Too young to start cc?

[Sherilyn]

Hi ladies

I am new to the forum and it was so great to find you all.I used the cc method with my son who is now 5 yrs old from about 8 months and he is a brilliant sleeper.

My question is I now have a 4 1/2 month old baby girl.She wakes up at least 4 times a night.It starts at 12am and the every two hours thereafter.I have tried giving her only water to settle.She does go back to sleep ony to awaken two hors later. From 4am she can wake every hour.I have tried also to feed her at the first awakening but that also results in her waking two or three hours later.She is on solids 3 times a day and drinks between 500-600ml of milk daily.

I am so exhausted from all this.Do you ladies think I should try cc or is she too young?I would love to hear from those who have tried it so young/or not, I am feeling quite desparate.Do I have to wait it out for another 6 weeks until she is 6 months?

Looking forward to getting to know you all.

Sherilyn xx

[~rambox~]

Hi Sherilyn,

I have used controlled crying with all except my last as he is brilliant. However I think the youngest was about the same age when i started doing it. or could have been 5 months. You will probably have people attack you over using this method but dont listen to them as it is your baby and your decision if it works for you great if it doesnt then that is fine too. Hope I helped :thumbsup:

Bec :D

[pookiesossige]

Tweedle Child and Family Health Services (they have sleep clinics and centres in Vic as well as produced the book "Sleep Right, Sleep Tight") strongly advice against using CC methods with babies less then 6 months of age.

[MonkeyMum05]

I think it is too young.
My son still fed all through the night at that age.

[tweedledee*tweedledum]

I think it is a personal decision. We CC'd at around the 3- 4 month mark with the twins. For your daughter to wake every hour at night is excessive, however there may be some factors to consider before going down the track of CC.

*Is the bedroom warm enough/cool enough at night?
*Is the cot comfortable?
*Is she being wrapped? If yes, maybe she doesn't like it anymore
*What time do you put her down at night?
*What is her sleeping like during the day? This can affect her night sleeping

[the_queen]

Sounds like she's waking from hunger. She's too young to be given water instead of milk at night time. She needs to feed through the night still. and perhaps 3 meals a day of solids is upsetting her tiny little tummy and that could be another reason why she's waking up.

[FourAngelKisses]

I think anything under 10mths is too young. My 3rd baby was still waking from hunger at that age (he is a big boy with a fast metabolism) and he was having 5 meals of solids and 1.5L of formula a day.

It sounds to me like your daughter is hungry rather than thirsty. Try giving her formula rather than water.

[1+1=5]

6 months should be the absolute minimum. my DS woke for feeds at that age too. just keep telling yourself that it does end!

[mum2bubba]

I started Hayley on cc at 4 months and I have never looked back, she actually DID start sleeping through at 2 months but we moved house a few months after that so she got her own room, it only took about 3 weeks before she started sleeping through again.

[Pippi Longstocking]

Personally, I believe anything under about 18 years is too young to CC :p but I think even the pro CC "experts" don't recommend it for babies under 6 months. Little babies only have little tummies which is why they need to feed frequently. I agree with the others that said offer her milk rather than water.

[mumofcaleb]

I wouldn't try cc until after 8 months old.

[mumofcaleb]

BTW it is recommended that breastfed babies just have breastmilk for up to 6 months old. There is no need to be giving solids yet, especially 3 times a day. Breastmilk gives all the nutrients they need.

[cosmic]

My baby is the same age as yours and she has basically the same night-waking pattern that you have described. I feed her sometimes up to 6 times a night - sometimes her first 'wake-up' is as early as 10.15pm and she will feed every 1-2hrs until 4-5am, and usually then wants to get out of bed by about 5.30am. So I know EXACTLY how you feel!

I deal with it by bringing her into bed with me and feeding her lying down. That way, she and I both have minimal disruption to our sleep.. but I take it your bub is formula fed? I have wondered what is causing her night-waking and in looking for answers, have frequently read that regular waking is normal at this age, ie. from 4-6mths. They are going through a huge developmental phase and learning lots of new skills. So I figure she will just grow out of it - and actually last night she only woke twice at 1.30 and 4.30am. :thumbsup:

I would also recommend you check those things T*T recommended - ie. whether she is hot or cold, wrapped, unwrapped etc. She also might be having teething pain, as they get discomfort quite a while before you actually see teeth.

