https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 17 May 2026 04:29:49 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cio-has-changed-my-life#post-2187782 Sat, 23 May 2015 16:15:37 +0000 gingerbebe 2187782@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We sleep trained before 6 months and it was the best thing for our family. I really think it depends on each child and our son was just so chronically overtired that it was a disaster for him and for us. He's the BEST kid when he's had enough rest. Without it, he's a terrorist. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cio-has-changed-my-life#post-2187765 Sat, 23 May 2015 13:53:45 +0000 Freckles 2187765@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm glad it worked for you! I feel like people get flamed unfairly for doing CIO before 6 months.</p> <p>How were his naps before sleep training? DS is almost 6 months but has been sick so often it had been difficult to find a good time to train. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cio-has-changed-my-life#post-2187342 Fri, 22 May 2015 16:01:47 +0000 namaste 2187342@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm so happy for you! :happy: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cio-has-changed-my-life#post-2187330 Fri, 22 May 2015 15:39:27 +0000 oliviaoblivia 2187330@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So glad you are all sleeping better! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cio-has-changed-my-life#post-2187303 Fri, 22 May 2015 15:02:26 +0000 SleepyMonkey 2187303@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>so awesome! glad it worked for you! we are considering doing CIO starting tonight since it is a long weekend. she goes down awake at bedtime and puts herself to sleep, but want to eliminate her one motn wakeup now that i am back at work. kind of dreading it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cio-has-changed-my-life#post-2187223 Fri, 22 May 2015 14:10:56 +0000 blackbird 2187223@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Woohoo!!! It was life changing for us and we've only had to retrain once or twice and it only took a night or two! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cio-has-changed-my-life#post-2187212 Fri, 22 May 2015 14:07:03 +0000 artsyfartsy 2187212@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm glad it worked for you!! We never ended up doing CIO but I had a few desperate nights where I tried and gave up! I know how amazing it can feel to get over a sleep hurdle and feel sane again. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cio-has-changed-my-life#post-2187120 Fri, 22 May 2015 12:54:06 +0000 keepcalmcarrie 2187120@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@catlady: Yeah, I know it sounds cruel to some people to just let baby cry, but at least in our case, baby was crying even without sleep training just from sheer exhaustion. And every baby is different, but gentle methods didn't work for my two either! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cio-has-changed-my-life#post-2187108 Fri, 22 May 2015 12:42:15 +0000 keepcalmcarrie 2187108@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lady grey: That's wonderful! LO1 is also 2 and he's a dream sleeper. 7 PM-7AM every night and 12-2 PM nap every day. He was pretty easy with sleep even as a tiny baby - 8 hours at 7 weeks, 12 hours at 4 months, although we had to sleep train so I could lay him down because he would cry at bedtime - but LO2 was not easy with night sleep or naps from the beginning. I couldn't resign myself to more months of sleep deprivation, even though j knew he wasn't necessarily a "naturally" good sleeper. But it really just took a few bad days and he *seems* to get it. When we turn on the sound machine in his room and walk around singing a song, he just snuggles in now and yawns. It's great. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cio-has-changed-my-life#post-2187106 Fri, 22 May 2015 12:38:15 +0000 catlady 2187106@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We used Ferber at around 5 months and it was life changing! Glad it worked for you too! We tried the "gentle" methods and they didn't work. Our LO was cranky and tired all the time (and so were we). Some people think CIO is cruel but it was over in 3 days for us and our LO has been a happy camper ever since (14 months ago now!). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cio-has-changed-my-life#post-2187103 Fri, 22 May 2015 12:35:13 +0000 keepcalmcarrie 2187103@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SweetiePie: That was well established. There were a few nights in the past 2 weeks where I didn't do it because it had taken so long to put him down (fussing, crying, rocking, another bottle) that he had his "bedtime bottle" around 9-9:30. Sometimes after that he'd last until 3 AM, sometimes 1 AM. Even with the dream feed sometimes he'd be up and depend on a bottle around 1 AM, 3-4 AM, and then up for the day at 7. We were a hot mess. </p> <p>So glad it worked for you too. It seemed like a really scary process to me, but in reality it was much better than the timed checks that prolonged the crying or the constant comforting before we even tried sleep training that didn't really stop the crying anyway because he was so tired. It's a vicious cycle! