Letting them cry to fall asleep

Okay so we went to the docs today and she says the girls really don't need the night time feedings so to let them cry it out :unsure: at this age??? They are 6 1/2 months and adjusted they are 4 months. They weight 11lbs 13oz & 13lbs. I just can't see letting them go thru the night yet..She also said don't rock them to sleep..I know this needs to stop but oh I hate listening to them cry. Right now I have one sleeping and the other is searching the crib for her sister and crying. We put them in seperate beds tonight because they have a tendonsy to try and get to each other, so if one is sleeping then the other wakes that one up..if they cry though usually they will sleep thru that. How many of you let them sleep thru the night at this age? do you let them cry it out till they fall asleep?

 

Starting 4 months old our boys finally starting sleeping through the night. It was the pedi's advice starting 4 months not to give them bottle feed if they wake up so that they get used to make it through the night. Why is it that you can't see your girls sleep through the night?

I don't let my boys cry out till they fall asleep. I'd try to calm them in whatever I can (pacifier, cuddling, even if I have to hold one of them at times to get asleep).

 

We did CIO at bedtime at 5 months. However, we did it because it felt like the right decision to us. If you don't want to do it, you don't have to just because the doctor says so. Our ped also told us at around 6 months that they shouldn't need night feedings anymore, and in fact Sarah didn't (she was already sleeping through), but Amy continued to wake for a feeding until 13 months. We tried (briefly) letting her cry to see if she would give up, but it quickly became clear that she was really hungry, so we went back to feeding her at night. Doctors don't always know best.

 

I am going through the same issue. Babies wake up twice at night. We feed them at 8pm (6oz) they wake up at 2 am and 5 am for feedings. I feel like I have newborns yet I don't have a power in me to not feed them, YET. I am sure I will be forcing them out of their nighttime feedings after they reach 4-5 months "corrected" since they seem to just begetting their calories at night and I want to "help" them eat more during the day.

My babies are 4 months (3 "months" corrected") and are 16 lb and 17 lb and last months our pedi told us that at this weight they don't need to eat anymore at night. He said that once they are 4 months corrected he will want us to do Ferber method. He said it usually works in 3 days to a week and kids start sleeping through the night.
I will try slowly decreasing their oz for nighttime feeding before trying Ferber though....

Now, like someone said before, you shouldn't do it just because doctor said so but you don't want to. You should do what is best for you and your family.

 

Our kids are 11 months and in separate cribs, and we still don't do CIO. Our son sleeps straight through the night usually. If our daughter wakes up crying, we give her a paci but don't pick her up. She goes right back to sleep then.

I don't know when a good age would be to let them CIO.

 

If you arent comfortable lettting them cry, then dont. They are your babies and while the Ped is giving you guidance, you can take it or leave it. Personally I would leave it. At 4 months adjusted, they could still be hungry. Mine were born at 32 weeks and woke until 9.5 months for a bottle.

 

I agree with Rachel. If you aren't comfortable doing it, don't. Chances are that you won't be consistent if you are not totally on board, and that will completely defeat the purpose of CIO. 4 months adjusted is a bit young for me personally, especially if they are still hungry at night. My ped also said it was ok at 4 months, but I just didn't feel comfortable until after 6 months. By that time, my babies were rolling, and could find a paci and put it in, so I felt like they were a bit more able to self-soothe. Hang in there momma! :hug:

 

I did CIO @ 5.5 months old because they were addicted to being rocked to sleep. They would still wake to eat anytime between 12 and 4 so i fed them and they would go back to sleep. At 7 months they stopped waking (consistantly) for milk.

 

We'll last night we put them in seperate beds to see how that worked.. Our little Beatrice fell right to sleep, Olivia on the other hand was all over the bed looking for Beatrice, she didn't cry cry..she just kinda fussed off and on.. I would check on her and finally she just went to sleep.. I tucked them both in (they still sleep in our room) and we went to bed.. they were put down at 8:30-9pm and they didn't wake up till 5:40am!!! :silly: I couldn't believe it!! I actually set my cell phone alarm to check on them and they were still fast alsleep so I wasn't about to wake them. Actually Olivia is the one who woke up but I always keep them on the same schedule so once I was done with her I fed Beatrice. I just can't believe they slept that long.. I think it's because they didn't kick each other. So we will see how it goes tonight!

 

Glad you got some sleep last night. :banana:

 

Glad you got some sleep I agree if your not ready to stop feeding them and do CIO then don't. Besides I thought somewhere I read the requirement for CIO was 4 months and at least 12lbs?! So your one LO doesn't even meet the weight requirement yet!

 

My boys still wake 3 times a night for a bottle. They are six months old (four months corrected age), and although they are a good weight, they still scream for a bottle out of hunger. I don't do CIO unless they are so tired they are just getting out their stress. Then I hang out and help them through it. But I see that as my job as their mother. To help them through it.

This won't work for all women, but it works for me and my babies. It feels very loving to pick them up and offer them comfort when they need it. And they don't always need it.

As frustrating as it is not to sleep through the night, this is a very short time in our lives. It won't be like this forever. But the bond I create with them now will last a long, long time. So I feed them when they are hungry. I rock them when they need comfort. I hold them if that's the only way they can get to sleep that night.

I had a nanny who told me not to rock them, and she said some harsh things to me about feeding them in the middle of the night, so we parted ways. Now I have a new nanny who subscribes to my parenting philosophy, and we have a very happy household. The boys are thriving.

I trust my instincts far and above the instincts of a pediatrician who prescribes something that won't work for me.

But it took me a while to grow into my mommy pants. I think some of those hormones post pregnancy cause a lot of unnecessary, unwanted self doubt.

We could all use a little more rocking and a little less CIO.

 

Ditto this!

I agree with this as well. At our 9 month WBV I asked the pedi about night waking and she said I could stop nursing at night they didnt need to eat but I didnt feel comfortable (even at that point!) so I continued. While I appreciate the knowledge pedi's have when it comes to diagnosing & treating illnesses thats all I appreciate from them. I dont think they are good sources to take parenting advice from. They dont live in your house and they dont know your children like you do. When it comes right down to it you should always follow your gut no matter what science may say is "ok" or "not ok" to do.