Author Topic: Transition to crib/sleep training  (Read 2437 times)

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Offline mac2003yn

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Transition to crib/sleep training
« on: March 09, 2017, 19:38:40 pm »
Hi everyone, I am looking for some guidance on how to transition dd to crib and sleep train her for naps and nights. She is 6 months next week. We have been doing EASY since she was born. She wouldn't go to sleep easily so we ended up giving her a pacifier at around 3 months for sleeping. Since then she would nap in crib for 30 mins with pacifier and go to sleep at bedtime beside me with it as well but I had to out it back in when she woke. I had decided 2 weeks ago that we would begin sleep training in our bed to remove the pacifier because she was waking very often and needed me to put it back in. She also woke 3 times a night to nurse. I then realized that she needed night wearing and to nurse longer during the day (she is quite distracted during the day). So I embarked in the process of sleep training her in our bed at bedtime. And took away the pacifier cold turkey during naps and at bedtime. Not surprisingly she didn't take to that well. I've managed to get her to sleep beside me without a pacifier and do pupd several time and by laying close to her so she can touch me. Sometimes being able to touch me helps calm her right away, sometimes I have to proceed to pupd. For naps, I have been putting her down in the crib if she seems to not fuss too much and if I have the patience to deal with it. But for the most part I've now resorted to holding her for naps so she won't become overtired. I think I've been messing everything up for her and throwing her off without a solid plan and consistency. She's constantly overtired and I'm constantly at the brink of a meltdown. I need to reset and realized that she may have been going through a growth spurt for the past couple of days.
The goals were to get rid of the pacifier/nursing to sleep, for her fall asleep on her own, for her to sleep through the night (as much as she could), for me to be able to leave the room when she fell asleep and to transition her to crib. So far I've manage to get rid of pacifier and don't nurse to sleep, which has essentially wreaked havoc on sleep and routine.
Wanting your expertise to see this through and support her with this transition.
What do I do now? What do I start with? Night weaning? Putting her in crib for all sleep or naps first or nights first? I know the day routine is very important for good night sleep. I struggle with which to start with. Working on day routine and nap will eventually help nights. Working on nights will let her have enough sleep to work on naps. Urgh! I don't know... Sorry I'm rambling... I'm just so tired and dd has been crying all morning and refused to nap today even being held...
Thank you all for reading and hope to hear from you soon

Offline Martini~

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Re: Transition to crib/sleep training
« Reply #1 on: March 10, 2017, 14:23:19 pm »
Hi Honey and congratulations that you made it till 6mo:)!!!

So, let's get started:). It's great that you already get rid of a dummy. It can be a real struggle to constantly pop it back, I know it! With DS1 during 12wo wonder weeks we also resorted to dummy and it ended up so badly that I get rid of it around 14/15wo. And well done for not nursing to sleep. The problem you now have is that you change one prop to another one which is holding to sleep or rocking - which can have the same impact as dummy or nursing to sleep. At 6mo she is definitely ready to start self soothing in her crib for naps and nights which should significantly improve her nights and maybe go for better naps.
From my experience, the best method is shhh/pat in a crib without even much of pupd (only if the crying goes for long spell) as many kiddos get stimulated by pupd. So no matter how long it lasts and how hard it is - you have to preserve, be close to her, with your arms, voice but concentrate on settling in a crib.

Don't worry much of short naps. When you are after sleep training and they are still short you will tweak your routine and hopefully get good naps. Firstly start from the basics so from her skill to settle by herself. Short naps doesn't impact night as such, but being overtired can do it. So when you day consist from only short naps, that's fine - just do more of then than 2 long:). You may use a source called babysleepsite to look for a good routine with short naps for a 6mo. I like it as they do not pressure on longer naps and advise how to build day on shorter naps than 1.5h.

