Has anyone read Save Our Sleep?

[Mischief]

There are alot of different opinions and types of controlled crying, but I was wondering if anyone has read and used the routines in Save Our Sleep by Tizzie Hall?

I'm not using her routines as such, but did find her book a great help. The main one being how it tells you that you can ignor a protesting cry and she explains how to tell the difference between an emotional cry and the protesting cry.

Anyone else? Would love the feedback on the routines!

[Tea Lady]

Sorry, haven't read it! I think it is a great thing if you can learn to read your baby's cries.
One thing that I've heard and I think is true is that babies can't really get into habits (including bad ones!) until at least 12 weeks. I find this idea helps take the pressure off alot in the first hard months. My DD changed quite alot at around 12 weeks and that was when I first started to try to teach her to self settle (worked for about a month - now she still won't at 16 months :eek: ).

Anyway, I say read whatever you can and take whatever you like from what you read and make your own special plan of action for your family. Good luck!:)

[DB&O]

Love Love Love her, I used her routines with Liv & they literally saved my sleep. I found the routines & other info really helpful esp in the early months cause lets face it, I had no idea how to go about getting her into a routine but once she was, I found I felt more happy & confident as a parent :smiliedance:

[Spewiesmum]

I'm with Livsmummy. If it wasn't for Tizzie I'd be a broken woman. It wasn't easy but we have a happy boy, mum and dad.

Have recommended her to friends and will use the routines in the future.

I practically preach the word of Tizzie.

[Ange&Seth]

I haven't read it - but I have to say that from the little I have read of Tizzie Hall's opinions from Practical Parenting magazine, I don't like her at all. I think she can be a little too strict. Having said that though, I think the ideas are ok, just that she suggests going about it the wrong way. I wasn't comfortable with it at all, but that's just me. If it works for you, then go for it :thumbsup:

[Mischief]

Guys, did you find the routines a bit strick during the day?

The thing that has stopped me doing the routines is that if I'm going out it will usually be during lunch time...when Ollie would be having a sleep according to the routines. He on the other hand would have an idea about waking up at that time and having another feed.

Are you breast feeding too BTW? I'm expressing which means that I would have hardly any time between feeding him and his next feed....cause it would go feed, play...down...express...30minutes to do whatever and repeat....

Also, how many times a night did your bubs wake up...and how do you do the dreamfeed?

[Mischief]

Oh, and what are you ment to do if your bub wont sleep as long as she recommends in the routines? Ollie seems to have one 3 hour sleep a day, but the rest are 1-2 hours and he wants to feed between them and the next sleep....he wont resettle...he's HUNGRY! LOL

[Spewiesmum]

It took a while for DS to fall into the routine. If he'd wake early and wouldn't go back to sleep, I'd take him into the lounge and put him in the cradle swing, lay on the couch with my alarm clock. At 7am, I'd get him up regardless of how long he'd slept (be it five minutes or an hour). I'd do the same at sleep times - he'd generally sleep for 40 minutes (or one sleep cycle). Without lots of talking or eye contact I'd put him into the swing until it was time to get up.

Things fell into place and he generally sleeps for 90 minutes now (at 7.5 months), twice a day with a nap most days.

DS was BF and bottle fed (bottle only from three months). He'd still wake during the night until he was five months. He was a hungry baby at night and would only settle after a feed. At just over six months he weaned himself off the dream feed. To do the dreamfeed you just pick them up while they are asleep and pop a bottle or boob in their mouth. It's amazing but they'll drink until they've had enough. You just pop them back into bed and then collapse in bed yourself.

Tizzie says naps shouldn't be in their bed - once DS started to roll we found the cot was the only place to get him to nap. He used to sleep on his lambskin in the lounge but once he was mobile this was impossible. He seems to know when it's time to get up from his nap though as he obviously has his body-clock set for 5:15.

