https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 23 Apr 2026 07:44:53 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train/page/2#post-931081 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 23:21:58 +0000 lolabee 931081@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@runsyellowlites: love that you answer with a big smile :) I guess, for the most part I just don't understand why everyone is always so interested with the nighttime sleep?! It's not going to affect them either way. It's like asking how many times your LO pooped that day! </p> <p>@hilsy85: That is where I feel I would have to start thinking of a plan, if LO's mood and behaviour were being affected. Good point!</p> <p>@mewtill: it's so annoying! Why not ask about something interesting! I answer the question as well, but depending on who it is determines whether or not I continue on the conversation on that topic. It's probably just me being overly sensitive but with certain family members I feel like I'm judged for some parenting choices - so it's better to just leave well alone!</p> <p>@shopaholic: Agreed! I am starving when I wake up after 6 hours and I'm not even on a liquid diet! ;) </p> <p>I all reality it boils down to every baby is different, as is every patent. Ya just do what works for you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train/page/2#post-930507 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 16:57:59 +0000 Corduroy 930507@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did CIO at 16 weeks. LO was taking an hour to fall asleep while being walked or bounced. Then she would sleep for 30 minutes, wake up and take an hour to go back down. Every single night. We didn't have a problem with middle of the night wakings. She was at one feeding and we kept it. Sleep training ha done wonders for us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train/page/2#post-930499 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 16:47:49 +0000 shopaholic 930499@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lolabee: @runsyellowlites: I also never expect K to sleep 12 hours straight! My answer about that is always, "I can't go 12 hours w/out eating. I wouldn't expect a baby with a teeny tummy to!" </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train/page/2#post-930413 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 15:31:20 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 930413@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hilsy85: I think if our son's "bad" sleep was affecting his awake time (cranky, fussy, too tired) then I'd be more open to trying CIO as an option of other methods didn't work. So far, our guy is happy happy during the day despite sleeping poorly at night. (Which makes me think that, really, his sleep isn't bad it's just not good for *us*.)</p> <p>@lolabee: I hate hate that people always ask about sleep! Why is it so ingrained in us!? Plus, so many of our parents' generation did CIO and that's their go-to. They all truly feel like babies are supposed to sleep all night and having them cry is the way to do that. I usually admit he doesn't sleep through the night and nod non-commitally when they suggest CIO. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train/page/2#post-930310 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 13:35:59 +0000 hilsy85 930310@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did at 6.5 months bc Los horrible sleep was affecting him--he was cranky and overtired during the day. I didn't feel that it was fair to him to just let him go on like that--obviously, he needed help learning to sleep better, and waiting it out would have prolonged the unhappiness for both of us. We used ferbers method and I think his boom makes a ton of sense, and is a great read whether or not you choose to sleep train. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train/page/2#post-930282 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 13:07:51 +0000 loveisstrange 930282@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wouldn't have survived PPD without sleep. Period. Plus, C has always been a phenomenal sleeper, started 8 hour stretched at 8 weeks old. We sort of accidentally sleep-trained at 6 months when she swaddle-weaned, she night-weaned as a by product and started sleeping straight through. We did have to re-train her after travelling internationally and we used CIO. She was 10 months old.</p> <p>My baby certainly wasnt "designed" to sleep like crap. That's not a blanket statement AT ALL. As with anything else related to parenting, it depends on the kid. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train/page/2#post-930263 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 12:54:43 +0000 honeybear 930263@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@NovBaby1112: They came to check on me. :) I was colicky, which is probably why they opted to sleep train. But it did land me in the ER for stitches, so it was a terrible experience (mostly for them). My mom is still sad about it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train/page/2#post-930244 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 12:44:02 +0000 runsyellowlites 930244@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lolabee: I've always answered "No, but I don't expect her to *insert no biggie smile*" b/c I didn't.... like I said I know that by designed she was made to wake frequently. If anyone pushed it I would explain that sole reasoning &amp; affirm that night nursing was great for my supply b/c more prolactin triggers (the hormone triggers that signal production) were laid at night... AND I firmly believed that it was BECAUSE of this continuous night nursing that we successfully made it through nursing strikes b/c I know alot of moms with bebes that sttn that had alot of trouble continuing to nurse through strikes.....