So before I had a kid I was sure that once my children were a few months old I would just let them cry it out if they woke up at night. This is what my mom did with her kids and we all got through it. (Well, except for me, who woke up at least once a night until I was 5 with night terrors.)
This method worked alright for us, but mostly because Sadie just didn't wake up that often (and didn't cry for very long) so we weren't faced with the mental/emotional challenge of letting the world's most stubborn baby "cry it out". Well...starting at the beginning of April Sadie abandoned her healthy sleeping habits. It started with waking up 4 to 6 times per night screaming and it has now extended to outright refusal to take any kind of a nap in her crib. We have attempted to make her cry it out but she wins every time. The longest we ever held out was 2 hours. Yes, we endured 2 long hours of violent thrashing, back-arching and screaming. To add to that struggle, our trashy, meth-head downstairs neighbors pound on their ceiling if we let her cry too much.
Not to be dramatic or anything, but it is ruining our lives!
Anyway, now that we are moving (yes, we are moving THIS Saturday- May 22nd) and Sadie's room will share NO walls with any neighbors whatsoever we are committed to consistently administering the best possible strategy for getting our sleep-through-the-night baby back.
Do any of you have any books/original methods that you would suggest? We are willing to do almost anything.
Not to be dramatic or anything, but it is ruining our lives!
Anyway, now that we are moving (yes, we are moving THIS Saturday- May 22nd) and Sadie's room will share NO walls with any neighbors whatsoever we are committed to consistently administering the best possible strategy for getting our sleep-through-the-night baby back.
Do any of you have any books/original methods that you would suggest? We are willing to do almost anything.
6 comments:
Sounds very miserable. I obviously have no experience with this, but I have heard the book "Good Night, Sleep Tight" by Kim West has worked wonders for many of my friends.
Good luck!
That stinks! Ella kind of did that too. We are big cry it out fans, though. Buy some ear plugs, shut both doors, turn on the bathroom fan, and try to tune her out. Plus, a night light really helped Ella. I don't know why, but we bought a cheap plug in the outlet one from Walmart and it has helped a lot. Also, remember that when it comes to training the most habit forming way is intermittent. So, if you get her out sometimes and not other times, it is reinforcing the crying more than getting her up every time. Good luck! Yeah for moving- I want details.
You're moving? Exsqueeze me? How did I not know this? I want to see pictures of your new place. That's exciting! It would be really hard to let your baby cry it out in an apt.
And the book that I live by is BabyWise. I'm not quite as strict as it says to be, but that's just my personal preference. I would be a terrible mother if Briz didn't sleep well. And I am if she ever doesn't, so I don't blame you! Anyone I've ever talked to that has used it has said the method works.
How frustrating! It is hard enough when your baby won't sleep, but having obnoxious neighbors only makes it worse. At least the end is in sight. When Will was really little and driving us crazy a couple of my friends suggested Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth to me. He covers a wide variety of sleep problems by type as well as by age. It really helped me with Will. Is she teething? Will's sleep habits got a lot worse right before he cut his first tooth. Or maybe a growth spurt? Good luck!
Oh, and let me know if you want me to bring the book to Boston. I know that is a few weeks away though and every night counts with this sort of thing.
When I lived with my sister Keri in Brooklyn she was "ferberizing" her then 6 month old, Lily. She handed out ear plugs every night. I think she was reading "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problem" by Richard Ferber. His method is a lot more involved than just letting them cry it out. Hope this helps!
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Solve-Your-Childs-Sleep-Problems/Richard-Ferber/e/9780743201636
Hey Carly! :)
Where are you guys moving to?
The book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child is a good one. I've heard others rave about Baby Wise, but I haven't read it.
Hope you get more sleep soon!
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