My GP told me to controlled cry :(

[~Kaz~]

I know what it's like to be comfortable with your choices as a parent but still find yourself wondering when so called experts (be they professionals or other parents) tell you to try CC. I don't think it's that normal for a 6 month old to be "sleeping through" by now. Did the GP define sleeping through at all? Some babies do of course sleep 12 hours straight at that age, but an awful lot don't. You could always write the GP a letter expressing your disappointment and attaching some info (there's some good articles in BB) about CC and it's effects on babies.

[Shanti]

From my understanding... babies "sleep through" when they are developmentally ready to.

My DD is 10.5mths old and STILL not sleeping through and wakes 2-5 times a night still.... we are STILL waiting to get more sleep....we are so tired in this house but refuse to do it any other way.... we believe in gentle parenting also and we are co-sleeping now so we can all get more rest....

Don't listen to advice like that, follow your parental instinct YOU know what is best. The comfort you give DD now, will set her up for life later... she'll be the independent and confident kid/teenager/adult!

I STILL haven't found a GP i like either.... GP's are very "generalised" in their fields of work and know little of ALOT of things I like to think! LOL (does that make sense?) like they aren't specialised in babies for example.... they just know alot of info on lots of diff things. and not necessarily updated info!!!

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

Hate to say it, but my nearly-3-year-old isn't sleeping through every night. Some nights, but not all.

At 6-7m old, no way.

I used to think "well, I'm up for what, half a minute to latch him on then we go back to sleep. OR I could sit with a timer for five minutes, then ten... then a lot less sleep. Yeah, I won't do that one."

People who recommended CC to me more than once (first time receives a polite no, I don't want to do that) got a few short answers and quick facts about brain development. My son will NEVER feel abandoned by me deliberately. (Sure, sometimes I'm not as quick as I'd like, but never deliberately let him cry.)

My GP reckons DS is high maintainence (probably right when I look at other children and hear stories), but she knows my stance of CCing so doesn't go there, apart to say that if I want to try it then it won't necessarily hurt. If I don't then that's my choice.

[fionas]

Unfortunately, I don't think anyone can give you a guarantee that your baby will one day sleep through when she's ready. I've seen lots of threads on here from mums whose babies/toddlers will only settle with BFing and that's absolutely not a problem as long as the mum is happy to do it. Just as patting to sleep is not a problem if mum is happy to do it.

I never CCd but I do see the point of gently encouraging babies to self-settle. And I do mean gently. I did it very gradually over many months.

[Arcadia]

It would have been more helpful if the Dr looked at ways you could get more sleep. IMHO it is pointless to wait until the baby gives you a 10 hour stretch...it just sets you up for disappointment.

Why not co-sleep, or try and have an arvo nap, or you could do what we do in our house and alternate who gets up with DD, or demand a 'sleep in' day to catch up.

It is better for everyone to work with what you got. And you have a gorgeous, healthy NORMAL baby, who needs comfort and re-assurance in the night. Normal, normal, normal.

[Pip82]

Thanks everyone for their replies. And the

I'm finding it quite hard as I have no previous experience to build on. If I had a child already that was a night-waker but slept through at 18 months or 2 years whatever I think I would be less worried about it. I get so many people telling me different things. Last night was particularly bad although I don't get in bad moods about it (usually ha ha) I am knackered. My husband let me have a big sleep in til 930am yesterday which was gold! He also took DD out to Bunnings when I was sleeping to get a part for the toilet, which he fixed when I was still asleep.

I met somebody at a party the other day with an 8 month old who said she went to a sleeping course which used a form of controlled crying and now her baby sleeps all night most of the time. All this thinking about this hurts my brain!! I haven't fully developed my parenting philosoplies so blips like this are confusing.

Fiona can you tell me a bit more about how you gently encouraged your baby to self settle? I breastfeed my baby at night because I don't know if she needs it but give her the benefit of the doubt and don't want her to go to be hungry. I pat her to sleep at other times ie going to bed at night if she hasn't fallen asleep at the breast. Honestly I don't know what else to do.... have read the books by Dr. Sears which are good but the main themes seem to be co-sleeping (which I do after the first or second wake-up but she is very annoying to sleep with and I sleep worse with her next to me I think) and breastfeeding which I do too. She hasn't started eating properly yet so maybe when she is taking more food maybe she will sleep better and might not 'need' so many overnight feeds(am I delusional? ha ha).

Thanks again to everyone who replied, your words are reassuring and caring. Hope everybody's Christmas is wonderful.

Pip

[Ginger]

pip- have you tried checking out a couple of gentle parenting books to get some ideas? two i can recommend are:
'what every parent needs to know' by m sunderland and
'no cry sleep solution' by elizabeth panty

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

Pip, personally I feel that 7m is a bit too early to be going without BF and cuddles all night. I started motherhood with the knowledge that I wouldn't sleep at night for the first year, so I was a lot more relaxed about it. I think ANYONE telling you a baby "should" sleep through is lying to you. Some do, yes, but most don't.

When DS stopped wanting BF at night (took a quick sip but didn't go back to sleep on the breast... use it while you can, it's the best sleep-weapon in your arsenal!), I laid him across my chest and patted him to sleep. He could hear the heartbeat and smell the breasts: for him, that was reassuring him it was safe to sleep even without the feed.

After a few weeks of that, I patted him to sleep in his cot instead. He wasn't too happy, but wasn't crying about it. When he did get upset, I held him (and patted) until he calmed down, then laid him down again. He had stopped feeding to sleep at all at this point and was getting too heavy to go to sleep in my arms all the time. (I can still put him to sleep in my arms if I have to, but only as a one-off and not for a half-hour+ every night.)

HTH, I don't want to sound mean but all the expectation other people have of your baby sleeping all night doesn't help new mothers, I think!