So, I tried CIO

and it didn't go very well. We did it for about an hour. We took turns going in, and for the last 15 minutes, we were both in, and nothing worked. She was screaming the whole time. Not fussing, not crying a little, but full on screaming the whole time. Singing to her, patting her, etc did not work at all. We did pick her up once, and that didnt work either, until we left the room with her or until I nursed her. After an hour, FH just said, ok, you win, you can have our bed, and he brought her in with us. She settled down immediately and went straight to sleep. After she was asleep, I tried switching her to her crib, that worked for about 10-15 minutes, until she woke up and realized where she was. I am at a loss and don't know what to do. I hate CIO and am worried that it is not the right thing to do, and am also worried that it just wont work for her. After 1 hour of screaming, there was absolutely no sign that she was exhausting herself or about to fall asleep or settle down. I just don't know how to get her to sleep in her crib.

Re: So, I tried CIO

how old is your dd?

I know that we could never do CIO with checks because it made ds more mad. So we had to do CIO with extinction.

The 1st night was TOUGH. He cried for an hour and 45 minutes. The 2nd night, he STTN and kept STTN.

So hard, but totally worth it and he was much better for it (more well rested, happy, etc).

Unfortunately if you're going to do CIO, you have to commit to it and keep it up. Otherwise you simply teach them that they only need to cry for xxx amount of time before you come in.

Re: So, I tried CIO

She is 6 months. Also, after awhile, she rolls onto her stomach. She doesnt roll back and then I have to go in and turn her over, because Im too scared to leave her on her stomach. It breaks my heart to hear her cry, and I swear I feel like she just wont stop crying.

Re: So, I tried CIO

Re: So, I tried CIO

Posted by aliwnec10

Posted by mamabear

It breaks my heart to hear her cry, and I swear I feel like she just wont stop crying.

Oh i completely understand. My son is the champion crier.

Okay so she won't sleep in the crib right? Does she sleep in your bed? Is that the problem?

Have you tried... sound machine, putting a tshirt you've worn under her mattress (for the scent of you near her), night light, stuffed animals in her crib, etc etc?

Re: So, I tried CIO

I have no advice, but I'm in a similar situation. DS is 5.5 months old and sleeps in our bed. He usually wakes up 2-3 times to nurse. He nurses for 10 minutes and then falls back asleep. We tried to transition him to the crib at 3 months old. We tried so many different things and different combinations: noise machines, light projectors, swaddling, sleep positioner, music, heartbeat sounds, putting him to bed drowsy and putting him to bed after he fell asleep in our arms. If he woke up, we'd let him cry for 5-10 minutes, come in, pick him up and soothe him, and then put him back down when he was calm and/or asleep. Nothing worked. By night 6, he was waking every 10-20 minutes all night long. We completely gave up.

As we're approaching the 6 month mark, I've been thinking about trying again, this time actually doing CIO. I don't know if I'm strong enough to let him cry for a while. I also can't see it working. He seems to be the type of kid who would cry for hours. Part of me doesn't want to make the change b/c he sleeps fine in our bed, but another part of me knows that if we don't do it soon, it's going to be even more of a nightmare to try the transition later on.

Are you going to try again tonight? If we do it, we're going to start on a Friday night b/c I can't handle working and getting no sleep. Good luck!

Re: So, I tried CIO

Posted by MrsS2005

I have no advice, but I'm in a similar situation. DS is 5.5 months old and sleeps in our bed. He usually wakes up 2-3 times to nurse. He nurses for 10 minutes and then falls back asleep. We tried to transition him to the crib at 3 months old. We tried so many different things and different combinations: noise machines, light projectors, swaddling, sleep positioner, music, heartbeat sounds, putting him to bed drowsy and putting him to bed after he fell asleep in our arms. If he woke up, we'd let him cry for 5-10 minutes, come in, pick him up and soothe him, and then put him back down when he was calm and/or asleep. Nothing worked. By night 6, he was waking every 10-20 minutes all night long. We completely gave up.

As we're approaching the 6 month mark, I've been thinking about trying again, this time actually doing CIO. I don't know if I'm strong enough to let him cry for a while. I also can't see it working. He seems to be the type of kid who would cry for hours. Part of me doesn't want to make the change b/c he sleeps fine in our bed, but another part of me knows that if we don't do it soon, it's going to be even more of a nightmare to try the transition later on.

Are you going to try again tonight? If we do it, we're going to start on a Friday night b/c I can't handle working and getting no sleep. Good luck!

Re: So, I tried CIO

The first night we did CIO, it took 3 hours of screaming and crying. We checked in on him periodically and rubbed his back. Then each subsequent night it decreased (we stopped checking in on him- only through video monitor) and within a week it only took 5-10 minutes of whimpering before he was out. It's much harder on you than it is on your DC!

Re: So, I tried CIO

Whatever method you chosse you HAVE to stick with it. Otherwise you're teaching them that after they cry for a long time they'll get their way. It TOTALLY breaks any moms heart to hear her baby. Unfortunately you have to stick by your guns! That's the only way you'll get your bed back!

Re: So, I tried CIO

Last night I was determined not to bring her into our bed, but I wasn't going to do CIO. I'm just not comfortable with it. She slept from a little before 9 to 12, nursed for 30 minutes and went right back down, then slept til 2:50. That's when I would always bring her in, and I was determined not to this time, so the next few hours were rough. I didn't let her CIO. I patted her, held her, nursed her, laid on the floor with her, etc. She cried every time I tried putting her down in the crib. But eventually, by about 4:30/4:45 am, she looked tired enough that I thought she would fall asleep. So I put her in the crib, kissed her goodnight, and stepped away. I stood in the corner of the room, and every time she cried or rolled over, i just calmly patted her, rolled her back. Then I left the room while she was still awake and watched her on the monitor. She fell asleep peacefully, and stayed asleep until a little after 7. (I think she would have slept longer, but probably heard us getting ready.) I'm exhausted today, but at least she slept in her crib. I don't know if this will work or if I am doing the right thing, but I just can't do CIO. wish me luck that this works.