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Sleep

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Original poster

So, how long did it take you to sleep train and how old was your dc?

15 replies

MeeWhoo · 04/08/2013 14:22

I am currently in a war of attrition with ds who is 22 mo and wants to keep bfing to sleep and wakes frequently. I started training by initially letting him fall asleep on the boob but then not bfing him anymore until morning. We have been at it for a week and the 1st 3 days went more or less ok and then it got gradually worse.

On night 5 I had to bf him as he is teething and I was feeling sorry for him and really tired, but i still didn't let him fall asleep on the boob. Last night was awful, he went to bed at 8pm and was then awake from 12:30am until 5am..

I think he sees this as a battle and he seems to be also more defiant with me during daytime such fun!

So, is it true evrybody else had this cracked within three nights or is this normal for those who sleep trained around this age?

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SwivelHips · 04/08/2013 16:55

Watching with interest, my 14month old a frigging nightmare and I haven't sleep trained, but I've read every blood book/post known to man on the subject :)

SwivelHips · 04/08/2013 16:55

*bloody. See, 14 months of fecken sleep deprivation!!

Nicknamefail · 04/08/2013 18:33

I think crack in 3 nights is for those who do cry it out. I have just sleep trained my now 10 month old. We started at 9 months and went very slowly with gradual retreat. It had taken 4 weeks, but we saw a huge improve not after 10 days.

Original poster

MeeWhoo · 04/08/2013 18:44

Hi *Nicknamefail", thanks for your post, I think you may have a point re CIO. During the first 10 days, did it get worse before it got better or was it anbit 2 steps forwards one step back?

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Nicknamefail · 04/08/2013 19:18

Definitely 2 steps forward one back, but the biggest battle for us was always bedtime. The night wake ups were frequent for the first 4 hours then she slept better from around 11.30 from around night 4.

Original poster

MeeWhoo · 04/08/2013 19:25

Thanks! Up to now I have the opposite problem, he falls asleep as usual and then in the middle of the night he wants to be awake from 1 to 3 hours, although yesterday he broke a new record with 4.5 hours.

To be fair I still BF him to sleep so that's why bedtime is not too bad, it's only the night-wakings that I am trying to avoid at this stage, but I can't see much progress yet. I'll keep persevering though, as there is not much else I can do!

OP posts:

Nicknamefail · 04/08/2013 19:42

Yup, you have to keep going!
One thought though, my dd started waking less when she hadn't been to sleep on the boob at the beginning of the night. Not sure why. I wonder if you might find the same? Not sure though, as your dc is a lot older than my dd is.

LifeIsSoDifferent · 04/08/2013 19:42

I'm watchig with interest. My DD is 9m and has always been a really bad sleeper but things have took a huge turn forthe worse. Now she wakes almost every hour and can take up to 2 hours to
Get back to sleep, she doesn't BF to sleep but wants to sleep on me and she can be fast asleep but the second she's in her cot WW3 kicks off

Original poster

MeeWhoo · 04/08/2013 20:17

Hello LifeIsSoDifferent, I also had lots of problems transferring DS to his cot so around 10 months more or less, I would put him down to sleep on our bed as it was a lot easier than lowering him down to a cot. Maybe you try a mattress on the floor with some sort of barrier that you can put up after she is asleep so she can't get out/hurt herself.

Downside to this is that now I can't leave DS on his own in the bedroom when he is crying/protesting as he will just get down from the bed....

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ConfusedKiwi · 04/08/2013 21:45

LifeisSoDifferent - that sounds the same as my7 month ds who for the last few months will only sleep on me and wakes every hour (or less). Just started sleep training over the weekend and he is getting himself back to sleep within a minute or two during the wakings from 7 - 1am but when I first put him down and wakings after 1am are a lot longer. It was much easier with my older son who learnt to go to sleep in his cot after about 3 nights of leaving him for 5 - 10 minutes.

sharond101 · 04/08/2013 22:00

We did gradual retreat at 10mo and DS who was fed to sleep did surprisingly very well and on the third night went to sleep by himself without me in the room. It took several weeks for naps to follow suit and he has regressed a few times when he has been ill or teething. If he wakes in the night now (very rare) I give him water, paracetamol (if needed) and put him back down. This has worked all but one time. He used to wake in the night and be up for 1-3 hours at a time. Now it's 10minutes if at all.

Original poster

MeeWhoo · 05/08/2013 11:18

Well, I don't know whether he was just exhausted from only having a 40 minute nap yesterday, but last night DS only fully woke up twice and, despite his rage, both times he was back to sleep within 5 minutes so I guess there is still hope!

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LifeIsSoDifferent · 05/08/2013 16:36

Wow MeWoo seems like a good improvement!

Original poster

MeeWhoo · 05/08/2013 16:49

I know! I think it's probably to good to be true, we'll have to see how it goes tonight!

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ConfusedKiwi · 12/08/2013 03:16

Hope it is still going well

We seem to have cracked it on Monday night with one waking and two on Tuesday then only one per night since then. However, seem to have been teething again today so will see how the night plays out... Anyway, looks to have taken 3 nights to improve dramatically :-)

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