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Original poster

Controlled crying

46 replies

Chiponshouldermom · 19/04/2013 20:38

I'm interested to hear from those who have done CC. If you were successful, how many nights did it take?

OP posts:
LouBeee · 19/04/2013 21:35

1 night at aged 7.5 months. 1 hour and 25 minutes of crying then shut up and went to sleep. Slept through for the next 3 nights and then for most nights after that and I never fed him in the night again.

Original poster
Chiponshouldermom · 20/04/2013 17:41

Thanks LouBee. It's taking a little longer with us but seeing improvements every night. We are on night number 4 tonight. DD nearly slept through last night.

OP posts:
MooneyRara · 20/04/2013 18:11

How old is your baby?

Original poster
Chiponshouldermom · 20/04/2013 18:24

She's 8 1/2 mths

OP posts:
Original poster
Chiponshouldermom · 04/05/2013 20:22

Just in case anyone has searched 'controlled crying' and has come across this thread ... I wanted to answer my own question...

It took 6 nights and she slept through. It has been v hard but the results are astounding. I wish I'd done it months ago!

OP posts:
PleaseLetsGoToSleep · 04/05/2013 20:58

My 18 month old ds still doesn't sleep through the night, we did go through a period of a couple of months where he slept through 6 nights out of 7. But that's completely gone out the window. He wakes up because he's hungry/thirsty and so I feed him.
My question is, do you know why your los were waking up at night? Was it hunger? Could CC be the answer to getting my ds to sleep through?
I've never wanted to do it, but crikey I'm tired. He's 18 months fgs, why does he still need milk at night?
Thanks

Gooders79 · 04/05/2013 21:54

We did with ds1 at 15 mo, I was back at work, pregnant with ds2 and exhausted from 2-3 wakes a night with prolonged resettling. Night 1 asleep in 15 minutes and by night 3 no requirement to go back in, improved settling for naps and now points to cot at bedtime. It's the best thing we ever did but I think we were all ready for if by this point which makes a great difference. Ultimately I think ds1 difficulty was not bring able to self settle, as soon as he learnt what to do he started sleeping very well, now sleeps consistently 7-6 without any hassle st bedtime.

LittleMissLucy · 05/05/2013 02:22

We did it early on around 4 months. It took two separate nights, and after that - done.

readyforno2 · 05/05/2013 02:35

Trying right now... On night two. Tonight's worse than last night.
I'll report back in a couple of days

MummyJetsetter · 05/05/2013 11:48

Pleaseletsgotosleep, my ds started waking at about this age and he'd been sleeping through from. 8 weeks! He was hungry so I introduced supper of cereal an hour before bed and it did the job. x

PleaseLetsGoToSleep · 05/05/2013 15:11

Thanks mummyjetsetter, will have to try that. x

Original poster
Chiponshouldermom · 06/05/2013 18:16

My DD was always cuddled and rocked to sleep, she therefore didn't know how to self settle. I can recommend Ferber's book 'how to solve your child's sleep problems'. It was v informative and v helpful. Good luck if you are currently trying or thinking of trying CC

XX

OP posts:
LovelyWeatherForDucks · 07/05/2013 08:49

Mini hijack - those of you that used controlled crying successfully, did you do it for naps as well as nightime sleep?

Ragwort · 07/05/2013 08:53

One night Grin.

Regarding naps - I would put my DS in his own cot/moses basket at a set time and leave him to sleep, he would grizzle for a few minutes but I would leave him alone.

I had a child a lot later than my friends and never knew all about this 'cuddling a child to sleep' or similar - I just assumed I would put my child in his cot/basket ...... leave the room and he would fall asleep.

It wasn't until I used Mumsnet that I realised there was so much angst about getting a child to sleep Grin.

SpottyTeacakes · 07/05/2013 09:04

For anyone reading this for advice ignore the above comment about doing it at four months. Poor baby.

Six months is the youngest you should try it.

Geraldandhisgiraffe · 07/05/2013 09:06

Feeding cereal at 8 weeks goes against all advice too!

MummyJetsetter · 07/05/2013 12:06

Geraldineandhisgiraffe please look back on the ceral comment and note who this was directed at.

By the way I did crying to sleep with my ds and it took 2 nights. It wasn't exactly the proper cc method though as every time I went in his room he started from square 1 and he knew I would come back so just kept doing it. So I listened at his door, it was torture to listen to but had to be done, the first night it took him 1 hr 20 to go to sleep, the next night it was 40 mins and he slept without crying after that. He woke up his normal happy self in the mornings so it didn't damage him, he was definitely just trying to be controlling.

LittleMissLucy · 07/05/2013 20:01

LovelyWeather - no, just two nights, that was it. No naps. No crying at nap time (is that normal...?)

readyforno2 · 10/05/2013 23:15

Sorry. Never got round to updating.
We had a pretty horrendous 2nd night (Saturday) but Sunday ds didn't wake up at all.. 11 1/2 hrs! Mon and Tuesday pretty much the same and Wednesday he woke at 3. Last night 6:30-6:55. Really can't complain.
Best of luck op

readyforno2 · 10/05/2013 23:15

Sorry. Never got round to updating.
We had a pretty horrendous 2nd night (Saturday) but Sunday ds didn't wake up at all.. 11 1/2 hrs! Mon and Tuesday pretty much the same and Wednesday he woke at 3. Last night 6:30-6:55. Really can't complain.
Best of luck op

readyforno2 · 10/05/2013 23:15

Blush Oops..

Seb101 · 11/05/2013 13:36

I disagree that you can't do cc at 4mths. Very harsh to say 'poor baby'
When they are this young, it often only takes a few mins of crying and they fall asleep. There is nothing wrong with putting a young baby in cot, leaving them to moan/cry for 5 mins. The earlier they learn to self sooth, the better. If crying continued, I'd go in, check all was ok, and leave again.

SpottyTeacakes · 11/05/2013 13:51

A couple of minutes then fallin asleep isn't exactly controlled crying is it Hmm sometimes ds needs a little cry before he falls asleep but that's completely different. Even advocates of cc say six months is the earliest you should do it.

Lala29 · 11/05/2013 20:52

We did it with DD from birth pretty much. She was sleeping through the night from 8 weeks and settling herself to sleep really well after about 4 weeks.
She is now 19 months and I think it's a lot more cruel starting at this sort of age when they are very aware of everything around them and have got used to doing things a certain way.

Everyone who has ever met DD says what a happy, loving and confident little girl she is. This has been the case since she was very tiny. I really resent people who use words like "that poor baby". How dare you say that to another mum?!

Karoleann · 11/05/2013 21:28

I think 4 months is a good age, they only grizzle for a few minutes if they're tired and then go off.

It's much more cruel letting a overtired baby cry, how can helping a tired baby sleep be cruel? Thy need to learn to self soothe and fall asleep themselves, otherwise they wake during their normal sleep cycle and can't get themselves back to sleep.

My younger two only took a day or two at 4 months, my eldest child didn't sleep through til 23 months.