Question for those who have never left their baby to cry it out or done controlled crying

[Nigglenaggle]

What methods did you use instead and how long was it before your baby was sleeping through the night? Just wondering really... have no intention of trying either (if it works for you, great, I just dont want to do it)

Have you tried giving water instead of milk? I did CC and water - had an awful nights sleep initially - but all 3 DD slept through after that one night. If you dont want to try the CC bit, try the water instead. Maybe the second night, you lo won't wake because he/she will know that there's only water available ... I know of some that shush and pat a lot, but I dont know if it's effective... Good luck, hope you'll get some sleep soon x

We have always co slept; Dd slept through at 2.3 ish after I night weaned her. Ds still not at 14 mo, but tbh with cosleeping its not so bad. I work ft as well and not massively suffering, despite it being nearly 4 yrs since I slept through.

Dd still sleeps with me and sleeps till 7.30 every am, sometimes later.

Neither of mine ever slept through before they were 1 (DD is 1 in a couple of weeks, still hoping!). We did lots of cuddling to sleep, shush-pat, that sort of thing.

With DS, once he'd dropped night feeds (around 9mo I think), we went through a looooooong period of having to stand over the cot with one hand on his back or stomach, followed by ninja-style creeping out of the room, dodging the squeaky floorboards and hoping he wouldn't hear us breathing

With DD, we've basically tried everything other than prolonged crying. Co-sleeping for the first nine months of her life, feeding on demand, anything to gain a few more precious moments of rest! Pick up/put down worked well for night weaning - hard on the back for a few nights, but she did eventually accept no milk and being put back in her cot, and now she quite likes having her own space. We also started offering water when she woke at 9pm, 10pm, 10.30pm, 11pm. She was very emphatically Not Happy about this, but it only lasted a few nights. Unfortunately, being as contrary as she is, she now wakes for a drink of water at 3am instead.

DS (almost 17 months) started sleeping through at about 14 months. He dropped his last night feed at 13 months (very rarely has one now, maybe once a month). We put a single mattress in his room and when he is unsettled DH and I take turns co-sleeping, although there hasn't been much need for it lately (the eternal optimist though, I am waiting for the 18 months sleep regression).

I used sssh/pat when my DS was around 3-4 months old to help him settle in the cot rather than me having to sit underneath him for every single naptime. He did cry a fair bit but I was there with him to reassure him. It took around 2 weeks for him to go down in his cot without crying and perhaps another few weeks spent gradually withdrawing contact (I too would have my hand on him & then creep out of the room once asleep lol!). Eventually I could pop him in the cot & leave the room right away & he would put himself to sleep.

He's been great at settling for naps/nights since & if he wakes in the night its very rare that I have to go to him as he rolls over, grabs his teddy for a cuddle (def recommend a comforter too) & back to sleep.

I just responded to what they wanted when they woke (milk/cuddle/nappy etc) and trusted they'd sleep through when ready.

DD was 2 before she slept through. DS was a few weeks old.

I night-weaned at about 18 months so she was no longer allowed bf in the night but was allowed cuddles whenever she needed it. I think she was about 20 months when she started sleeping all night, but we still have some nights where she comes and climbs into our bed at 2am. She's 2y4m now and mostly sleeps through in her own bed from 7:30pm (still bf to sleep most nights) til 6:30am ish.

She had slept through for a couple of months when she was much younger but it didn't last past the 4 month growth spurt, then when I went back to work she reverse cycled so was asking for bf every couple of hours overnight but refusing bottles in the day.

Well I feel much better :) Our son is just over 4mths and all I've heard is 'My children all slept through the night from 8 weeks' etc etc ^^ Thanks for the advice and fist bumps . I will try substituting water when I think he's old enough to go without a night feed. Might try pick up put down but it is the back breaking potential that is putting me off!! Wish we'd started co-sleeping now in a way (I was too worried about squashing him and DH isnt into it - he is into the not letting him cry though which is more important to me) but we will just plug on safe in the knowledge that it is normal and we are not useless parents :)

Tbh, I have found that people's definitions of 'sleeping through' turn out to be very, ah, flexible when you probe a little deeper