Anyone want to join me for a sleep training support thread?

[Bundlejoycosysweet]

Hello,

Just starting sleep training my 5 month old DD and thought it would be nice to chart how it goes on here and hope to get some company with fellow sleep trainers.

Hopefully this will give me more tips to try and more confidence to continue.

Well done Bundlejoycosysweey. I believe your lo is still only 6 months, so remember not to expect too much and you'll be fine I'm sure. I am trying to stick to my 'relaxed mum' attitude and so far my lo seems to like it more too. He is now about to have his morning nap laid on me watching a recorded In the Night Garden. I'll transfer him to his cot in a mo. I like it when he does this. In 3 weeks this won't happen anymore as he's off to nursery full time. I'm cherishing it.

You guys sound as though you're making progress which is brilliant.
It's no change here. My mil was here over the weekend so I was a bit lax in the sleep training, letting him feed to sleep. She left Monday.
Tuesday DS had an afternoon nap in the car for an hour or so and was wide awake - and unfeedable - until 10.15 when he finally accepted a feed and crashed out on me.
Last night he fell asleep on his feed again. When he does this he wakes after 4-5 hours for a feed and then sleeps through until 6ish.
Tonight he fell asleep on his feed, woke when I tried to put his sleeping bag on. Screamed until 9; woke at midnight for a feed and then woke again at 2:50 when I refused to feed him and he screamed for 40 minutes (with me repeatedly lying him down, touching him and talking to him all the time) and he slept for 20 mins. Overnight I don't want to feed him more than 4 hourly (im trying to night wean, but starting with self settling). So when he woke 3:40 mins after his last feed I tried talking to him through the baby monitor and playing the pre recorded tunes which stunned him into silence but as sion as it stopped he started to cry so I went and fed him. 5 mins later he's fast asleep and I'm wide awake having had nearly 2 hours sleep... And knowing that morning will start in an hour or 2.

I also have twndonitis in my thumbs from spending a couple of hours a night laying gum back down.

I'm sure that I've got his naps all wrong. His morning nap is about an hour and a half and starts between half 8 and half 9 usually depending on his signals. He naps in the pushchair (as did dd until 2; she now naps in her bed) and we leave him to cry himself to sleep for 10mins or so for that nap. Sleepy walks no longer work since there's too much to see.
Afternoon naps are minimal. If we go into town he'll sleep in the car - but otherwise he's happy playing, going for a walk, to the swings etc and there are no sleepy signs (eye rubbing, ear pulling, ling stares, disengagement, yawning etc) until about half 5 in the middle of tea.

His evening routine is tea at 5, bath at 6, short play in his room, book, milk (bf) bed.

Any advice much appreciated!

My ds has almost got his bottom tooth and one of the top ones is on its way too. However, he has been sleeping right through for just over a week. After a one night glitch, up at 3.30am yesterday, last night we had to do cc and it took 40 mins and 5 kiss/put downs before he went. But he slept for 11 hours solid. The other night I heard him around 2am. I was halfway across the landing before I stopped and waited. I went back to bed as he had settled himself.
So fantastic results so far and carrying in with my routine and good fortune.

Thought I might join this thread as have just started trying some sleep training with my 7 month old. He currently will only either feed or be cuddled to sleep, and also relies on a dummy and being swaddled to stay asleep for any longer than 30 mins.

This actually wasn't a problem until a couple of weeks ago as he was sleeping through but he has recently started waking up every 1 - 2 hours at night. I am exhausted and the only way I am coping is to sleep when he naps in the day but am going back to work soon so need to get this sorted before then.

Anyway day 1 so far has not been good. Thought I would do PU/PD for first nap - ditching both dummy and swaddle. Went on for 40 mins before I caved as he was just crying and crying and I was literally just picking up and putting down continually he wasn't showing any signs of settling at all. Am I doing this right? should I be leaving him to cry in the cot for any period? I was picking him up as soon as he cried.

Really, really hate to hear him cry so think I am going to find it hard to do this without giving up.

Loube - I think I've spoken to you before about swaddling. I've been trying to ease dd (7 months) out of swaddle too. Been a week now with her left arm out but I tried her right arm out last few nights and it just swings round like a windmill!! She pulls her dummy out, hits herself, rubs her eyes and grabs at stuff. She just can't sleep with her arms out!