</p> <p>The response takes the attention off the "bad sleeper" and instead brings light to all the reasons the "bad sleeper" was designed to sleep how she does. tehe ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train/page/2#post-930214 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 12:16:44 +0000 Mrs. Twine 930214@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No sleep training. Didn't with Ellie, who is now a wonderful sleeper, and won't with Lorelei. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train/page/2#post-930195 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 12:00:07 +0000 lolabee 930195@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I feel very conflicted about the whole sleep training thing. In many ways I feel the same as @runsyellowlites. On the other hand, how many night wake ups are too many?! Baby sleep also seems to be one of the FIRST things people ask you about - is baby STTN? No? If so, why not? Which then brings to controversial topic of co-bedding. It just seems so much easier to avoid the conversation. </p> <p>So, to answer the question, I don't believe we will be doing any sort of sleep training. I have ate my words before though, so never say never. I definitely wouldn't have the heart to do CIO and like @yerpie110: my LO is a tension increaser (thanks for that link!). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train/page/2#post-930194 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 11:59:54 +0000 NovBaby1112 930194@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@honeybear: omg! Your parents must have felt awful :( so did they not know you hurt yourself until the morning? Or by your cries did they know something happened? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train/page/2#post-930184 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 11:51:33 +0000 lolabee 930184@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@shopaholic: We're opposites! Our naps are amazing right now (knock on wood!) but nighttime is a nightmare. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-930178 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 11:43:29 +0000 shopaholic 930178@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@honeybear: :sad: Good reason!<br /> @Kemma: I've been told by every parent IRL to sleep train at some point!<br /> @mewtill: I always get confused by the general term too! </p> <p>Haven't yet felt the need to, but never say never. K is 4+ months and I feel a pretty good night sleeper. I always nurse her if/when she wakes up. The only time I could see she didn't need to nurse was for swaddle-weaning when she made that obvious. If she's ever had more than 2 night wakings since she was really little (over 12 hr period), it was because she WAS hungry (growth spurts) or during our travels (and I felt nursing was more for comfort).</p> <p>Now, naps are an entirely different thing. I've been reading on sleep/nap training methods and trying to just incorporate cues and consistency so far. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-930149 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 11:30:41 +0000 yerpie110 930149@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So far we have not had the need to sleep train (knock on wood). LO STTN, sleeps in the crib for naps and nighttime, and puts herself to sleep 70% of the time. If she needs some rocking, I don't mind because it's usually 5 minutes max. She has been hit by some bad sleep regressions and some rough nights here and there, but I'll give it a week before considering sleeping training as I don't think training through a regression is beneficial for anyone. She's been able to figure out everything on her own mostly, with some encouragement from our end (putting her down drowsy, waiting a few minutes before getting her, etc.). </p> <p>However, I won't CIO, though I am certainly not against it, because I've learned that hard way that she is a tension increaser (<a href="http://www.askmoxie.org/2011/01/tension-increasers.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.askmoxie.org/2011/01/tension-increasers.html</a>), so I would explore other methods. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-930056 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 10:31:07 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 930056@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I always get confused by the phrase "sleep train". What does that really *mean*? Is it exclusive to the cry it out method?</p> <p>My son sounds like @sorrycharlie: daughter - 3-8 wakings a night. It's pretty rough. He's never been a sleep through the night/5-6 hours baby. At 9.5 months, the sleep deprivation is getting harder! But we still don't plan on any crying it out yet.