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Has anyone tried sleeping training ?? Help

257 replies

Daisyflower12345 · 04/10/2020 19:27

How did you do it ?

I really need to do something as I'm physically and emotionally drained!
DD is 14months and still isn't sleeping through the night an regularly wakes up. I'm so sleep deprived. Many have mentioned to try the Ferber method where you come in after long intervals. I just need to do something and this is literally my last and final option I don't know wat else to do.

Has anyone tried this ?? Has it worked ? Was it the worse thing ever ? Please any advice will help.

OP posts:
Indecisivelurcher · 10/10/2020 21:37

Hope you're getting on OK!

Daisyflower12345 · 11/10/2020 11:47

@Indecisivelurcher well last night she was great lol which just confuses me.

Went to bed at 6.30pm and woke up a few times but she jus had to be tapped a little and then she woke up at 7am which is amazing.

So il stick to the routine of 6.30pm bed time.

Now she is down for her nap hoping she will sleep for 2hours.

OP posts:
Indecisivelurcher · 11/10/2020 11:49

Ha ha ha oh yeah this is familiar! Mine would only ever sleep through when they went for a sleepover at my mums, to give me a break!

Daisyflower12345 · 11/10/2020 18:09

@Indecisivelurcher omg DD was exactly the same. Whenever she would stay with my MIL she would always sleep through with no issues.

I kept thinking MIL must be doing something different how is she sleeping through lol but I heard from a lot of people then whenever their kids were with grandparents etc they slept fine but play up with their own parents. Weird aye hah

OP posts:
Tsubasa1 · 11/10/2020 18:24

I haven't read the whole thread so apologies but I will tell you my experience. Tried controlled crying, although it did work to some extent, the crying never stopped and when she was teething we would go back to square one. I then tried something called gradual withdrawal and that worked much better for my baby. There is a thread on mumsnet but I'll see if I can find it later, although someone else may have posted it before me!

Daisyflower12345 · 11/10/2020 20:06

@Tsubasa1 thank you very much for that.

I haven't tried the sleep training as of yet as I'm trying to better her day time routine first and make sure that's a lot better.

But this gradual withdrawal does sound a lot better than controlled crying lol as I don't really want to do that because of how hysterical my daughter gets when left alone.

If you find the post or have some more information about the withdrawal process I'd really appreciate it as that's something I'd like to try first rather than the Controlled crying xx

OP posts:
Indecisivelurcher · 11/10/2020 21:59

Gradual retreat is a good fit with the path you're already on. So you're trying to reduce the amount of input you're doing to get your little one to sleep. You've gone from rocking to patting already, you're trying to pat less, next you might just sit there or shush, then you might move a bit further away, further still, until you end up out of the room.

Tsubasa1 · 11/10/2020 22:28

Hello again,

Sorry I got the names mixed up, as previous poster has suggested the method is known as gradual retreat (not withdrawal). Here is the exact website I used:
www.google.com/amp/s/www.motherandbaby.co.uk/amp/baby-and-toddler/baby/baby-sleep-problems-solved/get-a-full-night-s-sleep-in-just-10-days

There is a famous thread on mumsnet, luckily I have found it, it seems similar to gradual retreat.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/sleep/1394888-What-worked-for-us-Hope-this-helps

Good luck!Flowers

Daisyflower12345 · 12/10/2020 08:06

@Indecisivelurcher @Tsubasa1 thank you guys very much.

I just feel like some days I'm going backwards. I don't know how long this is going to go on.

Last night wasn't great. She went bed at 6.40pm and woke up at 2 and was awake till 5am. Again was very happy bouncing everywhere I tried everything to put her to sleep but she just refused. I just gave up and let her jump all over the bed until she got tired and she fell asleep herself and that was after 3hours !! An she woke up at 8am.

I just feel like I must be missing something or doing something wrong

OP posts:
Indecisivelurcher · 12/10/2020 08:13

Ah OK. Big message here then. It's not your job to get her to go to sleep and you can't make her. It's your job to support her only. If she's happy, leave her to it or sit there impassively and don't interact, or even lie down and doze?! Can you put a mattress or an air bed in the room or a comfy chair, so you're there with her, but try you must ignore her and keep interaction to a minimum?!

Indecisivelurcher · 12/10/2020 08:22

Even better would be leave the room and go back to bed!

Daisyflower12345 · 12/10/2020 08:58

@Indecisivelurcher she sleeps in the same room but has her own cot. Don't have any space for her to have her own room as no other spare rooms in the house so unfortunately we are in the same room Confused

I didn't give her any interaction at all last night I was too drained to even do anything. I just tried to tap her but she pushed me away an just wanted to bounce around so I gave up an turned over an then after faffing around for 3 hours she fell asleep.

OP posts:
Indecisivelurcher · 12/10/2020 09:11

OK I know that was a shit night but if you didn't make her go back to sleep then I'm hoping she'll be learning. Hit the coffee today! Cake

Daisyflower12345 · 12/10/2020 09:24

@Indecisivelurcher I just feel like I'm running out of ideas.

So when she wakes up again tonight Shal I just leave her an not interact an just let her fall asleep.

