Controlled crying - what age does it work?

[welshmum]

Am exhausted so contemplating this.....
Would like to hear from others who've done it? At what age does it work do you think?

I think you can't use it before 6 months. How old is your db? What's happening?

I don't really think it does work much before 6 months IMO.

it worked for DD from about 4.5 months.

From 9 months for my DD....

i think cc can work, but i would leave it until at 12 months - before that, it is my belief that it breaks the "trust" between you and your baby - but that's just my point of view - i know others who feel differently

before 12 months i did pick up/put down method, which worked well, and after than i did richard ferbers control crying method (which is quite gentle) which worked well also

how old is your baby?

Ds is 5 months and waking too often the night - he has got used to me feeding him to sleep and now needs to suckle whenever his sleep is broken. I can't parent well if this carries on much longer (have a dd of 3 too) and I'm exhausted. I think I might try a gradual reduction of the suckling time to start with to see if I can get him to stop by using a more gentle approach.....I just wanted to know what the bottom line was if that didn't work.

Was doing a bit of cc last night and then eventually gave in and Bfed. This morning poor little thing has a cough and the sniffles and obviously just wanted a little drink. I felt so guilty.

I think this is one of the problems with cc you can't always know why they are crying. My DD didn't have any symptoms last night but probably had a sore or scratchy throat. I have too so perhaps I should have put 2 and 2 together.

welshmum - what's your routine with your 5 month old? what is "too often" when you talk about waking during the night?

eaney - i think this is one of the reasons cc should be done at an older age (although i respect everyone's different opinion) - with me, it took me a while to know what the different cries were and what they meant

Personally I think cc at 5 months is a little young. HOWEVER I can understand why you need to break the cycle. I think I would try to get your partner involved (if poss) to try to settle at night. Do you still feed him to sleep at the beginning of the night? Does your partner help settle then? I would look at 'gentler' methods to start with TBH - I know there is a pick up/put down mathod that oothers have used. I would save CC TBH if your baby is still feeding in the night.

Good luck

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Koala - last night he went down at 7pm then woke at 10, 1230, 1.30, 3am and then would't go back to sleep for 2 hours - before crashing out until after 7am. Each time I fed him mostly knowing from how he was feeding that he wasn't hungry. He used to have only 1 or 2 feeds in the night but a cough/cold upset his routine as it understandably would.

WM - what about during the day? have you started on solids? breast or bottle? naps during the day?

oh, and WM - when he goes to bed at 7, is he asleep when you put him in the cot, or do you put him in awake?

Have you tried using a dummy? Just for the night?

welshmum, i did c/c with my ds but it was a wee bit later on maybe 6mths +, and it was to break my feeding him at night. do you feel he is feeding well in the day? c/c worked with my dd at about 8mths. but it didnt with ds and i did the pupd method with him and it was much better/easier. he didnt sleep solid til 8 1/2mths. i

We did it with dd at 12 weeks, worked like a dream (no pun intended) and was one of the best things we ever did. On the first night she was asleep in less than half an hour and she's been a terrific sleeper ever since (now 18mo). I've got friends who did it younger, about 8 weeks I think.

But, I've also got friends who tried it and it didn't work so it's horses for courses I think.