Did anyone have success STTN but didn't use CIO?

I don't think I can handle CIO but I would love more sleep. Any advice on how to get DS to STTN without CIO?

Did anyone have success STTN but didn't use CIO?

I've always nursed/rocked DD to sleep and she's been sleeping pretty much thru the night. The only thing is shes still in the rock n play, not the crib, so i dont know how well she'll do once in the crib all night. She started sleeping 6-8 hr stretches around 3 months and now at 5 montgs she sleeps 9-10 hours. She wakes up crying sometimes in the middle of the night but usually is able to work herself back to sleep on her own. If she can't I go to her but that only happens maybe a few times a week. It's worse now that she's teething but I wouldn't want to leave her to CIO if she's in pain anyway. I had tried CIO around 3 months but it was really stressing me out and making me unhappy to hear her that way. Every parent has to do what works for them. Now I'm going to have to transition her to the crib and part of me is kicking myself for now doing it sooner because now she's so used to the rock n play. I just may end up having to do CIO after all. But so far I'm just trying to ease her into it by starting her in the crib each night and switching her to the rock n play when she wakes up crying. Im afraid I might be spoiling her, and I really hope I'm not. I just can't take the crying!

Eta: I may be wrong but I kinda think that babies will start sleeping longer when they're ready. When they're very small they just can't go very long without eating.

Message edited 4/6/2013 12:21:35 PM.

Did anyone have success STTN but didn't use CIO?

dd is 6 months and has been in the crib since 2 months.
she is a pacifier user and i've been putting like 5 paci's in the crib with her, now she is able to find them and self soothe when she wakes up in the middle of the night.
she usually falls asleep right after her last bottle of the night. HTH

Did anyone have success STTN but didn't use CIO?

my DD has STTN since she was 8m old (22m now). she was in the RNP til 8m and literally two nights after putting her in the crib we didnt exactly let her CIO, we did let her whimper a bit. the first night (I wasnt home, it was DHs idea) he said she was upset for 10 mins and then went to sleep. the next night was like 2 minutes and that was it. she has literally STTN every night since. before that she slept well in the RNP but not necessarily STTN every night - it was somewhat unpredictable.

Re: Did anyone have success STTN but didn't use CIO?

I suggest reading healthy sleep habits, happy child. There was a lot of great advice for promoting sleep based on the developmental age of you baby. DD has been pretty much STTN since 2 months. Occassionally we have rough patches where she wakes up at night but she's been a really good sleeper.

ETA: The times where I tried CIO I felt like it just wasn't for DD. Not even that I couldn't take it but it just wasn't right for my baby and our family.

Message edited 4/6/2013 7:39:31 PM.

Did anyone have success STTN but didn't use CIO?

sometimes babies need help with STTN. Some babies don't just know to do it because they are old enough and can go long periods of time without food. My DD is 9 months and Ive been struggling for the last 3 to get her to sleep consistently through the night. ITs been a rollercoaster for 3 months now. Shell be doing great for weeks then BAM shes a mess again.

Look up the Ferber Method. He has a book as well. Its pretty much you respond to them when they cry, but in intervals. Heres the post:

EDITED FROM ORIGINAL POST BY SUMLYNMAD:

this is the progressive waiting approach...

so, nite one:
progression is 3 minutes, 5, 7, 10, 10, 10, 10....

nite 2:
5 minutes, 7, 10, 13, 13, 13, 13....

nite 3:
7 minutes, 10, 13, 15, 15, 15....

nite 4 (usually not needed)
10, 13, 15, 17, 17, 17....

progress as such if needed for more than 4 nites...

these times simply mean this:

when DD/DS starts to cry, look at your watch, after the 3 minute mark, go in, tell them in a STERN voice "mommy's here, i love you, but its time for nite nite...its nite nite time, ill see you in the morning, mommys here...."

Do not stay in the room for longer than 1-2 minutes...the point is to reassure them that you are not abandoning them...and I say STERN voice bc, well, dont use your mommy voice, that soft voice that they love so much...be stern and matter of fact....

the crying will probably intensify as you leave the room, but look at your watch again as u leave, and you wait until they have been crying for 5 minutes before you go in again....repeat at 7 minutes, 10 10 10....etc...

BUT, and this is a HHHHUUUUGGGEEEEE but....

If, at any time, they stop crying or start to whimper, do not go in!! Even if you are due to go in, don't- this is a sign they are soothing themselves, which is what you want....

say you are on a 10 minute wait, and at 7 minutes they stopped crying, but a minute later, started crying again, this does not mean wait 2 minutes and go in...this means, you RESET the CLOCK!!! Make sure they are crying the full amount of time....

and thats that, continue with nite 2, and for me, nite 3 was a breeze....

Message edited 4/7/2013 10:52:04 AM.

Re: Did anyone have success STTN but didn't use CIO?

I can't do full CIO either. For us we did everything gradual. Around 4 months I would put her down, and she would cry a lot! It would take over an hour for her to fall asleep (with me rocking etc) finally I just put her in the swing until she fell asleep then I transferred her. After a while of doing that I started putting her in the swing just to get her tired, before she was fully asleep I would transfer her. Then within a couple weeks we stopped using the swing. Now all I do is give her her last bottle, turn her music on and put her down. She falls right asleep on her own. She's 6 months. Been falling asleep on her own and sleeping 12 hours straight for over a month now. If I hear her crying in the middle if the night I do wait it out a little. As long as she doesn't start uncontrollably crying, I won't go in. 90% of the time she's sleeping again within 10 mins. Anyway, my point is, IMO it is possible to not do CIO. GL!!

Re: Did anyone have success STTN but didn't use CIO?

When he cries I go in, pick him up until he calms down, lay him down, rub his back for a minute then leave. Now he will go back to sleep but at first it would take a few times to work. So if he cried after I put him back then I would give it ten minutes and go back in and do the same thing. At first it took 3 or so times but now he knows and usually goes back to sleep.