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May 2013 Moms
Amer0317
member
Sleep training
Amer0317
member
Yes. Another sleep training thread. I need help. After looking at my baby app (yes I still track feedings) I realized my baby (or I) haven't slept through the night since I went back to work in sept. At first I thought it was reverse cycling. He used to sleep 6:30-6 over the summer. Then it was 6:30-3 when I went back to work. Lately it's been 6:30-9/10 and then every 2-3 hours after. Now I don't know what to think. But I know I am exhausted and need to explore other options. (Yes, I will still feed W when he's hungry, but spending 1/2-1 hour after he's done needs to stop.) My baby can't put himself to sleep and I need to help him learn how to.
Okay. Here are the questions. If you did sleep training:
1. What method did you use?
2. How long did the crying go on for the first night? Subsequent nights? When did it stop?
3. Did it improve naps?
4. Any words of wisdom? Advice? Books/websites to visit?
5. If you are anti sleep training, how are you surviving? What keeps you going?
If these points have been discussed recently, please feel free to link to previous posts.
Yes, I realize some people are anti sleep training-no need to flame me for considering this...or go tattle to the ap board about it. = )
ETA-nothing wrong with the AP board, I actually read a lot of things there, I just need options right now. Only getting 3-4 hours of broken sleep and working full time is wearing on me and I know I'm not being the best mommy I can be bc of it.
Okay. Here are the questions. If you did sleep training:
1. What method did you use?
2. How long did the crying go on for the first night? Subsequent nights? When did it stop?
3. Did it improve naps?
4. Any words of wisdom? Advice? Books/websites to visit?
5. If you are anti sleep training, how are you surviving? What keeps you going?
If these points have been discussed recently, please feel free to link to previous posts.
Yes, I realize some people are anti sleep training-no need to flame me for considering this...or go tattle to the ap board about it. = )
ETA-nothing wrong with the AP board, I actually read a lot of things there, I just need options right now. Only getting 3-4 hours of broken sleep and working full time is wearing on me and I know I'm not being the best mommy I can be bc of it.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Sleep training
1. What method did you use? CIO w/occasional check-ins but I wouldn't call it Ferber.
2. How long did the crying go on for the first night? Subsequent nights? When did it stop? 30 mins, slept for 15 mins, woke up and cried for another 30 mins (the first 3-4 days were the hardest). The second night she cried for 3 mins and fell asleep but woke up a few times and cried harder. By night 7 there was no crying at put down and that lasted 4 nights but Christmas kind of threw her off so she has cried a bit the last few nights but no more than 5-10 mins.
3. Did it improve naps? I have gotten her to go down in her crib twice for naps but she usually still sleeps in my arms.
4. Any words of wisdom? Advice? Books/websites to visit? Be mentally prepared to let your baby cry. It took me a few weeks to really be ready. It's tough but I'm so very glad I stuck with it. It was worth it even though it was really hard to hear her cry. Also, you have to be consistent otherwise any crying that you let them do was for nothing.
5. If you are anti sleep training, how are you surviving? What keeps you going? I wouldn't say I was anti-sleep training but I really didn't want to do it and I thought I'd never have to because dd used to be an awesome sleeper. Seeing the results is what kept me going. She went from waking up every 1.5-2 hours to one wake up at night. She is doing so well now, I wish I would've started sooner. She gets around 11-13 hours of sleep at night at this time.
Good luck!
2. How long did the crying go on for the first night? Subsequent nights? When did it stop? Cried for about 27 mins total and I was about to give up, then conked out! Started on a Friday, Saturday he only cried about 15, and Sunday less than 5 mins. By Sunday he was sleeping 7-7.
