Controlled Crying and dummy

[Henrietta2014]

Hi all...hoping someone can offer some advise/reassure me I am doing the right thing?!
So the dreaded 4month sleep regression hit and after 6 weeks of hourly wake ups requiring feeding back to sleep (EBF) I've had enough!!
In the last week I have managed to feed DS (now 5months) to a very drowsy state but put him down 'awake'(ish!) and he settles himself in his cot with his dummy! Yay...success!...or so I thought...but nothing much has improved as now he still wakes hourly but needs settling with dummy insert and shushing/gentle hand holding.
....Better than needing to feed him back to sleep yes...but far from 'sorted'. Have I swopped one problem for another? I'm happy he is not hungry, and do still feed him at 10pm and 2/3am ish.
So after much research I've decided CC might work for us...with 5min intervals of settling..increasing to 10min...15min etc. However...is this pointless if I am just going to insert dummy each time?? Will I achieve nothing but a lot of crying and still frequent wakes for the dummy?? X

[PastysPrincess]

4 months is very young for CC and also very young to try and stop night feeding. I think you are setting yourself up to fail. Have tou thought about cosleeping?

[Henrietta2014]

Defo don't want to co-sleep. I did in the early days and it took me ages to get him to sleep in cot (he has a sleepyhead and loved it initially!).
Sorry maybe wasn't very clear...definitely happy to still feed him at night..once or twice I think is reasonable!...not hourly! He basically wakes...nurses for 5 mins then is fast asleep again..hence why I introduced settling with dummy instead of boob...but it doesn't seem to be helping 😕

[MonkeyBrainsInPickle]

Four months is too young. The very youngest is six months and a lot of people say not until a year old.

Have you tried The No Cry Sleep Solution? I haven't used it myself but I've heard it's good.

[FATEdestiny]

Controlled crying is not appropriate under 12 months.

In addition baby won't have the ability to put own dummy in (or coordinate their own muscle movements to self-comfort what ever way) until 7-10 months. This physical development comes with other skills like the pincer grip, picking up and putting down objects.

So until then, you will have to comfort your baby to sleep. Baby physically cannot do it would you. So pick your method:

• feed to sleep
  
• rock to sleep
  
• cuddle to sleep / cosleep
  
• dummy
  

I think the dummy is a no-brainer answer. It's the easiest. It's not a Magic Answer that will stop your baby needing to be comforted to sleep. It is just an easy way to do it.

An adjustment in your expectations is what is needed most.

And a change in your self talk:

• fantastic progress being made with baby sleep, down to only 2 night feeds.
  

As opposed to

• my baby is a poor sleeper because she wakes frequently.

[Henrietta2014]

Just updating for others! It appears it does work!
So baby woke twice yesterday evening (on the hour as expected)...both times I went in and replaced dummy...shushed/patted to 'nearly asleep' and then left the room...did a little CC...5min intervals then returning to re-settle with dummy/comfort...both times only got to the 10m interval before settling 😀
Then guess what?!......he slept from 10pm dream feed to 4:30am...good feed (EBF) straight back to sleep until 6:20 🎉😀 1 happy baby and mummy this morning!