</p> <p>We ARE going to change our habits to help him have better sleep habits. I really think he A) loves to be with us/snuggle and B) does know how to fall asleep when he wakes up. Our habits haven't allowed him to learn, so I'm not comfortable making him cry until we've tried to change our habits first. So maybe that is "training" as well? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-930047 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 10:22:01 +0000 sorrycharlie 930047@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Haven't yet, she's 9.5 months - and I can safely bet that she is probably one of the stinkiest sleepers on hb ;)</p> <p>I tried variations - checks, in the room, out of the room, etc but she doesn't respond to any. I'd have to do extinction which I'm not comfortable with. I know she would survive but I have through-the-roof anxiety so it's not worth it to me. She's up between 3-8x a night right now.</p> <p>But, she can and will put herself to sleep when she wants to and sleeps exclusively in her crib. We had no transition problems from 5.5 m when we transitioned from our bed to her crib in her room. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-930023 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 10:00:04 +0000 Foodnerd81 930023@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've seen too many different babies with different needs to say I will or won't. If baby is doing fine without sleep training, I won't do it-- no one LIKES the idea of letting their tiny little baby cry all by himself even for a few minutes. But I also saw how exhausted my nephew was because he just. couldn't. sleep. My sister sleep trained him (some CIO, not sure what "method") and he was like a new baby, so much less cranky all day, such a better napper, ate better, the whole thing. He needed it even more than his parents did. So.... we shall see. But I really do pray this baby is a good sleeper. Even now I have a very hard time falling asleep and DH falls asleep literally in minutes. I hope baby gets that from him! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-930015 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 09:52:39 +0000 allison 930015@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are definitely in the middle of a sleep "regression". LO used to STTN 10 or more hours, and now wakes up usually every 4 or 5 hours to nurse. But other times he wakes up, doesn't cry, and soothes himself to sleep (by sucking his fingers). He also goes down easily at night--I either nurse him to sleep or he goes down awake and puts himself to sleep. Because of all of these factors, I've chosen not to sleep train.</p> <p>If he was up every hour for more than a week, I wouldn't do CIO necessarily, but I'd definitely re-evaluate our sleep habits and take steps to make changes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-929967 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 09:13:11 +0000 JerricaBenton 929967@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We don't plan on it. LO is 5 months and overall, a really good sleeper. She is easily soothed if she does wake up and at this point we can easily tell if she's really upset because she's wet or hungry or she's just startled or making noise. She did have a 4 month sleep regression (starting at about 3.5 mos and lasting about 4 weeks) where she was up every 3 hours or so. It was rough but I think I felt less desperate because I believed her good sleep would return. I do have to say, if she was a really bad sleeper and I was delirious with lack of sleep, we may have tried something/may try some sort of training in the future. I philosophically believe it's better not to CIO/sleep train but I fully admit it isn't always that easy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-929713 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 01:13:21 +0000 Running Elley 929713@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes we did and I plan on sleep training future children if necessary with absolutely no hesitation.</p> <p>E was never a great sleeper but we didn't sleep train until 5.5 months because before that we could identify needs when he woke during the night. Right before we sleep trained it got to the point where he was sleeping a maximum of 2 hour stretches at night and he would scream until fed a bottle. Once the bottle was in his mouth he'd eat less than an ounce before falling asleep. That was not hunger (he's also quite the chunker and we knew he didn't need to eat every 2 hours).</p> <p>I was extremely sleep deprived, to the point where I wouldn't remember getting up with him in the middle of the night. That terrified me. He was sleep deprived and a grouch during the day.</p> <p>Sleep training gave me my sanity back and my child is well rested and extremely happy. He loves me just as much as he did before sleep training and he knows that I love him :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-929693 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 00:31:06 +0000 Kemma 929693@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@runsyellowlites: yes to all your reasons! When Miss A cries every fibre in my being needs to go to her and leaving her to cry makes me feel like shit.