3. Did it improve naps? With him he sleeps better at night when he's had a good napping day (2-30 min naps and one longer 1-2 hr nap). We haven't had success with the "keep him up late so he sleeps longer"....more the opposite
4. Any words of wisdom? Advice? Books/websites to visit? Start on a weekend, by night 3 there is much improvement. Have game plan with your partner and commit to working through it. You will need support and alternating checking in will keep you both mentally strong to listen to crying....that is toughest part IMO. Also - all nighttime sleeping was in crib starting around week 1. He knows the crib is for sleeping and is most comfortable there. As many naps as possible also incrib once I realized that he was getting longer, better sleep there vs the swing, bouncer, etc
5. If you are anti sleep training, how are you surviving? What keeps you going? I spoke with my pediatrician who assured me that letting him cry 20-30 mins won't hurt him, and in fact teaching himself to self-soothe is important. That "permission" made me more comfortable.
Good luck!
Our doctor also told me to let LO CIO.
-we tried the no cry sleep methods and they did not work. We tried Ferber and it changed our lives. First I read "Healthy Sleep habbits, Happy Child" which gave me a great education on the benefits of sleep and the amount of sleep a baby their age needs. Reading how important teaching him to sleep helped me keep my focus and knowing that it's really in his best interest. Before he was up every 2 hours. We started night one at 3,5,10 intervals. We got to 10 the first night twice. Then the next, only once. Then we did 4, 6, 12. Then we did 5,8,15 and that is where we stayed. Now we do 10,15. I have come to learn doing this is the difference between a real distress cry and what is fussing/frustration cry. Some people go longer than 15 minutes, I simply can't and that's ok. R isn't a baby who is just battling it out, he gets really upset and will get sick. But doing this, a really good night is bed at 7 and up at 3 for a quick bottle then back down till 6. I usually get him then and bring him in bed with me and give him a bottle. I'll turn on cartoons and he's out in 10 minutes and will snooze until 8. He does 2 naps. Those are still a little struggle but a lot better. Our crying now is minimal and he is the happiest baby ever. He wakes up most mornings just babbling to himself.
People have said that if I let him cry longer than he'll sleep completely through the night but I don't. He's down to only eating 2 oz at night and he goes back to sleep quickly. I think it's more of thirst than hungry. I drink a giant glass of water throughout the night because I'm always thirsty so I can understand if he is too.
I EP all bottles except his MOTN which is a 2oz Similac supplementation premade bottle.
1. What method did you use?
- we used Ferber as recommended by our pedi. We did intervals of 5, 10, 15 minutes, and then increased it to 10, 15, 20, etc each night.
2. How long did the crying go on for the first night? Subsequent nights? When did it stop?
- S cried for an hour the first night, 30 minutes the next night, 15 the night after that, and now she normally doesn't cry at all or for less than 10 minutes which is what our "threshold" is for going in and saying good night again. She does have her good days and her bad days, and changes in her schedule tend to throw her completely off and leads to horrendous nights, but once she's back on her schedule, she usually goes back to bed easily again within a night or two. She does still get up to eat usually once a night, so we never did use sleep training to get her to STTN completely.
3. Did it improve naps?
Yes and no...S needs to be "ready" to take a nap in order for it to work. If she's ready to take a nap, we can usually put her down in her crib without much of a fuss if she's almost asleep. if she doesn't want to take a nap (i.e. fighting it with all her might), she's been known to cry for over an hour, sleep for 10 minutes and wake up again and refuse to go back to sleep. Even with it "working" her naps never last longer than 30 minutes though so who knows.
4. Any words of wisdom? Advice? Books/websites to visit?
Make sure you're "all in". Sleep training doesn't work if you cave and don't follow through. listening to them cry is TOUGH, but in the end it's so much better for them. I had to leave the house the first night because I couldn't hear her cry, and it's much easier if you have a plan going in. It also really helps if both you and your other half are on the same page. It's tough if you have to be the "bad guy" all by yourself.
5. If you are anti sleep training, how are you surviving? What keeps you going?
- I'm obviously not anti sleep training, but we also aren't using it to cut feedings out in the MOTN either so we still get up at least a night for feedings. I think knowing that if she really does wake up, she's either hungry or something else is wrong is what got me through the tough decision to do sleep training. Good luck!!!
Thanks for all the replies and support. I know we will have to sleep train eventually. I am just not ready for the crying. I am a wuss.