Hope that helps. If you have any further questions, please let us know:)!
~Marta

Offline mac2003yn

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Re: Transition to crib/sleep training
« Reply #2 on: March 11, 2017, 04:43:46 am »
Thank you for the reply! I will work on shush/pat with her and try to keep her in the crib while calming her. Could I sing a song instead of shushing? She was going down for 4 naps a day (about 30 minutes) and that seemed ok for her as long as she slept for 11-12 hours at night. The problem is getting her down for those naps.
Do I now proceed to put her in crib awake and do shush/pat (or pupd if needed) for every nap and bedtime and nighttime waking (that are not due to hunger)? Or should I work on bedtime/night first?
I feel so terrible for her because she is tired from waking from a short nap and doesn't know how to get back to sleep and I don't know how to exactly replicate what I did while holding her to nap. She's been very fussy for several days and I don't seem to be making it better by holding her.
You are right - I have essentially replaced the pacifier with another prop. How about when I lay next to her so she can touch me? Is that bad? I'm thinking of introducing a lovey. Perhaps that would help...
Thank you again for your help!

Offline ginger428

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Re: Transition to crib/sleep training
« Reply #3 on: March 23, 2017, 01:13:13 am »
Hi hun, bumping you up and asking how did the sleep training go at night? I see that you also posted about naps... is lo doing well going down by herself now?

Offline mac2003yn

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Re: Transition to crib/sleep training
« Reply #4 on: March 23, 2017, 19:00:10 pm »
Hello! I transitioned her to the crib for all sleeping starting on Tuesday. I waited until 6 month growth spurt and wonder weeks leap was out of the way and she is much more calm now. Night sleep seems to be going smoothly (so far - I keep waiting for the shoe to drop! and it's only been 2 days...). She is sleeping by 8pm and does not fuss much. I do our bedtime routine, put her down, and keep my hand on her back and sing to her. She has been sleeping until midnight and wakes to nurse and wakes again to nurse at 3am. She has been waking at 5am and I haven't been able to get her to fall asleep again unless I nurse her (which may give her another hour of sleep). The first night it took 2 hours for her to fall back asleep for 30 mins and she woke again! This morning I brought her to my bed (I was soooo tired) and fell asleep. She eventually fell asleep too. I know, I know - it shouldn't be done because it is accidental parenting. I will just have to deal with it later. Then we woke at 730am.

I think we're making progress. I will have to work on night weaning and perhaps pushing the first feed to 7 hours after bedtime. Maybe then she will sleep until 730am. I will continue on and she will eventually adjust.

I realize that it just takes her time to get used to things. And it takes consistency on my part. I mean, she went from being held to sleep at night, to sleeping in the bed in my arms, to sleeping beside me with a pacifier, and finally to sleeping beside me on her own without the pacifier. And now sleeping in her crib. Baby steps!

I feel the pupd makes her more upset when i put her down so i have been trying really hard to soothe her in the crib before resorting to pupd.

What could be the reason for her waking early in the morning?

Offline jessmum46

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Re: Transition to crib/sleep training
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2017, 20:05:17 pm »
Could you post her routine to see if there's anything that stands out there as potentially causing an early waking? 

Is her room dark and quiet at that time?  Not too hot or cold?

Offline mac2003yn

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Re: Transition to crib/sleep training
« Reply #6 on: March 29, 2017, 12:04:05 pm »
Here is her routine:
630am  wake
845am nap #1 (30 mins)
915 wake
1130 nap #2 (30 mins)
12 wake
215 nap #3 (30 mins)
245 wake
5 nap #4 (20 mins)
520 wake
740 sleeping

The room is dark but people start getting ready for work around that time...

Offline Martini~

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Re: Transition to crib/sleep training
« Reply #7 on: March 29, 2017, 12:16:20 pm »
Can you try and push the morning or second nap a bit?
~Marta

Offline jessmum46

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Re: Transition to crib/sleep training
« Reply #8 on: March 29, 2017, 16:55:15 pm »
I agree, 2h15 is a short A time for this age, I would bump up to 2h30 to begin with and see if you get the naps to lengthen a bit.  You may need to go further as it's not unusual for a 6 month old to need 3h - but start small and see how it goes :)

Offline mac2003yn

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Re: Transition to crib/sleep training
« Reply #9 on: March 29, 2017, 17:45:24 pm »
Thank you! I will try this starting tomorrow and let you know in a couple of days how it goes!