CIO for night waking - especially if you live in an apartment

We've got someone above us and their bedroom is right above DS. Last night he woke up briefly around 1am, but DH settled him back quickly, but then he woke again at 5:30 and cried on and off until we got up for the day at 7:30. For the past two nights I haven't fed him when he wakes and he's made it through without me feeling like he's absolutely starving (didn't even drink all that much when he got up for the day) so I think he's just continuing to wake out of habit, not hunger. I'd really like to leave him to CIO for the night wakings because he's getting harder and harder to settle by us trying to soothe him (he just wants to play, or he scratches and bites me because he's so wound up) but I don't want to disturb the neighbors either.

What's the best way to do away with the night feedings and then subsequently the night waking? Thanks!

Re: CIO for night waking - especially if you live in an apartment

We live in apt in a house. There is an apt upstairs that has been rented by a college student for the past 3 years (3 different students/one each year). The bedroom is right above our DDs. We still did CIO at 8 months. I think of it this way....CIO may last for a couple of days but if she was constantly waking up I felt they would be even more disturbed. We started CIO on a weekend where we felt they wouldn't be as annoyed if they heard her cry. Fortunately for us Kaydyn took to CIO quickly and only cried for the most 10-15 mins. She still does wake up in the middle of the night 4-5 times a week and will cry for a few secs and go back to sleep. I don't think it bothers the tenant upstairs at all.

Re: CIO for night waking - especially if you live in an apartment

Thanks for your reply. Did your DD start settling herself from night wakings after you started CIO? DS now goes down well for the night at 8, but still wakes once or twice and won't go back to sleep without one of us resettling him, probably because I was still feeding whenever he woke up until this past week and he's gotten used to it.

Re: CIO for night waking - especially if you live in an apartment

CFer jumping in. The people downstairs have two kids. While I do hear them cry sometimes in the middle of the night, I know that the parents don't want to be up hearing the crying either. So it doesn't bug me. If it went on for a month, maybe, but not for a little while.