Still Not Sleeping Through the Night

I would very strongly recommend the Book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." It explains why you should let children cry it out, gives case studies, and even talks about healthy sleep habits through adolescence. I started letting my daughter cry at 9 months, but only for 5 minutes, before I would go in. I did the 5 - 10 - 15 minute intervals. I think the first time, she went to 8 minutes. Now it is more like 5 seconds of "protesting" and she is almost 2. I think it will take longer if they are older when you start, but I recommend reading the book first. It was recommended to me, otherwise I definately wouldn't have known.

Hi Megan,
I have not used this (yet) but my best friend was advised by several moms to try it with her 7 month old when she wouldn't sleep in her crib at night. She did and it worked! Best of luck!

Yes I did this with my son when he was around 10 months old. He would always wake up in the middle of the night looking for a bottle. I decided to give him his pacifier instead, which calmed him down a bit. But he did cry for a few nights and it was heartbreaking to not go to him. But it worked!

The only problem I fell into was that he became so attached to his pacifier. I did take it away from him at 18 months old, and that was more traumatic for him.

Good luck!

my daughter started sleeping through the night at around 23 months, crying out is absolutely not for me, and not for a lot of people, though many parents who tried it worked. you've got to do what you're comfortable with. for me torturing myself and my baby is out of the question, she learned how to do it on her own time, without ever crying, so it would be up to you. Elizabeth Pantley offers another advice, less sever. its called "no cry sleep solution " i think, i did not read it, but there are parents that tried and it also worked. good luck and good night

done it (for the younger child, though). it works. came to regret it very much. still have nightmares about my child screaming hysterically for me alone in the room. I think your problem is the bottle and diaper changing. stop diaper changing first, he will survive a dirty diaper untill the morning. then substitute the milk in the bottle with water. or reduce amount of milk slowly. you have to get rid of the bottle to sleep through the night. he's old enough, he doesn't need it. but I wouldn't leave my chld crying just because i need some sleep.

Hi Megan,
I am a fan of cry it out having done it with both of my kids when they were babies - not toddlers like your son. Your son is old enough at this point to be a real little person and I think that leaving him totally alone and totally ignored will have a very bad effect on him. He remembers things at this age. This is his routine and toddlers love routine. So, why not talk to him about the changes that you are going to make?
Start by telling him that you will not be changing his diaper anymore at night because you will be using a special night diaper - such as Huggies Overnights or if those don't fit him, Huggies Night Time Pull-ups. For a few days, continue to go to him and give him his bottle when he wakes, but do not change him.
After a few days of this, announce that he is not going to be drinking his milk in the middle of the night anymore because his older sibling doesn't and mommy and daddy don't either. You can also throw in a TV character for good measure. Announce how many more nights he will be getting some milk - like three more. Make a calendar and hang it up. For each of these three nights, give him less and less milk. So, night one -6oz, night two- 4oz and night three - 2oz. When the three days are up, tell him that now instead of getting a drink in the night, he will get to put a sticker (get some special ones) on his calendar every morning. Sure, he's going to call for you. Go in the first night and gently remind him that it's night, everyone is sleeping and that he needs to lay quietly. Don't mention go back to sleep. Laying quietly leads to sleep. Don't mention the milk or argue about it if he brings it up. Remind him he can put a sticker on his calendar in the morning. And tell him that you are going to go lay quietly in your bed and then leave. If he cries, go back one time to tell him that you will see him in the morning and that you will not be coming in until then. If he cries again, do not go back in. This is a kind of cry-it-out but you have not completely ignored his needs. He is old enough to know the deal and that he is not being abandoned. He will fall back asleep eventually. Be tough - it can take an hour or so. If you go in at this point, you've taught him to cry for a long time and you will come. So, do not go in! In the morning, give him the sticker for encouragement, praise him for falling asleep by himself, do not mention the lack of milk and announce that you will not be coming into his room anymore now at night and that he will need to lay quietly. Remind him at bedtime that you will be sleeping. And don't go in if he cries. He knows what he is doing at this point. He may wake up and cry just because he's unhappy about the change. It's a kind of protest. After a few nights of this if you stick to your guns and don't go in, he will stop waking. It will be less than a week. But if you go in once, you won't get a second chance to do it this way again.
Every morning, be positive and cheerful. Give the sticker. Praise him. Do not mention the crying - you were "sleeping" - remember? I recommend a monitor to see him - it will give you peace of mind that he is okay. Radio Shack sells a good one at a good price.
Best of luck.
J.

