Sheer Bliss
06-08-2006, 13:04
I just wanted to share our experience with a cc method to reassure people that it can work.
DD was 7months old & always wanted to be rocked to sleep - it was our doing as we had always put her to sleep that way, but i was meant to be returing to f/t work when she was 1, so it was not going to work for us long-term.
We used Tizzie Halls (save our sleep) method - we allowed her to 'protest' for up to 12minutes then went in & re-settled her in the cot without words, or picking her up. Then sat in the room next to the cot, again without talking other than a gentle shhhh. The first night it took another 32minutes of her gently crying, nearly falling asleep then waking again crying, annoyed with herself for nearly falling asleep. But it worked, she went off to sleep by herself and woke only once that night (and only required the dummy to re-settle). The next night, it only took 10minutes of me sitting with her. the next, she went to sleep in the first 12minutes, before i went into the room!!
We had a relapse the next week where she took just over 30minutes after i went into the room, but it was just one bad night. We did the same thing with her daytime sleeps & she was sleeping on her own in no time!
Now at 16months, she starts to tell us 'night night' and waves when she is ready for bed, & heads off towards her room, day or night. I put her in her bed wide awake with a big smile on her face & she says goodnight & we rarely hear another word from her for 11-12hrs. she is genuinely happy to go to sleep & looks fwd to it when she has had a big day. I feel like it was all worth it! the first few weeks were awful - i thought i was a terrible mother letting her cry, and we really had to watch the clock, as those 12minutes felt like 5hrs! But now I hear of friends tearing their hair out getting their little ones to sleep & we have lovely peaceful night-times.
I am not trying to say this will work for everyone, but thought it might be helpful to anyone trying a similar method and having the guilty feelings of 'what am i doing to my baby' or feeling like a bad mum. It was great for us & any doubts i had about using the method are long gone.
DD was 7months old & always wanted to be rocked to sleep - it was our doing as we had always put her to sleep that way, but i was meant to be returing to f/t work when she was 1, so it was not going to work for us long-term.
We used Tizzie Halls (save our sleep) method - we allowed her to 'protest' for up to 12minutes then went in & re-settled her in the cot without words, or picking her up. Then sat in the room next to the cot, again without talking other than a gentle shhhh. The first night it took another 32minutes of her gently crying, nearly falling asleep then waking again crying, annoyed with herself for nearly falling asleep. But it worked, she went off to sleep by herself and woke only once that night (and only required the dummy to re-settle). The next night, it only took 10minutes of me sitting with her. the next, she went to sleep in the first 12minutes, before i went into the room!!
We had a relapse the next week where she took just over 30minutes after i went into the room, but it was just one bad night. We did the same thing with her daytime sleeps & she was sleeping on her own in no time!
Now at 16months, she starts to tell us 'night night' and waves when she is ready for bed, & heads off towards her room, day or night. I put her in her bed wide awake with a big smile on her face & she says goodnight & we rarely hear another word from her for 11-12hrs. she is genuinely happy to go to sleep & looks fwd to it when she has had a big day. I feel like it was all worth it! the first few weeks were awful - i thought i was a terrible mother letting her cry, and we really had to watch the clock, as those 12minutes felt like 5hrs! But now I hear of friends tearing their hair out getting their little ones to sleep & we have lovely peaceful night-times.
I am not trying to say this will work for everyone, but thought it might be helpful to anyone trying a similar method and having the guilty feelings of 'what am i doing to my baby' or feeling like a bad mum. It was great for us & any doubts i had about using the method are long gone.