'The One Week Sleep Plan'- alternative to controlled crying, does it work?.

[sirmione]

Has anyone tried this sleep plan? Basically you put your baby down and then pop in and out of their room giving them a pat.You don't stay out of the room for more than a minute or so. If you are out then you hum, to let them know they've not been left completely alone.
I've tried this a few times with my ds (9 months). Been standing outside his door humming Twinkle Twinkle like a lunatic, whilst he screams his head off/tears sheet up and throws toys around. He's been getting really hysterical and seems to me to be every bit as upset as if I'd tried CC. I'm loathe to try CC as he spent the first 8 days of his life in intensive/special care away from me having hideous things done to him and I figure that's already enough trauma for the poor wee thing.
Really curious to know if anyone's tried it and with what success, also tips on how to do it would be great.

www.bounty.com/Articles/Prima/Follow%20the%20one%20week%20sleep%20plan.aspx

it sounds better than cc to me. at least the cries will be more out of frustration than fear and abandonment.

I just spoke to my someone from the local sleep clinic about getting my 9 month old to sleep and it sounds similar, but not identical, to what she suggested. She called the method controlled crying, but it seemed a much gentler controlled crying than you normally hear about. She recommended going in after a minute or so of crying and definitely before hysteria sets in. Then going in every minute or so after that or even sooner if they are really worked up. She recommended that when you do go in, don't make eye contact, don't touch them unless absolutely necessary (e.g. to lie them down if they are standing up) and maybe say something like "Go to sleep, it's bed time now". She said it works brilliantly, but if you are going to do it, you should be prepared to sit it out and not stop until it works.

I'm going to take the plunge with my DS in a few days time so will let you know if it works.

hmm, may tweak things a bit and pop in as soon as I sense hysteria building, rather than staring at my watch to the sound of frantic crying and toys being lobbed around the cot. Be very interested to hear how you get on neolara, good luck with it...
I think at 9 months babies are more savvy than we realise. ds (who is still in our room) was having a hissy at 4am the other morning I went out for a few minutes to get water and when I came back dh told me that shortly after I left ds went completely quiet, then started up again when he heard me coming back - little monkey.

(good point about frustration rather than fear etc with this approach - got the impression that really for the most part he was very (very) cross......)

neolara, meant to ask - did the Sleep Clinic give you any idea how long their version of CC might take to get results?

No, unfortunately they didn't say how long it would take. I asked, but she dodged the question! She just said that it would work and to stick to it. I've just tried, and spectacularly failed, get my DS to sleep using a more conventional controlled crying approach, so am hoping this will work quicker than the 3 weeks of hysterical crying we have just been through. Awful for him and me.

I did that with ds when he was 10 months and wouldn't settle or sleep through - and it did work. It was exhausting and hard but he didn't seem completely thrown by it as he would have been by cc, and I kept saying 'I know you can go to sleep' in a calm cheerful (ha!) voice. As far as I can remember it only ever took about 10-30 mins of going in every minute or so and a few nights before he started to wake, shriek, then suddenly stop and go back to sleep on his own. Oh that was lovely!

Sounds like a useful technique, particularly as it
takes the sting out of any real or imagined attachement issues.

I personally find the best way to get around the whole
'I am such an evil person for abandoning my child' malarkey
is to actually just lie next to her cot and pretend I am asleep.

Word of warning, though: Dw finds this technique impossibly hard
as you have to get through a few sessions of angry protesting by lo.

dd and I are now so used to this technique (and have been for the
last 6-8 months) that she goes down without problems for her two
day time naps.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!

have tried the pretending to be asleep thing, but he just sits and stares at me. so no dice there which is a shame as I would welcome the chance to lie down...

cockles, am very pleased to hear that it worked for you. can you just talk me through exactly what you did? - the article is a bit vague and I'm big on details. also, have you had to repeat the exercise after illness/holidays etc? thanks.