more questions

[jembelina]

We have been doing cc for a little over a week now and it is going quite well but i was wondering two things...

how long does it take before bub will go to sleep with little fuss??(in terms of days/weeks not minutes!) at the moment it takes 10-15 mins for him to fall asleep and he cries much less than in the beginning and sometimes only whinges. it was my expectation that after we were established there would basicly be minimal, if any, crying and bub should put himself to sleep majority of the time - am i being unrealistic??

also, we are curious what happens when you go visiting or just out at night?? we decided to stay home at night for about two weeks to get things underway. do your little darlings tend to go to sleep anywhere around their usual bedtime? it is our concern that our DS won't go down in his porta cat in relatively unfamiliar places and i don't like the idea of doing cc in unfamiliar surroundings if that happened.

anyway, i think i have babbled a bit so i hope this makes sense! any experiences, suggestions etc would help. we are in need of realistic goals!

thanks in advance :)

[drewid]

Hi

All bubs are different! Even with controlled crying i think it is unrealistic to expect that you can train your child to go to sleep without a fuss every time. And even if it works for a little while, as they grow, they change and so one thing is not likely to work every single time, if you know what i mean.

Our bub is great for going to sleep - sometimes with a bit of a fuss, but usually the fuss means something - usually just uncomfortable, wind etc. If he jacks up more than a little, it means he isn't really tired, and I usually take him back out and play/cuddle for about 10 minutes before trying again.

We really follow his tired signs, and this is what makes the going to bed go more smoothly.

Having said that, he is a bugger for going to sleep anywhere but his cot!!! He detests sleeping in the pram (he has to be flat out EXHAUSTED) and also has a dislike for the portacot at my mums house. Even if it is bedtime, it is a struggle to get him to sleep in unfamiliar surroundings, even if i bring along his music box, blankets and other familiar things.

So basically we don't go out at night anymore! Its just not worth it. What we are considering doing is buying our own portacot and occasionally having Andrew sleep in it at home. So he can get used to it, and then we can take it along with us when we go out. I think the big thing is familiarity - if he can get used to it at home, it will make it that much easier when we are out.

Sorry I'm not much help! Bubs just have a mind of their own I'm afraid!

[Briannabear]

Hi! With reference to the portacot - We wanted our DD to get familiar with it also, so made up her portacot with the sheets of her cot (with 'her' smells!) and that seemed to work a treat. She is now used to it and will sleep in it anywhere we put it, and with any sheets!! :)