Ny son was an all night crier and I tried this method. It does tear at your heart and you probably won't sleep for those nights, but it will change the rest of your mothering life.
All the best!

Shel(mother for 29 years)

get a video monitor to reassure yourself he is not in distress, then lovingly ignore him. He will cry himself to sleep. You will have a clear view of him the whole time VIA video monitor, so no need to feel guilty. Did an amazing job of helping ME cope ;)

yes this does work. and you will find that you and your son will both be happier as you will both have a full night sleep. however, one of my son's took a week and the other just a couple of days. Stick to it though you will be happy you did even though it seems like they will never stop crying. Good luck

we night weaned my son at 18 months as he was still nursing every 2-3 hours. we used dr. jay gordon's method as it is more gentle - we didn't have any interest in cio as it went against our instincts. check out http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/ap/sleep.asp - perhaps you can adapt it to your situation.

also there is a great book called The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers: Gentle Ways to Stop Bedtime Battles and Improve Your Childs Sleep by Elizabeth Pantley.

hope this helps!!
J.

Setting boundaries is probably the most important thing we can do for our kids as it sets expectations for them. The most important thing is for you to be consistent. So when you decide to let him cry it out, you cannot, CANNOT turn back. Even if it has been 3 hours of crying, if you turn back and give in, you have completely defeated the purpose! If you cannot handle it, have your husband do it. Leave the house for a few nights. When he wakes, wait 5 minutes, go in pat him and explain to him (also explain all day that you will not be feeding him a bottle) that you will not be feeding him and say good night. wait 10 minutes, go in again and repeat the verbiage. wait 15 minutes and repeat. then wait 30 minutes and repeat. then wait 45 minutes. then wait one hour. he will exhaust himself and give up. some kids give up within the 5, 10, 15 minute period. others take all night. rest assured if you speak enough to him about it all day and set the same signal at night...you will be sure to win!!!

Your doctor is correct. To kick him of the habit let him cry as hard at that is going to be it is the only way. And it's better for him remember he is not getting a full nights sleep either and his little body needs the sleep. Take his advice, be strong and let him cry. You will be amazed at how quickly you can break this habit. Good luck!

we did that our son, when he was about 4 or 5 months old. i dont know how it will work at 17 months, but it worked for us. after 3 difficult nights (harder on us than than him) where he screamed a lot all night, he slept through the night on the 4th night, and has ever since. he's 3 yrs old now, and only wakes up if something is wrong.

I have 3 kids and used that method on all of them. One child it tok 6 nights, but did work!! It is much muchharder onthe parents!!

It may sound cruel but it will work. Just prepare your son when you are putting him down for the night to let him know mommy maybe too tired to come to him with his bottle if he calls for one during the night. Make sure there is a bottle of water for him to drink when he wakes up as anything else is bad for his teeth and his favorite lovey(blanket or stuffed toy). It will be tough the first night but will get easier each time you do this. Once he gets the idea you're not coming he won't call & cry for you anymore. He'll just get himself back to sleep which is what you want. I have 4 children of my own and this tactic worked on all.

It worked for us to let him cry in his crib for 3 nights. My son is just about 11 months. I would do the same thing what you did. I would give him a bottle at night. so everyone told us not to go get him so I tried it and it works. I hear him cry sometimes for a fwe seconds than is right to sleep.. I hope you will beable to sleep soon...

