Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

Flip

Original poster

Controlled crying in early hours - anyone had success?

22 replies

LimesMum · 02/01/2015 11:18

I've put various posts on here as am really struggling with DD who is almost 11 months and wakes for the day at 330am

Just wondered if anyone has done cc for early morning waking and had success? I've don't it for bed time, night wakings and naps and had great results but this bit is not happening, she is just so angry and wants to get up at this time.

Look forward to hearing all the success stories

OP posts:

Original poster

LimesMum · 02/01/2015 11:21

Also, people have suggested I try the wake to sleep method, I'd be interested to hear success stories for this too?? I'm just too scared to wake her as she seems a very light sleeper and once awake she will not go back to sleep, this morning I pushed her in the buggy for almost an hour at 4am and she still didn't sleep!!

OP posts:

Original poster

LimesMum · 04/01/2015 05:14

Bump

OP posts:

icklekid · 04/01/2015 05:19

Sorry bi advice but 6 month old ds us doing the same - wide awake. Will lie in bed until 4-4.15 with me then we feed and he naps about 5.30. He did stop a few weeks ago and slept later but now back to rediculously early wake ups

DialMforMummy · 04/01/2015 05:29

We did. Except that in our case, we let DS cry because he got more wound up if we kept coming in. We went in just once, told him it's not time to wake up yet and left.
It took five days or so but it worked. As you know, you must 100% committed as it is pretty tough to hear your child cry, but it was completely worth it.

Original poster

LimesMum · 04/01/2015 05:34

I've tried and failed at the early wake ups before but I'm now on day 2, yesterday was 2 hours crying and currently on 1 hr 5 mins, she keeps settling then waking again. I'm going to really persevere this time if you had success, she just sounds so angry it's really hard to listen to!!

OP posts:

DialMforMummy · 04/01/2015 05:38

I know it is very hard but the way we looked at it, is that it was harder to wake up every day at 4am! How many naps does she have?

springbabydays · 04/01/2015 05:43

Yes we did this for any wake ups before 6am (except when he was ill). Now wakes up around 6.30 as a rule. Good luck! Hopefully it won't take long.

Original poster

LimesMum · 04/01/2015 05:43

She has 2 naps, one at around 930-10 ish, this is a long one 1.5-2 hours then one at 3 ish which is 45-60mins

OP posts:

LindsayS79 · 04/01/2015 07:33

That morning nap is obviously the catch up sleep! I've heard of people dropping that nap in order to get later wake up times

katandkits · 04/01/2015 09:24

Although 11 months is quite early for just one nap, that might be what you need. Serve lunch early and then just one nap after lunch. Perhaps that would help? What time is bedtime?

RaisinGirls · 04/01/2015 10:29

watching with interest, as my DD is an early riser. She tends to want to start the day at 5.30am, which is just that bit too early for us all really. We did CC for her 3.30am wake ups, which worked after a few days but Im not sure how to do it for times when she has woken for the day. Do I just dig in and do it for a few days like other CC and it will work?

I still bf, and I wonder if she is waking that time because she is hungry? She goes down at 6.30pm each evening. Ive tried moving her bedtime over christmas but she was still waking at the same time, but was super grumpy because shed slept less, and was also grumpy of an evening as I was keeping her up past her bedtime.

Original poster

LimesMum · 04/01/2015 12:42

Bedtime is between 7-730

Ive thought about just one nap but when she gets up at 330 for the days this is totally impossible as she is just dead on her feet by 930 latest then wakes at 1130-12, I've tried keeping her up rest of day but by 3-4 she is falling asleep again!!

OP posts:

PisforPeter · 04/01/2015 12:47

I think CC is cruel tbh, but I am into AP. Our DD was still in our room at that age

Levismum · 04/01/2015 13:57

Each yo their own PisforPeter,
I still gave my dd of 11 months in my room but it's not out of choice!

I would persist with moving the day time naps. In my experience it mutually takes 7/10 days to move naps around

PisforPeter · 04/01/2015 14:13

I agree with moving naps & giving it time to see if it makes a difference.
You wouldn't leave an elderly or disabled person distressed in a bed so why is it ok to do that to a baby??
Each to their own & all that though

Original poster

LimesMum · 04/01/2015 15:12

I used to be very very against cc but I've tried everything I can think of when it comes to my DDs sleep!! Tried having her in our bed, feeding her, cuddling her, she is still distressed and crying despite all of this. Think she actually cries less when left to it than when taken in with me! But yes obviously I'm a very cruel mother

OP posts:

PisforPeter · 04/01/2015 15:23

Given my experience, I would suggest you gradually reduce and maybe stop her morning nap. It will be difficult initially but hopefully yield results. I know it's difficult & sleep deprivation drives you crazy. I just don't like CC especially at such a young age.

Original poster

LimesMum · 05/01/2015 10:42

Ok so just to update, we have done cc for 2 nights now, it was pretty painful!! But... Last night DD slept from 730-530 stood up shouting for about 15 mins then lay back down and slept til 730.

There are a couple of other things tho... She ate amazingly well yesterday and she also only had one nap from 1140-1320.

Going to try one nap again today and see what happens and whether it was just a fluke?!

OP posts:

RaisinGirls · 05/01/2015 10:47

Pleased it seems to be working. x

PisforPeter · 05/01/2015 11:04

Good news!

scotchfreeescapegoat · 05/01/2015 12:52

I am currently going through this with DS1 who is 16 months old. Previously been a fab sleeper and slept through from 6 months until a month ago when he seems to have decided that 4am is the new wake up time.

He would resist all efforts to resettle him and the result was that DH and i were very nearly broken (DS1 is our third child, all are under 5 and we both work full time. We are knackered enough without middle of the night wakings going on). It was clear that he was finishing his major sleep cycle around this time and then wanted to get up. There was definitely an element of will involved and not separation anxiety or hunger etc.

We started doing CC over the last week and had some success but have had to switch to CIO as he was getting worked up at us going in and coming out. So now we are just going in the once when he first wakes up, making sure he has his dummy, giving him a reassuring voice and touch and putting him back down in his cot then leaving him too it. The first night of CIO he cried for 45 min which was agony for both of us, last night (day 2) i heard him wake up but he didn't cry, just scuttled around his cot and went back to sleep. Really hoping we have cracked it.

Hope you have too OP.

Namedilemma · 05/01/2015 16:50

Yes, we successfully did CC for early waking.

DS was 18 months and waking 4.30/5 still very tired and grumpy. Two days of 1.5 hours of screaming, and I won't deny it was hard. Didn't get him up until 6am. Third day he slept past 6 and has been fine since.

He is now 5 and a very happy child. I have absolutely no patience with the argument that CC is psychologically damaging. He was unhappy and exhausted getting up that early and so were we!

Good luck OP.

Flip