Day 4 of CC... Some please tell me it will get better!!

[eversoslightlytired]

DD is 12 months and has always been fed or cuddled to sleep. Since stopping the feeding after her birthday it has got harder and harder to settle her to sleep. So CC started Wednesday. First night was a doddle but since then it has got harder and harder. Despite being shattered now I have been listening to her cry for an hour (I have been in to see her btw but that just seems to make her worse!) even though she is so tired and needs this nap. Someone please reassure me that it will get better.

Are you struggling with naps or with bedtime/nightwakings or both?

Can you post her daytime routine? Wakeup time, nap times & length, bedtime.

Generally struggles in settling for naps can often be routine related, it may be that she's no longer tired when you are putting her down for her nap. So it might be worth ruling it out first rather than upsetting her & you with a CC attempt that may not work.

xx

She normally sleeps for about an hour and a half to two hours in the afternoon but as with the night sleeps she has always been held to sleep.

Re-reading what I originally put I realise that I didn't give enough information. Sorry. DD was only breast fed before bedtime by her first birthday and that was how she would go to sleep. In the day time she was cuddled to sleep as soon as I saw that she was ready for a nap. If she wasn't cuddled she would normally fall asleep in the pushchair or in the car.

The last week or so it had become longer and harder to settle her at night (although day times were relatively easier) which was why I decided to go with the controlled crying. I also have a 4yo DS so staying with her for an hour at night was just not practical.

Today was the first time I have tried the CC for nap time and in the end after hour and a half we gave up and when I brought her back down stairs the cheeky monkey laughed at me!!!! By half four she was shattered and when putting her to bed, sleepsuit cuddles and a song it took an hour for her to go to sleep. She has since woken three times but has gone back to sleep herself.

I only ever did it at bedtime (naps were ok I suppose-can't really remember). It went like this...day 1-10 mins, day 2-15 mins, day 3-40 mins, day 4-45 mins. After that I never really had any problems. Was well worth it but grim at the time. Maybe it's best.to nail bedtimes before tackling naps so she doesn't learn that screaming for an hour means you'll get her up. Good luck - let us know how it goes.

Hi thanks for that. I decided not to do it at nap times today. Tonight was not as long, only 20 minutes. However, ever since we have been doing this she messes her nappy so when she goes quiet and I go in to check I smell she has done it and have to change her, so she wakes back up and we go through it all again!

I'm sure it wasn't this hard with DS!!!