Has anyone, who's had a successful CIO experience, had to do it all over again when your LOs got a little older? We did CIO at around 5.5 months. After about 5 days, the girls were basically sleeping through the night. It was wonderful! Around 7 months, they got their first colds, and started waking up during the night. I figured after they were well again, all would be back to normal. Well...then they started waking really early. At five or even four in the morning. Now, they wake consistently to start their day around 6:15 or 6:30, but Lillie will consistently wake up at 2am screaming like crazy. The only thing that will quiet her is someone picking her up. Two nights ago, I went in and rocked her for about five minutes, got her back to sleep. When she woke screaming again 10 minutes later, I let her cry for about five minutes, and she went back to sleep. Last night, both Lillie & Dani were screaming at about midnight. I don't know if I should let them CIO or try to soothe them! All I know is that, along with their nap transition during the day, I'm getting less sleep than I've gotten in months. I'm going crazy! Should I just let them CIO and see if it solves stops this new 2am habit?
I'm in the same boat....I will be curious to find out what others would/have done. I have described it as having 11 month old newborns! WTH?! I have resorted to giving them a bottle when they cry at 2am. I was thinking that I would start to reduce the amount each night that they wake up, just like I did when they wre about 8 months. But I wonder the same thing, do I just let them CIO? Bah! Wish I could help you, but I can't even help myself!
I always soothed them through sickness, and the first night or two they woke I'd check in at least to make sure that they were ok. Then after about the third night or so I do CIO all over again. We pretty much have to do CIO at our house whenever there's the slightest change.. sickness, new naptimes, traveling, visitors.. good fun! But now it usually only takes a day or so until they're back in their routine.
I'm having to do it again right now. Gabriel woke up with a stomach ache and passed a whole bunch of gas....I held him until I was sure the stomach pain was passed....now he is just crying (you can tell he is not in pain anymore, just not wanting to go back to sleep). We are up to 20-25 minutes of crying. Good grief!! I hope I don't have to go through this every time he has a pain....
I had DD #1 STTN around 4-5months old. However, we've had episodes of sleep problems after, and have had to repeat the whole CIO for a week or so before things went back to normal. I heard from a friend that the need to 'retrain' the CIO will happen occasionally before their 2nd birthday. So we are definitely not alone on this!
Thank you everyone! I was up at 5 with D, so I think it's definitely time to repeat CIO. Wish me luck!
I can't say for sure (because they can't tell me!), but it sounds like teething? We are in the middle of trying the CIO method for our girls. It's been a week and a half and I can't say we've made much progress. We aren't getting up to go in and check on them as much any more (maybe 1 time per night) - but they are still waking up frequently and crying. It's just they cry themselves back to sleep within the 5-minute window we've set. So that's great, they are learning how to self-soothe, but as far as Mom & Dad getting sleep - not so much. We are in the next room over and hear them every time they cry. When they cry and then can't seem to settle back down though (they might cry for a few minutes, stop, then start back up again 5 - 10 minutes later, and keep doing that) we think it's teething. Our girls are 8.5 months and neither of them have any teeth yet. If that happens, we will give them some infant motrin and that does seem to help. Not sure if your LO's are in the same boat? And this CIO thing is freaking HARD & maybe not exactly the miracle cure for sleep problems I thought it might be. I thought it would help them sleep better overall, but that hasn't happened yet. I CAN'T WAIT for them to stop crying out in the middle of the night!!! WHEN will that happen?!?!
My girls are 13 days older than your LOs, and Lillie does have two more teeth coming in right now. (They both have two bottom teeth.) I did attribute her night waking to teething at first, but her 2AM routine is only solved when I pick her up. She instantly stops crying when I pick her up and instantly starts up again when she feels her mattress. When I let her cry without going in, it took her 10 minutes to get back to sleep. I think she just wants some company, but I just can't make a habit of getting up every morning for 30 minutes. I tried Tylenol a few days ago, but she still woke up screaming. I believe yours are probably experiencing teething though.
