CC/CIO Support and Information Thread

[bananaz]

Day 3 of modified CC and it wasn't great. She did have a longer stretch before her first waking, but that was pretty much the only positive outcome of the night.

• 7:45pm - Bedtime
• 12:00am - Waking #1 - Cried and fussed with checks until 1am at which point I finally fed her. She was still awake when I put her down but she just talked to herself for a minute before falling asleep.
• 2:30am - Waking #2 - Cried for 8 minutes, I went in and turned on the nightlight and she went back to sleep.
• 4:45am - Waking #3 - Waited 5 minutes before going in, then decided to nurse her since it had been more than 3 hours since her last feeding. Afterward she fussed for maybe 30 seconds and then passed out
• 6:30am - Waking #4 - I fed her because I thought she was up for the day but she fell asleep so I put her back down.
• 8:00am - Awake for the day

I don't really know what to do. I feel like I'm being inconsistent and introducing too many changes at once and am traumatizing my poor kid rather than helping her sleep better

 

[Noelle610]

Bananaz, I don't have any help (unfortunately) to give you, but wanted to THANK YOU for your suggestion of putting LO down on her tummy to start the night. My DH did that last night and I think it worked really well. She wasn't as suprised to be that way when she woke and fussed much less.

 

[bananaz]

Bananaz, I don't have any help (unfortunately) to give you, but wanted to THANK YOU for your suggestion of putting LO down on her tummy to start the night. My DH did that last night and I think it worked really well. She wasn't as suprised to be that way when she woke and fussed much less.

Yay, I'm so glad to hear that! My LO seems to be much happier when she starts out on her tummy too.

 

[DaisyBee]

Natsku - at your lo age I would just keep at it tonight. Youve started, why stop now kind of thing? She is old enough that if you give her a bottle again, she is going to think that she is going to get another tomorrow night vs you trying to stop them.

Bananaz - what do you feel is inconsistent? What changes have you been doing?

 

[Natsku]

You're probably right DaisyBee, I had a sinking feeling that I would have to do that. My neighbours are going to hate me (she yells angrily which is very loud!)

 

[DaisyBee]

she may surprise you! It may go better than you imagine. Cc with both of mine has gone way smoother and less crying then I could have even hoped for! Good luck!

 

[Natsku]

Thanks, I hope so, she's very willful though so I doubt it but I will try and stay strong. I wish I had done it properly when she was younger. And I wish I had never started with bottles. Oh well, live and learn.

 

[bananaz]

Bananaz - what do you feel is inconsistent? What changes have you been doing?

Well I started this whole thing because she was new to sleeping unswaddled in her crib at night (she'd been doing it for naps for several weeks) and kept waking herself up when she flipped onto her back or wedged herself into a corner. I knew that if I just nursed her back to sleep it wouldn't actually solve the problem and would probably create a much bigger problem in the long-run, and since she doesn't like being patted to sleep at night I thought CC would be appropriate.

The issue is that I think she does need at least one night feed at this point, and I'm having a hard time figuring out when that should be, and I'm also worried that nighttime nursing is going to reinforce her other night wakings. In her Rock'n'Play she used to sleep at least 6 hours in a row before waking to eat so I thought that would be an appropriate minimum amount of time, but last night she woke after only 4 hours and kept waking up and crying like she was hungry for an hour before I finally gave in and nursed her.

 

[DaisyBee]

Megan was 13 months when I did cc with her and I said it would never work and I guessed she would cry all night for a week. She is very feisty and stubborn as well. Lol

I think she knew I meant business and I wasn't going to change my mind. Megan didnt want bottles though when I did it, she just wanted me to hold and rock her for hours. When she woke during the night it was the same.

Are you going to offer some water or anything in a cup overnight? Are are you going to decide once you are there?

 

[DaisyBee]

Bananaz - what do you feel is inconsistent? What changes have you been doing?

Well I started this whole thing because she was new to sleeping unswaddled in her crib at night (she'd been doing it for naps for several weeks) and kept waking herself up when she flipped onto her back or wedged herself into a corner. I knew that if I just nursed her back to sleep it wouldn't actually solve the problem and would probably create a much bigger problem in the long-run, and since she doesn't like being patted to sleep at night I thought CC would be appropriate.

The issue is that I think she does need at least one night feed at this point, and I'm having a hard time figuring out when that should be, and I'm also worried that nighttime nursing is going to reinforce her other night wakings. In her Rock'n'Play she used to sleep at least 6 hours in a row before waking to eat so I thought that would be an appropriate minimum amount of time, but last night she woke after only 4 hours and kept waking up and crying like she was hungry for an hour before I finally gave in and nursed her.

I don't think that's too many changes. We were similar with jordans night times. It wasn't why I did cc but it helped those things as well. She wasn't swaddled anymore, in her crib vs rock and play and she just needed to learn that she could sleep there just as well. But I am not nursing, so I see where that can confuse things. I continued 1 night feed for Jordan after doing cc. She would go to sleep by 7 and want a bottle at 3-4am. By 5 months I decided that she didn't need it anymore as she wouldn't drink her am bottle. And she was waking Megan every single night at 3-4 am and Megan couldn't fall back asleep, so Megan was so tired and grumpy and horrible to live with for jordans first months. But if those things weren't happening I would have kept the 3/4 am feeding. So I did cc at night then. After Jordan got sick a few weeks back she started wanting bottles at night again. But so much earlier. Sometimes she has 2 oz right before pjs on as she wants her bottle right now vs in 5 minutes so we would do 2 oz then she would have another 4-6 oz right before sleep. So bed between 7-7:30 With having just had 6-8 oz and she would wake between 10-11 wanting a bottle. so I think that it is habit. I do think she can go way longer. I bet same is true for your lo. Some wakings out of habit and some hunger.

So can you bf a smaller time? As for cutting out a feed at night I offered less oz. It's what I'm going to start again tonight.

I've rambled on, sorry, but trying to say I dont think you are doing too much at once.

Eta - and you are on day 3! give it a few more days for her to really get settled into this.

 

[Natsku]

I'm going to offer her water or milk from her straw cup if she doesn't settle in the first 10 mins I think as if she yells much she's bound to get thirsty. Plus she didn't drink much milk before bed (tried her with a straw cup and then an open cup but she didn't want to drink much) when she usually drinks a whole bottle.

 

[Noelle610]

Question for those who have been there.... Does it tend to get worse at some point before vast improvement? We have had so much success on days 1 and 2 that I fear we're in for a terrible night on day 3. My DH thinks our LO is just ready, but I'm unsure. Would love to hear your experiences on that!

 

[DaisyBee]

Natsku - that sounds like a good plan. I think if she does get thirsty enough she will be willing to accept a cup tonight. Or she may just decide to be stubborn and remain thirsty. At her age I would just let her make that choice cup or no drink?

Noelle- with both my girls ( Megan 13 months, Jordan not quite 4 months) the worst night was the first night. Megan had some protesting the next following nights - but less, but no protesting for naps at all, and was going down within a week with no crying and slept through 12 hrs and happy.Jordan had really no crying at all after the first night and first naps the next day she fussed only a few minutes. If she cried after that it was because something was wrong. She wanted more bottle, had to burp, leaky diaper, something was up and there was a reason she wasn't going right to sleep or happily laying there before falling asleep. But normally will just get layed down and go to sleep within 1-5 minutes with no crying.

Others though I've heard day 3 is worse than day 2. Some babies it takes a bit longer to adjust to this new idea. Some it seems to click pretty quickly.

 

[Natsku]

I think I'm just gonna have to let her make that choice, cup or no drink. Gonna go hide the bottles away so I'm not so tempted to give in. I really want to get this no-bottle thing cracked before she starts spending nights at her dad's again. She keeps waking up and crying out once then going back to sleep, I have a feeling this might carry on all night so gonna stick the ear plugs in so those solitary moans won't wake me.

 

[DaisyBee]

I had to do that with the pacifier for megan. It was as much about me not giving in as it was about her giving it up. Its tough being a mom sometimes!

 

[Natsku]

It definitely is! In the terrible twos here and its horrible!

 

[DaisyBee]

Toddler years!! I do have to say I think Megan is better now than she was at your daughters age. That was a tough age. Its much easier to reason with her now at times.

Halloween night we were trick or treating and she was so happy, and so calm ( which isn't like her as she gets overstimulated which makes her hyper when out and about). We were walking along the street in the dark with the street lights on. She smiled and looked up and said, " your my best friend mommy. I love you so much!" Makes it ALL worth it. I think in the grand scheme of things our kids will thank us for making them be better sleepers. It might not be obvious at 1am when they are crying out and mad but I've noticed what a HUGE difference when Megan is well rested and when she isnt. She is a totally different kid. No focus, no ability to calm herself. Wont listen, grumpy, hard time eating, not very coordinated. It affects her whole day if she doesn't sleep well. She had lots of insomnia when Jordan was smaller. She is a very sensitive kid and change is very hard on her, she is also a very light sleeper. I started reading lots of books - on sleep, on behavior. And I really believe that the single best thing I can do for my kids is get them to sleep!

 

[Natsku]

I agree, teaching them to sleep is soo important. Maria is much happier and better behaved when she's slept better. I think she may get some of her bad sleeping from me though, I've suffered from insomnia from as young as I can remember though it has good and bad phases now I'm older. I hope Maria won't suffer as bad as I did.

Aww thats lovely that she said that, must have made your heart melt! I think things will get easier with Maria when she can talk more as at the moment she can only say 20 or so words so she can't communicate what she wants so she has a lot of frustration tantrums and they seem much harder to deal with than the other kind of tantrum.

 

[DaisyBee]

Yes that is tough when they can't communicate... All that frustration has to come out somehow! With Megan I found at that age offering her choices really helped her. And showing her both ( like apple and orange ) so she could point vs feel frusterated if she couldn't say it. Megan was an early talker and very good with communicating. But when it was something important or that she really wanted or she was hungry she couldn't get the words out.

 

[Natsku]

Thats a good idea. Urgh some parts of toddlerhood are just not fun!