PICK UP PUT DOWN V CONTROLLED CRYING ?

[laneydaye]

TRYING TO WORK OUT WHICH(IF ANY) MIGHT WORK FOR US.....
DD IS 4.2MTHS AND FEEDING EVERY 2 HRS IN THE NIGHT....

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PU/PD worked wonders with us when DD was tiny, but when she got ill and out of routine at 6 months we had to switch to CC - by then she had sussed that cry=cuddle and it pu/pd had stopped working.

I would recommend pu/pd to anyone with a little one - it is a few long nights, but then soooo much peace!

Personally I'd go with PU/PD. Apart from anything it's easier on you.

We did PU/PD, it worked and really only took one night. However it did take some resolve and involve my uncontrolled crying at one point. Have faith though - it does work in the end.
Good luck.

Have you read Gina Ford's contented baby book? It worked well for me when my DD was little and getting her to sleep through. I'm not sure what age you should start controlled crying from as it isn't recommended before a certain age, I'm sure someone else will be able to tell you. How is her feeding patterns during the day? My DD was very hungry and after getting her to sleep through for a while she then started waking up because she wasn't getting enough to keep her going all night, hungrier baby milk helped to carry her through until we couldn't hold weaning off any longer (she was a big baby).

is there a method to pu/pd... and how do i do it?
can i start straight away?

Yep - it's very easy. Start on a night when you know she's not under the weather etc. Make sure her evening feed is a big one. I assume when she 'feeds' in the night, she's using you for comfort rather than food?

When she cries and your sure she's not dirty etc, go in and pick her up. Don't give her loads of chat and stimulation but just hold her until she's reassured and stops crying. Then, before she drops back off to sleep, immediately place her back in the cot, say nighty night and leave. Repeat until sleep occurs - may take a couple of hours the first night.

I've found the couple of times I've done this with my ds that he'll cry immediately I put him down at first - and then the first time I thought that he'd gone off to sleep it only lasted about 20 minutes. It is hard work but so worth it.

Just re read your post - I'm not sure about the minimum age thing. Would think 4 months is fine. Does anyone else know.

cheers.....

not sure if this is what i need though!!!
she goes to bed 8.30pm no probs(most nights)
then shes fine for a couple 2/3 hrs thats when the fun starts
Can i do this when she wakes for another feed say 11.00pm

and how do i know she isnt hungry cos she has a 10/15 min feed each time thriugh the night....

I think PU/PD is fine at any age but wasn't sure about controlled crying I think some of the experts recommend you don't do it before a certain age.

Sorry if I missed it in what you have posted but are you breastfeeding or bottle? how long are the feeds normally during the day? If breastfeeding does she appear to be feeding or just sucking for comfort and is she using the sucking to fall back to sleep?

CC not recommended before 5/6 months (check Richard Ferber's book?)

PU/PD is described in Tracy Hogg's book - lots more info on her "Baby Whisperer" website - there's a support group for people using PU/PD there too

I'd say 4 mo is FAR too young for any type of cc. She is prob hungry if she feeds for any lenght of time. Dream feed before she wakes at 11 and see if it keeps her going a little longer.
Some say that 6mo is ok to do cc - but personally I'd say more like 12mo. Unless you are 100% sure that dd is taking the piss - then I wouldn't chance it. She could be hungry, cold, lonely, teething, poorly. Any number of things that I wouldn't want to let my ds go through alone.
I saved myslef a lot of grief by letting ds have milk in the night (he didn't eat many solids really - so he prob was hungry) or bringing him into my bed (if it was after 4 or 5am)

I agree with you TracyK there is normally a reason behind them waking they don't at that age do it to annoy you and controlled crying seems like punishing them for them trying to tell you that something is wrong.

thanks everyone.....

last night she had a big feedaround 9pm (she is a breast girl)
at 11i was feeding her again so gave her a substantial feed 15 mins
at 1.30am she was awake again.. tried to reassure her and put her back down, but she was suckling on her hands after 15 mins i gave in and fed her...
same again at 3am
then 5.30 am
then 7 am by this time ive got no more energy left......

also i know she is teething but i take gel and calpol to bed just in case......

I take you are holding off weaning? Is she a big baby? as I have read the Gina Ford book and it does say that if the baby is 4 months old and weighs between 12 and 14lb they are probably ready for a small amount of solids if they are showing the following signs:
Feedign well and going 4 hours between feeds during the day, but now gets very irritable and chews hands an hour or so before next feed is due.
Usually sleeps well at night and nap times, but is waking up earlier and earlier.

I know that the government now recommend not weaning until 6 months

She has been having 1tsp of baby rice for a week..
NOw she is having 2 tsp and doing fine...
dont want to rush things cos of the 6mths guidelines....

I wouldn't do cc with a baby that young. However we had a sleep problem for the first time with dd when she was 15 months and tried PU/PD thinking it kinder than cc and it was hell, made everything twenty times worse and ended up doing cc anyway.