lgleyzelgleyze member
in Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months

Hi, I'm visiting from the 6-9mo board, hope that's ok. My 7.5 mo old DD has never been the best sleeper, but recently her sleep has been awful- waking 3-6 times a night. We started bed sharing when she was 5 months, due to a failed CIO attempt (I just couldn't go through with it. No judgment her for parents who do! Just wasn't right for my family.) Bed sharing was wonderful at first because we were all getting more sleep, but now she thinks she needs to comfort nurse constantly at night. (I try not to let her nurse to sleep, but sometimes she won't take no for an answer at night.) I was just looking for someone to tell me that they've been where I am, and came out the other side alive! Ha! Anyone find their LO just grew out of the need to wake multiple times a night for comfort without the use of sleep training? I should add that I've tried to get her to take a pacifier in place of me, but she won't.

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Re: Please tell me it will get better! Visiting from 6-9mo.

  • traveltheworldtraveltheworld member
    Sorry to hear about your lack of sleep - I know that can be super hard.  We didn't bed-share with DS.  We tried sleep training when he was 4 months and that didn't work, so we just stuck with the MOTN feedings/wakings for a few more month.  Eventually we did use CIO to sleep-train him.  A few of my friends are against CIO, and they were able to successfully get their children to STTN, albeit at slightly older ages (past 1), so it is possible.
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  • ebp913ebp913 member
    My son bed shared with me (not planned but he was the worst sleeper ever and I was back at work at 2 months old so I needed some sleep) until he was about 5 months.  At that point, I wasn't sleeping well and neither was my husband and we needed to move DS upstairs.  I found that he was nursing more at night when bed sharing than he did when he went to his own room.  The first week or 2 was rough but it got way better quickly.  I would put DS in his crib and then either sleep in the room with him or stay up there til he fell asleep.  At this time, I was rocking him to sleep often too.  It took a couple weeks but he started sleeping better and better.  Now at almost 7 months, he goes down awake in the crib and falls asleep on his own and I never sleep up there anymore.  I was also not a CIO fan and just in the last week I've started to let his fuss for 3 mins before I go in there.  It's really worked amazing so far.  He's putting himself to sleep and only waking once a night (occasionally twice).  I guess it is kinda CIO but I think it's a really light version.  3 mins is the most I let his cry before I address him by either rubbing his back or picking him to calm him.  I also let him eat when he wants to and I don't let him cry if I know he is hungry.  He has on his own, started stretching his feedings out and now he's going to bed around 8, eat at 10, eat at 5, up at 7 or so.  Sure I'd love him to sleep 12 hours but I am pretty thrilled with how far he has come!  
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  • zbeesma86zbeesma86 member
    DD is a year and we MOSTLY STTN- but some nights she can be up once or twice. ESP when her teeth are coming through.
    We never did CIO either. But sometimes she wakes up thirsty so I go in with her sippy of water, offer it to her, change her, rock her and get her back in her crib all cuddled up with her blankets.

    Have you tried putting her in the crib with a pacifier? We didn't bed share, but she slept in a bassinet RIGHT next to me so I could grab her and feed her in the middle of the night. As she got older (6 or 7 months) we moved her into the crib and started giving her the pacifier and she transitioned great!

    I know it can be hard and frustrating- but hang in there!
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  • blu-eyedwifeblu-eyedwife member
    We only really bedshare on weekend mornings in the hopes of getting to sleep in (this worked MUCH better when he was younger, now it's a repeated exercise in futility)

    We didn't do CIO, so hopefully I can give you some hope as to what the future holds in store.
    *From 1-7 weeks, my son woke every 3 hours.
    *7 weeks - 5 months, he woke 1-2 times a night.
    *At 5 months, he started waking up ALL the time.  Some nights every hour, some nights every two hours.  Eventually, by 8 months, he was back to waking once a night.  All by himself.
    *10 months he started teething. Which would have him waking multiple times at night again.  Once again, by 12 months he was back down to waking once at night.
    *12-14 months - Waking once a night.

    14 months - 22 months:  Completely and totally sleeping through the night.  On his own.  No CIO.  No interference from us.  I was speaking with a couple dad's earlier this week and one of them this didn't happen until 17 months, so there's no magic number/age.

    For the past month, he's started started waking up at night every now and again, it seems like he's having bad dreams - he talks/cries in his sleep and then wakes up.  Speaking with my friends, his classmates' parents, and his teacher this seems to be a developmental thing, so I'm pretty sure he'll pass through this too.
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  • Erinvp120Erinvp120 member
    I made it to the other side :) although I'm about to put myself back in your shoes come January! Anyway, the CIO method really does work, but I think 7.5 months is a tad early to try. We didn't really do it til DS was about 15 months old. He was a pretty good sleeper, he coslept with us too. But it got to the point where he was too big and was beating us up at night. I would definitely give the CIO method another chance in a few more months-it's a life saver! And it really does only take 3-5 nights for them to soothe themselves. Good luck!
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] member
    edited September 2013
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  • kimberlybethhkimberlybethh member
    I am usually a lurker but wanted to respond since I could have written this post when my dd was that age. She was waking up 5x or more at 7 months still and I felt like a zombie. I was really opposed to cio but my lack of sleep my affecting my marriage and job. We did the sleep easy method with the check-ins and it was one of the best parenting decisions I have made. We started it at 7 months and by night 3 she was sleeping 12 hours at a time and has for the last 7 months. I know this method isn't for everyone but it really worked for us. Since we are both sleeping better I now have the energy to enjoy my dd :)
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  • JWSchwarzJWSchwarz member
    DS didn't STTN until 8 months, and then he did so almost every night (unless a tooth was breaking through or he was sick of course.) 

    I know how hard it is and I was ready to drop dead from sleep deprivation and working full time. But I am alive today to tell about it:) It will get better.

    When it gets rough I like to picture DS in college doing whatever it is I am struggling with at the moment. Picturing him in college refusing to take a bottle or a binky, not STTN or throwing his food at me just makes it seem funny. 
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  • lgleyzelgleyze member
    I'm very late in posting this but thank you all for your responses and for giving me hope! Things have already gotten a lot better!
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