Just chill msma course

[Somethingvague]

Hi,

Considsding buying an online sleep course from Just Chill Mama. Has anybody done this? Was it worth the money?

Thanks

[ElphabaTheGreen]

Cannot imagine they will have anything to say that you can’t find out on the internet already or by asking specific questions on here. I spent ££££ on a sleep consultant with both of mine. She was lovely but it ended up being more psychological support for me than it bringing about any real change to my DCs’ sleep. You wouldn’t even get that level of personalisation with a ‘sleep course’.

[Magnoliasstreet]

Nothing she writes regarding sleep is based on anything scientific or evidence based. It is essentially cry it out method/controlled crying. As previous poster said you can find a lot of this online already.

[Somethingvague]

Thanks - I don't want to waste my money. Can anyone point me in a direction of guidance about different settling methods other than controlled crying? Nothing has worked and I'm up 4748293 a night.

[ElphabaTheGreen]

There are exactly zero ways of sleep training without crying involved. There is a very well known book called ‘The No Cry Sleep Solution’ by Elizabeth Pantley. Works great for 0.00001% of babies who were probably just naturally good sleepers anyway.

How old is your baby?

[ElphabaTheGreen]

It’s either gradual withdrawal or controlled crying, basically. The first you stay in the room while they scream at you (plus or minus feeble patting and shushing from you) and then pass out for a couple of hours until it all starts again, or you stand outside the room while they scream at you (plus or minus bobbing in to feebly pat and shush), and then pass out for a couple of hours until it all starts again.

It might ‘work wonders’ in the oft-cited three days, or it may never work - there are no guarantees to either. It all depends if your baby is developmentally ready to sleep independently. You can try, get lucky and have it work or say ‘well at least I tried, it’s obviously not my fault’ or just accept that sleep is a rollercoaster until about the age of three and ride the mo fo out.

A frequent theme is that you can sleep train but then it all goes to shit with the next tooth so don’t think it’s cracked for good if it works for you. You may need to brace yourself for repeats.

[Somethingvague]

She's almost 6 months. I've been up every hour since 11:30. We sleep trained my son using Gerber method (which was effective ) but he was older and a very different temperament. But don't know how I'm going to cope looking after them both with zero energy today.

[Somethingvague]

Ferber that should read. .

[ElphabaTheGreen]

You have my sympathies. I was back to work full-time when both of mine were still on hourly wakings (which lasted almost until the age of two for both of them). It is surprisingly possible to manage if you deploy coffee and cake at regular intervals and lock yourself in the toilet to cry.

Due to that horrific experience with both, I can confirm I have read and tried every single method known to existence to modify infant sleep. Everything is basically variations on what I have said above, so know with painful authority that there is no way around getting screamed at unless you have a baby who will either respond to sleep training methods quickly or is on the cusp of sleep maturity anyway.

Good luck

[3WildOnes]

I used a gradual retreat and there was very little crying but obviously that isn’t the case for all babies.

[Restingpotato]

I have this course. Most of the info you can get from her Instagram posts and YouTube channel. The emphasis is on fixing the day routine (which may be difficult for you with a toddler too) and then 'settling methods' which aren't particularly settling and absolutely do not work for me in the middle of the night! At 7.5 months our daughters sleep dramatically improved, I think anything I tried before then was never going to work because she wasn't ready to sleep better. We are now down to 2(rare)-5 which is way more manageable than the 8 we were regularly having.

[Ica291]

Totally agree that they just tend to sleep when they're ready. You have my sympathies both mine were every hour for a while.

My DS was every 20 minutes at his worst.

With DD I resorted to putting a mattress on the floor in her room so on the bad nights (which was pretty much every night), I slept with her and she snuggled on my boob. This went on until she was about 10 months old, she was walking and climbing by then so had to shift her into a cot.

She took to it surprisingly well, but still has frequent night waking at 15 months old. She'll get there.

I've had no night help EVER, so the exhaustion I carry alone, and with 2 children 2 years apart the energy levels are 0. My saving grace has been the pandemic because I haven't had to force myself out of the house when exhausted.

It does feels like you are in this no sleep cycle forever and sleep deprivation is a killer. I wish there was a magic solution but because every baby is different, no one ever really knows what will work and as previous person said, sometimes you are lucky and the bub was ready to do it anyway.

The methods to try if you don't want to ferber (and be warned you may create a rod for your own back further down the line) :

Co sleeping
Dummy
Lovey
White noise
Darkness (but nightlight for security)
Bottle/Boob

Out of those, Co sleeping is probably the quickest option. Remember that it was the Victorians that decided babies should be in a cot in a separate room and most countries and cultures accept Co sleeping as the norm. Most infant animals sleep with mama too, so it isn't an alien thing, just do it safely without lots of duvets etc.

Also I think it was to do with status, you were considered poor if you all had to share a bed. So if you were rich enough to give the baby it's own room, you were rich enough for a live in nanny to do the nights. Don't beat yourself up. It's a strange era where mamas are left and expected to do everything on their own. It's tough.

[Somethingvague]

Thank you all. She goes down fine after a feed with her dummy and comforter, and usually has 2 feeds in the night. The rest of the time is for her dummy or sometimes just seems to need a cuddle. And for the last month a 5am poo.

Tempted to go cold turkey on the dummy. She rubs her face and pulls it out during the night. But I also find it useful as sometimes she is hard to get to feed during the day, and if I switch my nipple for dummy then it helps when she's fussy. Aside from this, she's a very content baby. I'm going to move her into her own room soon with whitenoise and as much darkness as possible, and see if it happens to make any difference.

[Somethingvague]

I just don't understand when I see people saying their baby sleeps 12 hours straight, like how have I gone so wrong haha.

