For those that sleep trained, am I doing this right? can you share your experience?

Just curious how it worked for others..

Here's a sample of what Im working on with my twins... I guess im looking for some feedback and advice from those who have done it.

My girls are 13 weeks. We're following Healthy sleep habits

They wake up between 6- 7 am daily. At that point, we give a bottle and change out of pjs. We play on the mat, in the swings, and then within about 1-1.5 hrs from wakeup time they get sleepy and I put them back in their cribs-swaddled. The process repeats about every 3 hours until usually 430 pm. They are great about going down and staying down all day for naps. But come around 5 pm they start to go bezerk. They arent happy doing anything except laying on mommy and daddy. DH and I have been trying our best to console, feed them, rock them, etc. Until we give the last bottle around 7 pm and then we put them down for the night... they sleep about 7-8 hours, get up around 3 am and then every 3 hours for the next day.
Just today, I decided to put them down at 5 pm to avoid the whole crazy screaming time. They both went down.. but woke up about 1.5 hours later. (not a normal time to eat and I know they aren't hungry based on what they do when I console them)
I guess my question, is 2 fold...
1-is it rediculous to be putting them to bed at 5 pm?
2-is this when I should be attempting CIO?
Im trying graduated extinction every 5 min, eveyr 10 min, etc. One twin it took one interval and she went right back to sleep after consoling. the other twin, Im on the second interval (10 minutes) before I go back in to soothe.
Am I doing this right?

I guess I just always imagined it happening much later at night??

Hope this makes sense.
TIA to all!

Message edited 12/15/2012 7:03:10 PM.

Re: For those that sleep trained, am I doing this right? can you share your experience?

JMO, but they are way too young for any type of CIO.

Both of my boys had witching hours. It sounds like that's what your girls are going through. With DS1, he had an extended witching hour where all of his needs were met, but he just cried and cried. We generally held him while he cried. The 5 S's from the Happiest Baby on the Block worked to some extent. He was a mess though from around 5 or 6 p.m. on. DS2 got very fussy sometime between 6 and 8 p.m. I'd do what I could to soothe him until he finally fell asleep on me. His witching hour generally lasted less than 30 minutes. He still gets fussy from time to time at night, but once he falls asleep, he generally STTN.

5 p.m. does seem pretty early to go down for the night. They may just need a nap then or just get through that witching hour. I wouldn't let them CIO yet though. Maybe try giving them a bath then. DS2 loves the bath and it always calms him down. Good luck! It sounds like they already have a very good schedule going.

Re: For those that sleep trained, am I doing this right? can you share your experience?

Re: For those that sleep trained, am I doing this right? can you share your experience?

Re: For those that sleep trained, am I doing this right? can you share your experience?

Posted by MrsT809

Posted by MrsS2005

JMO, but they are way too young for any type of CIO.

Both of my boys had witching hours. It sounds like that's what your girls are going through. With DS1, he had an extended witching hour where all of his needs were met, but he just cried and cried. We generally held him while he cried. The 5 S's from the Happiest Baby on the Block worked to some extent. He was a mess though from around 5 or 6 p.m. on. DS2 got very fussy sometime between 6 and 8 p.m. I'd do what I could to soothe him until he finally fell asleep on me. His witching hour generally lasted less than 30 minutes. He still gets fussy from time to time at night, but once he falls asleep, he generally STTN.

5 p.m. does seem pretty early to go down for the night. They may just need a nap then or just get through that witching hour. I wouldn't let them CIO yet though. Maybe try giving them a bath then. DS2 loves the bath and it always calms him down. Good luck! It sounds like they already have a very good schedule going.

I think this is all great advice!

They are too young for CIO and it seems they just have a fussy time of day (like many babies do). DD was similar in that she was happy all day (ate, played, napped repeatedly) but then in the evenings she would get tired and cranky but wasn't ready for bed yet even if I tried to put her down. It's pretty normal and likely won't last very long. A bath is a great way to calm them and pass some time. Whatever you can do to sooth them. We also used to play music, she liked up beat pop music. Other than that it seems like they are on a great schedule. I know that time of day really is tough but it will pass!

For those that sleep trained, am I doing this right? can you share your experience?

I agree with everyone else, you shouldn't be having them CIO yet. Please wait until they start developing a schedule & sleeping thru the night without any bottle. We first started CIO at 6 months & failed.. we then did it again at 8 months & have been good since. Good luck to you
As 13 weeks, just let them do what they want to do but as far as eating & sleeping, just make sure you do at same time. I also have twins are now 13 months

Re: For those that sleep trained, am I doing this right? can you share your experience?

I agree with everyone else, way too young.
when my girls were that age they were eating every 3 hours from 5 am (ish) till 11 pm (ithink) We would wake them to eat. At night we would let them call the shots, but if one baby woke we always fed them both.
down the road, the 11 pm got moved back to 10 and became a dream feed and then they stopped waking in the middle of the night. then months later they dropped the 5 am. and then every few weeks we would try skipping the dream feed. finally at 8 months adjusted they dropped it.

The witching hour was brutal for months, sorry.

HTH

Re: For those that sleep trained, am I doing this right? can you share your experience?

It sounds like a witching hour. After my girls 7 pm ish feeding, they girls just want the paci. They are more alert and fuss a bit. One twin will sleep if I hold her while the other doesn't even want to be held. The issue is I need to keep putting the pack back in their mouths every 5-10 minutes because they keep dozing and losing them so I get nothing done then.

I let them CIO a bit other times for a minute or two if I'm doing something and can't get to them (I'm in the bathroom or tending to the other). They will usually settle on their own but not during witching hour. I don't mind them being up before their next feeding because its the feeding before bedtime so it helps exhaust them to sleep better longer.

For those that sleep trained, am I doing this right? can you share your experience?

Agree with everything else. 5pm was our witching hour here, and trust me it passes with developmental maturity. And, as everyone else has already said, CIO at 3 months old is not appropriate. Sounds like you have good instincts and in time things will work themselves out and you will all get into a nice rhythm.

Re: For those that sleep trained, am I doing this right? can you share your experience?

Sounds like your twins are doing great. My DD was on a similar nighttime schedule until we sleep-trained her at 5.5 months - she'd go down at 7, sleep till 4, nurse, and then sleep 3 more hours. At 5.5 months we were able to get her to drop that 4 AM feeding and just sleep through til 6:30. It took 2 nights to accomplish, because by then she was ready.

Hang in there- you're close!!!

Re: For those that sleep trained, am I doing this right? can you share your experience?

I am a new mommy and just starting to feel things out with sleep training. So far DD is a good sleeper after midnight and trying to get her down earlier but am finding it is going to take time. She had fussy time from 6-12 but is starting to outgrow it now whew! She is 9 weeks now.

It sounds like maybe your girls need a catnap at 5pm and then another feed and a later bedtime. Maybe eventually they will move back to an earlier bedtime but for now it sounds like 5pm is too early. I think CIO is ok but I actially do crank it out. Sometimes she wines and let's out little cries but if it escalates to a scream I will get her. But latey she cranks a bit and closes her eyes.