Has anyone successfully tried sleep training?

[bumpitybumpbump]

My dd is six and a half months old and is waking consistently several times in the night (and needing feeding once to get back to sleep - but only taking one or two ounces so not really hungry). I went back to work full time when she was 5 months old, and in the two weeks before that we had successfully hit a 50% sleep through 7am-7pm rate and if she did wake it was around 4am and was easy to settle back to sleep. However, teething came around at the same time as my going back to work (we have a lovely nanny though who she loves) and we started weaning her shortly afterwards. Since I went back to work she hasn't slept through once and is sometimes up two or three times. I haven't wanted to try any training because I wanted to give her time to settle into the new routine with our nanny and to rule out other reasons. However I would like to start considering it because I am going to get ill if things continue as they are and I can't afford to take time off work.

I 'd really like to hear from anyone who has successfully sleep trained using any of the various methods....I would like to exhaust all options before using any controlled crying type method but I would consider it if I can be persuaded that my baby will be happier in the long term for it. Very grateful for any advice/experience....

[minipie]

tbh it's not uncommon for babies to sleep through at 5 months but then start to want extra feeds again once the 6 month growth spurt hits... sorry! 1-2 oz isn't much but times by 2 or 3 and it amounts to an extra feed. You could try a late feed at 10.30pm and see if it helps?

What's she having in the way of solids? You may find things improve once she is well established on 3 meals and protein (we did).

I did sleep training (CC) and am happy to talk about that but I think it's only really suitable for when you have a baby who doesn't know how to get themselves to sleep. Can your baby self settle?

To be honest with you though, even if you get these wake ups sorted with or without sleep training, it's likely that there will be a number of phases over the next 6months where she doesn't sleep through, because of teething or illness or developmental issues. Sleep training isn't going to stop her waking for these reasons. So can you get to bed early? do shifts at the weekend with DH to catch up on sleep? it's not fun but better than getting ill... basically you need a back up plan for when she doesn't sleep well, because it will happen sometimes no matter what you do. Sorry!

[georgewontsleep]

I'm sleep training my 19 month old at the moment and I've seen huge improvement. I've kept an online blog to help me track his progress. I don't let him cry it out, rather keep laying him down and emphasising "it's sleepy time". Happy to pass on the link if you wanted to read my progress. He's sleeping through regularly now, but there's still work to be done. I do all the sleep training and wake ups through the night and I work full-time.

//Http://georgewontsleep.com

[PK1975]

Hi. Our DD slept through from 10 weeks but just before 6 months started waking like a newborn but would not go back in her cot after 4.30am! She'd always fed to sleep so was never able to self settle. I didn't want to do any sleep training but after a few months of this waking up I couldn't go on. She wasn't having proper feeds, just feeding to sleep. I had her in bed with me from 4.30am but I only dozed. So we decided to try - I didn't think it would work because she was do bad at getting to sleep.

We followed the Ferber approach. Put them to bed awake and leave the room. If they cry leave it 3 minutes then go back in and then if they're still crying go back after 5 minutes and then every 10 minutes.

On the first night she screamed and we felt awful but it took under 30 minutes - it used to take me around 40 minutes to shush and pat her to sleep if she woke up as I put her in her cot. The second night it took less than 5 minutes and the third night she went straight to sleep.

She now is sleeping so much better. She can get herself back to sleep and has a comfortable night. I think she has benefitted from it. She wakes up happy and will play in her cot. We're a lot happier knowing that she's settled and if she wakes she can get herself back to sleep.

I know it's not for everyone but it worked for us