I've been doing a lot of research into swaddling and found an old thread on here about people who were still having to swaddle their babies at over a year old. They used a miracle blanket and just didn't tuck baby's feet inside so it fitted for ages.

Anyway they all said that for whatever reason one day their baby wormy settle or wanted to cuddle a toy or something & so they didn't swaddle & baby slept fine.

Think I'm resigning myself to this plan now as she is so content being swaddled. What are your thoughts?

Hi zambooloo, yes I think we did speak about this before thanks for letting me know about this. I am currently swaddling with a really big muslin with a folded moses basket sheet underneath which I kind of wrap under each arm. He usually works his feet out during sleep but this keeps his arms swaddled.

I read the same thread and it did make me feel better about the swaddling so I am not as bothered about getting rid of it. But since we talked his sleep has gone so rapdily downhill and I thought if I was going to do PU/PD I may as well go the whole hog and get rid of everything. But not sure if this is the right thing to do. Problem is i think if I do PU/PD with him swaddled I will prob have to keep re-swaddling in the middle and I'm not sure if that will cause problems.

How does your LO sleep normally when swaddled - does she sleep through? Mine was sleeping through until a couple of weeks ago but now wakes 4 - 5 times a night even when swaddled. Ahh this sleep business is tough :).

Hi yes I know what you mean - she still wakes at night sometimes only twice other times lots but she has a cold & is teething at the moment too. I haven't had the miracle blanket delivered yet and the swaddle we have at the moment is rubbish so she keeps getting her arms out.

I just think if the miracle blanket works & will fit her for ages then I'm going to keep swaddling until she grows out of needing it... Anything for an easier life!!

I'm going back to work at the beginning of sept so I hope the miracle blanket works and we see some improvement, are you still on maternity leave?

Not read all of thread as too tired , but will tomorrow . DD is nearly eight months and wakes about 6 times a night , sometimes for over an hour. Will only go back to sleep on the breast, but never stays asleep for long , ends up in bed with us.

Everyone keeps saying its because I picked her up to much etc and I need to leave her to cry, which is pissing me off .

Last few nights DH took over bed time and night wakings and does the pat the back thing , but it doesn't comfort her, and she can cry on and off for over an hour with DH patting her back etc . I stopped it tonight as it doesn't feel right . Are we doing it wrong ? It's DH third, and he is fine with it .

Zambooloo, If the miracle blanket doesn't work for you then the method I use may do as my ds is quite big for his age and it keeps his arms contained. I basically lay out the muslin in a diamond shape with one corner folded down. Then lay a moses basket sheet folded lengthwise just below this crease. Put baby onto blanket with his neck on crease. Then tuck each side of sheet over each arm and under his body - kind of like how the arm bit of the miracle blanket works. I then swaddle as usual with the muslin over the top.

Yes I am on ML still will be going back beginning of October don't know how I am going to function if his sleep isn't better by then. Luckily am only doing 3 days a week.

Artic, I know what you mean my ds doesn't respond to any kind of in cot comforting like shushing/patting/talking softly he just gets totally hysterical and I find it hard to bear. I have read somewhere that for some LO's it can be more stimulating for them so doesn't work. I am going to try again PU/PD at the weekend when OH can help out as I will just cave every time on my own I think.

Hope our LO's give us some sleep tonight.

How does PU/PD work?

Can you still offer night feeds when training ? Does it confuse them?

Basically with PU/PD you pick up if your LO starts to cry then hold until they stop crying then as soon as they are calm you put back down again. You can also put your hand on them and comfort in the cot when you put them down. You repeat this until they fall asleep.

I think it is supposed to be used to eliminate night feeds, as my ds has previously slept through the night I am fairly confident he can go without the night feeds so will be using this to put him back to sleep. I think though you could probably still feed and then use PU/PD afterwards to get back to sleep. I think as long as they go to sleep on their own it would be ok.

I got most of my info from the baby whisperer forum.

Pupd winds my ds up. He cried, I picked him up. Exactly what he wanted. So I stopped this method. It all depends on your child. Boys tend to like lots of cuddles from mummy as girls generally prefer dad. But all of our lo are different. So do what works for you and your family.