16 months and won't sleep - millpond ?

[CraftyDad]

Help. My 16 month old wakes up three times a night. He has never slept theough the night. My wife has gotten into a bad habit of sleeping with him and feeding him milk on demand.

I suggested ear plugs and letting him go all night but my wife wants me to be more considered and read a book called Millpond ? Anyone got any thoughts/experience of this book ?
Thanks in advance

If you (meaning you and your wife here ) have been co-sleeping with him and feeding him during the night, I think it's a bit much to go straight to doing something like leaving him to cry all night, or even just suddenly putting him into a cot and doing controlled crying. If you want to make a change, that is fair enough, but don't just suddenly take an opposite approach to what you have been doing, your son won't understand and it is cruel.

I suggest you take small steps to improve his sleep pattern, what is the biggest problem for your family? Is it having him in bed with you, or the fact he still wakes for milk? (I assume she is still breastfeeding?) I think you should try to change one behaviour at a time and not everything all at once.

Sorry - meant to say, I think that Millpond is of the controlled crying sort of camp. There are lots of books aimed at changing behaviour in a more gentle way - have a look at Jay Gordon or Elizabeth Pantley. (They both have websites)

Millpond is actually a sleep clinic who offer support virtually ( on the phone) or physically if you are in London. They are not in the controlled crying camp but will work with parents to establish routines/techniques that work for them. I used them for my DS who at 18months old had NEVER slept through the night and generally woke 4-5 times at least. We also used dummies. I was very against controlled crying so really didnt want to go down this route. what i did say I was prepared to do though was to leave him for 1 minute, check him, leave him 11/2 mins etc etc. I swear it was the best money I ever spent ( only about £150 - 5 years ago now) 2 things however - 1) you have to be ready to make the changes, be consistent and follow their guidelines and 2) be open minded and honest with them.

i was recommended to them by at least 2 other people who had all used them. Check out their website or I'm happy to answer you more questions...

Sorry forgot to add 10 days later he was sorted and we never looked back

She's not breastfeeding just going through two bottles of Aptamil per night.

We did try a night nurse but he went mental and my wife ran in after 5 mins of crying !

Think I'll call the Clinic. I liek thei dea of talking to someone rather thabn following a book.

They really are very good - good luck and hope it gets resolved - you'll wonder how you ever existed.....

Bought the book. Read the book. 3 nights in, drinking watered down formula. Not sleeping but nice to think we're making progress.

see you have gone another route but this is the Jay Gordon article and is def worth a look if you have 5min - worked a treat on dd at 18m although we took it a lot slower than 3 days per stage.

Quick update - after a week of replacing water with milk through the night, we then bought some ear plugs and toughed it out. it was surpising how quickly he got out of the habit of us comforting him and now he sleeps through most nights.

Thanks for all the comments. All I need to do know is sort out my 3 year olds nightmares

Crafty D