Crying It Out

After going through a few rough weeks of multiple feedings per night, rocking back to sleep and popping the paci back in, I decided it was time to teach Viv how to soothe herself. It took me about another week to convince Eric it was time. I googled "crying it out" and found the following schedule which we used for both naps and night time.

Day 1 - 3 min (1st wait); 5 min (2nd wait); 10 min (3rd wait); 10 min (subsequent waits)

Day 2 – 5 min; 10 min; 12 min; 12 min (subsequent waits)

Day 3 – 10 min; 12 min; 15 min; 15 min (subsequent waits)

Day 4 – 12 min; 15 min; 17 min; 17 min (subsequent waits)

Day 5 – 15 min; 17 min; 20 min; 20 min (subsequent waits)

Day 6 – 17 min; 20 min; 25 min; 25 min (subsequent waits)

Day 7 – 20 min; 25 min; 30 min; 30 min (subsequent waits)

 ****noobmommy.com is a great resource and has more detailed info on "Ferberizing."

These times are just suggestions and you can choose what works for you and your child.  Most people say they notice improvement after 2 days. We had to go all the way to day 5. If you think five minutes is hard...wait until day 5!! We would go in according to the wait time and calm her down, giving her the wub a nub and moo moo (lovie blanket). On day 5 we noticed that she was able to go back to sleep on her own before the 15 minutes was up! It would take her about that long to put the pacifier back in her mouth. Last night (day 6), Viv was able to go nine hours without us coming in to help her go back to sleep! That made the whole week of crying worth it! Every time she woke up, she would snuggle her moo moo and fall back asleep. Using this method has helped Viv take longer naps. She always protests a little before going down, but as soon as she has the paci and moo moo, she calms down and is asleep within minutes! Viv always gets ready for bed at 6:30 and is in her crib by 7pm. We have been doing this routine for about two months now and I would highly recommend it! I try to keep her naps as consistent as possible and if she wakes at 7am, she naps at 9, 11, and 2. This is not a science yet because Viv wakes at different times every day and her naps are different lengths every day.  I'm hoping that as we get closer to 6 months, feedings and naps will become more routine. This is the most confident I have felt as a parent yet!