controlled crying - how do you do it?

[Pooshy]

Our 13 month old baby has not slept through the night since she was 7 months and is getting worse and worse. Typically we are up for 15 minutes every hour of the night. We're exhausted and getting quite down about it

We've been doing gentle methods like gradual retreat and pick up put down but these don't work for us. It seems she cannot self settle (although at bed time isn't too bad at it). We didn't want to do controlled crying as I'll find it really hard and upsetting but it's our last resort!

For those that have tried it, Could you let me know how to do it and what I can expect, how long it took for you? Do I go in and resettle her each time, or just pop in to reassure her and leave if she's still crying? Thanks

Have you tried moving her cot into your room so it isn't as difficult for you to go to her?

I have found co sleeping is the answer for us - they settle so well, don't wake often and whenthey do I don't have to get upright

Just a suggestion as I too would find CC really awful x

btw 13 months might well be her back teeth coming in - it's Ok to give calpol on occasion if you think she is suffering.

Our problems stemmed from ds falling asleep on the bottle and then not knowing how to settle without milk. To resolve this we:

Stopped him falling asleep on bottles during the day put him in his cot awake and rubbed his back to sleep. He now will nap without any help for us.

At night we gave him his bottle before his bath. Then bath, pj's, story then bed! The first night he settled reasonably quickly, I sat next to his bed and rubbed his back within 20 mins he was asleep. He woke up 3 hrs later. I again sat by his bed and rubbed his back for over and hr. He was pretty mad at me. He slept till 3 ish and I repeated sitting by him and rubbing his back.

I basically did this for the next three nights (period if time sat with him was reducing) when he woke on the fourth night I waited to see whether he was going to really cry before going in and he self settled. And he has pretty much self settled since.

We had a period of bad illnesses recently where i foolishly reintroduced the bottle and I had to wean him off again. It took about 2/3 nights and he is back to sleeping through

I never left him (till he was asleep), but I also never got him out of bed. Fx that helps

www.netmums.com/baby/sleep/controlled-crying

A good explanation of crying crying (from the other website).

I found that, because I knew there would be crying, it was easier to anticipate and to cope with. It is difficult, but works. Explain to,your daughter what is going to happen before hand.

You have my every sympathy having a non -sleeper.

Some people on mumsnet hate cc, but it does work, and when you have a full nights sleep, it's bliss.

It doesn't always work.