Sleep techniques for a 2 year old - too late for CC?

[adee1974]

I'm thinking of biting the bullet and trying cc again for my energetic 2 year old. I have tried before when she was younger and wimped out.

Does anyone have any specific techniques that have worked successfully? How long should it take? If she is screaming the place down, should I pick her up or leave her?

Hubby and I need a proper nights sleep so any advice from fellow MNers would be gratefully received. Thanks!

Happy New Year

Definitely not, we HAD to do it when ds got to almost 4 and was still waking like 20 times a night.

We would leave him five minutes at a time and go in and say shhhh, then leave again. It lasted three nights before he slept right through.

We did it on advice from the hv as he had a sleep association with drinking.

Depends on why she's crying. What do you think she's waking up for?

She usually cries for milk, which to my shame we still give her a bottle. She usually in bed by 8-8.30ish and then wake times are 1am, 3am and 4am. So tired at the mo.

No criticism meant here, as I fell into that trap too, but it's you who's made the problem, so to suddenly go to controlled crying seems mean to me.
How two is she? Is she only just, or a fair way to three? And is she in a cot or in a bed - ie can she escape...?

Sounds like a similar thing to us Adee, she has to learn to sleep with the drinking thing/milk.

My son always used sucking as a comfort, despite being off the bottle since he was a year, he still used the sippy cup for the same thing, so she would probably do it with a cup too as well as a bottle.

Despite the majority of people on here who disagree with it, it really worked for us and I wouldn't change a thing about having done it. We NEEDED to do it. He'd still be up during the night now if we hadn't!

Sorry, she has to learn to sleep WITHOUT the drinking thing/milk.

Its like anything, she needs to learn to settle herself. Does she need a bottle to go to sleep at night initially?

I know its bad Smee , giving her milk seems to settle her and give us some sleep, but totally agree not the best. I'm just wanting some tips to wean her off the bot bot and get her into some sort out sleeping pattern. She is just two and still in a cot. If there are softer options other than CC, would gladly do those too!

Thanks MHET, I give her a bottle before bed and she eats more than enough in the day.

What I mean though is that if she's using a bottle to go to sleep at bedtime, then when she's waking up during the night, the only way she knows how to get back to sleep is with a bottle.

That was what we had to break too. She needs to learn how to settle herself without the bottle and thats the tough part!

Will try weaning, thanks but how do we deal with her other wake ups?

How long did it take for your little one to break the bottle?

adee, shame she's not a bit older as she'd understand more. For what it's worth, we put a non-spill beaker of water in DS's cot so he could grab it when he wanted. When he woke, I went in and stayed but refused to pick him up. I kept very quiet and calm, never raised my voice, just curled up next to his cot. I found quietly humming good, as it gave me something to focus on to shut out his cries and also he had to ssh to listen. If he lay down and was quiet I'd put my hand on his tummy or stroke his hair. That way I was reassuring him, but equally not giving in. He soon learned he wasn't going to get the milk no matter how much he screamed. It was exhausting (and cold!) having to sit there, but it felt kinder to me than cc. Maybe I'm too soft, but cc felt too brutal, especially as I'd caused the problem. It's totally up to you obviously, but do something soon as lack of sleep's a killer. I still look back and wonder how we did it for so long

I hate posting this as I know some people will flame me for it. But we had to do cc to break the first drink to go to sleep. The first night he cried for an hour!

He only woke up once that night and cried for 20 mins.

The second night he cried for forty five mins and woke up once and cried for 20 mins again.

The third night, he cried for 20 mins and slept right through for the first time ever .

The fourth night, he didn't cry.

He's never been good at going to sleep, he's 6.5 now and still a nightmare, will lie awake for hours but thats due to hyper issues more than anything else.

I can't see any other way to do this other than cc but I'm sure some other mums will have an input for you. We did try every option at the time and bought various books (from around age 2) but in the end this was the only thing that worked for us.

I don't envy you at all!

Thanks Smee, her screams can break glass and she tries to flip out of her cot, but I will be strong! Will try the beaker approach as she has one in the day.

Is your DS now sleeping through Smee?

It IS tough adee, our ds had a scream like that too. You need to be tough to do it. You will find something that works for you though.

Good luck! x

Hi, you don't need to leave to cry for ages, we only left for 1 minute at a time, doing rapid return, so he didn't cry for ages on his own, but was definitely unhappy with the situation. Just to give you more choices! DS was 2 and a few months at the time, sleeping through within a few days. We didn't have a milk issue, though , just wanted company in his bed.

MHHET, I had exactly the same problem, so I really really do understand, but what I did is an alternative, though the only difference is I stayed in the room right next to him. I didn't pick him up or give him the milk, but I was there so he felt reassured and could see that I wasn't cross with him, or whatever else he might imagine. It took us a bit longer than it took you so that's a minus, but then we possibly had a few less tears. It's six of one and half a dozen, etc, etc. Kids are sent to torture us..

adee, he sort of does and sort of doesn't, but at 4 now he's far less disruptive than he was. When he wakes now (on average once a night though sometimes more), he calls out I go in - he's usually too hot or too cold or has had a bad dream. Difference now is no screaming or demands and I'm back in my bed within a minute or so. Doesn't feel a problem to me now, as I've accepted he's a light sleeper and always will be. I know he's unusual though, as most kids do sleep through. It definitely gets easier I promise. And fingers crossed your lo's like MHHET's

adee, get yourself some earplugs. They don't shut out the screams completely, but they at least muffle them..

Thanks all for your very useful ideas. The sleep thing is a major nightmare for us if you pardon the pun , like the gentle approach kayjel of short periods.

Thanks again!

Thanks Smee, at least it is quick disruptions and he is settling himself. Ear plugs would come out with the noise dd makes!

Pull a woolly hat over your ears too then - kind of necessary in this cold. Brrr..

ha ha! On a final point as I think you guys have given me some very useful tips, would her being in a cot have anything to do with not sleeping through? Would being in a cotbed help? Thanks again!

I don't think so, as then you've got a whole big other can of worms to deal with. The one where they can get out of the bed too!

god, will stick to tackling sleep pattern first!