Hi, When my daughter was about 5-6 months old we started to let her cry a while b4 we would go in to her room. the Dr explained that she wasnt crying for the bottle b/c she was actually hungry... it was just out of habit at that point. We did it gradually. 1st i would let her cry maybe 3-4 minutes, then when i went in to her room i would rub her head and belly to comfort her. then after a minute i would leave. If she started crying again i would add a few more minutes (making the total wait time about 7-8 minutes), and i would repeat the process. if it got up to the point of 15 minutes then i would start all over from the beginning. This did work and after 2-3 nights she learned to go back to sleep without a middle of the night bottle! i must say she is THE BEST sleeper now. its hard at 1st to hear them cry but it really is a good thing u are teaching them!
Good Luck!

Yes, I tried this and it DID WORK! It's torture while they cry, but one of my friends said to put some headphones on and keep track of the time. I found my daughter cried for 30 minutes the first night... then 10 minutes the second night and then for a few seconds the third night and after that she slept thru the night (and so did I!).

I read a book by Dr. Ferber (I think his first name is Richard) and it saved our lives! My son was waking up several times during the night and after 2 nights, he was sleeping 11 hours straight. Now he only wakes up if something is wrong.

my advice comes in four parts:
1. follow your pediatrician's advice. your son is way past the point of not being able to handle being "ferberized".

2. don't ever bring your son to sleep in bed with you. this is a big no-no and will only encourage bad habits.

3. fill the bottle/cup with water and put it in his crib at night. when he wakes - that is his comfort - not a bottle of milk.

4. remember - you are the boss! its your responsibility to help him develop good sleeping habits for life. a little tough love won't hurt him - it will help him. it is what he needs!

good luck!

We did this with our son around 15 months (he is now over 19months). I was never a fan of crying it out, but everything else we tried failed.
The first night we put him to bed, and he slept until around 2am. He woke and cried for almost an hour and a half. He would stop for a few minutes here and there and doze off, but then wake again and cry. I laid in bed crying because it killed me to hear him calling for me and not being able to go. My husband and I kept each other strong. It wasn't easy. The next night we woke again around 2am and was awake for about 45 minutes crying. The following night, was less then 30 minutes, and then the next night was about 5 minutes, and now he sleeps through the night. Sometimes he wakes and cried out once or twice, but falls right back to sleep.

As I said before, it was very hard, but if you just stick to it, it will work. The older they get the longer it takes to work. Old habits die hard. Good Luck.

Hi,

My dad did this with my little sister (4th child out of 5). He told my mum not to worry, he would deal with it, she could go sit where she couldn't hear the crying. After 2 nights, my sister got the idea and never woke up crying again at night.
On the other hand, my daughter just turned 7 years and has just started to sleep through the night. We don't know why she couldn't fall asleep again without waking us, eventhough we never sat with her. I thought I would die with exhaustion!

Does your baby NEED a clean diaper? Most kids will be fine if left overnight. As for the bottle, maybe give water instead of milk. Your baby may soon decide it's not so tasty and not worth the hassle. Just A. idea.

Good luck!

Yes, your Doctor is right. I had the same problem with my son and after 3 or 4 nights of tough love he has become a great sleeper through the night and now he is 18 years old. Listen to your Dr. Let him cry and the baby and your family will sleep better too and be much happier.

Most important, do not go in and check on him when he is crying, my son got more upset when we did this at first. The first night is the hardest. My son cried for 90 mins. the second night 30 mins. the third night 20 mins. and by the 4th night in 4 mins. he was sleeping.

Good luck!

from C.

Hi Megan

I tried the cry it out method with my first. It did work, but I hated it. I wouldn't do it again. My 15 month old doesn't like to sleep either. I have read Dr. Sears book on sleeping (same info available on his website) and that makes me much more comfortable. There are lots of ideas on ways to help a baby sleep without crying it out. Good Luck!

Hi Megan,

I'm not a fan of crying it out, but at 18 months, he can cry for a little bit. I wouldn't leave him howling. The bad habit I'm sorry to say was yours. I believe in taking care of babies when they need it in the middle of the night but 1 1/2 year olds do not need a bottle and a diaper change in the night. And if you are giving him milk in his crib and not cleaning his teeth, it's an unhealthy habit. I would leave him with a nonspill cup of water. It's not so much the bottle and the clean diaper that he needs, but with the feeding and the diapering, he is used to your attention and does not know that mom would rather sleep through the night. What happens if you don't go in? Do you know for sure that he would cry for a prolonged period of time?

it really does work and he might break your heart listening to him cry like it did mine but it is the best way but just know you doing the right thing because the more rest he get the happier baby you will have

There is a book called "The No-Cry Sleep solution" that you may find helpful. Good Luck

The doctor told me 15 years ago to let my son cry for 15 minutes straight before I went to him and it worked, however, that was when he was an infant. At 17 months old, I have to wonder if he's teething or has an ear infection, etc. because that is the only time my son woke up at that age. I think that you need to break him of the bottle habit in the crib, as it's not healthy for him or good for his teeth to fall asleep with it. Possibly when the bottle habit is broken, perhaps he will sleep through the night. In the meantime, he is almost old enough for you to try & reason with him. Let him know that he is a 'big boy' now & big boys sleep through the night; maybe even offer him a surprise if he sleeps through the night? I hope this helps. Good luck!

Hi, I have never had a problem with sleep issues and I nursed both my kids for a year. I did the modified Ferber Method. It's a pretty simple concept. However, you will need to do it and commit to it.

Step 1. Put baby to sleep as usually with clean diaper and give bottle if you have to.

Step 2. If you are awakened during the night go in to the room. No bottle ...and just check diaper. Do this all with a straight non emotion face. and no talking to the child. Afterwards. Leave the child lying down. If they cry. count to 20 and then go in. Only if they are standing do you go over to the crib. Lie them down. Then sit down on the floor next to the crib and look into space with no emotion and a pleasant face. If they are not standing just sit down and do the above.

Step 3. Stay there. If they get up for any reason, you get up and lie them back down as Step 2. Then sit back down and continue to sit.

Step 4. You may have to sit there for a long time. But remember you are breaking a habit that you have created. So sit there and as they will definitely fall asleep at some point after crying calling your name and trying to make you laugh. Yea, they do that. You can inch yourself out towards the door. (But be careful not just get up and leave and be quiet).

You may have to do this for a loooooong time. Just don't give up! I did this with my son and it took 2 hours. But he fell out and the second it was only an hour and then the third. He slept through the night :)

With my daughter it took 3 days in a row and 1 hour each time. And she always made me laugh. So I would have to start from square one. It's not perfect and neither are we.

SERIOUSLY MEGAN ....THIS WORKS. DO NOT DEVIATE AT ALL. YOU MUST PUT THEM DOWN AT THE SAME TIME EVERY NIGHT AND NOT CHANGE THE PLAN.

GOOD LUCK. : 0 )

I did try letting my daughter cry for 3 nights in a row when she was about 7 months old. It worked great! It's definitely hard to let her cry but well worth it. I have a 10-minute rule when I first put her down for the night. I put her down awake and if she's still crying after 10 minutes then I go into her, which almost never happens. At night, I've learned to tell the difference between her cries and I wait a few minutes before I get up to make sure she really needs something and didn't jsut wake herself up. We do have setbacks when my daughter gets sick (she's in daycare so that's fairly often) but as she gets better she goes back to sleeping through the night. It's not easy but keep reminding yourself that you are doing this for your son, so he can learn to be self-sufficient. Good luck!

i dont believe letting a child that age cio is healthy. he has the mental capacity to reason you have abandoned him. when we as parents start a routine nightly, we are the ones who need to be inconvienced as we started it, not him. avoid diaper changes, and eave a bottle of water in your room to give to him when he wakes. you will have dental issues allowing him to fall asleep with milk every night so that really should be addressed. by eliminating those two actions you have saved yourself time. but i would still go give him the bottle. he will either take it, then you can work up to leaving it in the crib for him to find if he wakes, or he wont and his body will adjust to no more milk at that time. just continue to go to him for comfort. you are taking away a huge routine and comforts. for you to eliminate those things, then not even enter the room, you are taking everything at once. you started this ritual, but he shouldnt have to suffer because now you are tired. my dd never slept good, still wakes at times, and she never had a nighttime bottle or change. good luck, they are only little for so long.

