Sleeping Through the Night ...

[abc]

Just wondering ... how old was your DD/DS when she/he started sleeping through the night? Did you sleep train and what method (Ferber vs. Weissbluth) did you use? At what age did you try sleep-training?

At 5 months she slept 12 hours straight for 10 days, but since then she has been waking up at least once or twice every night! We've been thinking about sleep training since DD was 6 months old, but haven't yet! DD is almost 10 months old and sleep deprivation is really getting to me!!!

TIA :)

[lukkykatt]

I can completely relate. DS just started sleeping through the night at 11 months. He was falling asleep on his own at naptime and bedtime, but for some reason, he kept waking up at night.

I started the sleep training at 5 or 6 months, but I did nurse him back to sleep when he woke up in the middle of the night. I did this because one night I did let him cry for awhile, but couldn't take it anymore and went to get him. When I saw how upset he was, I vowed not to do that again. He is just the kind of baby who doesn't ask for more than he really needs, so I just continued to nurse him back to sleep at night. Finally, he started getting up earlier and earlier in the night. When it got to 2am when he was 11 months, I did go back on my word, and let him cry for 2 nights. He is now sleeping through.

I have read Ferber, Mindell and Weissbluth, and have found Weissbluth to be the most helpful, and the least extreme. I also liked Weissbluth because he provides a loose schedule to follow, which was very helpful to me. But different methods work for different families.

Sooner or later you will get a whole night's sleep! Good luck!

[mama2be]

Tristan was 2 months to almost the day. Up until that time he'd wake up to eat but always went back to sleep. BUT the past 10 days or so he has been waking us to eat during the night again...but i have always been fortunate that he falls back to sleep instantly.

I do...if needed...plan to put him on a schedule if it changes though.
Good luck and keep us posted!!!

[Karenn]

I'll let you know when he starts sleeping through the night on a regular basis. :) He's much, much better, but has never gone all night for more than a few days at a time. I used a combination of Ferber and Weisbluth, but overall I found Weisbluth to be more helpful. Good luck.

[blnony]

Audrey was 4 1/2 months before she slept through, or at least from about 10 pm to 6 am; and from there it has now progressed to 8:30 pm to 7:30 am. Except...for teething, which we were up all the time, every night, all day...etc. and from one cold and ear infection which was even worse. But she went right back to her schedule after all of that.
I used a combination of things. I read a few different books (library and loaners from friends) and just used what I was comfortable with. I did read the Ferber book and The Baby Whisper, the No Cry book etc.
I noticed the biggest difference using 3 things with Audrey. The first was routine. Once I got her on a routine, our lives improved greatly. I get showered now, she gets sleep and we all live much happier lives. :) Not only did we start a really good daytime schedule, but our bedtime routine helped a lot. It is sometimes hard, because we can't do anything out after 8 pm. But we've adjusted, and its worth it. I didn't start this until 4 months.

The second is getting her happy in her crib. It had gotten to the point where we would bring her to bed with us, I nursed then, and that just didn't work for us. I know co-sleeping works for some, and thats fine, I am a firm believer in whatever works for you, but Audrey just wasn't happy. She wouldn't sleep very well, she woke up a lot and was generally not happy to be in our bed. Once she started napping in her crib, as she grew she started playing with her mobile, her mirror, stuff like that. Even now, when she wakes up, she sits in there and plays and coos and talks for a good half hour before I go in.

And the third thing, was comforting her without taking her out of the crib. She didn't really cry a lot, but when she did, instead of getting her out, I would stand there and talk to her, rub her back, her face whatever. Sometimes I would be there forever, and my arms would be numb, and after a couple of days, it only took me going in the room.

I didn't let her CIO. I have friends that have done that, but I did sleep train in a sense. And I did use some of Ferber's techniques. Anytime she cries, we go in, we don't just listen to her, and sometimes if its really bad, I do get her out and rock her. That always does the trick now. But its been because she doesn't feel well, and I'm not going to let her suffer alone. One friend with a baby actually told me, "we let our baby just cry it out, even when he's teething, I mean, there isn't anything I can do about it." I was shocked. You might not be able to stop the teething, but you can comfort him!! Anytime I was sick as a child, I wanted my Mom to be with me. I mean she might not be able to cure me, but the comfort sure was nice.

