How old before cc can be used?

[chipo]

My dd wakes most nights at about 3am and winges for a while, normally I bung in her dummy and she goes back to sleep. She then wakes at 4ish-5, at that point I give her a bottle and she sleeps until 8ish. I can handle this, but the problem is she will only fall asleep being held and rocked. Durng the day she is a nightmare only sleeps being held or in the sling. Have heard about cc but is she too young at 3 months?

I went quite hardline with DS at this age - they're just old enough to find they're thumb at 3 months if they need sucking - I removed dummy completely and stopped rocking/holding to sleep. I suppose what I did was controlled cying -took about a week to work properly but he's always been a great sleeper since then. However - it's not for everyone, I have a medical condition which is much worse when I don't get enough sleep so I needed a solution and that was my motivation.

This is a good website for sleep problems, alternatively I can recommend a more soft approach with the baby whisperer book which lots of MNetters have used with great success.

The one thing that I think is really important though is that once you choose a method, stick to it - and don't try anything you can't really commit to. Good luck - hth.

CC isn't recomended until they are 6 months old. But it sounds like your issue is about her not going to sleep in her cot, not her wakeups. I'd try a gradual method of weaning her into her cot not your arms: it does take patience on your part however!
Stage 1 hold her as usual but don't rock her, chose a rhyme you know of by heart or get a lullaby CD and play/say it softly interspersed with goodnight baby goodnight. until she goes to sleep
Stage 2: Hold her until she is quiet, use nursery rhyme etc, then put her down, stay next to her, you can pat her or stroke her but don't pick her up or rock her
Stage 3: as above but just sit by her cot this time
Stage 4: settle her in cot with lullaby or wih you recieting rhyme, stand by door, end rhymes with goodnight baby goodnight and leave room.

As she is a bit young for CC go back in if she cries, but you can wait outside the door for 2 mins to see if she resettles herself.

The idea is that she replaces her sleep association with being rocked to the lullaby and bedtime ritual. It can take up to 4 days on each stage and you may get stuck at stage 3, but it means you aren't holding her at least. And after a while she will start to associate being in her cot with going to sleep.

You can also try it with a comfort blanket instead of the lullbay - it depends on what you think is okay as a sleep association.