I know there have been a lot of CIO posts lately...

BUT, here is another one! I have some questions for those who have gone through it that I think would be helpful for me, as well as others.

- How old was your DC when you began the process?

- What was your baby doing that determined when you would begin CIO?

- If your baby went to sleep on their own at bedtime, but you had to work on waking in the middle of the night-- how did it go?

- If your baby had a hard time getting to sleep on their own at bedtime, how did it go?

- How long did it take until the sleep issues were resolved?

- Any words of wisdom?

- What were your best reference materials?

Re: I know there have been a lot of CIO posts lately...

Thank you for posting this! I have been one of those recent posts.

Re: I know there have been a lot of CIO posts lately...

- How old was your DC when you began the process?
We first started at 5 months on the recommendation of our ped.

- What was your baby doing that determined when you would begin CIO?
My ped said he shouldn't be waking at night to eat anymore

- If your baby went to sleep on their own at bedtime, but you had to work on waking in the middle of the night-- how did it go?
Not well. LOL

- If your baby had a hard time getting to sleep on their own at bedtime, how did it go?
Not well. LOL

- How long did it take until the sleep issues were resolved?
We were finally successful when DS was 1 and off formula.

- Any words of wisdom?
If I did it again, I wouldn't start until after DC was over 6-9 months old and truly "more mature""

- What were your best reference materials? My ped and LIF

Re: I know there have been a lot of CIO posts lately...

- How old was your DC when you began the process? 5 1/2 months old

- What was your baby doing that determined when you would begin CIO?
he was waking up about 5 times a night for 2 months straight and it wasn't for hunger each time either. We just couldn't do it anymore.

- If your baby went to sleep on their own at bedtime, but you had to work on waking in the middle of the night-- how did it go? It was rough. The first night he cried for an hour and 40 minutes. My husband i determined that we don't mind feeding him once, say between 1-3am. So anytime before that or after that time, we let him cry.

- If your baby had a hard time getting to sleep on their own at bedtime, how did it go?

- How long did it take until the sleep issues were resolved? 1 night.

- Any words of wisdom?
Just be consistent. Make sure both parents are on board with it and commit to it 100% or it won't work. As hard as it is to do and to listen to, it really is what's best for your baby. My son wasn't sleeping at all and was absolutely miserable (naps were cr*p too). Once we did CIO, he was MUCH happier and his naps eventually lengthened past 30 minutes.

- What were your best reference materials?
babycenter.com- the teaching your baby to sleep- board.

Message edited 6/8/2009 8:17:13 PM.

Re: I know there have been a lot of CIO posts lately...

- How old was your DC when you began the process?

5 months


- What was your baby doing that determined when you would begin CIO?

when he was just shy of 4 months old, he began breaking out of the swaddle, so we took it away. he slept well for about a week, but then would wake up MULTIPLE times a night crying because his pacifier had fallen out of his mouth. the only way to get him to go to sleep was to put it back in. after a month of that i had enough!


- If your baby went to sleep on their own at bedtime, but you had to work on waking in the middle of the night-- how did it go?

it was a different situation for us. DS went down fine at night but started waking earlier and earlier for his pacifier. after he woke up after being asleep for only 45 minutes i knew we had to do something.

the next night we took all his pacifiers away and let him CIO. i decided to wait one hour to let him cry before going in. he only cried for 1/2 hour before falling asleep, and he slept through the entire night!

the next night i think he cried for about 20-25 minutes, and it was less and less every night after that.


- If your baby had a hard time getting to sleep on their own at bedtime, how did it go?

once we took the pacifier away, DS learned very quickly to put himself to sleep. it also worked for naps. having a lovey for him to chew on was what did the trick for him.


- How long did it take until the sleep issues were resolved?

only a few days, but he did have a couple of nights when teething where he would cry hysterically. as much as it hurt me, i had to let him cry. going in to comfort him only made him cry harder when i put him down again.


- Any words of wisdom?

know your baby! hearing them cry is SO hard and only you will know if they can handle it. CIO is not for every baby.

on that same note, you will also learn whether or not you can go in and comfort your DC, or if you have to let them cry on their own. for some babies, going in to comfort them only makes them cry harder and longer.

and last but not least, you must commit to CIO for it to work, and you must be consistent. but if it does not work, you are not a failure - you will find what works for you and your DC.


- What were your best reference materials?

other mommies on here! i knew the basics of CIO from the internet but only after talking to moms who had done CIO (and one special mommy in particular ) was i able to do it with confidence.

Re: I know there have been a lot of CIO posts lately...

- How old was your DC when you began the process?

3 and half months...My ped recommends it that early! He says to start at 2 months....

- What was your baby doing that determined when you would begin CIO?

DS was waking up every 2 hours like clockwork ALL night long


- If your baby went to sleep on their own at bedtime, but you had to work on waking in the middle of the night-- how did it go?

We just dealt with him crying till he finally fell back asleep...The longest he cried was 1 and 1/2 hours in the middle of the night...very hard to deal with! But the lack of sleep from him waking every 2 hours was really taking its toll on me


- If your baby had a hard time getting to sleep on their own at bedtime, how did it go?

DS either had a hard time when first put down or during the night. The longest he cried when being put down was 30 minutes when put down awake.

- How long did it take until the sleep issues were resolved?

4 days maybe 5? He still cries on occasion. Like tonight for example he cried 5 minutes, not that intense, then fell asleep

- Any words of wisdom?

It's working out well for us, but it's a process. When you decide to do it, you just have to stick with it. The first 2 mights were the worst for us...

Life is so different (so much better!) now with him sleeping at night...


- What were your best reference materials?

None...just listened to my ped