Talk me into Ferberizing

We are currently having a nightmare with Noah at bedtime and he is sleeping in bed with me. That means he is with me all day long until I go to bed at about Midnight. I love the kid, but need some time to eat and relax.

So I think the time has come to Ferberize this baby.

What happens is...we give him a bath, get him dressed, he has his last bottle, he falls asleep while eating and as soon as I put him down in the crib...BAM he is crying. I pick him up, feed him more, he falls asleep, put him down..BAM he is crying. The last few nights I have brought him downstairs with us and he stays up with us, sleeps in my arms for an hour or two...and when I put him down...BAM he is up.

So I think its time to do something a little bit more drastic because I am exhausted and feel like I haven't had a breat in ages.

HELP US

Re: Talk me into Ferberizing

It totally worked for me. But i didnt do the go in and check at increased time intervals. I tried it once and it made him scream louder and harder. So i just had to leave and let him cry. The first night was 45 min, and i thought i would literally DIE!. But the next night it was like 20 min, and then like 5 min. Some nights he crys for longer periods but i dont go in. He got the message. I bought the video monitor which for me made it so much easier that i could see him and know he was ok. I have to say since doing it he doesnt wake up every 1-2 hrs and cry out anymore. When he did that i would run to his side. I think it was more of habit than anything being wrong. Now he sleeps from like 7pmish to 4am(thats even if he wakes up at all) and goes back down till 7am. And if he does wake up to eat, i feed him, and put him down again, kiss him and walk out. He fusses for 5-10 min and falls right back to sleep. He knows i'm not coming in for every whimper anymore. Last night for the first time he slept from 7;30pm till 7am. I couldnt believe it!!

Some nights he falls off the wagon a bit and screams for longer but thats only when he gets overtired and that is my fault. I say go for it! Its worth a try... some babies it works for, and some it doesnt. You'll never know unless you try. And i think letting them CIO is harder on the parents than the baby. Good luck!!!!

Re: Talk me into Ferberizing

I would recommend you start by starting his bedtime routing earlier. If he is falling asleep while taking his bottle, he is already over tired. Move bedtime up by about 30mins to start off. This way, you are putting him down awake and (hopefully) happy, before he is overtired.