</p> <p>@grizz: yes to this too!</p> <p>I get the impression that alot of families sleep train because it's something they're told they "should" do rather than something they want to do. It also strikes me that sleep is also an adult problem rather than an infant one.</p> <p>Miss A went through a pretty bad regression from six months thanks to six new teeth and lots of action and development and my life got much easier when I let go of the notion of STTN. At this point in time she's just not that kid and I'm ok with that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-929692 Sun, 14 Jul 2013 00:29:42 +0000 Smurfette 929692@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yep! She was taking an hour + to nurse to sleep every night. Then waking every hour and half, sometimes even less. And the only way to get her back asleep was nursing. I had a breakdown cause I was so exhausted. My work was beginning to suffer, as our marriage. So my DH made me try it one night and I am so glad. If she is crying really loud we go in there and get her. But if she is just fussy then we let her put herself back to sleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-929674 Sat, 13 Jul 2013 23:59:49 +0000 honeybear 929674@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did not CIO in any form, and I didn't follow any method other than to respond to LO's cries. We coslept, and he woke up at least once a night until he was almost 2. I don't feel it set him up for any bad habits; sleep is a biological necessity, not something you learn, in my opinion. He sleeps fine now (at nearly 3yo), but likes to have one of us rub his back as he drifts off. </p> <p>I was actually injured (cosmetically, but permanently) because my parents did CIO. This was before video monitors, so my accident is perhaps less likely to happen today, but I would never do any form of CIO as a result. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-929668 Sat, 13 Jul 2013 23:53:59 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 929668@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@grizz: no way! That's amazing! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-929663 Sat, 13 Jul 2013 23:50:50 +0000 Boheme 929663@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: I read your CIO blog aloud to my resistant DH in the waiting room of the pediatrician's office. You swayed him! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-929659 Sat, 13 Jul 2013 23:48:40 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 929659@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No CIO in this house. You've probably read my reasons already. You can also find them on the blog. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-929654 Sat, 13 Jul 2013 23:46:26 +0000 sera_87 929654@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not really, but kind of? </p> <p>he was an awful sleeper. Up every hour, gets overtired and cranky, needs motion to sleep, etc. every night for 10.5 months. To stay up until 1-2am wasn't unheard of. We cobedded &amp; nursed to sleep every night since that was the only way any of us was going to get any sleep.</p> <p>He started sleeping in his crib at 10.5 months - he moves a LOT &amp; we were all running out of room (plus DH was ready to have the bed back &amp; he had a week of vacation so he could help with anything that came up). </p> <p>I'll admit - The first night was awful. he was SO overtired. He cried for 13 minutes, then passed out (we were going to check on him at the 15 min mark). That was 14 days ago and now he starts every night in his crib; I put him down drowsy but awake and give him 5 minutes to settle/cry. He's usually asleep by then (and it's more of a drowsy cry than upset, if that makes sense?). If he isn't, then I take him out &amp; try again.</p> <p> if he wakes in the night, we give him 5 minutes. If he goes longer we go get him. 9/10 times he's back asleep by then. He also sleeps through the night without a peep more often than not and his bedtime has totally smoothed out; on average he's asleep by 8, 8:30 at the latest. The difference is night and day, but I wouldn't have done it sooner. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-929644 Sat, 13 Jul 2013 23:38:16 +0000 regberadaisy 929644@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@septemberlove: I felt the same as you but the 4 month regression Def changed my mind!<br /> Irregardless sleep training didn't work with us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-929629 Sat, 13 Jul 2013 23:29:32 +0000 Boheme 929629@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope, for the same reasons as @runsyellowlites: . Creating an environment conducive to sleep? Yes. Sleep training? No. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/did-youwill-you-sleep-train#post-929626 Sat, 13 Jul 2013 23:27:47 +0000 sandy 929626@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We sleep trained and LO is a great sleeper. She has an early bedtime and sleeps 11.5-12.5 hours straight at almost 20 months...she's slept 12-14 hours since she was 3 months. </p> <p>I think poor adult sleep in the US is due to our unbalanced lifestyles - we work so much and don't eat healthy, etc, etc.. </p>