Grandma DO NOT READ!!!!!

STOP reading Grandma........you aren't gonna like this post!

I've decided to let Zachary CIO (cry it out). He is almost 6 months old & his sleep habits are those of a NEWBORN!! Yes, he is still waking every 3-4 hours.

Tonight is night 1 of sleep training. And since you are still reading Grandma, I'll post a few items I have read about it. I know how you can't stand to hear a baby cry....but he will survive!! I just may not if I keep going like this. Be glad this wasn't your first grandchild from us...he would have been your last if he was!!!

Anyhow, today Zach slept for a total of TWO hours today. ALL day. He should be sleeping SIX hours during the day. Heck, FOUR hours would be nice. So he should have been dead tired & ready for bed at 9 (up since 2:30 w/ a 1/2 hour catnap in the van) right? Wrong. He cried...and cried....and then cried some more. He kept it up for 20 minutes. Usually he goes to bed w/o crying, it's the waking up during the night that kills me. I've never let him cry that long, but he would slow down after 5 mins..then start again & then after 10 mins it was quiet for a bit...then started again up until the 20 minute mark. It was NOT an easy thing to do but he did finally go to sleep.

So I'm planning on sleeping in Lexi's bed tonight (she's at Grandma's) and letting Zach cry when he cries during the night. I'm hoping I won't hear it in her room. He's in my bedroom closet cause he has been waking Zander up at night with his crying & having them BOTH awake during the night is not good. Here is one article I found on sleep training. Not sure how much of it I will try. We'll see how tonight goes I guess.

Controlled crying

If all other methods have failed, controlled crying is the most effective way to sleep-train babies over 6 months.

It is an intense technique and takes a lot of commitment and perseverance but can be very successful in getting your baby to sleep through. If your baby is still feeding in the night, however, it's a good idea to try the core night method to ensure he isn't crying from genuine hunger.

Start controlled crying in the evening on the first day. The same procedure should be carried out no matter how many times your baby or toddler wakes up in the night.

Day 1
Step 1 Decide on a regular time to start the bedtime routine and stick to it. Allow at least one hour for the bath, milk feed and settling.
Step2 Settle your child in his bed before he gets too sleepy. Kiss him goodnight and leave the room.
Step 3 Allow a minimum of five to 10 minutes of crying before returning to reassure him. Reassurance should be kept to the minimum. You can stroke him or say 'ssh-ssh' softly, but resist the urge to pick him up. Leave the room after two minutes even if he continues to cry.
Step 4 After the first half hour of crying, the times between visits should be increased by five to 10 minutes each time, to 15-20 minutes between visits.
Step 5 Continue with the checking plan every 15-20 mins until your baby or toddler falls asleep. Reassurance should still be kept to a minimum of no more than two minutes and he shouldn't be lifted out of the cot.
Step 6 If your baby wakes in the night, continue to follow the same plan for the evening, gradually increasing the time between visits, until you are going in every 15-20 minutes.
Day 2

For daytime naps, it is important you start where you left off in the night.
Step 1 Wait at least 20 minutes before checking your baby and continue to keep visits to him to a maximum of two minutes, with the minimum of reassurance.
Step 2 If your baby or toddler falls asleep closer to the time he's meant to be getting up, allow 15 minutes in the morning nap and 45 minutes at the lunchtime nap so he won't end up sleeping after 3pm in the afternoon. If your baby's very tired he may need a short nap of 15-20 minutes late afternoon, so he doesn't become over-tired.
Step 3 Follow the same settling procedure as the first night in the evening, this time waiting 20-25 minutes before returning. During visits on the second night, reassure your baby by saying "ssh-ssh", but don't stroke or touch him.
Step 4 If your baby is still crying after the first hour, the time between visits should be increased to 35-40 minutes.
Step 5 If he wakes in the night, you should wait 45 minutes before checking him, and you shouldn't speak to him or stroke him. Reduce visits to one minute.

Day 3

By the third day, the majority of babies and toddlers will be settling themselves at all sleep-times within 20 minutes and there's no need to check on them.
Step 1 If your baby backtracks at one of the steep-times and you have to go back to checking him, start off with looking in on him every 15-20 minutes and increase the interval until you are back to 4-5-50 minutes.
Step 2 Once your child has done a few days of settling within 20 minutes, you should be able to use the crying-down method for getting him off to sleep. Within a couple of weeks, the majority of babies and toddlers will be going to sleep without any fuss at all.



And for those of you that don't read Dooce's blog....here's her post on the sleep training they did with Leta (who happens to be Zander's age!). The link is HERE.


Here's hoping I get more than 3 hours of sleep tonight!