With regard to CC - Richard Ferber, who first developed it recommended it not be used on babies under 6mths old and he has very recently come out saying that he is disappointed that child health professionals are now advocating it for very young babies as the 'be all and end all' of sleep solutions. He has also suggested that 6mths may be too young.

I would just add that even a formula-fed baby needs only formula until 6mths.

I know it's tough, but you are not alone.. and there will be an end to it!

[draught]

A reminder that this is a Pro-CC section of the forum - the OP is asking for advice on whether to start it with her 4 month old, NOT whether it is a good method or whether she will be harming her child. Behave people.

[draught]

As a parent rather than a moderator now - I wouldn't recommend trying CC before 6 months (or even a bit later) as in my experience babies under 6 months are still hungry in the night, and any attempt to try CC will cause you and baby more stress than you currently have (and your baby sounds a lot like my DD2). I know how exhausting it is so can only offer the suggestion that you and your partner take turns at feeding her during the night if she is bottle fed, or co-sleeping if she is breastfed. Fortunately they do change as they grow and this too will pass.

[melfunction]

I think 5 months is too young to start cc. Mind you, I think anytime is too young.

[WeThree]

I have always been told that if you are wanting to try CC, you should never do it before 6mths, before that time babies often still may need one or two feeds at night, stuff like that. 4 mths is really to young, if you are still keen to give it a go in a few mths time, then that is your choice, but it is just to early right now.
:)

[Nan]

Hi! :wave:
We started CC with our DD very early and our DD slept through the night from 6 weeks of age. I fed her so much during the day, (even when she wasn't necessarily hungry) that she wasn't hungry at night. She has never been sick, has no allergies, is very well adjusted and socially 'with it' and continues to sleep like a dream.
Having said that, you need to do what you feel is right for you. I hope things go well for your little one. :)

[Mrs Potts]

We took DS to his first sleep clinic at age 6 weeks where we did a modified form of CC. So, IMO, all the "you mustn't start til 6 months" is more personal choice in a lot of cases.

The reason we did CC at such a young age was because DS couldn't put himself to sleep (in a lot of cases he couldn't settle with our help either), so it was a daytime issue as much as a night time issue.

I can't really comment on what *I* think you should do if your bub is breast fed, as I've never done it. However, if your bub is bottle fed she should be going roughly 4 hours between feeds day or (longer at) night. So if she feeds at midnight, then wakes at 2 I would absolutely try CC as you know she won't be hungry. Of course, you need to make sure there isn't another reason for the waking before you start!

I can highly recommend Richard Ferber's Sleep Right Sleep Tight book for advice too.

Also, just because your child is still waking for night feeds, there is no reason at all that you can't still CC overnight. It's simply a matter of knowing when your bub is hungry, rather than waking out of habit. We did this when DS was 6 months, and at "baby boot camp", his 2nd sleep school visit.

Good luck!

[Supermum]

The primary reason why the experts tell you not to Ferberise (CC) babies before six months is because they don't have an understanding of object permanence. So if you walk out the door, they don't think you're coming back.

[pookiesossige]

The primary reason why the experts tell you not to Ferberise (CC) babies before six months is because they don't have an understanding of object permanence. So if you walk out the door, they don't think you're coming back.

Very true. It's as if they think you cease to exist whenever you're not around. So any kind of 'successfull' CC on a baby before they have grasped the concept of Object Permenance is really just 'learned helplessness'.

[Lambie]

I have been using a form of CC with my 5 month DD now for a few weeks and it is working really well. However, I only use the technique in order for her to settle when she is tried and due for a sleep/nap. When she wakes during the night I take this as a cue that something is up and she is brought into my bed where I cuddle/feed her until she falls back to sleep. I believe my DD is still too young to be able to settle herself back to sleep if she wakes up during the night.

[brodiebunch]

Hang in there chicky.I did CC at 3.5 months due to desperation.This did not mean not night feeding but getting him to sleep between them better.Do your research though and weigh up the pros and cons for YOUR family not someone elses.No matter what you do some one else will always have a problem with it any way!:p

[natasha]

I am very pro controlled crying, however I wouldn't try it until they about 6-7 and possible even 8 months. For the reasons some of the girls have already given.

Hang in there.:hugs: