I'm really unsure if I can handle any type of CIO but I'm looking at all my options and trying to decied when the best time to do something is. DS is 5 1/2 months do you think he's now old enough to do CIO? He goes to sleep at night ok and I can usually lay him down semi awake. The issues were dealing with now are naps in the swing and mutiple night wakings. We can sometimes settle him at night with replacing his binky and patting him but it seems like more often now were having to do this a million times a night and sometimes he won't go back to sleep at all even with a bottle. His eyes are usually still closed so I'm thinking the issue is that he's unable to settle himself back to sleep. He usually wakes and just fusses but if I let him fuss for about 10 minutes he then goes into a full on crying.
Any advice or suggestions?? What worked for you?

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Hello and welcome!
5 1/2 months is really a perfect age to start sleep training. That is when I did it with both my sons to great success.

First I would ask, if you could please post what a typical day and night are for your son. What time he wakes, naps, eats, etc. and if you have any routines established.
That will help us answer any questions.

Then I would recommend reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. I personally think it a must read for all moms... even if you choose not to use CIO methods, the book is full of good physiological information about babies and their sleep needs.

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Rachel
Ryan (4) and Michael (7)
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Rachel, Thanks for the advice on the book, I have read it but think I need to read it again and maybe start using some of the things suggested. I work three days a week and when I'm with my DS I really try and stick to a schedule with eating, napping etc. Since we were having so many issues with overnight sleep I decided to work on that and let DS sleep in his crib to make sure he was atleast getting some good naps, well recently he just started fighting naps even in the swing so I feel like things are really going bad! A sample day looks like this..let me know what you think. Thanks!!

600am- Wake and 7oz bottle
Play
800am- Nap (usually 1-2 hrs)
10am- 7oz bottle and cereal
Play
12pm-Nap (usually 1-2 hrs)
2pm-7oz bottle
Play
5pm- 7oz bottle and cereal and possible cat nap for 1/2 hr
600pm- Bedtime routine (bath, music, 7oz bottle and rocking)
700/730p- Bed semi awake

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I think your schedule actually looks pretty good. You might try 1.5 hours for that first nap; at 2 hours he may be overtired. Most babies' first period of awake time is a bit shorter before that first nap. Do you have a nap routine at all? I read a book to Ryan, put on his music and white noise machine and close the blinds. These are now his sleep cues when it's naptime and it might be helpful for Jack if you don't do this already.

I do think that his 3rd nap is a bit late. I would aim for around 4pm if you can swing it... especially if he wakes between 1pm - 2pm from his second nap. If he doesn't have the 3rd nap til 5pm, he will be overtired and find it difficult to fall asleep. Try to time his naps so that his awake time is no more than 2 hours. And I do think at this age he still needs that 3rd nap.

I would suggest not using the swing anymore. He should start to learn to nap while not in motion. After a brief nap routine, place him in his crib drowsy and let him be for an hour. He might cry, but remember that it isn't crying out of pain or sadness, it is protest crying. I know you are unsure of CIO, so you may not be ready for this stage yet.

Whichever method you choose, try to be consistent. I think staying at home and out of cars, and having routines helps tremendously. Naps are tricky though, much more difficult to establish than night time sleep. So it may take awhile... a few weeks or a month for him.

Do you give him bottles during the night usually? Or is he going without now?

I hope this helps! Good luck and let us know how it's going.

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Rachel
Ryan (4) and Michael (7)
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Thanks for the advice. No bottles at night anymore unless he really seems to need it, I try to avoid it if possible. I'll try to use some of your suggestions and see if they help. Thanks Again!

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Good luck! Like Rachel said, avoid sleep through motion.