Hi J.,
I have really gon eback and forth with the CIO method. I have a little girl, she's 18 months tomorrow and a 6 month old boy.
My daughter didn't "get it" until 8 months, semi-cried for 3 days and that was it, she was trained. Before that, she'd cry non-stop until she'd practically pass out of exhaustion so we weren't able to let her CIO much, she also threw up so we thought it was horrible.
My son is similar in that he will cry for 1 full hour, we go up, comfort him, and he resumes his crying.
I am not able to continue soothing though so we've really decided it was it.
It has been a week and I feel we've made a lot of progress. There are a few factors that have made this unsuccessful. One, if he wakes up at night and doesn't go back as soon as I put the paci in, I bring him to my bed - doesn't happen before 4 am anymore BUT, my daughter has been coughing and waking up so when he wakes up I have a hard time letting him cry for he will wake her up.
#2, same at nap time, if she's asleep, I go ahead and bring him into my room and nap with him, my kids are 11 months apart and I just can't handle the thought of him waking her and then nobody gets a nap.
So.... when she's awake, I will let him cry. He does eventually fal asleep and the next time he cries less, not as hard and falls asleep faster.
It does work, unfortunately.
If I weren't so tired, I wouldn't mind waiting until he's 8 months so see if the "object permanence" helps so he knows he's not being abandoned....
It does work, you have to be consistent. My daughter was the same, so is he, they will sleep on me or with me forever and ever and ever, no probs, but as soon as they're in their room they'd wake up upset. My Dr said it was so much easier to put them down awake and go through it for once and for all and it is 100% TRUE, it is so muc better and more effective to let them cry than to lay them down asleep and hope they stay, at least in my experience...
Let me know how it works!!!
PS. I wanted to add thar when they regress, it can be just while they ;earned somethign new, they seem very excited and have a hard time sleeping cos they're too busy wanting to take it all in, particularly when they start crwaling I think I heard.