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cio-has-changed-my-life#post-2187101 Fri, 22 May 2015 12:33:37 +0000 lady grey 2187101@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So happy to hear things are better for you! We used the Sleep Easy Solution for CIO at 4.5 months and it also changed my life! LO and I were both much happier. However, it took 4 weeks for him to not cry at all going down for naps. But once we got through it, he has napped perfectly every day since and he is now almost two! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cio-has-changed-my-life#post-2187094 Fri, 22 May 2015 12:27:01 +0000 SweetiePie 2187094@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>CIO was also a lifesaver for us! Glad you're ALL getting some good sleep!<br /> Did you just start the dream feed or was that well established? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cio-has-changed-my-life#post-2187088 Fri, 22 May 2015 12:19:00 +0000 keepcalmcarrie 2187088@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO2 - 18 weeks - is finally getting over his bronchiolitis, and I reached my breaking point late last week so we started sleep training last Friday. It was taking 1+ hours of rocking, soothing, and re-comforting to lay him down and have him stay asleep. I almost always laid him down sleepy but awake, but the 6 weeks of illness really messed with any attempts at self-soothing that I'd tried to encourage, and the coughing fits wrecked havoc on night sleep and naps.</p> <p>So Friday-Tuesday we did Ferber's timed checks and I didn't let him fuss in the MOTN. A few nights were awful at bedtime, 45 minutes of crying. One night was bad enough (1 hr of crying, wouldn't be comforted) that we did take him out of the crib and gave him another 4 oz bottle (that did the trick). He was sort of getting it, but not consistently and his naps were horrendous - like three 30 minute naps each day unless I was holding him. We had a very over-tired little boy!</p> <p>At his pedi appt, I talked all this through with her and she suggested - if I was willing to go there - giving CIO a try. He's 17 lbs 4 oz and was sucking on his hand for comfort after crying when she checked his ears, so she knew he was able to get through without a MOTN feeding and could self soothe. I did CIO with LO1 during a regression around 8-9 months, but I'd done Ferber with his initial sleep training at 4 months and at any other regressions. He seemed to respond best to CIO, but he was older than LO2... anyway, I was nervous about doing it with a young baby, but we did it and the results were fast and amazing (so far!)</p> <p>We started Wednesday night, and he cried for 40 minutes. It was awful to listen to, but I wanted to give it at least 3 days to see if it would work. He fell asleep around 7:30, I gave him a dream feed bottle at 11 (no crying when I laid him back down), he woke up around 4:15 and I popped the pacifier in and he easily fell back asleep, and he slept until 7:15. Woke up extremely happy, took 3 great naps (45 minutes AM nap in the car, 1.5 hour noon nap, and 1.5 hr 4 pm nap). Cried for 5 minutes when I laid him down for the noon nap, other than that, no crying. No crying when I laid him down for bedtime. Dream feed at 11:30, no crying when I laid him back down, up at 6:15 this morning (no MOTN wake ups!) 1 hour nap this morning, no crying. We're 1 hr and 15 minutes into his noon nap, and he woke up completely after 40 minutes and then put himself back to sleep in 5 minutes with no crying. </p> <p>The crying in our house has been almost totally eliminated. He is so much happier, and I feel like I have my life and (some of) my sanity back. I've gotten him on a 4 hour bottle schedule and a nap schedule and he's refreshed and it's just... I can't even explain how much better life feels.</p> <p>I know sleep training isn't for everyone, especially CIO, and I totally get it (please don't flame me, I'm not suggesting you do it with your baby and I'm certainly not doing anything that I think is damaging mine!) I just wanted to share because I love reading stories about what worked for others, and if you're considering this method, I highly recommend giving it a try. Maybe easing into it with timed checks, and if that works, great, if not, CIO. </p> <p>I'm sure our sleep troubles aren't totally behind us, there will be teething and sickness and maybe even regressions where we have to do this again. But I am a new woman, and LO is a new and much happier man :) </p>