How many nights of crying it out till they are sleeping?

At 10 months, our son has learned to stand & now will not go to sleep without being rocked or nursed- this just started a week ago & it is taking over an hour to get him to fall asleep. He used to lay in there, play, then go to sleep... now we put him down, he pops right up & sreams.
He also wakes up 2 times a night to nurse, but is eaing plenty in the day, & doesn't nurse much at all, just wants me around (I think).
How do I go about doing this? How many days does it last? We have company coming this weekend & next but then we have to travel, so I thought I should just do it now. Any suggestions? (I don't want him to be crying when the company is here- I hate for them & him to have to go through that during a visit). Thanks.
(PS- he is also doing this for naps).

He doesn't take a bottle (never did), just a cup with a straw or nursed.
I think I tried the NO CRY SLEEP SOLUTION book, but it seemed to promote rocking, co-sleeping, ect.. and we don't want to get into a new habit of that.
Also- as soon as we pick him up after he has cried for a few minutes, then when we hold him, he starts "playing" with our faces, ect... and gets excited again.

The best thing I did for my daughter was create a routine so she knew she would be going to bed. We started with a bath and then we brushed teeth and hair. From there we went into her room and read a goodnight story. Lastly, we have hugs and kisses and tuck in. Before I leave I always say, "Mommy will stop by and check on you in a little while." Also keep in mind that if you child has had a less active day they might not be as tired.
We also have a routine for naps. We listen to a song, get a fresh diaper, and hug and kiss goodnight.

I suggest you start a routine with your son. How you choose to deal with the nursing issue has to be left up to you and your son because every child and mom is different. Try starting a relaxing routine that starts with a bath or even picking up toys and all leads to your son going to sleep.

As for the standing, you can either let him figure out how to lay him back down or you can go in without talking and lay him back down yourself and leave immediately. I prefer the latter. That is what I did with my daughter she goes to sleep soundly.

Ultiimately, I am worrying about your reasoning behind wanting your child to fall asleep on his own. This is not something that is going to happen overnight or even in a week. You have to keep working with your son. There are still nights when Dori doesn't fall asleep immediately. It's nothing to be embarassed about and it's something your guests should expect. They are staying in a home with a baby. It's not going to be peace and quiet. If they complain, they should have thought before they made the choice to stay there.

*in light of new information*
You may just have to let him cry. Go in if you know there is something wrong, but other than that, let him cry himself to sleep. Right now you are giving him the expected results.

Give him a bottle let him lay while drinking it. He'll fall asleep with no problem.

Try the book "The no cry sleep solution" I couldn't stand to hear my daughter cry and this book was just what I needed. Good Luck!

Boy I don't know. My son at that age was going right to sleep. It wasn't till now 9 months later that he is being difficult. I can't let him cry it out because he cries so hard he makes himself sick. He will cry for hours. Which we don't let him do. The longest I could stand was 45 minutes. Finally we had to read him a story while he was in the crib and just sit next to the crib till he fell asleep. After 3 days we didn't have to sit there any longer. I think it usually is pretty quick but you have to stick with it.

This is how I taught my son to go to sleep by himself when he was six months old (keep in mind he is a difficult sleeper and I had already tried the Brazelton method). This is called the Ferber method and is also known as gradual withdrawal. It works for naps and nighttime, so long as you are consistent.

Put him to bed. Hug him, kiss him, then walk out and shut the door.
Let him cry for 5 agonizing minutes. Go back in. Hug him, kiss him, pat him on the back. Do NOT pick him up. Make sure his diaper is dry. Lay him down in his crib and walk out.
Let him cry for 10 minutes. Go back in and repeat above.
Let him cry for 15 minutes. Go back in and repeat above.
Let him cry for 20 minutes. Go back in and repeat above.
Do not increase time of crying to more than 20 minutes.

If he wakes in the night, wait 5 minutes before going to him. Hug him, kiss him, change his diaper only if he is saturated or phooey, lay him back down and walk out. Begin process from the beginning.
Since you are still nursing, his father may have better luck getting him to go back to sleep at night.

My son was asleep after 18 minutes the first night and 15 the second night. The third night he didn't wake up once. He cried himself to sleep every night (and for nap) for three months, then just got over it. Since your child already knows how to self-soothe, he probably will have an easier time than mine. It might just be a matter of reminding him he can do it.

However, don't get your hopes up that he won't cry when you have company. He will. And then he'll cry more when you travel, too. But it won't hurt him to cry a little and no one is going to think you're bad parents.

Good luck!


**Please don't give him a bottle in bed! It will rot his teeth, drain into his middle ears causing horrendous ear infections and create a need to eat himself to sleep. Not to mention leak all over his bed and spoil, leaving it all stinky and sticky.

It's a slight different case but the same principle: When I weaned my daughter off her pacifier, I did the cry it out method and it took her about 7-9 days or so of crying and then it was smooth sailing after that. She sleeps very well on her own now and all I have to do is put her in bed and say a prayer.

(But when you do this, make sure your son isn't crying because he's sick, etc.)

Please take this as gently as I intend it, but I don't think it's a good idea to make your baby CIO. He is only 10 months old; he's still so tiny. He needs you! He is biologically wired to want to be held, rocked, and feel secure. I understand that he may have been easier to get to sleep until this point, but you said that he just learned to stand. He might also be teething. New milestones and teeth can make even the best sleeper go through a rough patch where they need extra soothing to get to sleep and back to sleep after waking. It's such a short time in his life, and you don't have to full-on cosleep to be there for him. You can still soothe him and have him sleep in his crib without making him cry and go through the trauma.

I hope you find a good solution for everyone, mama!