Let him cry it out????

Crystal - posted on 02/29/2012

Thank you guys SO MUCH for the support, i really needed it!! everyone around me is just being so negative and making me feel like a bad mom because i still have my son sleeping with me and now my husband just thinks that i am making up excuses to keep him in the bed with us. its so hard.

Celeste - posted on 02/29/2012

I agree with the other two ladies! If it's working for you, don't change it! My twin boys didn't sleep through the night until they were close to 2. I am also not a big fan of CIO. They are 5 now and sleep fine!

Emily - posted on 02/28/2012

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. :) It really isn't broke. Unfortunately most of our society buys into the notion that babies will be spoiled or will never learn to be independent sleepers unless they're in their cribs. And CIO has been proven to be harmful to babies. They cry for a reason. And you have a physiological response to that cry for a reason. Moms who let their babies cry have to suppress their natural instinct to want to go love and care on their babies. This can be detrimental to the relationship.



I've co-slept with both my kiddos, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. You do not get this time back. My five-year-old still occasionally sleeps with us, and I treasure those cuddles because one day he'll be a teenager and won't be cuddly anymore. :)

Crystal - posted on 02/28/2012

Terra, Thanks SO much for responding! It's comforting to know im not the only one that really doesn't think theres anything wrong with co-sleeping. I think it is also totally different when you are breastfeeding rather than just being able to give them a bottle, i think its a lot more difficult but much more rewarding. I feel so close to my son and I also stay at home with him so we are ALWAYS with eachother. how do you handle tho when people make comments about them sleeping with you? how its "not good for them" and "its weird". I've even had someone tell me to give hime benadryl for him to sleep! which i would never ever do. my husband is getting antsy for him to be in his crib but he's not the one putting him to sleep, waking up in the middle of the night with him and losing sleep, I am!! he tells me to just let him cry but i really dont think i can do that.

Terra - posted on 02/28/2012

We are a co-sleeping family so I totally know where you are coming from. There is nothing at all wrong with co-sleeping as long as it's done safely. That being said here are a few things I've learned about over the years. If you want some extra room in your bed you can sidecar the crib like a co-sleeper by removing one side of the crib and securing it to your bed so it doesn't move. Here is the site that showed me how... http://www.freewebs.com/sidecarcrib/inde... My son would usually start the night here and then eventually would end up in bed with my but those first few hours of free space made all the difference. That is as close as we got to crib sleeping. At around 18 months I transition my children to a twin/full size mattress on the floor in their own room. It's a slow process but it doesn't include any tears. I would nurse them to sleep on their own bed and then sneak away. If they woke in the night I would go in and nurse them back down and slip away back to my bed. It got them used to their own bed and room but with the knowledge that I was just in the next room over and would always be there if they need me. My daughter is 5 and sleeps like a rock! My son is a little over two and appears to be finally sleeping though the night without needing soothed (which would take 5min or less most nights so NOT a huge sleep interruption especially since I'd need to pee anyway LOL!). My children have never been left to cry it out and are learning to sleep just fine.