CIO Help

I need some help to get through this...

I finally got up the nerve to endure the agony of CIO for naps and night time. Each baby is in a separate bed in a separate room-- one in our room, one in the nursery. We started on Monday at bedtime, and it's now Saturday. We started doing CIO at naps yesterday. However, every night since we started, the babies start crying hysterically, inconsolably as soon as we start their night time routine. They have always cried during this period but now they are just hysterical!! It worries me that they might be traumatized. Jack is teething (and thoroughly medicated as a result) but Jake has no notable reason to cry other than being upset or being tired-- keep in mind the crying is BEFORE they get anywhere near their beds for night time... it starts as soon as they see their pajamas. For the past 3 mornings, Jack has awoken in an absolutely terrible mood and has stayed like that for a large portion of the day. He is usually my morning sunshine. :-( I just feel like I'm doing something horrible... and I know everyone says it's not, and it helps them self-soothe, which I really believe they need to be able to do... but I always read about people's babies being happy in the morning after CIO, and in better moods thanks to better rest... I just don't want to be traumatizing my sweet little guys!!

Please chime in and tell me hang in, and that the crankiness and hysteria is just coincidental... or if not, that it will get better.

Thanks!

:hug99:

 

I have done CIO for naps and nighttime for Lily since she was four months old. I had to, nothing else worked. Lily was also one, even before doing CIO, that from a very very young age would start crying the moment that she saw her pj's. She has always started screaming from either the sight of the pj's or when we take the turn to go upstairs to her bedroom. She does this for both naps and nighttime and has for about 3.5 months now. The ped said she just does not want to go to sleep and there is nothing we can do. It has gotten a bit better but I believe she will always be our sleep fighter.

I cannot comment on him waking in a bad mood but I can certainly commiserate with the crying prior to any sign of bed. We do sponge baths before bed and DH does DD's and I feel sooo bad for him because it is supposed to be a nice bonding time (like it is for DS and I) but DD ends up laughing and loving the entire sponge bath only to scream bloody murder the moment her pj's are pulled out of the drawer. It isn't fun, I know.

I just try to imagine that they love being with us soooo much and their life is sooo great that they do not want to go to sleep!

Amy

 

Hi there. We had to do sleep training with one of our twins, James. What time are your guys going to bed? If they're crying at bedtime and/or in the morning and/or through naps could they be overtired due to inadequate sleep? They may need an extra early bedtime for a few days until the crying phase passes. My boys were going to bed at 6 for quite a while (actually helped them to sleep later...strangely enough).

 

Lots of things could be going on with them right now. Teething like you said. Separation anxiety? I think once you are successful with CIO, you will see a change in them. :hug99: I know it's hard.

 

QUOTE(becky5 @ Jan 12 2008, 11:24 PM) [snapback]569832[/snapback]
Lots of things could be going on with them right now. Teething like you said. Separation anxiety? I think once you are successful with CIO, you will see a change in them. :hug99: I know it's hard.


If they are teething, then they are in physical pain/discomfort. If they are experiencing separation anxiety, they are in emotional pain/discomfort. As a parent, I think the most appropriate thing to do would be to discontinue CIO and comfort your children. I'm not in favor of CIO as a sleep training method to begin with, but I know it does work for some people and their children seem to be fine. Your children do not seem to be doing fine right now - whether it's because of the CIO or just coincidental doesn't really matter. If it's the CIO affecting their daytime behavior, my advice is stop the CIO. If it's something else bothering them and making them unhappy, I'd still stop the CIO, at least until their daytime situation resolves. Good luck!

 

I know you want encouragement to continue CIO., but it's possible the babies just aren't ready yet. Maybe you can trust your mother's instinct on this and try CIO in another few weeks, perhaps after your little guy has gotten through the teething bit. I did CIO for naps, but not bedtime. We just had a bad bout of stomach flu and then teething so sleep was horrible for awhile, but now they're back to a schedule. But like I said, I've never done CIO for bedtime... and my babies wake up happy in the morning.

Good luck!

 

I have nothing against CIO - we've done it with great success. But like a pp, I do think that being so upset during the day may be a sign that they aren't ready for it, or that CIO is just not the thing for them... It's a great method for many babies, but not all. I hope you can find something that works soon! :hug99: