CIO - Please share your method / experience?

I am curious how other parents implemented CIO...

Can you share your experience / schedule of timing to go in and comfort (if at all) and method of comfort?

Message edited 1/5/2010 10:54:38 AM.

Re: CIO - How did YOU do it?

We attempted last night, and the 1st two times he was up he screamed, stood up and cried for 3 minutes and fell back asleep. We didn't go in.

Later that night (3am ish) he screamed for what felt like 10 minnutes although I didn't track it. I went in, tried to console him, he kept screaming so I picked him up and he fell back asleep in my arms.

Next time, he screamed for a looong time, DH went in, didn't pick him up, walked out and DS continued to scream for a loooooong time.

We did not go back in.

This morning, DS smelled like vomit, had scratched his face (made it bleed) and he wouldn't look at me


I don't know if I can do this...... DS is 10 months

Re: CIO - How did YOU do it?

We didn't go in.

Going in made it worse for us, DS would calm down, only to freak out again. So we stopped going in. We had a monitor so we could hear if he was in distress (which of course he never was)

Re: CIO - How did YOU do it?

I attempted CIO with DS at 6 months, he cried for over an hour for 3 days straight and I gave up. I couldn't keep doing that to him.

Tried again at 9.5 months. This time he and I were both ready. Surprisingly it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (since the first time was horrid). DH and I decided that no matter what we were not going to go to him, console him, pick him up, anything. We live in a 1 bdrm and his crib is in our room so DH and I slept in the living room for over a week. It took just over a week, I think 8 nights maybe. His problem wasn't going to sleep it was staying asleep. He was waking every 2 hours at least and I was nursing him. After that many months I knew it was habit and not hunger so I cut him off cold turkey. First night he woke up a few times, cried for what seemed like forever but was probably only 20 or so minutes each time and fell back asleep. Each night the amount of times he woke got less and the crying got less. Finally he went to sleep and didn't wake up till morning. He wakes up at 5 am but I don't think there's going to be anything we can do about that until we get a house and he gets his own room.

It was sooo hard but I was DONE getting up with him for 10 months straight. Soooooooo worth it in the end, for me and DH and for him, he gets a good nights sleep now. Good Luck!

Message edited 1/5/2010 11:00:38 AM.

Re: CIO - Please share your method / experience?

I did CIO with my boys at 9 months. My boys used to go to sleep fine but wake all night long. The night I decided to do it my one son (A) began crying as soon as I put him in his crib. That is what made me decide to do it! I let him cry for 40 min. then he fell asleep on his own and stayed sleeping. His brother(M) woke at 2 and I let him cry. He cried on and off for an hour. I was nervous so I went in and he started smiling and kicking his legs when he saw me. I knew he was fine so I told him "You need to go back to sleep. You're fine. Mommy is going back downstairs, I love you" This was worse going in. He flipped out. That's when I knew I had to do extinction.

He(M) woke several times through the night and cried but managed to fall back to sleep. (A) woke up 2x and cried for a few min. and put himself back to sleep. My boys never knew how to sooth themselves so this was big.

Night #2 was better. They both cried on and off through the night, but not so bad.

Night #3 was worse than the 1st two nights but, we got through it.

By night #4 they got the hint. Now they are sleeping through the night. Once I close the door I do not go back in until morning. Sometimes they wake and cry, or I see that they spit up on their sheets but overall I know they are fine. I watch them on the monitor. It's tough love but it is so worth it!! Your son will not hate you, in the long run he will thank you for it. Good Luck and stick it out.

**It was very hard for me b/c I could not deal with hearing them cry and I did it on the 3 nights that my husband was at work. He works night tours. I knew if he was home he would go in and give the binkie.

Re: CIO - Please share your method / experience?

Thank you soooo much for sharing!!! It is helping me to read your stories of success!

DH has to work tonight, so I am all on my own!