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Babies and sleep training
I am losing my mind. I'm off all week and have DD home with me. She has fought every freaking nap so hard. Bedtime sleep she fights 50% of the time. Sometimes nursing to sleep works, but sometimes it doesn't (so I don't always do it).
It's possible we've hit the 4-month wakeful. DH and I definitely plan to do some sort of sleep training, but we haven't research any methods yet. I have Ferber's book in the mail...I've heard it's a very informative book even if you don't follow his method.
Any tips on when to know if your kid is ready to sleep train? Do I even bother during the 4-month wakeful?
She is still in the RnP at night and most naps, but I am trying to get her used to the crib here and there. She naps in the swing most of the time at daycare (but won't at home for whatever reason). We don't swaddle anymore (stopped around 3 weeks because she is Houdini. I'm considering trying out the Miracle Blanket but don't know if it's worth it since she is very close to rolling over.
Help.
Re: Babies and sleep training
I nearly threw myself out the window when she hit 4 months. It's real and it's awful. You just have to power through it.
I don't think we sleep trained til 6 months but I can't remember 100%.
Good luck. It lasted less then 2 weeks then back to normal for us.
I feel like we hit all the 'wakeful' periods, whether it was in my head or not. And if it wasn't that, it was teething or something else.
4 months is definitely too early to sleep train but the Ferber book gives you good suggestions for avoiding potential sleep associations as she gets older. I read the No Cry Sleep Solution and it was too regimented for me with trying to keep a written schedule. Plus, J wasn't getting up nearly as many times at night as the author's kid was so I didn't feel it was a good fit for us. I also read Harvey Karp's new sleep book and liked it but it would have been good to read when J was younger (read: now for you!).
I read the Ferber book after we got back from Italy (J was 9.5 months) because he was all out of whack with the time changes, teething and growth spurts. We decided to implement his tactics because to me, it seemed very logical and no one was getting any solid sleep in our house and we were all miserable. And I figured, hey, what did we have to lose?
Our biggest issue was that I would nurse J to sleep and then he'd wake up at night in his crib and was probably scared because he wasn't where he fell asleep (Ferber has some great examples that adults can relate to like falling asleep in bed and waking up on the couch and being confused).
It probably took about a week's adjustment for it to actually work but now he goes into the crib awake so he can fall asleep on his own. He sleeps through the night and if he does wake up, he knows where he is and can re-settle himself. It's not perfect and he does have an off night here and there but it's a million times better. And he's also napping better now too.
My advice is to read a few different methods just to see what you think works with your parenting style. When you get to sleep training, whichever method you choose, just be consistent with your plan. Even when we had a bad night or two, we made sure to stick with our plan, no matter what.
#1 12.11.11
#2 10.23.13 EDD
6 months was our hell. It was pure torture, which is par for the course since I patted myself on the back for not having experienced the 4 month wakeful.
That said, we didn't sleep train until about 10 months because we didn't need to. Then around that time, he started crying out until we went in. This went on for I'd say 6 weeks or so, until once DH and I went in together and the little bugger started laughing.
I borrowed Ferber's book from the library and used the Progressive Waiting approach. It took 4 days to take and he has been amazing ever since.
Good luck and you have my sympathies!
We did the EASY method. I liked the book because it seemed like someone wrote down common sense and made millions on it from new parents. We stuck to it somewhat but modified it where needed for us.
That to me is the key- read some of the books but make sure you guys tailor whatever you are going to do in a way that it makes sense for you, DH and little A. No one author is going to completely hit the nail on the head for you.
I would maybe try the swaddle or miracle blanket again. At that age, DS was still pretty good but he did need a swaddle sometimes (even if he got out of it). He was a really good sleeper overall so I can't remember a 4 month wakeful or any other major issues.
Good luck!
Yep, 4 month sleep regression.
I took some sleep classes at BRC. 4 months is too early to train. Agree with LD - whatever you can do. Miracle Blanket never worked for us.
I have a friend who just went through this and used a sleep consultant and had wonderful success: http://babysleepconsulting.com/
This.
And now that I've said that, I'm sure I'm screwed in 2 weeks when Declan hits 4 months.
Thanks, ladies. You've at least validated my feeling of going insane over this issue!
I will check on some of these books to recommended.
Erin - is this book "The Sleepeasy Solution"? I can't find anything else.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2318214_apply-baby-whisperers-sleep-method.html
apparently there is some woman who dubs herself the baby whisperer that does it too..... I have no idea what the book is called but it is based on the Eat, Active, Sleep, You method. It is older than the baby whisperer. I will look for the book when I get home.
Mind you- we were up from 245-345a with a screaming Joey because he wanted to sleep in our bed and he is totally messed up from vacation and traveling so..... we may not be the best role models. We didn't let him and eventually he fell asleep but it was ROUGH.
We read the baby sleep solution 12 hours by 12 weeks and followed its process very closely. After doing so my son slept 12 hours straight through every night from the time he was 3.5 months.
It was AMAZING!!