Sleep training - did it work for you?

[clurina32]

Hi mums, i'm interested to know if anyone has tried sleep training and hired someone in to help? Most importantly - did it work?!

I had a terrible time with my first born who didn't sleep through til he was nearly 2. I am determined to have a better time with my second who is now 5 months! She is currently waking 2 times a night and a feed is the only thing that settles her again and she takes ages to settle. She was fairing better and only waking up once but its all gone a bit pear shaped the last few weeks. I know she's still young and things change from week to week, but if there's a chance someone can help us help her sleep through then why not? Maybe we're going wrong somewhere, I don't know. It also doesnt help that our first born insists on waking up at 5.30am/6am at the moment. I am so exhausted.

Please can someone enlighten me/make me feel better from their own experiences!!!

thank you
A very sleep deprived mama

[fluffikins]

Is she breastfed or formula fed. It's normal for a breastfed 5 month old to wake for 2 feeds I'd say. It actually sounds like you're doing well! Is it too young to get your older one to have a gro clock?

[clurina32]

Hi fluffikins, thank you so much for replying! She is formula fed. I know (especially from reading some of the other posts on here since writing mine) that waking 2 x times per night might not sound that bad to some, but she takes ages to settle afterwards, sometimes up to an hour. I always wind her well and she doesn't seem unhappy, just fidgety. The constant re-settling can mean that my older son wakes up and there begins our night of hell as he refuses to go back to sleep etc etc We have just bought him a gro clock but he hasn't quite grasped the 'must stay in bed when it's a blue star' game yet. He has great pleasure in telling everyone about how it works, but doesn't actually do it?! It infuriating. I am so sleep deprived and feel like I haven't had a decent nights sleep for 3.5 years now. I was intrigued to know if anyone had tried a sleep training nanny or the like as i'm desperate to get this sorted once and for all!

[SmallestInTheClass]

Hi, didn't want to read and run. I've been there (mine are 20 months apart) and have lived to tell the tale (they're 3 and 5 now). There is something oh so magic about 5:30am to toddlers. No one knows why. Both of mine went through several spells of what became known in our house as 'a case of the half-past fives', which meant weeks of waking at this time. You are not alone for what it's worth. One thing I do wonder is if your LO self-settles? With both of ours it made a massive difference being able to leave them to go to sleep when dozy, rather than having to stay with them, or cuddle them to sleep. There are lots more treads on self-settling, and the babywhisperer techniques are quite good for that too.

[clurina32]

Hi SmallestInTheClass, thanks for responding. This is the thing - for daytime naps and for when I put her down at 6.30/7pm she's pretty good at just going to sleep. We use a dummy and she sometimes has a little moan, but I generally pop the dummy in, kiss goodnight, put her mobile on and leave her and she goes to sleep quickly. Its when she wakes during the night that this all goes to pot! I think the main reason I stay with her after the night feeds is because I want to make sure shes properly asleep so I don't end up waking my son by going to a fro for ages. Its only been the last week or so that my husband told me not to bother and just to leave her and she has gone back to sleep a little quicker, but I still lie awake in bed with my fingers crossed listening for her moans! Meh, you just can't win with this can you. I guess I just have to resign myself to the fact that I have another 2 years of this to go probably...