'Cry it out' and long term sleeping habits

Karen - posted on 07/25/2009

I agree with the poster Sandra Norris. We spent 10 long months rocking our oldest son. Car rides at 3 AM, bottles, binkies, and he is now almost 4 and doesn't sleep well. With our twins there was no time for rocking to sleep or 3 AM car rides. We did just like Sandra said and the twins are now 2 yrs 4 mos and they sleep great. Unless they are sick, they always sleep all night. Cry it out and the 5, 10, 20 min system worked great for us. Every child is different and what works for one may not work for another. I also credit the twins sleeping habits to the fact that there are 2 of them and they have had each other from birth. They no longer share a bed but, they do share a room.

Michelle - posted on 07/23/2009

I used the controlled crying for my first (now 3.3yo) & just comforted my 2nd til she was drifting (now nearly 2yo). Both have no problems going to bed now.



I did try the comforting method with my first but it for some reason just didnt seem to work, everytime I left the room she'd wake & scream & it was driving me mad, so I tried the other & it didnt take long for her to go to sleep (u could hear the winding down - cries getting shorter & breaks getting longer) - so both worked well for me in the long term.



They both slept in a cot since day 1 & are both in their own beds now (first when she was 14mths old, 2nd when she was about 20mths old) :)

Brandy - posted on 07/22/2009

I have always put my baby down when she got cranky. normally after 3 hours of being awake in the morning she would get cranky, I would feed her and put her to bed, she would fall asleep on her own. in the evening after about 4 hours of being awake from her first nap she would have another nap, and again i feed her then lay her down to sleep. try your hardest to stick to a schedule!! my daughter is now a year old and she still eats then I lay her down to put herself to sleep!! she rarely cries before going to sleep, and we have always stuck to this routine as much as possible!! She is an awesome sleeper!! I never walk in her room unless she keeps screaming for about 5-10 min which would rarely happen!! maybe 5 times in the whole year! I feed her, then lay her awake in her bed, turn her music on, cover her, (I tuck her blanket in on both sides of her matress), turn the light off, and walk out and close the door! She has been a blessing and a great sleeper!! She takes 3 hour naps! I have a friend who's baby is 4 months older than mine and she has to rock him to sleep everytime (before a nap, and before night time)! And he screams!!! what a night mare!! I would suggest letting your baby cry for a little while! And try baby music!

I have 3 kids a 10 yr. old a 6 yr old and now a one yr. old, I have done this with all 3 of them and they each sleep in their own bed ! when I say it's bedtime they all go to bed, I tuck them in and kiss them good night!! They all sleep great with no problems!!

Melissa - posted on 07/22/2009

i personally do not think it is appropriate to use with small babies. when my son was under 6 months, i rocked with him until he fell asleep. 6 months to a year i sat and rubbed his back until he fell asleep or was ok with me leaving. 12-18 months we did controlled crying, and it generally only took him 5 minutes to fall asleep! now our routine is dinner, play, bath, book, turn on music, and go to sleep. he turns the music on himself, so i know he's ready! he's going to be 2 next week. our sitter has a 4 year old that isn't near as good a sleeper as my 2 year old, and never was!

Danielle - posted on 07/22/2009

I strongly believe in the CIO method. I do not think it is proper to have your baby in bed with you for a few reasons. By teaching them to sleep on their own you are giving them the gift of a goodnights sleep for the rest of their life. Their little bodies need time to rest for the next day. I used the CIO method when my son was 5 months old. He cried the first night for 30 min then again later that night for 10 min and never cried again. He is now 2 1/2 and goes to bed every night between 7 and 7:30 without any drama. I do not have to lay with him. Sometimes he even tells me he is ready for bed. He also naps without any problem. He is a great sleeper. I will use this method if necessary with my daughter who is not 3 months when she is ready. My son does not crave any attention at night, he gets plenty during the day. He also does not have trust issues.

Stacy - posted on 07/21/2009

I don't believe in CIO for babies. I believe that it is the proper time for them to learn to trust that I will take care of them, and build that trust and bond. They always napped in the crib, or on my chest. At night we put them in the crib until they woke up the first time, then they slept in bed with us. As they slept all night, they just didn't move to our bed. I wouldn't have had it any other way. The transition was stress free for both baby and us.



All 3 of my kids are great sleepers.

Katie - posted on 07/20/2009

With my first child tried the cry it out method, She is now four years old and craves parent time when it is time to go to sleep. My 18 month old however i rocked her to sleep and nursed everynight. She is the most sound sleeper. when you look at her you can see she is at peace. She now has nights where she wants to be laid down by herself. She is making the choice to comfort and sleep by herself. With my next child I will continue this method. You can read Nighttime Parenting, by William sears. It's a great insight on this topic (P.s. I also co-slept for the first six months) I wish you all the best!

User - posted on 07/17/2009

My 2.5 year old was nursed/rocked to sleep for naps and bedtime everyday the first year. Once he turned a year old it was like someone flipped a switch and he started dropping his naptime/bedtime nursing sessions and started fighting me on being rocked at night. To me this was a sign that he was ready for going to sleep on his own. It was not until he was a year old that we did any type of controlled crying. We set up a new bedtime routine, placed him in his crib, and I would give myself 20 minutes before I would go in his room to get him if he was still crying. I would rock him, but if he fought me then back in his crib he went. It took a good month before he was soothing himself to sleep within 5-10 minutes of us putting him to bed. After that he has been sleeping great at night and during nap time. He has still had his nights or naptimes where I have to rock him or its a fight, but they they are few and far between.

Before they are a year old though I personally can not do the cry it out method or controlled crying. I feel like that first year is such a special time and a short time that I am not going to stress myself out with them doing certain things to make my life easier.

Kristen - posted on 07/16/2009

I personally do not believe in the cry it out method or anything like it. I feel that this is the time when children learn to feel safe and protected. I always lay down with my son until he is asleep so that he understands that going to sleep is not a bad or harmful thing. This also allows me a few special moments each night to bond with him a little more and to sing or tell stories to him. This is my choice and you just have to trust your own feelings when it comes to this. . . it's a hot topic in my household, but I am doing what I believe to be best for my child in the long run. You will make the right choice for you and your child. God Bless!

Sandra - posted on 07/16/2009

I am a mother of 4 I have a teenager and a 10 year old and twin almost 2 year olds. We never let our older two cry it out. We rocked them to sleep and tippy toed it out of the room for 5 years. To this day they are not good sleepers. With the twins we just couldnt do that. We did a routine of bath, book, milk good nights and laid them in bed to sleep. First night was a nightmare going in to check on them at 5, 10, and 15 minute intervals. Night two much better. Night three no tears and have been sleeping so great. We can lay them down and they talk a few mins and off they go to sleep all on there own. I used to think that was so cruel to let them cry it out but I have learned it is sooo much better for them. They are not scared when they wake up. I would do it again.