Which method did you use to sleep train your baby??

DD is 4 months and we were thinking about sleep traiing. I only know about Ferber/CIO but am not sure if that is right for us. She still sleeps in our room and is EBF.
What worked best for you?
How/When did you start?

DH and I are sooooo nervous to do this, we don't want to upset her, I HATE to see her cry


TIA
ETA: She goes down at 7:30 and wakes at 11:30, 3:30 then around 6:15..I nurse her each time she wakes up.

Message edited 8/27/2010 11:36:32 PM.

Re: Which method did you use to sleep train your baby??

I followed and loved the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby. It was so helpful.

I focused on making sure I knew when she needed a nap (I had no idea how much sleep she needed until I read that book, its amazing!) Putting her to bed before she was overtired was key bc she would fall asleep on her own. It was pretty easy , maybe I just lucked out.

But following the guides in the book is the reason DD is such a great sleeper, I know it.

Re: Which method did you use to sleep train your baby??

my little guy is 3 and a half months old and knock on wood, a great sleeper- sleeps from 10, 1030 until 630, eats at 630, sleeps again and wakes up again and eats around 9

i didnt use any books; at first i put him in his crib when he was already asleep, and these past few days ive started putting him down at 10, 1030 regardless if he was sleeping or not... just put him in, tuck him in, turn on the hologram mobile thing with the music and tip toe outta the room

Re: Which method did you use to sleep train your baby??

when she wakes at 3 can you just rock her back to sleep?

dd had a later bedtime than 730 at first. she would stay up until 10ish have one last feeding and than I would sing her a song and put her in her crib. than as the weeks went on shes been falling asleep earlier on her own. starting last friday it was 9 and the past 2 nights 8. shes almost 3 months and sttn.

is she eating enough throughout the day to eliminate that middle of night feeding?

Message edited 8/28/2010 4:37:36 AM.

Re: Which method did you use to sleep train your baby??

At 4 months DS was not STTN so I really relied on 12 Hours SLeep by 12 Weeks (still works even though DS was aound 16 weeks) amd Healthy Sleep Habits. I really belive in both of those books.

Re: Which method did you use to sleep train your baby??

Healthy sleep habits happy child. My DD is 3 1/2 months and it's working really well for us. She will wake once per night for a 5 to 6 ounce bottle (Formula Fed) sometimes she sleeps through the night. She goes to bed between 6:30 and 7:30 and wakes up between 5:30 anf 6:30am. She sleeps about 10 1/2 to 11 hours each night.

Re: Which method did you use to sleep train your baby??

I'm also a big believer and follower of Weissbluth's (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child). I read other books too but to be honest, they had a lot of the same suggestions so it actually might not matter all that much what you go with.

Re: Which method did you use to sleep train your baby??

Healthy Sleep Habits is the way to go. One of the best things you can do is to put the baby to bed when she is tired but still awake so she learns to fall asleep on her own and not rely on being rocked, etc. Also, decide on a bedtime routine and stick to it. Your baby will learn the routine very quickly. Also, when you wake with the baby in the middle of the night don't turn on lights or interact too much with the baby. That will teach her that nightime is for sleeping and quiet and daytime is for playing and being awake.

My DD is 8 weeks and usually goes down around 8pm after a 7pm bottle and sleeps until 12:30, has a bottle and back down until about 5:30.

Good luck!

Re: Which method did you use to sleep train your baby??

is it the night wakings you are trying to get rid of? if so, i think she can cut out the 3:30 feed. she is probably waking up due to habit rather than hunger. does she wake up at the same time every night? does she cry or fuss? are you open to using a pacifier? i am trying to get rid of the 2-3am feed as well for my 8 week old and we put the pacifier in instead and she goes back to sleep and doesnt wake up again till about 4:30-5. i used to automatically feed her when she fussed ...but started to realize if i let her continue to fuss, she sometimes went back down on her own. if not, a pacifier and some quiet pats did the trick. we are in the middle of it all so i totally understand how you feel. i felt the same way when we first started. good luck!

Re: Which method did you use to sleep train your baby??

I did CIO with both of my boys when they turned six months old.

Can you feed her more for the 11:30 bottle?