[SisterA]

Mine doesn’t sleep well either (he’s now 2!) and after trying him in his own room for a while we did revert to cosleeping.

You absolutely aren’t doing anything wrong though. Sleep is a developmental milestone and as hard as it is to hear sometimes, they do sleep when they’re ready. I take some comfort in knowing he’s really happy and pretty chilled out and compared to friends children, pretty “easy”... so I think to myself WELL I can’t have it all! And I’d rather a snuggly lovely little pal than a totally wild unruly one so I’ll go with that.

Interestingly enough when he sleeps elsewhere, like his granny’s house he sleeps all night. Typical!

It’s not easy though so... sending you good luck & hope sleep comes fairly soon!

[Ica291]

Absolutely agree with pp. Mine are so content and chilled during the day, you'd never know, and if that's their only flaw I'd take that over seeing the unruly ones!

Also, people that say their babies sleep 12 hours straight are either drugging them, or lying 😉 (that's what I tell myself anyway) take comfort in knowing there are waaaaay more mamas out there getting up in the night for their littlies than not.

[ElphabaTheGreen]

Yep - ‘7 til 7’ is only a fable I’ve read about. Neither of mine has ever done more than 10 hours straight, and only past the age of two years. Now that they’re 8 and 6 that’s sliding closer to 9 hours. At least they’re self-managing now when they’re awake and understand to not come near me after 8pm or before 6am.

Also - when they were babies and making my life an utter hell of sleep-deprived horror, I kept hearing, ‘It’s a sign of intelligence.’ I can confirm that, yeah, they are actually really bloody clever and the pride I have in them both now goes some way towards making up for those hellish early years. I felt like a fucking failure then, but actually I feel really arsing smug now

Hang in there. The torture reaps rewards.

[ShiningStarz]

My little girl (almost 9 months) goes down around 7pm (after bath, book, feed). She now sleeps through to 130am without waking, she used to wake at 1030. At 130 I feed her, set her down in cot but she does not stop crying. Iv tried shushing, reassuring her, leaving room and letting her cry for few minutes! She stops as soon as I'm back in room with her and as soon as I step away the tears start!! I eventually after 40 mins bring her to my bed where she sleeps straightaway until 7am!!!!

[Gemjj14]

I am also considering buying just chill mama course. Iv tried everything and my 11 m old has just got worse currently waking hourly. Iv tried cry it out n can scream for hours try for sleeping n she just crawls round my bed pulling my hair. I’m also doing it on my own n have a 7 year old n feel can’t do it anymore!!!!!!

[user1471518119]

I have this course, bought out of desperation last week after two weeks of my five month old waking every 90 mins... It's nothing very new more of a rehash of advice found elsewhere with some structured routines with settling techniques, the latter would work on a chilled out baby I imagine not a baby who screams so much he doesn't breathe if I don't pick him up... beyond that nothing to add to what's above. Routines are nice if you can get your baby to sleep at those times (not a given for me at all...).I took two good tips which was if you use white noise it should be on all night and also try a comforter.

Frankly I think having a baby sleep well is down to that baby's temperament/physical comfort mostly. I suspect our sleep issues are due to teeth, reflux and trapped wind rather than not having a rigid nap schedule but I know what it's like to be so exhausted you'll try anything, would suggest looking at any physical issues first.

I'm considering sleep training from six months (Ferber) as 90 min wake-ups are hideous and I have no energy to do anything during the day or be fun/interactive with him and I feel very guilty about that. That said I find it very difficult to let him cry so I'm going to give him a bit of time before any training in case a tooth just needs to come through first.

Sympathies to everyone suffering with the lack of sleep it's so so hard.

[Gemjj14]

Thank you for ur reply. Iv exhausted my gp and her consultant for advice they have been no help. I have purchased the course this morning iv spent an hour watching it and reading it. I’m separated from her dad so am gonna try no over night stays take away the dummy and the 4am feed it’s gonna be a very tough week I’m dreading it but we can’t go on like this my 7 year old is in tears On a night because he can’t sleep and I can’t imagine the 6 weeks holiday entertaining two children with no sleep so I will give it a good shot and just hope to god it works. I’m also gonna try a bit more of a routine. My son was 2 wen he slept but was never this bad .. feel for every parent struggling with no sleep you feel u can’t enjoy ur baby 🥺

[Shameless29]

Hi

I bought the course recently for my 7 month old and don't really recommend!

It had some good advice on daytime routine, I didn't have a clue how much sleep mine should be getting so nap time and going down for the evening has improved. The night wakings however have not!

The only thing you get with the course you can't get for free online is advice around settling methods. She recommends 2, one of which is essentially the Ferber method! The other is to let them cry whilst your there and shush and pat. I'm not quite ready for the Ferber and the other method has no effect on mybaby in the middle of the night- plus wakes the whole house!!

As pp have said I think it's lot luck around your baby's temperament as to wether they will sleep!

Hope you have more luck than I did!

[AndddddHerewegoagain]

Im currently training to be a sleep consultant. Happy to offer free advice- but I'm not fully qualified so will help as much as i can!

[Gemjj14]

Ohhh please offer help lol
Hourly night wakings for 11 month old mainly for dummy sometimes just screams for no reason

[Shameless29]

@AndddddHerewegoagain

Im currently training to be a sleep consultant. Happy to offer free advice- but I'm not fully qualified so will help as much as i can!

Not to pile on to the OP but I would love some help! 7.5 months of no sleep is breaking me! My LO wakes between 3-5 a night normally, but at least 2 of these wakings he will be awake for an hour sometimes a couple!

[ARC2021]

@AndddddHerewegoagain I would love some advice too, currently 5 months goes to sleep no problem but then wakes after an hour and continues through the night