CIO help (for a 7.5 mos baby)

OK, we've tried CIO twice now

1st time we went 10 days (he wouldn't cry for 2+ hours)-5 mos old

2nd time we tried for 10 days (again 2+hours in a stretch, he's so stubborn!!!)-6 mos old

He still wakes up for a bottle at 1AM-3AMish (somewhere in that ballpark). We do try to keep him up later, but he's exhausted by 730PMish (can sometimes get him to stay up till 830PMish)

He FINALLY naps twice a day (only started about a month ago, once he could pull himself up and sorta cruise in his playyard). His naps go from about 45mins-2 hours. He's never been a strong sleeper EVER
He has his naps at around 10AM and 3PM

My question, since he now can stand and cruise in his crib (we've lowered it) how is CIO gonna work??? Yesterday he battled with us for his 3PM nap because he'd keep on standing up and playing with his aquarium

Thanks!!

Re: CIO help (for a 7.5 mos baby)

DS is 7.5 months also and we tried CIO a couple of times. It just did not work. He would cry for at least an hour. He also stands nad cruises in his crib. Finally, I took the Ferber book out of the library and told DH we are sticking with for at least a week to see if it works. We've been doing it for 4 nights and it's going really well. Basically, you go in at increasing time intervals. DH and I were convinced it would not work b/c DS would get even more worked up when we went in (the book even specified DC would do this). But now he's back to sleep within 15 minutes and s/t he doesn't even wake at all (we stopped the middle of the night bottle cold turkey a couple of weeks ago).

FYI, when I go in to soothe him he's always standing in his crib. I just lay him down, give him a pacifier, and rub his belly for a minute or 2. As soon as I leave he's standing in his crib again but he lays down when he's ready and goes to sleep.

Re: CIO help (for a 7.5 mos baby)

I guess we'll try again. DS doesn't use a paci so I don't have that help. He does loves blankets so we have one in there along with a stuffed lobster he seems to cuddle with. I guess if I see him standing, I shouldn't go and put him down. He can't get out sinces its the lowest it can go. Thanks!! Man, I wish he was an easy sleeper

Re: CIO help (for a 7.5 mos baby)

One of my sons is like this. Last night he cried from 6:50 to 8:30 with me going in once. Then I went in at 8:30 rocked him for a while and put him down awake and he was fine

Re: CIO help (for a 7.5 mos baby)

i just left him there stanidng up and crying...eventually he got tired...he would sit down, and fall asleep sitting up!!!

Re: CIO help (for a 7.5 mos baby)

I just sleep trained my daughter and take all toys etc out of crib...make his bed same time everynight, put him in awake, so say, 730-730 am, takes 2 weeks of keeping it at that..naps are too late...i would go 9 and 1am and honestly, doesnt need bottle unless you breast fed? But still dont think he needs it, feed always bottles after naps not before and 15 min before bed without rocking or in nursery-have a quiet room.
My daughter sleeps 12 hour stretches, naps can still be tough but she goes down same time each day and even after sleep training i never take her out from am or pm until an hour has gone by...works like a charm. She is standing and they told me she has to learn to get up and down..one day she screamed 40 min standing, sat down finally and went to sleep...it is a learning process..and this comes from a mom who never thought she could do CIO!!! Stick to your guns for 2 weeks, do not go in ever in the middle of the night.....some babies are more stubborn but dont cave in or it wont work..do a one hour am window like 9-10(give him 30 min extra if needed but dont take out before 10am) and 1-3...my daughter was up at all hours of the night for months...

Re: CIO help (for a 7.5 mos baby)

BTW-get a white noise machine and be glad no binky, they made me take it from her cold turkey, best thing i could have done...saves you later down the road and if it falls, they tend to wake crying...i will never use a binky again.

Ps let baby cry all night if need to, (they wont )never go in and take them out but at nap, only after 60 min of crying..i swear it works and gets results! My DD was brutal, lol...

Message edited 9/8/2009 2:12:33 PM.

Re: CIO help (for a 7.5 mos baby)

I found the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" to be helpful. They definitely believe that "sleep begets sleep" meaning that the earlier they go down at night and the more they nap, the better they sleep at night. This worked for DD eventually. She didn't sleep through the entire night until she was 7.5 months old (and we tried CIO at 5 months and 6 months also).

Keeping the baby up until 8:30pm may be too late, babies start to produce a hormone to keep them up when its past their natural bedtime which then makes it harder to put them down and makes them more restless throughout the night. My DD has been going down around 7:15 since she was 7 months old (now 15 months).

Good Luck!!!