Sleep training 18mo?

[Italianshark]

Going to attempt to sleep train my 18mo. Was falling asleep on her own, lockdown has messed a few things up she now relies on one of us near her. Long story short she now wakes at night and wants us next to her either next to her cot but for ease; we bring her in bed.

Never sleep trained before she just always did fall asleep and stay asleep in her bed. I want to get back to that.

Not a cry it out person.

Any suggestions? Gradual retreat seems gentle but long winded... I can't imagine it working.

Heard of one about going in every few mins to reassure.

What worked best for any of you?

From a mum with a fidgety daughter next to her trying to grab my face for comfort 💖. I secretly love it but it's not long term

I would use gradual withdrawal. It's what I used for my children and is the thing I recommend for others in the first instance.

Yes, it's long winded and takes time. The more time you take, the less crying involved. The quicker you want to do the withdrawing, the more crying and distress will be involved. It's literally a proportional relationship between distress and speed of results. So...

Not a cry it out person... Gradual retreat seems gentle but long winded

You need to work out where on the scale you sit.

There is no magic wand that will give you fast results without any crying or upset. So, how much upset are you willing to tolerate? None, a little bit, a fair amount, a lot.. or 'at the end of my tether whatever it takes' kind of levels?

And balance this with, how fast do you want to get to the point where you pout baby down and leave without any hassle at all? Several months, a month or two, several weeks, or 'fuck it, I cant cope anymore and this needs to happen right now'.

The two are inversely related to each other. You can do it fast, it will involve lots of crying. You can do it with absolutely no upset, it will take longer (but will definitely work!).

I favour the long, slow no-crying option.