Perhaps a message of hope...

[Galena]

Some of you know my issues with sleep with my daughter (18 mo). She was born very premature, and when she came home we tried to do everything 'right'. I didn't feed or cuddle to sleep, we put her down awake, etc. She would wake often in the night for a BF and I would feed her and put her back down. Napping was never great though.

Then illness struck - she had cold after cold and spent a few nights in hospital on a couple of occasions. During this period her sleep went completely to pot. I would feed her to sleep, cuddle her for naps, she would have periods of waking in the night for 2-3 hours at a time.

We tried CC and it worked. She began settling quicker and waking less (Although I still fed/cuddled her to sleep). We even had a few weeks of sleeping through! Then she went back into hospital for another few nights, and was also teething. Sleep went completely to pot again. Waking a number of times, long wakes, ages to settle, etc.

I stopped feeding to sleep at 12 months + 1 week, but continued cuddling her to sleep, and things muddled along as ever.

A couple of months later, I decided to try PU/PD to try to break the cuddling to sleep association. It worked and she began falling asleep in her cot with me patting her back. Then it started taking longer and longer - up to an hour at times. Naptimes weren't ever worth fighting for - an hour of PU/PD for 40 mins sleep!

Suddenly in the past week, I put her in her cot, say 'night night, love you' and walk out. She's asleep in minutes! She's been sleeping through (occasionally one short wake before I go up to bed)! Naptimes are the same - put her down, say 'love you' and walk out and she's asleep!

Needless to say it's not all great - last night she woke twice cos she's poorly, but when she's ill I understand sleep won't be as good! However, it's SO positive and so much better than it was, I wanted to share with you that you don't need to give up hope - it can be done!

(Sorry, this ended up a mammoth post, so well done if you reached the end!)

[InmaculadaConcepcion]

Stories offering hope are always welcome!!

Glad things are going so well now, Galena. I hope things will similarly click into place for my DD on the sleep front one of these days...

[TheUnmentioned]

ds was a nightmare until 22m. rocked to sleep, fed to sleep, put in buggy or car for naps, awake for 5 hours in the night etc then literally it just clicked as if he suddenly knew how to sleep iyswim.

excuse bad typing, am one handed holding newest sleep stealer baby.