How do you do CC

[CarlyRose80]

LO one is 6.5 months and a frequent waker for no reason really. I'm happy to get up and feed him but this is only needed once in the night. What do I do when he wakes with reason the rest of the times? He does have a dummy. Do I ignore him completely? Or go in if no sign of settling? He doesn't cry to begin with,he moans then when he rolls over and can't get back he begins to cry. Much advice needed please as I'm shattered and back to work this week. xx

How often is he waking? Have you tried offering feeds at other wakings?

Sorry - just saw on another of your threads that it's every two hours. Painfully familiar with that pattern myself!

As another poster suggested, try offering more feeds, perhaps as a dream feed. That babies 'don't need' night feeding past x months of age is an arbitrary figure invented by god knows who. I've just night-weaned 13 month old DS, but up until a couple of weeks ago, he was on three large meals a day plus snacks, and still having 6-10 big feeds a night. I wish I could be as skinny as he is on so much food!

Also, please, please use CC as a last (if ever) resort. It's not the magic panacea for all broken nights that many think it is. I tried it at about the same age yours is now (same reason as you - desperate and going back to work full time) and it didn't work at all. It's a horrible, horrible thing to have to go through, especially if you discover that it's not the guaranteed fix you were expecting.

If upping the night feeds doesn't work, try gentler approaches first such as co-sleeping or The No Cry Sleep solution. Give those a try for a good couple of months (you will cope at work for a little while at least, I promise - it's surprisingly less tiring than looking after a baby all day). If you're still getting constant night wakings, try gradual retreat, so you're not leaving your baby alone in the dark to cry which is horrible. There's a good description of exactly how to do gradual retreat in the OP of this thread.

Thanks for the advice. He doesn't cry for me as such, I go in offer a feed, not always interested. Give him his dummy back and he will go back off, just not for long. If he's on his belly and moved up the cot then its different as he's frustrated and is longer to calm down and go back off. It's just the reasons why he is always waking and I'm sure it can't all be down to hunger. But then what do I know lol. Am now in bed with a supply of bottles at the ready. He's been in bed since 6 as he refused an afternoon nap!

The reason he wakes is because 1.5 to 2 hours is about the length of a baby's sleep cycles. They start in a period of light sleep move into deep sleep in the middle of the cycle, then move into much lighter sleep at the end of the cycle, to the point that they wake slightly or are very easily roused. He just hasn't developmentally reached the stage yet where he can get himself independently into the next sleep cycle after this period of waking. Co sleeping can sometimes help get them through sleep cycles without disturbing too much as they'll wake slightly, think, 'Oh, good, mum's here' then go back to sleep. Ensuring they're well fed means they're not fully roused by hunger during light phase sleep. Learning to sleep is a developmental milestone just like walking and talking. Babies learn it at different times.

Just wanted to ask if I try this' method In the link do I need to lose the dummy?

Not necessarily. You just wouldn't put it back in but you can leave it there if your DS wants to get it himself.

My DS has never wanted to know about dummies so I'm no expert, but can't you buy some cloth rabbit thing that 'holds' the dummy to make it easier for younger babies to retrieve for themselves?

I agree with elphalba about the reason for the waking, just light sleep phase.

CC does teach many babies to go back to sleep by themselves (provided they are big enough, not hungry, not ill, not teething and not overtired...!) if this is a skill they have not yet learned. it is the harshest way to teach a baby to do this but it is also often the quickest. whether it is right for you depends on your view on letting them cry, and how desperate you are for sleep... in answer to your op, most versions of CC do involve checking and soothing yr baby at regular intervals, not just leaving them to it.

I think your case is slightly different though as there is an extra reason he can't get back to sleep, ie he's not on his back. I am not sure CC would be appropriate or work in this scenario... might need to wait till he can flip himself back?