I hate putting her in my bed but if I leave her in the cot she screams so loud and starts going hysterical.

OP posts:
Indecisivelurcher · 12/10/2020 09:43

OK. Stop seeing it as you need to get her to sleep. She's older now, you can't make her sleep. Instead, your role is to support her to learn how to do it herself. And that means minimal input.

At the minute you pat her to sleep, and if she gets up, you probably lie her back down? That all needs to stop because it's not helping her learn how to get to sleep by herself.

So how about at bedtime you just sit with her. But you don't interfere. You don't talk. She might shout, she might cry, but you do the least you possibly can. You have a one-liner such as shh it's time to go to sleep now, night night. You only say that.

Just sit on your bed, or right next to the cot if you prefer. Be prepared that it might take 2hrs. Take a book in with you. She probably will cry. She probably will shout. But better at bedtime than at 2am. And at bedtime her drive to sleep will be highest so defo start with bedtime.

I know she vomited when you did controlled crying before. I'm thinking that's because you'd gone out of the room so I'm hoping that doesn't happen. But this first night you need to judge whether you're in fact making her more wound up by being in the room with her, because that can happen.

Stick with a solid daytime nap and the earlier bedtime. I think that's helped a bit already (although not consistently yet) but even if not it's still the right thing to do. This is the next step. It will all come together.

Also if her dad is around then consider which of you is best to do this job. Someone who can stay cool under pressure and be kind but firm.

Daisyflower12345 · 12/10/2020 10:19

@Indecisivelurcher yes your right.

I think she is more hysterical when I leave the room. So il jus try today to stay in the room an maybe no touching an just say shh sleep time.

I can imagine it will most likely take over an hour so il have to take her up to bed earlier like maybe half 5ish as by the time she will sleep it will probably even go onto 7.

With her nap time I'm sticking to only one nap a day which is usually around half 11-12ish. Il be sticking to that won't be changing it.

I really appreciate your suggestions thank you so much it's really helping having your support. It means so much as I feel like I'm just running out of ideas so you even replying an helping is making such a big difference so thank you.

I will try this tonight with the minimal contact an more just being present. See how it goes

OP posts:
Indecisivelurcher · 12/10/2020 10:36

You need her to be a bit sleepy though or you're setting yourself up to fail. Maybe aim to have her in bed 6:30?

You're doing great. It is blummin hard.

Indecisivelurcher · 12/10/2020 10:37

Judge bedtime based on her last nap.

Daisyflower12345 · 12/10/2020 11:15

@Indecisivelurcher so depending on her last nap Shal I just calculate 5 hours. So if she wakes up at 2 then bedtime would be 7? Or if she wakes up at 1 then bedtime is 6?

I will try tonight and see how I get on. I know I never thought It would be this hard. She used to be such a good sleeper. Even coffee isn't helping haha

OP posts:
zaffa · 12/10/2020 11:21

OP I use an app called the huckleberry app which works out awake times and optimum sleep times for your baby. I use the free version. Honestly sleep time became so much easier once I started using it.
I've ended up with DD in my bed because it means we both sleep and if she stirs in the night I can just cuddle her back to sleep but I'm aware that doesn't work for everyone and it's not a long term solution. But regardless, the app has made a real difference to knowing when to put her down for a nap and she just rolls around and falls asleep without me really (although I'm in the room until she's asleep).

Daisyflower12345 · 12/10/2020 11:32

@zaffa thank you so much.

Il be downloading that right now and see how i get on.

I think it's best I try just staying in the room an ignoring her until she eventually falls asleep.

See how ur goes x

OP posts:
Indecisivelurcher · 12/10/2020 12:20

Wow there's an app for that?! Sounds like a good invention!!! I would say that the most important thing is to count awake time, so bedtime is a moveable feast depending on what time she wakes from her nap. Let me know what the app says, I'm interested!

Daisyflower12345 · 12/10/2020 12:39

@Indecisivelurcher I know Iv downloaded the app an filled in all the details. It's asked to start timer on when she's down for her nap and then to stop timer when she wakes up. So Wel see what it says after.

She has gone down for her nap she went down at 12pm. See how long she naps I'm hoping 2 hours as she didn't sleep well last night.

Il keep you updated on what the app says! I'm intrigued too haha.

OP posts:
Daisyflower12345 · 13/10/2020 07:23

@Indecisivelurcher update.

So I went according the app yesterday. So because DD slept 2hous for her nap the app suggested her bedtime should be 7.20pm. So got DD ready for bed and she was asleep by 7.30pm.

She woke up around 11ish crying so comforted her an she went back to sleep. Then again she woke up at 12ish an had bottle and went sleep straight away. She woke up at 4am crying. I tried laying her back down but started crying more and more. Left her to it and eventually she fell asleep after an hour and then woke up at 7.15am.

So overall improvement from the past few nights as her awake time was only an hour. But still a lot of work needs doing. Lol

OP posts:
Indecisivelurcher · 13/10/2020 07:32

I'm glad you had a bit of a better night! How good is this app, have you been able to tell it that she doesn't sleep through? Am wondering if that bedtime caters for that or needing to catch up a sleep debt. Am being nosy!

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