Ok so... I'm ready to sleep train

Chloe started sleeping through from 2 months so I was lucky. I could put her down while still awake and leave. But when I went on leave that year I started forming bad habits. She was 9 months then so it did not take long to stick! I just wanted to spend as much of my leave time with her so she fell asleep on my lap etc. Next week I went back to work and what a nightmare!! I struggled the Monday night. She refused to go sleep on her own! Screaming and performing!! I could kick my own arse! I then decided to just let her cry! Was VERY difficult! Monday night she cried for what felt forever! Every night I would just leave her and by Friday she was back to her old routine! Hard lesson learnt there! Hehe!

About the soft toys. C got a dog called ore, a teddy just called Teddy and a Barney. Every night she can choose one to sleep with her giving me a chance to clean the others. I did that after I saw the mission one sleep friend is. She also has 3 or 4 different blankies she can choose from!

At the moment (she's 21onths) she sleeps from 7:30/8:00pm till about 7:30/8:00am. Me and DH takes turns on weekends to get up but most weekends I'm up before her.

Sleep training is difficult but so worth it in the end!

Good Luck to all!

xxx

Zodwa, you did pretty much what I'm doing now - the no cry sleep training method, also with a strict bedtime routine. Funnily we also have a dog:)

I need to start getting him off night feeds!!!
I feed him milk whenever he wants till midnight. After midnight he dsnt wake up for it but before I still give.

I dread the process of not giving him milk. He wakes up once or twice for that. He's almost a year old gotta get on that soon soon.

Crappy thing is my tumble drier is not working. Guess I'll have to suffer tomorrow coz Im washing teddy in the morning. Hope the sun comes out.

Zodwa, I always time the washing of the teddy. I'd have everything in the machine and the moment B wakes up I'd put it on, I'd have 2.5 - 3 hours in which to wash and get it dry (tumble dryer worked well) so by the time she has to go to sleep again he'd be clean and still a little hot from the dryer. I'm now washing him once a week which already isn't enough because she doesn't like him clean!

What I did with regards to sleeptraining, it was a long road but I'll sum it up so it sounds more wow

from about 3 months we got the evening routine straight. Bath, bottle, bed. We did put her down when she was drowsy but not yet asleep and that worked well for evening. I struggled with day naps and I do remember a period when she was 5 months old that I had to hold her for the duration of her nap and be very very quiet as she is a very light sleeper. But I got so tired and stressed out as I couldn't do anything while she was awake and nothing while she slept. It couldn't go on like that for my sanity but also for her as I know that sleeping is so important for young ones.

So around 5 - 5.5 months I followed the awake times as in babysense (the only part of the book that meant anything for us) when the time was approaching for a nap we went to her room and did much the same routine as we would for the evening except for the bath (we can't waste water where I live) I'd take my time and sit with her while she fed, bit of humming, some rocking then I'd put her down and walk out. I remember many a naps sitting outside her door. I'd time it. the moment she started crying I'd start the stopwatch on my cell. 20 sec as that was all I could handle. Go back in and calm her and do it all over again and again. Increasing the time with 20sec every time. If she stopped crying before the 20sec was up I'd reset the stopwatch.

The first day this took me 7min, the next day 4min, which doesn't seem that long but when your in it, it feels like forever. At certain points during development it did take a lot longer but the foundation was set already and she already knew what was expected. From about a year of age it is paying off. This still doesn't mean that she sleeps through and still has a night feed between 11 and 12 but sleeps till 7 so we get a full night.

So yes, she did cry but it never went as far as crying till she was asleep because I'd feel too guilty not knowing if she stopped crying because she fell asleep or because she stopped breathing. It was torture but personally I feel that it was needed and a gift to both of us because when her naps and sleep was sorted she was a much happier baby.

We also did the same in the evening and would state a time at which she could have her next feed - for example if she went to bed at 7 we knew she could go till 11 without a feed, so the same rules applied if she woke before then. Hubby helped a lot in the evenings.

Thanks Zodwa! I feel like I can relate to this approach!! I have just the teddy btw, It's a awesome micro fibre pillow type thing that looks like hippo with a horn like rhino. Have asked around for names for this thing, maybe if he does the trick I'll call him Sir? or your highness or something.
This has been good, thx again guys!

I started sleep training @ 9 months.
I used to rock & sing him to sleep but its winter over here & am getting very cold.
I would still wrap him in a blankie & wld put a stuffed dog btwn us. Dnt have a name for him!!
I realised he wanted to go back to sleep with me holding him. So for him to depend on the stuffed doggie I put it btwn us so his head was against it & he was hugging it.
Then Id sing & rock him still, when his eyes were sleepy Id put him in the cot so that he knows Im putting him down. If he got up, Id do it all over again..
Once that was easy I stopped the singing & rocking & just held him with the stuffed doggie btwn us. Once he got used to that I put him in the cot while awake with the stuffed toy, making sure he's holding it.
In the beginning this was tough as he wanted me to hold him. If he cried Id hold him again till he calmed down & do it all over again. Then one day I realised he dsnt want me to hold him anymore (he'd try to get out of my arms & if I put him in the cot he'd just sleep)

Sometimes he chats, bites, hugs or throws teddy out the cot. I listen on the monitor & if I hear he starts to cry Id calm him down by hugging him, once calm put him back in the cot with teddy, sometimes awake, sometimes half asleep depending which mood Im in & how tired I am
Sometimes he just wants a hug from mommy or daddy...

I need to wash teddy!! What Id like to know is what u ladies have substituted in the teddy's place while its being washed...

I dnt like to hear him cry. It takes a lot of work & patience on ur part Memo but it does work in the end. There were days where I felt like I wasnt making any progress, then my dear boy wld just surprise me.

Thanks so much guys, it's actually good to hear that it did take effort on your part, it kinda means that it can be done.
Did all of your babies cry in the beginning? I dont think he'll understand whats happening if (after always running to him when ever he's upset) I suddenly ignore his 'demands'(for lack of a better word)?