You aren't really restricted by the routine. If we go out it's generally after he's had his first sleep for the day. If we go out in the morning we take his comforter and give it to him at sleeptime. He may or may not sleep though.

We are having a few problems now that he's started at childcare. He's just not sleeping when he should and they've been trying to settle him with a bottle. We've requested that they don't do this as 1) it's not time for his bottle, 2) he doesn't need to be settled with a bottle and 3) it affects our much strived for routine. I'm hoping it's just because it's all new to him and all my hardwork hasn't gone to waste.

[Mischief]

I only let him nap yesterday afternoon, then he went down for his sleep at 730 because my SIL wanted to come and see him...she was supost to be there at 6 and didnt turn up until 720. He had a dreamfeed at 1020 (totally amazing) and slept till 240am.

He woke up again at 620 this morning and wouldnt stay awake until 830...he went to bed at 750, and woke again at 840....I went in and gave him another burp, put him back to bed.

Now he is doing his...I dont want to go to sleep cry...the one that goes for about 5 minutes...stops for 2 then starts again. All different pitches. He's breaking my heart. Maybe 930 might be the cut off till I get him back up....thats 3 hours since he started his last feed.

I might try to adjust the SOS sleep schedule for us. I'm not sure he will go 4 hours between feeds. He's a big fast growing boy....I'll try to stretch him out until 3 hours between feeds...and we will do the nap in the afternoon and bed at 7pm with a dreamfeed.... the arvo should be the most important time to stick to the routine...right?

[draught]

Kat
Please don't worry too much about routines at this point - they really don't have any routine until they are at least 3 months - the first few weeks all you will do is cause yoursefl more stress if you try to put him into a routine. Keep demand feeding, and letting him sleep when he needs too and you will both end up happier in the end. Ruotines are great once they get a bit older - then they LOVE knowing what is happening next in their day - but be kind to yourself now and don't create stress when you don't need it!

[Mischief]

Thanks Draught

I think I might do that. His own day routine isnt to bad. I'll try the dream feed and 7pm bedtime (he seems to like that time himself anyway) and once he's a bit older try the full routine.

The main thing is to get him sleeping a reasonable time at night. He's pretty good, but if he'll sleep thru from 7-3ish thats great...we can start watching TV agian sooner than racing for bed when he goes down at 7! LOL

Kat

[Tea Lady]

I second draught's comments. I'd say definately focus on getting your bf issues sorted out first because it sounds like watching the clock to feed (if that's what she suggests) would play havoc with bf before it's properly established.

I think the main thing is to go easy on yourself at the moment - there's plenty of time for routines later on when he'll appreciate it more. :)

[Milis]

I have just started my nearly 5 month old on her routines and although I was pretty sceptical at first, I'm a total convert now!

He's sleeping 12 hours a night, goes down without a fuss, and having a bit more structure to the day has really helped.

When DS was about 4 months I noticed that he was starting to get into a consistent pattern of feed and sleep times during the day, I hadn't considered a routine before then, and I think it would have been a bit of a disaster if I had tried. His natural pattern was so similar to Tizzie's routine that I have only had to tweak a few of his daytime naps so it's been really easy for us. Plus my DS has been a very 'routine' baby since birth, he would get hungry exactly every 3 hours and wake up at exactly the same time every night so he's very suited to a routine.

I agree with the other girls - maybe just use it as a guideline for now, until your bub starts to get into a bit of a pattern. If things are working as they are now, why change them, right?

[Wivi]

I'm a little with Ange on this one. I started using her routines when Will was born - I got them from a friend. I came across two major problems with them, one was definitely what to do when bub didn't sleep long enough in the day and the other was that I found some of her suggestions totally impractical. Like I read where she suggested that if bub fell asleep in the car then you should sit in the car with them until they woke up rather than move them. I just thought that was stupid.

My bub also refused to dreamfeed. He hated it - was not hungry then and was not going to drink! In the end I used some of her ideas as a basic skeleton as my bub was good with sleep and generally put himself into a good routine. He also stopped all night feeds at 8 weeks and would go 12 hours without a bottle.