i don't want to sound pessimistic, but not all kids sleep through the night at this point, my daughter didn't start sleeping through the night until a lil after 1 yr old. and up until last week i had to go in and change her at least 2 times and fill her bottle at least once. she will be 2 in 2 weeks so i decided to end the bottle NOW and while she freaks just about every time i put her down for nap (pissy cuz she's not getting her bottle) she does sleep through the night, and doesn't need a diaper change until she wakes up (now that she's not drinking so much at night) i have her drinking a sippy cup, but she really doesn't drink much of that (and it's all water, no more milk). also when i was changing her at night, and filling her bottle, i was only doing it so she wouldn't wake up, and she would sleep right through the diaper change! the only time she would wake up crying is when she had a nightmare/night terror. though i do have lullabies playing all through the night to sooth her, try that, maybe that will work, but if you need to still change the diapers, try getting the smallest size of pull-ups goodnights. hope this helps.

My son slept well, ecept after an asthma attack because during it we would be with him alot. Once he was better he did not like to go to sleep, I would just sit in the door so he could see me, but not make eye contact, he would whine and cry, then settle himself and sleep through. After a few nights I coud leave the door open and sit in the hall, then in a few more nights he would fall asleep on his own. Sometimes how they fall asleep affects how they sleep the whole night, if they fall asleep with you and wake up and you are gone, they are less likely to be able to get themselves back to sleep without seeing you. When my son did wake up in the night, my husband would go to him, he would make sure he was ok and then come back to bed. My son got the picture I was not coming, Daddy was and learned to get himself back to sleep. (not that he doesn't love Daddy, but it's Mommy they want) Good Luck!

Hi Megan,

I went thru the same situation with my son at 13 months old. He is now 15 months old and sleeping thru the night. Yeah!

I had everyone tell me to just let him cry it out. I was nursing my son. He was waking up at 11pm and 3am every night. I weaned him at 13 months and started putting him in a larger size diaper (Pampers size 4) to keep his diaper from getting so wet at night. I was dreading and dreading the process of letting him cry it out. Then, I once I weaned him I tried offering him a cup of milk at night. Since he really was just attached to the sucking motion of nursing for comfort, he did not want his cup at night. Therefore, I reasoned that he wasn't that thirsty/hungry. In the process of weaning him, I started putting his favortite teddy bear in his arms as he went to sleep. This teddy bear is now with him at all naps and bed times. Also, my son has sucked his thumb since he was 3 months old. Maybe you can find some comfort things that will help your son be able to comfort himself at night?

On the first night of letting him cry, he cried for 30 minutes each both at 11 am and 3am. It broke my heart! But I knew we had to try this for more than one night. I decided instead of lying in bed hearing him cry that I had to get up and read a book to distract myself.

The next night, he cried for 15 minutes at both 11 am and 3am. The following night, he cried for like 5 minutes at like 11am. The following night, no crying at all. Now he sleeps thru the night. Very occasionally, he crys out for less than a minute and then puts himself back to sleep.

I know that not every child transitions this easily to sleep thru the night. I just want you to know that I felt your anxiety about letting him cry it out. Just remember that if you try this process out, once you have gotten started remind yourself that (unless your child is sick) going into the bedroom during the night when he cries will just prolong this process. I hope this helps. Good luck! Just remember start the process when you are ready not when everyonelse thinks you should.

