I really want to try to controlled crying method tonight. Comments/help and for/against please

[mum2bagain]

My ds is 10 months old and had been sleeping quite well since around 7 months, usually from between 8-9pm till 6.30ish. The last week he has just not wanted to go to sleep, I even tried cutting down the naps in the day which made no difference at all. Even when he does eventually go to sleep which could be 11pm sometimes, he is awake at 1.30am screaming and just won't settle. I tend to him, try to settle him again but when I try to leave the room he just cries. My husband even lay on the floor next to his cot last night for 2 hours trying to soothe him and he still screamed (he's now gone to do a full days work

He is out of his routine for some reason, I have 3 older children and don't recall having this problem (although I'm sure we did at some point but can't remember).

Now almost a week with very little sleep I am willing to give the CC a try. He cries anyway so it's going to make little difference in that respect.

Can anyone share their experience or offer any tips.

Many thanks

If it's just a week then maybe some big teeth are coming in. Any signs of pain? I'd treat that before sleep training.

If you think it's something longer term that you want to change then CC certainly got our children into a decent sleep pattern. My dh did this with both of our boys when they were about 8 months old. It took two nights of him going in, patting on the back, leaving the room and returning every 5, 10, 15 minutes. They both slept through the night after that. He even sleep trained my second baby with the first toddler asleep in the same room. I couldn't do any of it as too soft so I slept elsewhere whilst hearing phantom wailing.

I had my children before I had the internet so I didn't realise that CC meant almost certain doom for my children's mental health. Mine are now grown and don't appear broken souls just yet.

Take him into bed with you. There has to be a reason - teeth, dawning separation anxiety - something like that. Growth spurt? Is he hungry? More food/milk at bed time?

OMG- you are experiencing the same thing as me! See my recent thread (10month former good sleeper!).

At first I tried to bring her into the bed- and that worked fine, but I find it difficult to sleep as so aware of her. Also tried to feed her- that didn't work. So now I am going in and comforting her and then leaving- just as Gene says. We are on day/ night 3 of that.... she is definitely settling after the third visit from me, but it does take about 1 hour or more...

Please keep me informed!

I put him in bed with me last night just so my husband could get some sleep as he works, like I said earlier, he had been lay on the floor for ages in his room trying to settle him. He did go to sleep when he was in with me, which as a one off, fine, but there is no way I want to start that habit of him being in our bed, I had that with my second child for nearly 2 years and I'm not going there again. As for the teething, I'm sure he is teething, his two bottom teeth have come through over the last few weeks. I have tried giving him calpol before bedtime, just in case, although I have to say, during the day he is an angel baby, so can teething affect them just at night??? I would have thought the calpol would have sorted that though. My feelings are that it is separation/anxiety. It breaks my heart to know he is upset at night and I don't know the reason. He is otherwise a very healthy, beautiful little boy, but sleep is everything, I'm sure you will agree for those of you like me!!! If affects everything in our life from the way we function during the day to how we are as a family. So, is CC the answer???

mum2 - my opinion is that cc is not the answer in this case yet.

Teething can be much worse at night. My ds has terrible nights sleep when is teething. His molers started coming through at about 10 months and our nights were HELL! If you imagine when you have an illness/pain, it always gets worse at night because you are relaxed and thinking about it. During the day your ds has other things to occupy his mind away from any pain. We've had two months of really bad sleeping but the teeth are now through and he is sleeping again and trust me I felt exactly like you at the time!

IMHO I would expect your ds to stop crying when you or your dh cuddled him. If he still crying when you are there, then it is something he is trying to tell you and cc won't help that. cc only really works if its habitual waking (e.g. wakes at 2am everynight for milk even when he is having enough in the day, or wakes at 4am to start the day!)

Have you tried nurofen? Its better than calpol for teething as is anti-inflammatry. and you can give the two together (one dose calpol and one dose nurofen).

hth

Thnk you for that. I will try the calpol and nurofen tonight and possibly give him a bottle when he wakes at 1.30am, there is a pattern to this 1.30am thing. I agree pain can be worse at night. Well wish me luck and I shall let you know how we got on tomorrow.

zzzzzzzzzzzz lol

CC during separation anxiety is cruel (they've just discovered you're still there when they can't see you and for some reason you won't come when they call) and probably pointless. It does sound like Separation Anxiety to me and you just have to find something that you can cope with and ride it through. There are varying degrees as their level of object permance develops and you can do gradual withdrawl in a few weeks.