So, against my initial inclinations, at 4.5 months we may soon take the plunge on modified CIO just for bedtime since LO is crying 2 hours to go to sleep anyway at night. Right now, LO is in a merlin suit but he gets so hot when he cries that I worry about sleep training him while he's in it. Do you ditch the swaddle/merlin suit before, during or after sleep training? I don't think Ferber covers this question.
Thanks!
16 votes
grapefruit / 4066 posts
I would ditch it since you are sleep training anyways, get it all over with- esp since he gets so hot in it. I imagine it would be hard to calm down and sleep if he's sweating and hot.
grapefruit / 4862 posts
We were working with a sleep specialist (ended up LO sort of worked it out herself!!!) but before we started she wanted LO 1) out of our room 2) out of the Merlin for safety - she was starting to try to roll in it and 3) me out of LO's room, haha. She didn't seem to want her out of it because of sleep training- more like the safety thing- but I would think if it's hindering anything or causing any issues, you work that out first then do sleep training.
We transitioned LO to footed PJ's and it was way better than I anticipated. She started sleeping on her side or belly which made me nervous but she sleeps much better.
Good luck!
nectarine / 2636 posts
I already said in your other thread, but we ditched it right before we started. I'm going to get rid of the paci and nursing to sleep too, so she doesn't have any habits to break later. My thought is that we might as well do it all at once, and get it all over with in one fell swoop than have to wean something later.
grapefruit / 4862 posts
@abbydabbydoodlebug: THIS. I am soo wishing I got rid of the paci then, wahhhhh. It's helped her when she was sick and with teething so I love it, but I am DREADINGGGGGGGGG getting rid of it so I also hate it. Dang Paci.
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
She rolled in her merlin, so we ditched it and sleep trained right away. I'm sort of a bandaid ripper, though
And order was restored in our world. It was a great decision for us 
pear / 1672 posts
We did it all at once. She was breaking out of the swaddle for weeks, so it was time anyway. I think being able to move freely helped her get into a position to settle herself and eventually sleep.
grapefruit / 4988 posts
We got rid of the Merlin suit and swaddle (she was using Merlin for naps, swaddle at night) before sleep training. She's been sleeping in a sleep sack ever since.
@kjpugs: If it makes you feel better, we got rid of the paci while sleep training but when she went through some regressions a few months later, we ended up just giving it back to her. Now we have to get rid of it for a second time. Ack!
grapefruit / 4862 posts
@catlady: I feel like stocking up on booze for when we eventually have to do it.
pineapple / 12802 posts
@blackbird: we are bandaid rippers as well.
I got myself so psyched up for sleep training that I forgot his swaddle. So... we did it all in the same night! It worked out great for us in the end.
pear / 1531 posts
I ripped the bandaid! Decided to do it all at once and put him in the sleep sack. He cried for about twenty minutes (with two checks). Woke up ten minutes later. Cried for two. Found his hand and has been asleep for about forty minutes (knock on wood). In short, it has only taken one beer (so far)! 
pear / 1531 posts
@Grace: Yeah, it was pretty amazing. He woke up a couple times in the night, cried for a couple minutes, then went back to sleep until his 4 a.m. feeding. And all naps today he went down without a fight. I may be a complete believer in sleep training--we'll see if it lasts.
cantaloupe / 6730 posts
@raintreebee: Yea! I don't know if it's sleep training that I believe in. I think it's more giving babies a chance to show what they can do. I was so proud of LO for falling asleep on her own. And felt kinda bad for underestimating her.
pear / 1531 posts
@Grace: no kidding! Since we did that one CIO session, he has put himself back to sleep several times in the MOTN with just a little fussing, put himself to sleep for every nap, and naps have gone from 30-45 minutes to 1-2 hours. I can actually see him connecting the sleep cycles in my dropcam history!
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