You mentioned that you have a six month old baby girl who wakes up five to seven times a night and you haven't gotten much sleep for the last two and a half months and I am so sorry. It sounds like you've tried a lot of things including crying it out. Because your baby hasn't responded to this up to this point it would be best to talk with her pediatrician and they can make sure there aren't any medical concerns especially because it started to happen gradually and it really hasn't gotten better, they can just make sure everything is okay. If the pediatrician gives you a green light then you can let her cry it out even if it doesn't seem like she's responding to it. Sometimes parents really just have to let their babies cry all night. Of course this is after you've fed them, changed them, loved them; put her to sleep at about the same time every night when she's drowsy but not totally asleep. Make sure her sleeping environment is conducive to sleeping like it's peaceful, it's quiet, it's dark. Of course, if she sleeps better with a little lamp, that's okay too. Some parents have used noise machines and noticed a difference in their child's sleep habits or even a fan, something with a dull hum in the background so it helps to drown out other noises. Crying it out has proven to be very beneficial because what it's doing is teaching your baby how to self soothe and how to go back to sleep without help from you. Until this point as long as there aren't any medical problems behind it, she's learned that when she starts to cry you respond to her, of course all parents do so that's understandable. She needs to learn how to go to sleep without help from you, meaning you can't respond to her cries unless you feel like she's in immediate need or something is wrong, then of course go to her. As long as you know she's safe and fine and she's just crying for attention then you can just let her cry it out. Thankfully most babies have a four to seven day set point where if you very persistently and consistently adhere to crying it out, she'll learn that she needs to go back to sleep without help from you and that she doesn't what she wants most when she cries which of course is you or her dad. If this seems a little bit harsh to you, you can try a more graduated approach where you slowly and incrementally increase the amount of time you wait before you check on her again. So when she wakes up and is crying go in about five to ten minutes after she starts crying. Just gently touch her tummy, be quiet, resist the urge to talk or pick her up, and turn around and walk right back out of the room. She'll probably keep crying but the next time give it 10 to 20 minutes before you go in and do the same thing. If needs be wait 20 to 30 and then 30 to 40. Really this could go on for hours and it's going to be hard for you for a few nights but if you're persistent and consistent about it you're teaching her to modify her behavior and she's learning that she doesn't get what she wants most when she cries which is you holding her. Best of luck with it! If you have any other questions for me in the future feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at Facebook.com/IntermountainMoms and recommend us to your friends and family too.
