Pick up / Put down - Please explain

[SalBow]

Hello everyone,
Could someone please explain the pick up/put down method for teaching your children to sleep. Is it really that simple or do I need to buy the baby whisperer book?

Have you used it? Did it work? How long before you saw results?

Is there a minimum time before picking up again? Eg DS starts crying on his way back down to the mattress!
Do you leave the room between?

Thanks !

bump for you afraid i have no advise hopefully someone will come along who will

THanks bubblagirl! I've since discovered lots about pupd on archive which has been helpful.

Wd still love to hear any success stories to spur me on!

I'd read the book SalBow. I had about 5 months appalling sleep problems with DD1 (starting at 6m) - I used PU/PD for a good while but I'm afraid eventually resorted to controlled crying out of utter desperation. I'm convinced though that PU/PD prepared DD1 so that I only had to use controlled crying for a couple of nights - and for a maximum of 10 mins. After that she slept through miraculously (from about 11m).

I'm sure it would work if your baby's sleep problems aren't as extreme. The No Cry Sleep Solution is fantastic too.

Good luck

We did it with DD and was a huge success. The first night is a night mare but we cracked it on night 4

We did it with DD and was a huge success. The first night is a night mare but we cracked it on night 4

Hi Franch and Mydingaling!Thanks for your posts. Glad to hear it worked for your, Mydingaling.
I've been trying to prepare myself for CC, but I just feel I'd give in and so there's no point at the moment. Thought I'd try this before resorting to CC. Unfortunately, 8 month DS probs are extreme I think, Franch. He has never slept for more than 3 hours, normally wakes every 2 or less, all night. But glad that you thought pupd lessened the length of time you had to do CC for. Have read NCSS and although I've tried the methods, my brain is too woolly from sleep dep that I haven't managed to stick to my plans. Hoping that will be able to manage a simpler approach such as pupd

I did it with dd at 10mo, 13mo and 18mo worked every time. She is now nearly 2 and sleeps through.

Cc is horrible, awful. PUPD is great

Hi Salbow,

We used pu/pd with my dd when she was 6 months old. She's now 3.5, and has slept through since she was 9 months old.

I think pu/pd CAN work, but not always, as I also think some babies are just worse sleepers than others. Pu/pd is great if your child's main problem is that they don't know how to get themselves back to sleep as it teaches them how to do this. However, with my dd although it taught her how to do this, it still took another 3 months before she slept through - she was just a wakeful baby. I do definitely think it's worth trying though - I wasn't keen on cc.

Have a look on the baby whisperer website as there's some great success stories on it and detailed instructions on 'how to'.

best of luck

Yes, look at the baby whisperer website. The information there is actually clearer and more comprehensive than in the books (though I do recommend the books for getting into a good rhythm of naps and feeding, and for the info on reading a baby's signals).

I used pick-up put-down with DS when he was 8 months, with dramatic success. Before that I was bf-ing him back to sleep, and he was waking every 2-3 hours. He had NEVER slept for longer than 3 hours. I did gradually cut down the night feeding over 10 days before I did the pu/pd (by rocking him back to sleep instead) so that he got used to not having the calories at night. Then the pu/pd worked much better than I had imagined. I had dreaded hours of crying, but I think the very first time we did it he was asleep in about 40 minutes. His sleep had vastly improved after just two or three nights, and he was sleeping from about 8pm to 5am consistently after 2 weeks. My only proviso is that I never cracked the dawn feed, so he was waking for a bf at 5 or 6 then going back to sleep unti 7.30 or 8 for quite a long time. But that is liveable-with!

The most important thing is that you are totally consistent, and don't get back into old habits. I didn't want to do controlled crying, and pu/pd is great because you never just leave them to cry, you are there with them.

Good luck!

We used it on ds at 8 motnhs after rocking him to sleep every night since birth. It took one night of horrendous picking up andputting down. Literally constant for 1 1/2 hours the first time as he cried on the way down every time. 2nd waking took 45 mins and his daytime nap took 20 mins. After that he was cured! No joke, we have never rocked him to sleep again. We then had a couple of months where we stayed in his room while he got himself to sleep and used the disappearing chair to get out of the room. He now gets himself to sleep (when he's not climbing out of his new bed!)
Well worth the back/arm breaking first night. give it a go but be willing to take up to a week over it - she reckons even the worst cases are sorted in a week if you stick with it

Thanks everyone! Wow, great results for some! We're bracing ourselves to start tonight. Will post tomorrow to let you know how it went. Obviously not expecting miracles the first night.

good luck. Remember do not give up tonight otherwise you will have put him through a lot of crying for no reason. Oh forgot to say before that we always used the same phrase when putting him down and still use it now at bedtime eg "sleepy time now". Do update us on how it goes tonight

Oh, have just been thinking, he's still breastfeeding a few times during the night. He seems genuinely hungry, but cant get him to have milk during the day, and feed him as much as he'll eat. Do I need to sort out this prob before starting pu/pd?
I was really geared up to start tonight, but might it not work because of this?

Sorry, meant to say, sounds like your experience Flimflammum. Am confusing myself as posting on Babywhisperer website aswell.

Do you think it wouldn;t have worked if you hadn't tackled the bf to sleep problem first?