I'm not a fan of letting them cry it out. The book Good Night, Sleep Tight helped me a lot. The other thing I do that helps a ton is give my 14 month old a t-shirt that I've worn all day (it smells like my body lotion and purfume) about 30 min. before bedtime, along with his binkie. Then, we sit and I give him his milk and when I put him in his crib he has at least one of my shirts to cuddle with. After he's fallen asleep, I put another binkie and a bottle of water in the crib. Sometimes I hear him stir in the night, find the bottle, drink, put in the binkie and go back to sleep. He's always clutching my t-shirt in the morning. I also use Huggies Nighttime diapers. They'll hold a swimming pool and your kid will still be dry. Good luck!

I had this same problem and it is so true. The first night noone got sleep , the second he woke 2 times and the third night all through the night. I tried this on a friday night so by the time i had to go back to work monday i was rested. Good luck. I will say the first night broke my heart and it's hard but your stronger then you think. It is best in the long run.

does he full out cry for you? or just whimper/whine? i have a 17 month old who just FINALLY started sleeping through the night. about a week ago she stopped all on her own. just a few minutes ago she woke crying/whining for me. out of habit i jumped out of bed then remembered what a great week we had. so i watched in the baby monitor and she continued whining for about 4 minutes then turned round and laid down and is now sleeping. if he is full out crying i say go in a give him a watered down bottle and begin slowly changing to all water. hpefully he will stop all together when he realizes its a waste of his time. if it's just whimpering and whining i would say try what the peds are saying. good luck! it should pass soon.

Hi Megan,

I know so many people are against letting them "cry it out". We tried it with my daughter when she was about a year. The first night she cried for about 45 minutes. We would go in, rub her back or put her back down, but never picked her up. The next night was about 30 min, the 3rd night about 10 minutes. By the 4th night, we put her down awake and she fell right to sleep! I couldn't believe it! Now with my son, he's 18 months and we did the same thing and it worked. The only difference with him is he would get up in the middle of the night. My daughter just didn't want to go to sleep. I really think it works, you just need to get over the crying part and not give in. As long as they know you are going to come in and pick them up, they will keep doing it. Once they realize it isn't happening, they will eventually go to sleep.

Good luck!
J.

I am chuckling because our situations are so simular. This will be a long answer-but I feel your pain. I am a recent stay at home, with an almost 4 year old girl and a 19 month old boy-who doesn't sleep either. Well, correction, he sleeps just fine in our bed with us! Don't worry about whose fault it is, kids are complicated. What your baby is doing is prob waking up as a routine you've set-or when his first deep sleep phase is over and he is in a lighter sleep level and easily rouses. Everyone does this all night. When our son kept waking up (at about the same time) he'd wake up and cry, which made my daughter (at the scary dreams phase of her life) freak out and cry too. So to keep peace and let my husband sleep, I started grabbing the baby and putting him in our bed-just to shut him up fast. He's a thrasher and a kicker too. And worse-he regularly peed in our bed. Thus, no sleep for me. My daughter was a snuggler. I know this because she "did her time" sleeping with us too and now she's in her own bed doing fabulous-so I keep telling myself, "this too shall pass". And it's true, they won't still be with you by the time they are in high school-(yes, that was a silly example) -but take heart and know that it will cease.
For my daughter-who talked in full sentences at that age, I'd firmly adhere to a bedtime routine, not give an inch to the begging to stay in our bed, and the last thing I'd tell her was I'd "see her when the sun came up". It gave her a reference point. Sometimes we just held her while we watched tv until she got very sleepy-but not totally alseep yet (really important because they remember this position and if they wake up in bed later-they FREAK OUT because you are gone)-so we'd snuggle while she got sleepy,I'd carry her to bed and tell her she was in bed and safe and all those other reassuring things -and she did well. But we also gnashed our teeth thru about 3 days of crying-we did it during a long weekend of no work-and (sigh) she was finally broken. I won't lie-it was hellish, but then it was over. But our son, who doesn't talk (just grunts and points) is harder to figure, but I'm getting it. First I put him in a larger sized diaper-so that he wasn't waking up soaked. That was one part of the problem we never had with our girl. Then, our bed is a feather bed with a downe comforter-warm and snuggly, unlike his hard crib mattress and no warm bodies next to him. So I tried to recreate our bed without it being a dangerous situation. I got 2 big fleece sheepskins from IKEA and he sleeps ontop of them. Warm and soft. I put his favorite reassuring teddybears in eyesight and partly touching him. He also has a huge stuffed animal that is as large as a body pillow running the length of his crib that he can burrow his head into (he is very sensory and he likes to burrow a little). I also use a small space heater set on low with a pan of water on top so it gets really comfortable and tropical. He also has two small, but heavier blankets over him. I tuck them tight around his ears so he feels like it's a hug. He's been doing great! I keep modifying things when I find they work. And when all else fails I keep remembering that this is the last time I will get to snuggle with a little child-until I am a grandmother I'd guess, and pretty soon it will be over and I might actually miss it!
Good luck-the crying only lasts a few days even tho it feels like hours, and for months!
M.

