Sleep Training- lengthy post

Wanted to share what we have been doing because it’s working!

Background: Our LO was a fantastic newborn, sleeping 8-10 hours a night at 6 weeks. Sleep regression hit us hard at 3.5 months and lasted a full month. A full month of waking up 3-5 times a night and only falling back asleep if I nursed her. I was super lenient and patient with this phase because we moved from Europe to the US the day she turned 4 months and were temporarily living in a hotel a few weeks before that. Her life was crazy. To stay consistent our plan was to cosleep with her swaddled between us in her dockatot. When she was a newborn she slept SO much better like this than in her bassinet. Well it’s been a week in our new home and it was time to transfer her to her crib!

I let her nap in her crib twice the day we started training her. We ditched the dockatot and the swaddle cold turkey and put her in a magic Merlin sleepsuit. That night we did our normal bedtime routine- bottle, bath, rest of bottle, book, cuddle/rock, put down. Gave her our bedtime phrase “good night I love you”. Between 6:30-7:30 is our goal. She’s usually good about falling asleep on her own the first time, so she went down right away. Normally she would wake up around 11 to be nursed back to sleep. Girl slept until 2am! I went in after 3 minutes of crying, gave her pacifier, patter her chest and shushed her, gave her bedtime phrase and walked out less than one minute later. She cried for 5 minutes then I repeated. I set the timer for 7 minutes and didn’t need to go back in the third time. She woke up and we repeated this two more times that night; never having to go in a third time.

The next night she slept 7:30pm-5:30am!!! Amazing. We repeated the earlier steps but 5/10min increments.

The next night she slept 7:30pm-6:00an. Repeated 5/10 increments. Again never having to go in a third time.

Tonight is night 4, and she’s still asleep at 2:30am (insomnia) so fingers crossed!

For those thinking “omg how did you go from 4-5 night feedings to zero! You’re starving your baby!” First of all she went 2 months sleeping 8-10 hours with no feedings. She slept like a rock and is clearly capable of it. Secondly, her regression feedings were hardly feedings at all! She would nurse suuuuper slow for about 3 minutes before passing out. I would normally not even feel my milk let down. It was not hunger, it was a sleep crutch. If your baby is having real nursing sessions at night, of course this method is not for you.

But if this sounds like your baby- give it a shot! Her crying has been minimal, and it’s more of a “I’m frustrated and want to go back to sleep” cry rather than a “omg I’ve been abandoned let all hell break loose” cry.

I don’t know if it’s having her own space, or the magic suit, or the sleep training, but ITS WORKING. I feel like a new woman and she is SO happy when I wake her up in the morning! Finally taking my husband on a date night tomorrow because I know I can be away after she goes down. FREEDOM!