My husband and I started the NO Cry methods on Saturday and could use help. Before Saturday, Noah (6 months) woke every hour which was horrible. Now he wakes every half hour or so. I didn't think it could get worse than the every hour but apparently it can! Last night, though, he slept a 2 hour stretch and that was great. I don't know if it will be a pattern or not. We're on phase one now and when I put him in the crib he sometimes opens his eyes, but with patting and singing he goes back to sleep so I feel this is def. progress and am trying to look at the positives. Also focusing on a dif. mindset like this will pass and will get better because there's no other way I can get through it. When he wakes up, he doesn't want to nurse just can't get himself back to sleep but with rocking usually gets close to sleep quickly and then it's a matter of tries of putting him in the crib and taking him out before he stays in w/out crying but it's getting better in that respect. I guess I just need support from people who have been there and to tell me that the sleep gets better and the setback is normal. I have a question too. Since we started this sleep training, he's been much harder to get to nap. Cries and fights sleep even though he's tired. And the naps he sleeps in my arms (we'll work on that once we have the night sleep down but for now that's how it's going to be...) so I don't know why he gets upset. Has this happened to anyone else? I called the attachment parenting chapters in NJ where I live, but no one has called me back. :-( Thanks for listening and for any advice you may offer.

Margie

I just started some of the methods too and the past few nights have been awful! I think I read somewhere (I've been on so many boards, so I don't know if it came from the book or not), that it does get worse before it gets better.

Something that I did last night when I was getting really discouraged, is that I read all the rave reviews about the book on Amazon and on other sites. There were SO MANY that it made me very hopeful.

Let us know how it is going.

Elena

Thanks for writing back. :-) Last night was a bit better--1.5 hour stretches, which has been best yet. I'm hoping by day 10 maybe he'll give us a 3 hour stretch. We'll see... Ah, such a journey. I have the book and have read and reread it again and again. Just trying to focus on the little accomplishments. How is all going for you?

margie

Thanks for the reply. It's so good to know someone else is doing this too. The night before last he gave us 1.5 hour stretches so I got hopeful but last night it was back to waking every 30 minutes or so. So terrible. I'm really hoping it gets better. How are things going for you?

The 1 1/2 hour stretch makes such a difference, huh? We had a few stretches of those last night, although the little guy has ended up in bed with Mom before the night is over anyway. Between 3:30-5:00 am we give up. My DH has been up with him most of the night this weekend (he works nights and isn't home Sun-Thurs. nights). It amazed me that my husband could put the boy back asleep in his crib part of the time without picking him up. Who knew! I always waited to get in there and by the time I reach the baby, he is already standing up sobbing. My husband taught me that patting the boy and rolling him over often works if I get in there fast enough.

The naps are much better. He sometimes will only sleep for 30 minutes, but by naptime, he is ready to sleep for a while.

I don't have the book yet, but thing have already improved.

Best wishes and keep me updated.

Elena

I'm thinking it is connected to having just started using the methods. Elizabeth Pantley does indeed suggest that it will seem worse before it gets better, because you are somewhat unravelling a pattern that you don't want... it sort of creates a bit of chaos for a while as you start to turn things around! It will get better! I've been there... twice, and eventually it does get better! Let us know how things are going now that you've had a bit more time! Don't forget to not evaluate how sleep is going until you have followed your complete sleep plan for 10 days, and then evaluate how sleep is going with your 10 day log. To create a new pattern of sleep takes 10 days to 2 weeks before you can tell if changes are helping, or if there are changes you'd like to make... when we were doing our logs, we would try a 6:30 bedtime for 2 weeks, it didn't work, so we'd try a 7pm bedtime for 2 weeks... didn't work, so tried 7:30pm for 2 weeks... seemed better but then needed to work on getting past waking after the 1st sleep cycle so we'd try using white noise for 2 weeks etc... establishing patterns and seeing if they work can take some time! In the end it totally worked (after a long time) and now my almost 5 year old has a very healthy attitude towards sleep and a good routine which is so helpful with older children that WANT to stay up... but the bedtime routine STILL tuckers him out..haha!

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Host of:
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Attachment Parenting

i'm on day 15 of no cry sleep -- on the 10th day, my daughter honestly had one of the worst nights of sleep ever! last night, she had one of the best nights since i've started this (her sleep habits went down the tubes about 8 weeks ago). her naps were also terrible the first ten days, but i've noticed a gradual improvement over the past 2 days with those. stick with it -- you will see changes!

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