Sleep training and naps

[sookiestjames]

I have a 5.5 month old DS and we started sleep training last night.  My issue is that I have let him sleep on me every night since birth.  He had really bad reflux so he couldn't lay on his back without choking.  So I let him sleep on my chest. And that kept up for 5.5 months. So basically, he has never slept in his crib. And now that we are trying to sleep train, I feel like its so much worse.  Not only does he have to sleep by himself, he has to sleep somewhere he never has before.

So last night, he cried for about 45 minutes while DH patted his back, and then finally fell asleep. He woke up every 2 hours throughout the night, so one of us would get up, pat his back, and he would fall back asleep. 

I'm hoping tonight is better because last night was brutal.

Do I need to do the same thing for naps? He takes 3 naps per day so I'm not sure I can handle the crying for so long before each nap!  At least at night DH is here to help.  So, do I just need to suck it up and let him cry for naps too or can he sleep elsewhere for naps but crib for bedtime?

Also, how long did it take your baby to get used to it and stop crying before bed/naps?? 

TIA!

[soozy87]

We did naps about a month after nights and he was down to 2 naps at that point. Naps were easier for us.

It took 3 days for us, but the first night was terrible.

Have you tried tilting his crib mattress? We put a rolled up towel under one end so he was still sleeping at an angle.

I hope tonight goes better for you!

[sookiestjames]

Feb 10, 2015 17:57:14 GMT -5 soozy87 said:

We did naps about a month after nights and he was down to 2 naps at that point. Naps were easier for us.

It took 3 days for us, but the first night was terrible.

Have you tried tilting his crib mattress? We put a rolled up towel under one end so he was still sleeping at an angle.

I hope tonight goes better for you!

Thank you! We did put a blanket under the mattress so we'll see how that works.

Tonight's crying only lasted about 15 minutes. We'll see how many wake ups we have. But so far, I'm glad he went down easier than the first time!

[IndiaInk]

I would try to tackle night time first and then move on to sleep training for naps. I think it's Ferber's book that says naps can be harder because they are less sleepy and you can't realistically let the baby cry that long when it's just for a nap.
Do one thing at a time so it's a bit easier on you! Glad to hear the second night is going better. It's actually impressive how fast sleep training worked for us! It makes life so much better.

[sookiestjames]

Thanks guys! I am going to call night two a success! Went to sleep at 6:30, woke up at 7 and 8 but was back asleep within a minute both times. Slept until 12:30, ate and was back asleep by 12:45. Didn't wake again until 4:45, but was back down again within 5 minutes and up for the day at 6:15. I assume the number of wake ups will get better as we keep going!

You guys are right about the naps too! I am going to tackle one thing at a time!