Sleep Training - Surviving IT!?

Hi Ladies,

been reading the thread the last two days and just wanted to say thank you ... for making me realize that my child is not a great sleeper but its not as bad as some of you have it.

she is nearly one and we have good nights and bad nights, we tried some mild sleep training a while ago and she learnt to go to sleep along in her cot after one month( she is stubborn and fought it all the way) - its didnt have much impact on night wakings. so we dropped it and I still nurse her and rock her to sleep.

on a good night we wake up twice and on a bad night its between 5 - 8 times. but as many have said they only little once, it will all be over before we know it

Karin, I would drop the dream feed, I did it a few times and I found it made no differnece, she woke up at the same time she would ahve without the feed. Sounds like you are making progress, hope your daugther starts sleeping well soon.

ChanM- sounds like you have had a rough time , you probably need a good nights sleep your self, when we are having a rough patch, my husband and I take turns every second night, that way at least one of us is getting some sleep and then once every few months my folks take her for a night and we both have a good nights sleep.

baby sense white noise and the lullaby c.d's are a hit in our house

Good luck... May we all get lots of sleep sooner rather than later

Karin you must def do what feels right with you. I often feel sleep training works only when the parents are ready!

Where are you based? There us a fabulous woman in CT who will co.e to your house and sort out your sleeping problems. Lots of my friends used her. She is expensive though and is a female nazi! Pm me if you want me to get her details. She is a nurse and has been doing tgis for 20+ years. She will make your baby cio (which personlly isn't for me but you must do what works for you) and she will shake up your routine.

Chan - Sheez shame man.... I know how you feel...
My son is now 4 1/2 - he only started sleeping through after turning 2. He was up numerous times a night, it was hell. And at 8 months he decided playtime is at 2h00 or 3h00 in the morning and mommy needs to join. This lasted quite a while and then it became habit. I felt like this is the hand I was dealt and I'll just have to get through. I was a walking zombie most of the time. My health suffered for sure and I failed losing all the kg's I picked up with him because I'm sure the lack of sleep affected my metabolism. My marriage suffered because of it too... I mean how can it not with tempers flaring and impatience all the time because of lack of sleep!?! My daughter also got less attention than she deserved and lots of impatiente to go with it. (she was then 7 years old)
So... I just decided I cannot go through it again. Already Im very impatient with my hubby and other kids too, and I hate that person I turn into because of it. I NEED this to change, for myself and also for my family.

I'm sticking with this. I love her so very much and will show her every single day and night and will be the very best mommy I know how to be. But for me to succeed in all that with her and my other children, I need to look after myself too and a critical part of that is my sleep.
I always say that if I get enough sleep I will and can handle anything else.

Good luck to you and thank you for sharing your story. I truly hope your little boy will be sleeping better very soon!
((hugs))

Ah your story sounds SO like mine! But my son Kade is 9 months old and starting to get a little better now. I get up on average 12 to 15 times between 11 and 6am. He falls asleep by himself at night holding his teddy - which is awesome! So he does know how to fall asleep on his own. But from 11pm it's freaking chaos in our home. He makes so much noise moaning etc that my 9 year old daughter cannot sleep at home anymore! She goes to sleep at granny at 7:45pm and they drop her back at our house in the morning at 6:30am! It's ridiculous - but she's ADD and battles to concentrate at school as it is - imagine if she was woken up all night by her moaning/screaming brother???

And we have tried EVERTYTHING!!! I've even done scans, seen 4 paeds, GP's, Chiropractors and a Homeopath! Nobody can help!

He is on Reflux medication twice a day. And without this his sleeping is a million times worse!

He slept in our bedroom in a camp cot. And something just told me to take him out the cot! He's been sleeping on a mattress on our floor for the last week now and it's really made a difference. I also put 5ml gripe water in his bedtime bottle now and that has also made a difference. His moaning and thrashing around is because of trapped wind. Even at 9 months he still struggles.

Kade only sleeps for 20 mintues every 2 hours during the day as well! So never enough time for me to get anything done!

People have told me I need a medal etc etc because we haven't had sleep in 9 months basically! Getting up 20 times a night is nothing for us - you eventually just get so used to it!!

But the mattress and the Gripe water have made a difference. Last night he went to sleep at 8pm on his own. Woke up at 1:10am - drank his bottle and went straight back to sleep on his own until 5:30am!

I just look at it that eventually they'll outgrow all this and sleep through. I take it in my stride and just get up and do what I need to do. I have been beyond exhausted, my marriage took major strain, my daughter doesn't sleep at home anymore but hey - this is what I've been given so I need to just do it! Maybe i'm just too soft to try sleep training but I don't believe in it.

KarinM I rekon if you stick to your routine you'll start seeing an improvement. Already you're getting long daytime naps which is awesome!

Thinking of you and would love to hear how it goes!

1st Timer - I'm wondering if I should drop the dream feed too...will see tonight how it goes.
I do leave her until she actually really cries, and then only get up and go pat her a bit and calm her.

Tazzy - She is having Cereal every morning and she also has home made veggies and fruit and I've started giving her pureed chicken too with it, so I've got the iron covered I hope.
Will go see that Purity night cereal you mentioned, thanks!
Shes not sleeping in her own room but with us. We don't have a seperate room for her you see. We are moving house end of October and there she will have her own room and I'm definitely going to put her in there when we move.

I've ordered some Baby CD's ... waiting for delivery, going to try that too with the bedtime routine and see if it makes a difference. She really loves music.

Only have a few minutes, so its just a very quick post while I still have these thoughts fresh in my mind.

You mentioned that she is still bf only. Have you considered an iron supplement or perhaps add some iron rich veggies to her food? Lack of iron can cause sleep issues

Then also - I remember with my first LG (also a bad sleeper) that I used to put a camomile tea bag into her night time formula bottle. Perhaps a sister lillian camomilla would have the same effect?

Another thought - what are u feeding her for supper? I've started with Puritys nighttime cereal. Its a maize meal that is cooked so it fills them up for longer.

Is she sleeping in her own room? I have moved A to her room 2 nights ago and it def has made a huge difference. You don't realise that humans are actually quite noisy sleepers!

Last one - white noise!! It works

Hi just popping in. 2 quick comments from my very limited experience!

1. I found a dream feed a complete waste of time. J still woke up an hour or two later for a feed and nappy change. If I left him he would power through until atleast 2. Used to feed at 6.30, bath, feed again and then leave him until he woke up for another feed. I read somewhere they wake thenselves when having a wee so if you give a dream feed they may well wee a few hours later and wake themselves? Dunno how true this is. Try skipping the dream feed a few nights and see what happens?

2. Leave them unless they're crying. So often I heard (and still hear) james thrashing around and when I get there he was actually asleep (but still thrashing).

Good luck! Hope tonight is better!