When you hear the words "controlled crying" you automatically cringe!
Who wants to leave their baby to cry themselves to sleep?
I tried it once a long time ago. Logan was younger and everything I new was from Google and net mums. I was all over the place. Constantly going in his room, picking him up, talking to him, offering him a bottle etc. All the things your not meant to do because it was easier and it was the way to get him back to sleep!
This was a very long time ago. When he first went into his own room.
It failed and our own solution was to sit with him in his room and he would settle. This of course was with a dummy and a bottle to sooth him!
This meant every single wake up in the night I would have to sit with him till he went back to sleep again.
Way over a month and a half ago now we got rid of the dummy... It was sooo much easier than I ever thought it would be... (Blog below somewere!) it was gone within days and I was so proud of my little man.
Next the bottle became his soother, the thing he sucked on to send him back to sleep... Super mum fail!
He was being fed to sleep and if he woke in the night he was being offered the bottle... Did he need it? Probably not! Did it mean quicker to get back to sleep for me? Yes!
After constant bad nights and wakings of 6-8 times a night I was exhausted to the point I literally cried from exhaustion. It's not too bad in the day you soon get over it... But in the night it is hard and it is emotional and exhausting.
I rang the health visitor and she came around with a list of demands I had to follow...
1- loose the bottle completely
2- turn the music off on his mobile so his room was silent
3- controlled crying
4- feeding out of a cup for his milk before bed
5- always give him the same teddy to go to bed with
My first thought was... So you want me to take away the 3 things I do to make him sleep! The bottle, the music, and mummy? No way!
I promised her I would give it a go though... It's my last shot at sleep?
Night 1- it took 45 minutes to get him to sleep, he was sick and I had gone in his room a few times but I didn't give in!
1st time after 2 minutes,
2nd time after 5 minutes,
3rd time after 10 minutes
4th time after 15 minute
Sadly (and quite hilariously) he fell asleep stood up! Of course I went in and lay him down!
He also slept through!!!
Day 2- we were out so naps happened in the car!
Night 2- logan was asleep within 10 minutes and woke once at 12.30, it took around 30 minutes to get him back to sleep but he slept till 7.30!
Day 3- nap 1 (and the only nap as we seemed to only want one nap) and he was asleep within 5 minutes!
Night 3- logan was asleep within 3 minutes of me putting him down to bed... Absolutely amazed.
(My chart says it takes 10 days and that at day 5 I should expect him to cry for 45 minutes before I go in the first time)
Woke up about 10.30 and cried on and off for a while but I only had to go in once :)
Slept till 6.30!
Day 4! Party prep day so I needed Logan to be good for his nap!
I didn't expect what he blessed me with though. I took him up for his nap he cried as I walked out then I shut the door and he rolled over and just went to sleep! Such a good boy. Beyond proud.
His donkey is his new sleep aid. Not his dummy or bottle or me. If he wakes he grabs donkey and back off he goes.
It's now been two weeks since I started controlled crying. For the last week I have had no wake ups at all. At nap time Logan will say "bed" and goes towards the stairs, so we'll go up and he'll go to bed and go to sleep. Bedtime he'll watch Nick Jr. go go go bedtime song and go to bed at 7.30pm and go to sleep. He has done amazing.
I am so proud of him and so happy with how he is sleeping. He naps around 1-2 hours and still sleeps 7.30-6 ish!
If anyone needs any help feel free to ask!
Good luck!!