Follow your own instinct - some bubs need strict routines and some don't. Some Mums do, and some don't. It's not right or wrong either way.

[Mischief]

Oliver has his own little routines now.

He goes as follows:

Nite:
Sleep 7pm - 130am
Feed 130am - 2am (ish)
Sleep 2am - 5am (ish)
Feed 5am - 6am

Feed and play 7am - 830am
Sleep 830am - 930am
Feed and play - 930am - 11am
Sleep 11am - 130pm
Feed and play - 130pm - 3pm
Sleep 3pm - 430pm
Feed (x2) and play 430pm - 7pm

And so it begins again! He pretty much sticks to this routine every day. Its his own, and hopefully his night sleep will get longer and longer!!!

He has 7 feeds a day on average, and about 130ml per feed....but I know what feeds he has more, and what feeds he has less. :)

[Nickster]

Ditto what Draught said.

Babies tend to find their own "routines" - feed, sleep, play - sometimes it's feed, sleep, feed, play :) - and it changes all the time the older they get. Just go with the flow and trust your own instincts and regardless of what advice you decide to follow, always listen to what your baby is telling you, not what a childless author tells you they should be doing.

Good luck, I know the early days are hard, but they're not forever.:hugs:

You will get your sleep back eventually!

[korbsmum]

Hi There.

I have been following Tizzie's Routine for months now. But not strickly until 6mths Due to family commitments and have the closest town 1.5hrs away. My DS iis 9mths and still not sleeping for more then 40mins during the day. I have been in constant contact with Tizzie's staff and still no success. Until now that I am gradually introducing Cow's milk (I am still breastfeeding). I top him up with this before his sleep and he sleeps for 1.5hrs. He still has his dreamfeed at night and wakes at 2-2:30 am and then at 5:30-6:30. Tizzies staff have advised me that I can feed him at this time and leave him to self settle. This never works though. He will feed and cry until 7am when I get him up feed him again and let him play. I am worried that I am sending mixed messages to my bub. Any suggestions on how you have have got this routine to work for you would be fantastic. As my sleep is not being saved

Thanks Tired Mum:wave:

[aprilbaby]

hi Korbs Mum,

From my experience, the routines don't work for everyone and they certainly didn't work for my bub. I tried to get him into them but it only resulted in stress from both of us. I've decided he is a catnapper and I have to go with it. If you read Baby Love it says it's very hard to get a catnapper to sleep for longer in the day so I decided to stop fighting it and let my bub lead the way.

I asked all the Mums in my mothers group if any of their bubs were follwing the two hours up two hours down routine in SOS and not one of their bubs were doing that (and they are all much better sleepers than my bub.)

So I think it's pretty unrealistic, but it does work for some. I think it totally depend on what type of child you have.

ps. Forgot somethimg....my DS cam't self settle either, he needs to be cuddled to go to sleep. Again, when i tried to get him to self settle in only resulted in tears. He is also still feeing every 4hours at night and I'm juts going with it for the time being. I found reading "Sleep like a baby" by Pinkie Mckay and www.askdrsears.com alot more helpful in dealing with a baby like mine. Remember that all babies are different and your bub will let you know what works for them. Good luck!

[pickles]

The biggest regret i have with my first baby is all the time i wasted on getting her to be a 'good' day sleeper. By 12 weeks she would sleep through the night` ( 1 roll over feed at 10pm ) but was always a cat napper during the day. Nothing i did ever worked and she was actually really happy on frequent little sleeps during the day. I always new that no matter how tired i was at the end of the day come 6.30pm she would be in bed.
I like the saying "you get a night sleeper or a day sleeper but very rarely both".
I love Pinky Mckays new book as it recognizes that babies shouldnt have to 'fit in the box'.
goodluck
pickles
DD 02/03
DS 03/05