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Original poster

first night of cc.dont shout at me but i want support

178 replies

kittypants · 02/05/2007 20:25

ds is 16 months.up untill 8 months slept great,then stopped!then we coslept till just over 1 year which was great but didnt last as we all seemed to wake each other.we also tried pu pd which was great for a bit but also didnt last.then i just conditioned myself to hourly waking,only falling to sleep which bottle no matter the time.but now hes drinking 4 pints of milk a day not eating because hes full on milk but waking all night for more milk as its not enough.i think hes also comforted by the sucking.
so tonight we did usual bedtime routine.quiet time,bath,bottle(but this time on bed not in cot),story and bed-but i took bottle out with me.i went in after 2,4,6,8 minutes then every 8 minutes after that as i think thats my limit that i can cope with.it took 1 hour in all but hes sleeping cuddling his sleepy cow.i want to hear positive stories to keep me going in early hours of morning!!!please dont anyone tell me off etc,i need support.

OP posts:
Hulababy · 02/05/2007 20:27

We resorted to CC at 20 months with DD. By the third night it was neglible how long we had to spend doing CC, if at all.

Good luck. It is hard, but at 16 months I think CC can work if not too traumatic for you.

colditz · 02/05/2007 20:28

Put some water in the bottle? So if he is thirsty he can drink but not fill up on it.

ballbaby · 02/05/2007 20:31

CC worked for me with both ds's (first at 15 months, second at 7 months). It's very hard to hear them but once you've cracked it i think you'll find bedtime a much calmer time! Both Ds's now love going to bed (and staying in bed) so it can't be that bad. You need to stick to your guns - imo it's quicker and kinder that way - don't send mixed messages. Good luck.

ELF1981 · 02/05/2007 20:31

we have just changed dd's sleep routine. She'd been b/fed til last week & we decided to stop, but the knock effect was "how the hell do we get her to go to sleep?"
First night was hell, just waiting it out. We stopped it on Sat night, and tonight & last night she lay on the bed with us, moaned for a bit and went to sleep.
Okay, she's not going to sleep by herself in her cot, but it only takes a min to transfer her from our room, that will be our next hurdle!
Good luck

NoBiggy · 02/05/2007 20:31

Wow, sounds like you have several behaviours to unravel there.

If you've thought it through, and can see how and why your plan will work, you will have the confidence to carry it out.

Good luck with it all.

Moomin · 02/05/2007 20:32

good luck kittypants. How harrowing was it Hula with your dd? Dd2 is 18m and an absolutely crap sleeper... no I spose there are worse but we can count the number of nights slept through on one hand. We have been giving milk in the night which used to send her off again but she's waking twice now and also crying whatever we do. Will watch how progress goes with you and see if we dare try it. Last time she cried til she vomited so I can't say I'm keen. Think it can work with some babies/toddlers though, so all the best

Original poster
kittypants · 02/05/2007 20:32

any advice on what to expect tonight?

OP posts:
lisad123 · 02/05/2007 20:33

Good luck, if you can make it though tonight and tomorrow night, i'll have cracked most of it.
Worked well for us, and still works if DD gets out of routine
L

ballbaby · 02/05/2007 20:33

second night should be easier than first night, third night there'll be less crying - as long as you don't back down.

LilyLoo · 02/05/2007 20:35

Good luck, just a thought had same with my dd and we changed bottle for sippy cup woke up much less frequently. Sometimes the sucking of the bottle can be associated with comfort.

ELF1981 · 02/05/2007 20:37

kittypants - although we're not cc per se 'cause she's in our room going to sleep, it has only taken 5 nights to get her in a better routine.

PLUS she is sleeping better now than she was before we stopped b/feeding (touch wood, cross fingers etc )

Original poster
kittypants · 02/05/2007 20:39

he is in our room as i have 2 older children.eventually he'll share with his brother but not for a while yet.im thinking of sleeping downstairs for a few nights so that im not tempted to give in.

OP posts:
divastrop · 02/05/2007 20:40

i had to do this with ds1 when he was about 2.5.he was a terrible sleeper,would wake every night and get in my bed.if i tried to put him to bed on his own he would scream till he was sick.
when i split with his father i had to get him into a routine so i had some time to myself of an evening.
i think it took 2 nights of 'rapid return'(or whatever its called) then about 3 or 4 nights of controlled crying till he would go to sleep on his own.he didnt stop waking in the night till he was 4 though.

i know its hard work,but it works if you're consistent and dont give up.

CarGirl · 02/05/2007 20:45

sending you big hugs I'm sure it could be a really difficult few days but just try to remember how much better life will be in a week when it's done!!!!! I think they sometimes say 2nd & 3rd night can be hard too ie backslide so be prepared for that if it happens.

Chin up!

Original poster
kittypants · 02/05/2007 21:41

thankyou.hes still sleeping now so we'll see what happens!

OP posts:
Moomin · 02/05/2007 22:17

what's the rapid return? Is it like cc but going in a lot more and sooner?

Dd2 gets sooo angry with us when we go in and then out again. I went in last night to stroke her head and she slapped my hand away. later, she batted the bottle out of dh's hand!! Hence the Violet Elizabeth Bott behaviour ("I'll thcream and thcream and thcream until I'm sick!")

Original poster
kittypants · 02/05/2007 23:05

ok so were up now! doing 2,4 etc minutes!help!

OP posts:
Original poster
kittypants · 02/05/2007 23:32

ok again now!for now!

OP posts:
NoBiggy · 03/05/2007 00:02

Do you have a good book for the time you're sitting out the crying?

What's your strategy if he's really going bananas?

SoMuchToBits · 03/05/2007 00:10

We did it with ds when he was about 11 weeks. Only took about 3 days, and he has slept well consistently since then (is now 6 years old). So good luck and stick with it, I'm sure you will find it's worth it.

DaddyJ · 03/05/2007 07:30

Hope you had a half-decent night, kittypants. I suspect a couple more difficult ones to follow depending on how well you thought last night went.

Good luck with everything and if you need some more CC success stories flip this thread , should keep up your spirits!

Original poster
kittypants · 03/05/2007 11:52

well last night wasnt as bad as i thought it would be!up hourly from 1 am but i went in after 1 minute,tucked him in,gave him his toy cow and left,he cried more so i left him 2 minutes,did the same and he went to sleep each time so although hourly not bad at all at 5 am he was getting very angry/upset soi did give him milk,i dont mind getting up at 5am if weve had good night.not sure if i did right thing but i thought hed done so well all night.then he slept till 7am which in this house is a lie in!my eldest 2 were already up when we came downstairs!
nobiggy,if hes really going bananas i think id go in more,not sure,any suggestions?

OP posts:
CarGirl · 03/05/2007 13:44

sounds like progress, well done - not sure if giving him the milk will make him try harder to get it tonight but he must be used to feeding at night so it will take a while to up his calories during the day to get rid of milk at night 100%?????????????

Original poster
kittypants · 03/05/2007 21:48

tonight he took 40 minutes.he was more upset tonight so i stayed at 6 minutes for a couple of goes (after doing 2,4)then 8.also as a result of less milk today-3 x 8oz instead of 4 pints!hes eaten a bit more.

OP posts:
CarGirl · 03/05/2007 21:54

That's great well done, I think he may fight harder tonight as he's cross that he knows you're going to do it. Just try and stick with it, keep calm and keep in mind it will take a few hard nights but after that life is going to me so much less sleep deprived!

Hugs - it can't be nice for you

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