Crying it out?

Question

For those of you that have done the "cry it out" method of sleep training successfully, how many days did it take before the crying stopped (or significantly decreased) when you put your baby to bed?

Answer

I think people hear "crying it out" and assume you let your baby cry for like an hour and just ignore them. 
What I think crying it out means, is you make sure baby is fed, changed, comfortable and then put them down. Of course they might fuss a little. You let them fuss or cry for a few minutes then if they haven't stopped try again, and then again let them cry or fuss for another 5-10 minutes. I don't think anyone should view the CIO method as just ignoring a baby and letting them scream their head off for a half hour while you plug your ears. It's just not IMMEDIATELY running to them as soon as they make a sound. At least that's what I'm doing with my baby.

Answer

Cry it out is not healthy for babies. It causes their cortisol levels to rise and they become stressed. It affects their brain development and when they "stop crying" it is because they know you aren't going to respond. They lose their voice because they know their needs won't be met. We as parents are there to help them regulate because they cannot do it on their own. There is a lot of research out there. I'm a child therapist and would NEVER suggest this to parents because of the stress it puts on the baby.

Answer

I know I'm gunna get hate for this, but I did use a version of the cry it out method, and it worked wonders. I use to rock baby to sleep every night and as I set him in his crib, he'd wake within minutes because mom suddenly disappeared. We'd repeat the process over and over and neither of us got good sleep. Something has to change. Now I feed him and put him in his crib when he's tired, but still awake. The first night he cried, I waited 3 minutes, then went in and soothed him, then put him back down. He then fussed (there's a difference!) for another minute and a half and went back to sleep. It only took one night. Now I put him down, he grunts for a couple minutes because bedtime isn't fun, but then falls asleep. He still wakes up 3 times a night to eat, where I of course go and feed him. He now wakes in the morning with a smile because he's well rested. As long as you don't let your baby scream bloody murder all night, it will not negatively impact them. You have to read your babies cues and do what's best for you both.

You are not a bad mom for trying a variation of this method.

You are not a bad mom for going to your baby every time baby makes a noise.

You are not a bad mom for putting baby to bed when they're asleep.

You are not a bad mom for putting baby to bed when they're awake.

Your baby will not get brain damage from crying for 3 minutes.

Answer

I can not do the cry it out method with my babe. We heard about it so we did more research on the topic. There was a study done on this with both the mom and baby. 
It starts out that the mom feels nauseated usually because they don't like hearing the baby cry. And the baby cries because they are so used to their mothers, or fathers, because that's all they've ever known being in the womb for that long and then being with their parents. Eventually the baby is so exhausted from crying and being scared that they pass out. 
The mothers who used this method got used to the crying and the baby just disconnected from their mothers or fathers and eventually learned to stop looking around for their comfort. These babies grew up learning that being alone is normal and not fully understanding how to comfort correctly, and they were less disconnected from their parents.

How true this article is- I'm not sure. But even the thought of doing that to my baby breaks my heart.

Instead we rock him until his eyes start to flutter shut. Then we put him down and try and rock him gently in this crib. He usually falls asleep on his own this way. But we only put him down one's he's calm in our arms and starting to fall asleep.

Answer

One and a half nights for us. We went from co sleeping to her in her crib in her room. Now she does naps and nights in her crib w minimal fussing!

Answer

We did cry it out with my son who is now 4, I could not regret it more. It took a couple weeks of him screaming himself to sleep before he started to go to sleep without crying but every time something in the routine changed it was like starting over again. Then after he moved to a big boy bed we had the battle again but with him coming out of his room. With this one I am going to do everything possible to make sleep a positive thing no matter how many times I have to put him down:)

Answer

The cry it out method is bad for babies. Please look up the negative effects to this before starting it.

Answer

Tried it and it was so hard seeing my little one scream.. she eventually fell asleep and as I watched her sleep for a moment, I felt so bad I actually woke her and re-put her to sleep again cuddling :( lol

Answer

I let my little girl fuss, but don't let her cry it out...I just don't feel like it's necessary, and at this age it doesn't feel right to do. My little girl is a pretty decent sleeper, (except during a wonder week...then shit hits the fan...lol)and I've never used it. I'm not saying it isn't right for some people, but I don't plan to use it at this point.

Answer

We are going to the crib next week y'all pray for me

Crying it out?

Let's Glow!

The Top Baby Tracker App: Embrace New Beginnings with Tender Care

The Top Fertility Tracker App: Your Path to Achieving Pregnancy

The Top Pregnancy App: Nurturing Your Journey to Motherhood

The Top Period Tracker for Empowering Your Menstrual Health Journey