Dear Brittney,
Here is my Reader's Digest version of my sleep training experience:
Usually I would feed Brooklyn and it would take five minutes max to rock her to sleep. Then about a month ago it started getting harder and harder to rock her to sleep. Around 3 am one night she woke up, I fed her, but instead of falling right back to sleep like she usually did she was wide awake. So I decided I was going to let her "cry-it-out". (Even though I promised here that I would never do this again.)
Ok, I will confess I was really tired and the rocking chair in her room is not that comfortable.
The next night she was acting really tired but after I fed her she still didn't fall asleep. We had some friends over and I needed to show them something on the computer so I put her in her crib. I didn't hear one peep from her. She had fallen asleep all on her own.
The next night was basically just as easy. So was the night after that. Now I put her in her crib while she is awake but sleepy and most of the time she falls right asleep. Sometimes I have to put her binky in her mouth once or twice but usually I don't have to.
Ok. So, that was night time "sleep-training".
For her naps I would rock her to sleep and then put her in her swing. But last week I thought "I have to start putting her in her crib for naps before she gets too big for her swing." So nap-time "sleep-training" began.
I read online not to let them cry for more then 40 minutes. The first time I tried putting her in her crib she cried for the 40 minutes (I would go in every ten minutes and put the binky in her mouth) then I rocked her to sleep. The next time it took 30 minutes before she dozed off. The next day she was asleep in ten minutes.
Nap time is not as easy as night time and morning nap is way easier then afternoon nap. Morning nap she will fall asleep without crying at all. Afternoon nap she will cry for 15 minutes or so.
But I have noticed a huge difference in Brooklyn. She was pretty easy before but now she plays by herself for long periods of time, she started rolling over again, I can put her down for naps and nighttime easily if we are at someone else's house, she just seems happier too.
Did you sleep train? Are you thinking about doing it?
Sorry my Reader's Digest version of this story became an essay.
Love your buns, miss you tons.
Sincerely, Lori
