If sleep 'training' hasn't worked after a week....

[Feelingverysleepy]

With an 8 month old, shall I just admit defeat & try again when he's older, or keep going? He's a big baby, and has 3 big solid meals and c.4 milk feeds a day. However he was still waking 2 or 3 times a night. I used to settle back to sleep with BF but am now absolutely exhausted (have a rubbish sleeper of a toddler too).
I was so hoping that this would work after 3 nights like so many others seem to have experienced.

Ps. We're still comforting etc, just not feeding milk.

I don't know what the general consensus would be, but we tried it at 7.5 months and got nowhere. just didn't work. so we left it and tried again at 10.5 months and he slept through from night 2 and has been able to self settle ever since. He obviously wasn't developmentally ready the first time.

Conventional CC/CIO/gradual withdrawal sleep training never worked for DS1 at whatever stage we tried it, not after the widely-reported three days, not ever. It made him worse, if anything, and we were very, very consistent.

DS2 (16 weeks) is shaping up to be an equally appalling sleeper, so I'm poised to get back in contact with Ann at Nurturing Sleep once I get closer to going back to work.

I bought a book called the no cry sleep solution. Worked brilliantly xx

Maybe he's not ready yet? My DD definitely wasn't ready then - I only tried at 11 months and although I wouldn't say she took to it like duck to water she STTN within 3 nights (getting her to STTN consistently was another matter though!).

No Cry Sleep Solution was the most effective of the methods here too, although only brought about tiny changes. Ann who I linked above does very similar stuff.

OP I was told by a sleep consultant that as long as you're still in the room whilst they're falling asleep they may still expect you to be there when they wake up or stir in the night. So you either have to do gradual retreat or NCSS style, which is still gradual retreat but more gentle and at baby's pace. Are you still touching DC as they fall asleep? I find with DD2, who we go back and forth with, that just making sure I'm not touching her as she falls asleep ie I'm still stood bear the cot shhhing, makes a big difference to how well she sleeps.

Sorry - near the cot.

We used a consultant, Sian at www.sleepbabies.co.uk and it took 3 weeks of a consistent response to sleep through 11 hours, don't think a week is long enough...

And you are seeing improvements, right? He's no longer feeding in the night...

Thanks everyone - apologies for delay in updating. I'd actually forgotten I'd written this as from that night he slept through!! Really really hope I haven't jinxed it by saying so.
I guess a week of just comfort and no milk did work, although its still early days. Fingers tightly crossed!