Hi Megan,

Try the Sleep Easy Solution by Jennifer Waldburger and Jill Spivack . That is my sleep bible! It is fantastic. My daughter is 14 months old and sleeps 11 to 12 hours at night straight through, unless she is sick or teething. It is about letting them cry a bit with some intervention, but we tried it when she was 7 months old and we haven't looked back since. This book tells you that kids need to learn how to self soothe. Your little guy is so used to you soothing him, he doesn't know how to do it himself. If you use this method, it will change your life! Good luck.

S.

Hi Megan,

Our daughter took awhile to sleep through the night because we would go in & calm her down, our pediatrician also told us to just let her cry it out. It took us a month to actually do it, and the first few nights were horrible, but after about day 3 she cried less & every night after that it decreased...she's been sleeping at least 10-12 hours since 6 months, and it was worth the gut wrenching for a week.

Good luck!

R.

I have a 19 month old who has never slept thru the night. I too received the same advice from my ped and, against my maternal instinct, tried it at several different stages. It never worked. She would cry histarically for hours. I felt like I was torturing her, not to mention myself. People said she would eventually get sick of it an give up. Never happened. I just wish that peds wouldn't offer this strategy to every parent and expect that it will work in every case. ALL babies are different. What works for one may not work for another. There is another book called the No-cry Sleep Solution that has some very helpful ideas that do not include letting your child scream. Whatever you do, good luck.

My husband and I don't agree with the cry it out method.
It does work for most people, but that does not make it right for everyone. It works because it is a form of behaviorism. I would rather respond to my daughter with compassion.
I would rather be tired than have my daughter feel abandoned.
Try reading a book by Dr. Sears or "The no cry sleep solution" by Pansley.
Everyone says that it's harder on the parents to let their baby cry, but how do they know? Do they know what their child's thoughts and feelings are while they're screaming?
We tried the cry it out method when our pediatrician said it was the only answer and my daughter almost threw up, was afraid of her crib for days, and slept much worse.
"The no cry sleep solution" helped her improve. It's not a quick fix, but it's a happier one :) Good luck!

Hang in there. Do whats best for u My dau woke up every night till she was 5, she is now 13 and doesnt want to ever wake up. try dr advice and friends advice there is no right or wrong here.

I'm trying to wean my son (third child) off of nightime feedings as well. Currently I have decreased him to 3 ounces and it is cold with just one scoop of formula, so it is diluted as well. It is doing the trick. He sucks a bit and then crys and then sucks and turns away. The next night he cried, but by the time I got to him he had fallen back to sleep. Then the next night he slept a little longer before waking and I did the same thing. You can wean them off gradually. I think it is nicer than listening to them scream. They are just doing what they are used to and what works so stopping upruptly doesn't seem fair. I would not change his daiper and cut the size bottle you are giving him in half the first night. The second & third nights start to dilute the amount of formula so eventually you are down to a 2 ounce water bottle. You can even pop a pacifier in his mouth instead of a bottle as a final transition. Good Luck and don't forget that babies make noise in their sleep, so always give them a few minutes to settle down themselves.