an update on the sleep training

Well I can't say it is fun at all.  I knew Ryann would resist.  She is a pretty tough and determined little cookie, so she isn't making this super easy on us.  But I think we are seeing some improvement.  I haven't rocked Ryann to sleep since Friday afternoon.  Here is how the days have broken down so far...

Saturday afternoon I laid her down in the crib.  After five minutes she was still crying, so I checked on her, and left.  After another 10 minutes I went in, and unfortunately she had pooped, so we had to change the diaper and get her all cleaned up.  That obviously ticked her off so after another 15 minutes she was still crying.  No afternoon nap.  Thanks to the lack of that nap, Saturday she was incredibly tired and fell asleep in 8 minutes at 7:20pm.  She slept until 5:05am.

For the morning nap on Sunday our first interval was 10 minutes.  She was still crying so we check on her and left.  6 minutes later she was asleep, but she only slept for 30 minutes.  She has been falling asleep on her back, and she is a stomach sleeper so I think that wasn't helping.  Sunday afternoon we thought she fell asleep after only five minutes, but then two minutes later she was screaming.  After a total of ten we check on her and left.  She still wasn't asleep after the 12 minute interval, but then was asleep 7 minutes later.  Unfortunately she only slept 25 minutes.  At bedtime she fell asleep after 15 minutes of fussing, not crying.  But she fell asleep sitting up around 7:45pm.  It looked incredibly uncomfortable.  I tip toed in and laid her down.  She slept until 6:40am.

Monday morning I get really excited, because she didn't cry when we put her down for her nap.  But that only lasted about 3 minutes before she was screaming again.  We checked her after 15 minutes.  Then 9 minutes later she was asleep.  She slept for a little over and hour, and we woke her because it was 11:30.   Monday afternoon she wasn't asleep after two 15 minute intervals, so no nap.  Monday night she fell asleep in four minutes at 7:15pm.

Worst part of the experience so far... she woke up at 3:10am Tuesday morning.  She just played in her crib for 20 minutes, and then she started crying.  Our first interval was supposed to be 15 minutes, she fell asleep around the 10 minute mark, but then started crying again so I left her a little extra to see if she would fall asleep.  No luck.  We went through a 17 minute interval and then another 18 minutes before she fell back to sleep around 4:30.  She slept until 7.

Tuesday morning nap she went to sleep in 10 minutes and slept for an hour and fifteen minutes.  Tuesday afternoon, no nap :o(.  Tuesday night she fell asleep in 7 minutes at 7:20pm, and slept until I woke her at 7:00am.  It was glorious :o).

Wednesday morning nap she fussed for about 15 minutes, fell asleep and slept for 45 minutes.  Wednesday afternoon she fussed for about 10 minutes, and actually fell asleep!!!  She slept for about an hour.  But I'll take it.  Wednesday night she fell asleep in about ten minutes at 8:00pm and slept until 7:00am.

Thursday morning around 9:45 I could tell she wasn't as tired as she usually was by this time, but I was hoping that she was just getting used to a schedule or something.  Mommy fail.  I laid her in her crib for nap and she yelled for 20 minutes straight.  I went back and checked on her, and left again.  She cried another 20 minutes.  No morning nap.  So you would think by the afternoon she would be all ready to sleep.  We laid her down at 1:55, a little less than an hour earlier than we had been laying her down in the afternoon, but come on, she had been up since 7.  She cried for a minute, and then got up and started cruising around the crib.  She fussed on and off, played a little.  And then all of a sudden around 17 or 18 minutes she just tipped over and went to sleep.  It was a bit strange, but hey.  She was sleeping :o).  She napped for two hours.

Thursday night bedtime was great.  She still cried instantly when I laid her down.  One of those painful make you hate yourself baby cries.  But this time it lasted maybe a minute.  Then she just laid there and played with her owl blankie, and only 5 or 10 minutes later she just rolled over and went to sleep at 8:00pm.  We didn't hear a peep from her until 6:40am.

Friday morning we laid her down for her morning nap at 10.  She did the usual scream for a minute, and then she was cruising around in her crib and playing with her owl blanket.  She hung out just playing with her owl and rolling around for 30 minutes.  At that point I didn't know what to do, but I figured since she seemed happy enough I'd just leave her.  For the next ten minutes she rolled around and you could tell she was trying to fall asleep.  And she finally did.  We were impressed, but felt bad that she had hung out in there for so long.  We woke her after an hour.

Friday afternoon was a similar scenario.  She cried when I put her down, and then just got up and started playing.  But this time she laid down after 15 minutes and was asleep 5 minutes later.  She slept for an hour and twenty minutes.  At bedtime when I put her in her crib she didn't cry at all.  By the time I turned on the monitor she had rolled over, and a couple minutes later she was asleep.  Chris and I absolutely couldn't believe it.  It is currently 7:05am and she is still out.  Now I'm just debating on whether I wake her or let her sleep!

 seriously lady.  i took my nap.  quit taking my picture and get me outta here!

So it took a week for her to really get it, and I was pretty skeptical the first couple of days, but I am most definitely a Ferber advocate now.  Yes, I hated making her cry.  But oh my word she can put herself to sleep!!  I don't have to be the one to rock her every time she needs some shut eye.  Now we just need to better figure out our schedule.  Currently I feel like we are always waking her from naps so that she is tired enough for the next one, or for bedtime.  Maybe we will really work on that if this next week is as successful as this last one has been.

If you are considering the Ferber method, I would suggest doing it before your little one starts pulling up in the crib.  If not, I think you should wait until they are pretty good at it.  You might remember my horrible experience, that made me want to never try sleep training again.  But I'm so glad we did.  I can't believe the amount of sleep I've gotten in the last week (except for Monday night, obviously).  If Ryann continues to sleep until 6:45 or 7 in the morning, I might actually consider working out in the mornings again... Might :o)