Sleep Training

The past 2 weeks or so Kirsty's nighttime sleep has been horrendous. She has been going to bed fine at her usual 8pm, but after her night feed she seems to think it's "playtime" and has been up for around 2hrs or more. I'm exhausted!! Add this to the waking/screaming episodes she has had within 2hrs of going to bed, for the past 3 months now...

Monday night: I decided things had to change so we decided to try a mixture of 2 methods: the Baby Whisperer's "Pick Up/Put Down" (PU/PD) method, and the Ferber "Controlled Crying" (CC). Monday evening We did her bath at 7pm, BF her and she was in bed by 8pm. She was almost asleep when I laid her down, put her music on and left her, She went off no probs. She woke up at 9:40pm, we left her 5 mins (she was only whinging, not her usual crying), went in, put her music on, came out. Waited 5 mins, by this time she was crying but still not hysterical. I picked her up until she calmed, put her down immediately, left the room... I did this for 30 mins until she fell asleep by herself again  I was impressed!!

She woke to feed at 2am, I fed and winded her, she was sleepy but not quite asleep, put her down, music on, left the room. She stirred but wasn't crying, until around 3am, I'm not 100% sure she went to sleep or not, she went quiet so I have to assume she did... I fell asleep. I woke up at 4am to her crying, went in, music on, tucked her in, left the room... At 5am, I tried her with a bottle of forumla, she took 3oz. Between 4 & 6am she played & chatted to her teddy... for TWO HOURS?!?!  I couldn't effectively do the "pick up/put down" because she wasn't crying. I didn't know whether I should leave her completely or keep going in?! After 2 hours, she started getting whingy but when I went in she got excited and thought "yey playtime". I tried leaving her but she just did not resettle back to sleep.  Eventually I got up with her at 6am. So a semi-success.

Tuesday night: she was exhausted (that's thanks to 2 sleeps since being awake at 4am). We did bathtime at 6pm, she had an Asthon & Parsons teething powder, a dose of calpol, she BF to sleep but as I lay her in the cot she woke up, typically I'd have picked her up & rocked her... not tonight, I remembered the key word - "consistency" - I put her music on and left the room. After 10 mins she cried, so I left her 5 mins, went in, left her 5 mins, went in and had to pick her up, put her down, left her 5 mins and she zonked!. HUGE step forward, she would never go to sleep alone. I know at that time she was tired, but still... she did it by herself!!! She slept 8pm-1:30am, fed and was back in bed by 2am, again she woke up as I laid her down but I put on her music, tucked her in & left the room. I went back to bed and decided I'd listen until 2:15am. She was banging her feet on the matress (seems to be a type of soothing for her?!), all was silent by 2:05am!! She slept until 6:30am!!!

I know it's not "fixed" but I hope this is the beginning of something more consistent with her sleeping. She seems to have gotten the hang of it. We tried it on 2 daytime naps today but it didn't work. I'm hopeful as we do this more & more, she will be able to follow it through the day as well.