I think he needs to go to bed awake for every sleep in order for the technique to kick in because if he wakes in the night he needs to know how to get himself back to sleep rather than waiting for a feed to settle him. How old is he by the way? I would feed him, then change his nappy, thereby waking him up enough to do the pick up put down.

Hi, thanks shoppingbags, that makes sense. He's 8 months. Do you think I should wean him off the night feeds before trying pu/pd though?

I think if you crack pupd he might wean himself off the night feeds as he will wake up, but settle himself instead of crying for a feed. I'm no expert but this seems kinder and easier than trying to wean him off the feeds first.

Hi, we're in the process of doing PUPD. DS (5.5 months) got into a habit of waking at 9pm every night. I just used to feed him - it was kind of automatic. But then I started to think about it and decided it was habit (after feeding at 9 he would then wake up at 1am).

So, we have done 3 nights of PUPD so far. 1st night took about 45 mins, 2nd night 20 mins, 3rd night 5 mins. We're on the 4th night of it. My DH started things off but now he's on nights but it still seems to be working for me. I didn't think it would but even the 9pm waking seems to have been getting later by the day.

Good luck! Also, persevere with it. I nearly gave in on the 2nd night and gave him a bf but I didn't and it eventually worked. He also seems to settle better in the day now.

this method is great it took us three nights with dd1 the first night it took 2.5hrs but within a few days it was 5mins!!!! Its a humane method I hate cc. I would recommend the baby whisperer book its helpful and common sense.

Oh, I love hearing success stories! I've just been to the shop and bought two of the baby whisperer books. Hoping these will be the last baby sleep related ones I buy!

Thanks for the support. Will post again tomorrow.

Hi Salbow,

I think it's possible to try pu/pd before you try weaning off night feeds.

Pu/pd teaches babies to get back to sleep themselves, so you might find when you've done it that your ds will wake less anyway.

We tried a top tip a friend gave me for weaning off night feeds. Once dd was used to pu/pd and was going to sleep with no probs, I timed each night feed and lessened by a minute each night (I was bf), until we got down to no minutes! This gave a chance for dd to up her food intake during the day before night feeds were phased out. I didn't do all night feeds at the same time; took it in turns - if that makes sense.

Best of luck with the pu/pd - stick with it!

Hi Everyone!
Sorry, this is long. Wow, I'm so elated today! I feel very hopeful and most importantly, I feel able to do the pu/pd confident about not giving in (which I was a bit doubtful of). I bought the books yesterday and have been reading as much as poss. Really like them.
Here is what happened last night:
6.30 Bath, then bf
7.00 Put down
7.30 Nearly asleep, but not quite!
8.10 Asleep. total 36 pickups
Wait for it...
1.06 (yes, 5 hours!!!!!!!) Awake. BF
1.15 Put down
1.45 Asleep. Total 4 pickups
4.20 Awake. BF
4.35 Put down. Asleep immediately
5.00 Awake. Put down
5.06 Asleep. Total 1 pickup
6.40 Awake.

Found he settled better with less pickups, unless he was really screaming. Was talking to him the whole time (sleepy time, sleepy time).
I can't believe how well he slept! The ironic thing is that I didn't sleep a wink! His first sleep, he fell asleep on his front and I was worried about him suffocating! So I sat and listened to his breathing for quite a long time, then managed to turn him over without waking him. Would you have done this?
Then after that I was so excited that it was working, I couldn't sleep! Haha! Think I need to address some of my own sleep issues once Charlie's are sorted!
I'm trying to BF him more during the day so he gets used to having the calories then instead of at night.
I need to also work on getting him to nap for longer during the day. Will start this tomorrow. Have been using Pu/pd for naps today, but not for lengthening them
Sorry, told you it was long!

Hi Salbow

Wow - that sounds like you had a great first night.

Re turning him back on to his back - once they're old enough to move from back to front the SIDS risk decreases. And you can't stay awake all night moving him back on to his back again, if he really wants to be a tummy sleeper. When we did pu/pd with my dd (at 6 months) she quickly became a tummy sleeper and slept a lot better that way.

Congratulations - first night is often the hardest and you survived it!

Hi Travellerintime,
Thanks, I'm so pleased it went ok. This evening has been even better. I put him down at 6.55 and he didn't even cry, just a few grizzles, rolled over a few times, then lay there peacefully and went to sleep after 12 mins! Didn't need to pick him up. It really is miraculous! I heard him cry out a little while ago and he went straight back to sleep.

Yes, re the tummy sleeping, he just seems so much happier as soon as he's on his tummy.

Hi Salbow,

Hope it goes well tonight. Another success story for you, we did pu/pd with ds1. He had been sleeping through from 8 weeks old (yes I know he was a star) but when he was about 5 months old he started waking lots, did pu/pd and he has slept through ever since. He is now 5!!

With ds2 he was poorly baby (severe reflux, screamed in pain etc) he slept on me in the day until he was 12 month old, I am sahm and he needed to be upright due to the reflux. At night we originally let him get sleepy on either me or Dh then put him into his cot.

At 12 months old we decided it was time to stop him sleeping on me in the day and the sleepy stuff at night. We did pd only as when they are that big you don't pick them up you just lay them back down. Took 47 minutes the first time and over 100 pd's!!! But after the second night he knew the score and went to sleep!

He is 2yrs old and sleeps 11 hours at night and has a 2hr nap in the day.

Best of luck to you. Be consistant. Both my boys slept on their tummies.