Controlled crying advice please, 7 month up to feed every 2 hrs (long post sorry!)

[sleeplessinsouthyorks]

Hi,
I know it's a contentious issue but I've researched the hell out of it and just want advice from mums who've done it please :-)
Backstory (sorry) ... My baby was an ok sleeper till the 4 month injections/sleep regression. His patterns were a bit hit and miss but by the end of three months we were getting six hours at a stretch, for two days in a row, until his third jabs buggered it up and he was so unsettled, up every hour. Since then (he is 7 months now) he has been up every 1 to 2 hours. I'm exhausted! He now has a very set pattern. Put down at 8.30 with a bottle, wakes at 10.30, 12.30, 2.30, 4.30, up at 6.30.
Basically, whenever he wakes he wants milk (he is bottle fed). I realise he has an unhelpful sleep association with milk because he expects it when he wakes, even though sometimes he only takes 1oz. However, the other side of this is that he won't drink milk anywhere other than in his crib - he will just play around with the bottle as if he isn't hungry but then second you put him in his crib he will take a big drink. So he basically only drinks during naps and at night.
I have been trying to cut down the milk I give him at night but it has had mixed success and often left him screaming.
He is weaning and on three meals a day, he has three 7oz bottles a day usually too and then more at night.
I'm about to go back to work and would really love him to be able to do a decent stretch of sleep. I know he can do it as he was doing it at 3 months but is very out of the habit. So, I was going to attempt cc from tomorrow night. He already sleeps in his own crib and his own room. I was planning on giving the 8.30 and 10.30 feeds to fill him up and then holding out till 4.30, so he is doing a six hour stretch without milk, in order to try to resent his feeding. I already leave him for up to 15 mins to self settle for naps (as he doesn't always sleep straight after his bottle) so was going to wait for 5 when he starts crying, the go in, then leave it for 10, then 15, then 20 mins and then every 20 mins after that. I'm also going to offer him water. I'm dreading the kickoff when he doesn't get milk.
Does that sound ok? Anyone have any rough idea how long it might take to see some sort of longer stretch of sleep than 2 hours?
Any advice at all appreciated. Thanks so much for reading :-)

[FifiFerusha]

If he can self settle for naps it is definitely a night habit he has developed. I guess that makes it easier in the long run. Mind you mine can sometimes settle for naps but really struggles to settle down after a night waking. Watching this thread to see how you get on . .good luck. Maybe if it is just habit there might be calmer ways to resettle at some of the night wakings and then he will just stop waking if he doesn't expect milk. I just think your nights are going to be soo hard for you with a lot of crying :( they say it can take a week to change a habit though so you need to do what's right for you x x

[clurina32]

we were in exactly the same boat as you. Frequent waking at night, fine after bottle. 3 meals a day and plenty of milk so no real need for so much milk at night. We had enough and after speaking to HV about it decided to do CC at 7.5 months. Consistency is key - it was hard - but it took about 4 nights (first night hardest, then got better each night) and she started sleeping through. Obviously we have nights where shes teething or poorly with a cold or needs a poo (!) so there are wake ups, but she has learnt to self settle so always back to normal on other nights. It worked for us - good luck if you decide to do it! :)