Those USED to have 4, 5 & 6 mth old constant wakers - what did you do?

[iamaLeafontheWind]

Does it have to be controlled crying or did the sleep get better on it's own? [blind optimism emoticon]

DD woke 11 3 6 for feeding until 6 months.

Then I weaned to formula and food.

And she got better.

But only slept through 7 -7 age one.

So yes, sometimes it gets better, but mine was waking hungry, not just waking.

But I may not be the best person to discuss this. I am reading the sleep discussions because DS is 5 months and is waking every 2 1/2 hours and feeding, because I need him to shut up rather than wake DH and DD. And it is DOING MY HEAD IN.

Apologies for shouting. I am very irritable at the moment.

I didn't do cc. It was just not right for me, or ds.

I think if you just do the 'what feels right' thing then things really do get better, just more slowly.

ds is nearly 1 now and tbh we still haven't completely cracked the whole sleep thing but it is SOOOOOO much better now than it was. If someone could have promised me I would reach this stage at this age I could have coped so much better when ds was younger. It's the fear that it'll never get better that is the worst i think. and constantly being told you should sleep-train, rod for own back blah blah...

We have done whatever we needed to do to get thru it. so ds ends up in our bed most nights, but is going longer and longer in his cot. I bf at night until 11 mo, he now just has occasional bit of water...

we still have bad nights but I can cope now, I can see so much improvement.

it does take time tho if you don't want to 'train' your baby but go at their own pace... but I'm proud that despite everything I've stuck with what felt right and that it may possibly actually work!

phew, essay, sorry. hope it is of some use. hang in there xxxx

ps - serenity is a great film!!! assuming that's where your nickname came from xx

Hi Nolonger yes it is, best film ever - Browncoats of the 'Verse together!

Thanks for the advice, I think it's that the different sleep camps are so convinced that they are each right, but I'll only be able to tell afterwards. But i think i'll try the gentler options first.

Iama - I did CIO in the end (CC made him very angry) but that was because I left it until I was so very very exhausted that at times I really just wanted to fling him on the bed and walk away. We did for just over a week IIRC, to get him going 3 hours between feeds.

There are so many things to do before resorting to leaving them to cry if you catch it before you're so exhausted. Whatever suits you from the No Cry Sleep Solution, sssh pat, pickup put down - all that sort of stuff. We're currently on cuddles from Daddy when he wakes in the night as he's just been night weaned at 1 (and that was working nicely until he stopped asking for milk and just wanted Daddy to take him into the spare room to sleep together!). Worst case scenario at the moment is one feed between 7 and 5 - and that's without and CC/CIO since the initial lot.

So in conclusion to another of my ridiculously wordy posts, I would say don't just hope it gets better, but start now making sure you've got everything possible in place to help your LO sleep better - routines, helping them learn to settle themselves, making sure they're getting enough milk in the day (that was a tough one for us). I think its worth doing from about 3 or 4 months, depending on what your baby is like.

Good Luck!

The different sleep camps may well all be right, trouble is the children are all different. Try anything you think is right for you, start slow, give each one time to work (or not).

Mine grew out of it. Eventually. Sort of. The 6yo mostly sleeps through ...