CIO on a younger baby

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Forum -> Parenting our children -> Infants

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Mon, Nov 13 2017, 7:29 am

I am in general not a big fan of CIO, but I am about to lose my mind with my 2.5 month old. I know there was a discussion about sleep training on this forum very recently, but I am specifically interested in those who sleep trained a younger baby. He is ok at night, wakes up 2-3 times during the night to eat, but during the day he sleeps barely an hour and wakes up miserable...Then he doesn't eat well, and then I have no idea if he is screaming because he is hungry, tired, or both... Rolling Eyes

Can you share your experiences with this age, especially if you did not want to CIO originally, and what exactly you did. I tried to read Dr. Weissbluth's book, but even he doesn't seem to suggest CIO in such young babies....

If not, what else can I do to lengthen his naps? HELP!!!!

keym

Mon, Nov 13 2017, 7:32 am

Sometimes at that young age ill bundle up baby and go for a long walk or drive. I dont get much accomplished but at least baby sleeps.

Mon, Nov 13 2017, 7:35 am

That's what I have been doing, but these long drives are wearing me down.....

Kiwi13

Mon, Nov 13 2017, 7:37 am

I wasn’t a fan of CIO originally but eventually it became what we needed to do. Granted, my son was already 7+ months old at the time. With a younger baby you really need to make sure they’re not hungry. We ended up doing a modified version of CIO (don’t remember all the details) that our pediatrician recommended. We made very sure he was clean and fed and healthy. One thing you might want to try is supplementing with formula before bedtime (if your baby is breastfeeding) because with formula you know exactly how much they’re getting, they tend to eat more, stay fuller longer, and sleep longer stretches at a time. Even if you don’t start CIO now (it IS early, but some people do it) this might help you get more sleep. If you try supplementing with formula I recommend the ready-made bottles (not the powder) because even though technically it’s supposed to be the same thing, I found that my baby drank significantly more of the ready-made kind (I think it’s slightly sweeter and smoother). And because he drank more of it, he slept longer. It’s pricier than the powder formula, but totally worth it especially if you’re using it once a day to supplement.

pesek zman

Mon, Nov 13 2017, 7:37 am

Does he get overtired and then can't settle himself down? Make sure he's not awake for more than 2 hours. Baby carrier always helped reset my baby

I'm a big believer in sleep training but not for CIO for a baby this age.

Best of luck

rgr

Mon, Nov 13 2017, 7:37 am

How long is he awake before you put him down to nap?

ETA I see pesek zman said it better than me

dancingqueen

Mon, Nov 13 2017, 7:40 am

Sorry but your baby is way too young for cio. Are you sure there are no digestive issues? If all is good there then you can try a swing, rock n play bouncer etc.

Mon, Nov 13 2017, 7:47 am

He does have gas, which hopefully will pass with time....I do try to be careful not to let him be awake for more than 2 hours, but if his naps are so short, I feel like he is chronically tired....That's why I have been driving him around once per day, to make sure he at least gets one normal nap per day...

So, at what age would you think about sleep training? Is there anything else you can suggest now? Swing or bouncer don't seem to do it...and it's getting a bit cold to go for walks...

Thanks again!

pesek zman

Mon, Nov 13 2017, 7:57 am

LO wrote:

Infant carrier

Kiwi13

Mon, Nov 13 2017, 7:59 am

For what it’s worth, my definition of CIO at this age is very different than what it would be for an older baby. Sometimes very young infants become overtired or overstimulated or both. They can’t figure out how to fall asleep and they work themselves into a tizzy. Holding them, rocking them, singing to them seems to just prolong their misery. So I would do with my son when this happened was set him up in a swing or bassinet in a quiet, dark corner and sit with him but not talk to him, not play with him, not make eye contact... just let him cry out all his energy until he fell asleep, knowing that I was there with him. It absolutely broke my heart sometimes, but sometimes it was the only thing that worked. And even though it felt like eternity, I timed it a few times and all it usually took for him to fall asleep this way was about 3-5 minutes. Again, it wasn’t a first try... it was a last resort when nothing else worked.

Swaddling also made a huge difference. I used to swaddle him in the baby swing snd give him a pacifier and he usually calmed down a lot faster.

allthingsblue

Mon, Nov 13 2017, 8:03 am

I think that too young for CIO.
I actually am in the midst of training my 5 month old.
Very important to put baby to sleep about an hour and a half after he wakes up. Weissbluth says 2 hours, but I find that I need to start the routine after an hour and a half so that by two hours he's sleeping.
Does a stroller work? My baby doesn't nap as well in a crib as in a stroller in a quiet place. He also likes to sleep next to me in my (big) bed.

It's so stressful! I'm so sorry for you!
Is your baby eating enough? Getting enough attention from you during the day?

Can you try letting your baby cry for five minute stretches, then soothing him (not taking him out of the crib/bassinet)?

mha3484

Mon, Nov 13 2017, 8:08 am

My baby turned into a terrible sleeper that age due to gas. The pediatrician recommended probiotics and it made a tremendous difference in his ability to sleep.

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