Sorry this turned out to be a book. I didn't mean to get so long winded.

[JMarie]

Aidan was just over two months, but I suppose it depends on what you call 'sleeping through the night.' He'll sleep around 6-8 hours, usually right in the middle, but that's enough for us. DH wishes it were a little longer, but I'm not complaining. My niece is almost two and just started sleeping for more than five hours at a stretch. Honestly, I'm just waiting for him to wake up at three AM again... I just have a feeling...

Jennifer
Mom to Aidan Christopher 01/28/03

[Sarah1]

We did "sleep training" at 6 mos. Basically, just didn't go to her when she cried (Weissbluth's "extinction" method). One bad night of crying (hour + 15 minutes), but the next night just 20 minutes, and after that she slept through. So, it DID work. Generally, she goes to bed 6:30-7 and wakes up anywhere between 5-6:30 for a bottle...if she wakes up closer to 5, she goes back to sleep; if it's after 6, she stays up...although she has been teething lately, and it has been wreaking some havoc with her sleeping--ARGH! Just when you think you have things figured out :-)

[flagger]

Started sleeping through the night just Monday a week ago so 11 weeks basically. We use a combo of Weissbluth and Ferber with leaning more to the Weissbluth line.

[MamaKath]

DD has never really slept through the night. She is over 4. But she was night potty trained shortly after she turned 3, because she wakes up to go to the bathroom, then puts herself back to bed. Before that she used to wake up to come into our room, then her brother's room once he was born.

DS did on a fairly regular basis by 3 months, but then came, colds, teeth, vacations, new milestones, a move, another move, molars, you get the picture. We have finally settled down a bit in the last couple months, and he pretty easily fell right back into the routine around 15 months. We were finally in the house, he has all the teeth he'll have for awhile, and got a routine.

HTH

[Karenn]

Hey, guess what? He sleeps all night! Of course he often wakes for the day at 4:30, but he sleeps all night! I thought this day would never come! So, I guess that makes my answer around 13 mos. :)

[AngelaS]

My girls both slept thru by 3.5 or 4 months. Basically once they went three consecutive nights without waking to eat, the next time they woke at night, I didn't feed them. I went in, comforted them, gave them a moment of love and then laid them down and told them 'night-night', just like any other time I laid them down to sleep.

Neither of them ever cried more than 10 minutes to go back to sleep and since they both learned to put themselves to sleep before they could stand in the crib and cry 'maaaaamaaaa' it was easier on all of us. :D

[Marisa6826]

*cringing* I KNOW I'm going to jinx myself on this one.

Sophie's slept through the night since she's been about 10-11 weeks old. She did it herself with no help from us. Currently she goes down at around 8-8:30pm and gets up around 8-9am, has a bottle and goes back down till around 10-11am. She'll stay up till around 1, take a 30-60 minute nap, up till 5, another nap and then up till bedtime.

She's almost 9m old.

-m

[Sarah1]

Wow, Marisa! You've got yourself a POWER SLEEPER there...and I thought Audrey was a great sleeper...thank your lucky stars!

[stillplayswithbarbies]

Logan is very much like that too. In fact when she was a newborn, I had to wake her up to eat or she would have slept right through and not got enough to eat to thrive.

Now, she goes to bed at 8, I nurse her at 11:30 but she doesn't wake up, just nurses in her sleep. On days I don't have work, she eats again at 7:00 and then sleeps until 10:00. She's up until 1 or so, and naps again. One more nap in the evening.

She's always been a sleepy baby.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[juliasdad]

Pre-Weissbluth, at 4-5 months (I'll go back and check to be sure), Julia slept miserably; basically, up every two hours. She wasn't colicky at first, but close... then, at 10-12 weeks, things got much better. Then they got worse.

Then, I read Weissbluth. Two days later, Julia was sleeping straight through the night, 12 hours per. Run, don't walk, to your library or bookstore and read this book!

-dan