Sleep help

I know that this question has been asked SOOO many times but here it is again:
I want to know what you used to get your kids to bed and sleep through the night. . . I need something that works! I've been doing the HSHHC and it does not seem to be working. . . what am I doing wrong??
We give them a bottle, this generally gets them good and drowsy, hold them as they drift off with a pacifer in their mouth, then put them down. . . sometimes as soon as they hit the mattress the crying starts. . . we have been letting him cry for 20 minutes then back in to pick up and soothe to the "drowsy but awake" stage. . . then back down on the mattress. . . and once again as soon as he hits the mattress, eyes open and the crying is on!!. . . wait 25 mintues, pick him up, give him a bottle, soothe to "drowsy but awake". . . back to mattress. . SUCCESS sleeping!!. . . then 30 minutes later, back up, crying. . . then I'm frustrated BEYOND BELIEF, finally just pick up and soothe to passed out stage!!
Should I just let him cry until he falls asleep? He shouldn't be hungry, right?? UGH!!!

HELP!!!!!!!

 

Pretty much, that's what you will want to do. That's what many people find to be most effective if you are doing CIO. If you keep going in after 30 minutes, you are teaching him that if he cries for 30 minutes, he will get your attention. He probably just wants you much more than he wants the bottle but takes it because he knows that it means parental closeness time.

I always viewed sleep as vital to my children's development, just as food and clothing are. I have been very firm that sleep time is sleep time, and that is it. I have all day long to snuggle with my boys and bond with them in a positive and loving manner. Once bedtime comes around, I understand that they might WANT me to hold them and interact with them all night long, but they NEED to sleep to grow and develop healthily. And they will only do that if they know that the only thing to do is sleep. I had a very hard time with CIO and some very stubborn boys (well over 1 hour of crying in some instances), but I feel that our CIO efforts paid off because the boys love their beds, love to sleep, and go to sleep blissfully now.

We would go in if there was an abnormally extreme cry but if there was just a normal cry, and we knew they were safe in their bed, we would let it go pretty much as long as it took for them to fall asleep. It's really hard but very much worth it. :hug:

Good luck!

 

I have to agree with Erin, letting him cry it out might be your best option. I did not have to use this at night time but I did have to do it at naps and it worked wonders. I am currently having to do it again at nap time with my DS because he seems to feel like he does not need a nap at all.

 

O.k. we'll give it a try. . . did/do your boys sleep in the same room. . . was that ever an issue?

 

The problem I think is that they drift off before they are in their crib... and that's past the 'drowsy' stage. They need to learn to drift off when in their crib... otherwise if they wake up again they just don't know how to fall asleep on their own, and that's why you're having problems.

I don't see what else you can do but CIO either. Mine were always sleeping in the same room and learned to sleep through each other's cries.

 

I agree with all the previous posts...my girls sleep in the same room, and at that age, I was giving them the bottle, sitting with them for a few minutes, and just putting them in their cribs. They usually cried to some extent and just went to sleep. Like mentioned above, the key is to teach them to fall asleep in their cribs, and just let them CIO. Good luck--hope it works!

 

We also had to do CIO. :hug: It's hard but it was the only way we could get them to sleep. My advice is to do it earlier rather then later. I waited longer with my ds and it was much worse doing it as they got older. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

We also did cry it out and did the Healthy Sleep Habits Happy child method. Don't go in if they wake up after 30 minutes. But we also serated ours and that was a big help.. i stopped worrying that they are waking eachother up. If you have the room, i'd seperate them.

 

THANKS for all the great support!! I'm feeling a renewed strength and confidence with CIO!! I CAN DO IT!!! Even if it means I'm on the back porch with a beer in one hand ;o)
Keep the tips coming!!!!

 

O.k. . . CIO commenced at exactly 7:30 CDT. Both boys went to bed awake well "drowsy" but awake. It's 7:52 p.m. and Samuel is still crying and I believe Benjamin is asleep. . . I don't hear him crying but I'm afraid to check because Samuel isn't out yet. . .

I'll check back in when both are asleep. . . ;o) I need a beer

 

Ours shared a room and we didnt CIO.
Anytime we had a crier we would go to them immediately and shush, pat, rock, sing, and put them back to bed.
Both my kids have lovies, and we play a sound machine and CD.
If they cry for a certain person (aka mommy) it might be helpful to have someone else go for the nightwakings so they get the hint mommy isnt coming just lay down and go to bed.
Also make sure you arent trying to put them to bed to early, or too soon after they woke up from a nap.

Hope all goes well!

 

Alright, last night went pretty well until the boys woke up aroun 1100 p.m. So my question is, when they wake up during the night, do you just let them cry themselves back to sleep??

 

We've had that happen a few times, and I just let them cry themselves back to sleep--unless something is wrong. If the crying persists and I can hear some trouble, I go in and check. Usually, they just went back to sleep, if there was nothing wrong.

 

We give it a few minutes (3-5) and if the crying doesnt subside we go in. Generally they've thrown something out of the crib they need, or are out of water (we give a water cup at bed), or wake up scared and just need a pat.
We console for about 5 minutes, tell them night-night again and leave. They fuss a minute but normally go back to bed again.

 

When first doing CIO, we gave them about 5-10 minutes before goign to check on them unless the cry sounded really abnormal. We used crib tents from a pretty early age, so we could know that they didn't lose a paci, water cup, blanket, etc. Now, I usually go in pretty quickly because they rarely fuss at night time and usually if they do it means they are sick or otherwise in need of attention.