I should say that I have no intention of starting a debate here. As most of you know I don't really agree with it but the deal with hubby was that by a year if there was no improvement then we would use it. I always said my problem with it was that he wouldn't understand and his old enough now that he knows we're not going to abandon him. Also, I can easily tell his temper tantrum cry from his in pain or needs something cry

Jamie seems to need a cuddle before bed which is fine. Some nights we lay in my bed for a cuddle (which is the only place at the moment for quiet time) and then he happily goes down in his cot, turns over and goes to sleep. He might need his head or back rubbed for a couple of minutes but I can cope with that. Other nights, like tonight, he fights it and the only way I can get him to sleep is to lay down in bed with him for ages and then transfer him into his cot when he is asleep. I have been less strict than I might be normally because at the moment trying to cry is still making his breathing bad although his getting better every day

This can't go on for two reasons. Firstly it eats into my evening and I often have loads of work to do (although I tend to flit between work, here and fb). More importantly we should have finished sorting everything at the weekend and by mid week he should be in his own room. We'll have a sofa in there so I can sit with him but I can't lay down.

Anyway, once I'm happy his breathing is ok we will need to start. Most nights he should be ok but on the nights his not then how do you do it? All the stuff I've read on it suggests that you should just leave him for as long as it takes which could be hours if his in a really stubborn mood. The sleep specialist we spoke to ages ago said put cream on his bum so you can leave him if he poos and just leave him until his stops unless his sick and then you can change him but don't speak to him. This just seems cruel to me (although I'm not judging anyone who does it). Would you do this or would you go and check on him after set amounts of time and lay him back down?

hmmm leaving cream on their bum...seriously? I dont really agree with that, a poo doesn't feel very nice and if anything is going to stop a baby sleeping it's a horrible poo stuck to his bum...so IMHO - ignore that and clean his bum if he poos!

The basic idea is you go in every 5 minutes the first night, 10 minutes the next night etc etc ..

You know, for me cc was no big deal!

With mine. By the time we reached bedtime I knew the were tired due to busy days and loads of fresh air (I swear by fresh air). They were bathed, had a bottle, had a clean nappy and clean jarmies. I put them in the cot, give them a kiss, put on the mobile or light show, closed the door and off I went.

My first baby was most difficult and she cried when I left her but it was only an hour - hour and half that she cried for. I went in every 20 minutes to check that she was ok but made no eye contact, and didn't interact with her at all. By the second night she didn't cry for long and went to sleep. (god I've got a good memory it was21 years ago).

With my other two it just came naturally that once they were past night feeds (4 months) they slept through. So I put them to bed and if the cried I just them (they never cried foe more than 10 mins).

I don't see it as cruelty at all, I see it as teaching them that at bed time they must sleep. Sleep is necessary for babies and mummies.

Maybe I just have really good sleepers or maybe they know that this mummy needs her kip.

I think cc is great and for me it worked.

Good luck x

Just to add, I would never leave one of my kids a poopy nappy!

Very occasionally ellie pooped at night when she was little and between us we managed to change her without waking her.

I think leaving them in a poopy is an awful thing to do.

I'm with Lisa re the poop thing. I'd always change him if he's dirty but as the specialist said I'd change him without undue stimulation, as little eye contact as possible and little or no talking. Only reason being is he may start holding on and pooping at bedtime just to get your attention.

When I used it on Amelia I returned after 1 min, then 2 mins, 5 mins, 5 mins, 10 mins then every 15. I've never had to go back in after 1 15 min check. The longest I've had to use it for was 5 days.

I don't see it as cruel either. We all need sleep and babies especially. I think it's actually worse for all involved to go through hours of broken sleep and all the stress surrounding it. Good luck x

I had to do it with C and I agree with you leaving them with a pooey bum is wrong. Change him if you need to. With C i went in every 5 mins for the first few days. Each time I would put her back to bed (or in J's case lie him down), shush gently and give her head or back a rub then leave. Even if she popped straight back up i didnt go back til 5 mins was up.

Beyond the shushing I made no comunication or eye contact just the shush to reassure. It took 4 days of going in every 5 mins for about half an hour before she gave in. Now shes bigger if shes arsing about I will go back once then I leave her to it but shes over 2.5 now so thats different and she never goes longer than 20 mins without givig in. Once nap/sleep is over I do a 180 and when I go in im burbling and chatting and throw the curtains open etc basically make a huge difference outta day and night

Thanks ladies. It was the just leaving him I found really cruel. Think I might start at 5 mins and see how it goes. Won't start until he goes into his own room anyway and he is quite good most nights now so hoping I won't have to use it much. I may have to use it more around 2ish which was when he fed when he got him down to one feed and then when he had his inhaler both times he had them four hourly so his used to waking then

When Amelias bening a bugger. Usually on a sunday night afer staying over my mams. We put her to bed then go in every 5ish minutes. I have the additional problem though that she holds her breath when she screams and has sleep apnoea so if she getstoo wroked up its a nightmare

When she was in an incubator we were taught containment holding which is putting you hand on their belly and cuping their head with the other. This still instantly calms her down. Without having to pick her up. I swear by it.

Good luck x

Oh thanks I'll try that if he gets in a real state and it affects his breathing. He certainly likes having his back or head rubbed and I guess its a similar thing.

TBH his come so far already when you think as a newborn he slept 3 hours in 24 and then normally only if he was held or in bed with us. Now 9 times out of 10 you can put him down and he'll either turn over and go straight to sleep or have a little chat with his seahorse and then sleep. Even when he does get up quite often you can just lay him back down again

olliesmammy wrote:

which is putting you hand on their belly and cuping their head with the other. This still instantly calms her down. Without having to pick her up. I swear by it.

Good luck x

I do this with Hermione to calm her down if she has woken up. Never knew it had a name, never read it any where either

I swear by CC but do understand why you and others don't really agree with it. Personally I wouldn't leave a poo bum, but Immi never poos at night so I've never worried about it.

When we first did it with Imogen we checked her every 5mins, and the first night it took about an hour and it was horrible, i won't lie. The next night it took much less time and we checked her less often and by the third night she was settling after 5/10mins of not even really crying.

We've had to re-do CC a couple of time cause she's got out of routine with holidays/illness and it's always only taken a day or two to get back to her settling herself pretty soon. Now if she does cry I don't check her much tbh. I can tell by her cries whether its attention or genuine upset and its 9 times out of 10 attention and if i go in it just makes her worse.

I have done cc with 2 of mine. It does work, the first night I sat crying because I felt so guilty. After 3 nights it had worked. When I put Eoin to bed now I give him a bottle and into bed, sometimes he is already asleep and if he isn't I just sit beside him. If I leave the room he screams. My only problem is when he cries he vomits. He does it to get attention. So I'm apprehensive about doing cc on him.

Thanks ladies. When he goes into his own room (which should be Monday night) I think we might have to start although hopefully it will be like tonight when he just went to sleep