Letting your baby cry it out at night... Any tips??? Help!!!

Megan - posted on 04/18/2009

My son is currently sick and not sleeping though the night, but he usually does and he's 7 and a half months old.

Lindsay - posted on 04/17/2009

umm at 4 months he should still be wakeing up consider your self lucky my daughters 3 years old and still wakes up every night yea every night lol

Kassie - posted on 04/17/2009

He may not be ready yet. We started letting our daughter cry it out at 9mo. The crying lasted about a half hour and lessened each night, until after about a week, then she would just wave good bye when I laid her in the crib :) You might want to wait and try in a couple of months, but I will say this: in the long run it will be well worth it!!!

Julia - posted on 04/17/2009

Well I'm the complete opposite to EVERYONE who's written...I LOVE the cry method...and do believe your baby can sleep through the night at 4 months!!! it is possible. If you don't let your baby cry how will you get to know his/her only language??? there are different types of cries and not all of them mean they're hungry!!



I have 3 children all who I have let them all cry to go to sleep...they are very secure and happy preschoolers and a very happy 10 week old baby! I started them early (which I will say is easier to do) and have slept through the night 10pm - 6am from 6 - 10 weeks of age!!! They are of good weight and growth and are happy and contented.



Two of my children I could leave for 1/2 hr before they would settle..eventually this time got less. My other child I could only leave 15 min...they are all different. I didn't go in at all during this time to re-assure them as this just prolonged the crying!! Make sure you don't put your baby to bed over tired and over stimulated or this will make it very hard for your baby to self settle. If you want to read a good book I used the Babywise methods for all my 3 children and love it! All the best!!!

Heidi - posted on 04/17/2009

Honestly I believe at 4 months he is too young!! Wait a couple more months then get advice from your Pediatrician. Don't take this the wrong way, but, Babies cry for a reason...its their way to communicate to you. Wait a bit before you try this.

Joy - posted on 04/17/2009

He could be hungry at night since he is so young. Give him a bottle before you lay him down and it may help him get a few extra hours. He may not be ready to sleep through the night yet so I wouldn't force him into it. My doctor did say that it's alright for a young baby to cry for about half an hour but I would check on him if he cries longer than that.

Elizabeth - posted on 04/17/2009

I really think he's too young to be sleeping through the night.

Emily - posted on 04/17/2009

What "CIO" method do you mean? Even Ferber who many claim started the CIO method (not is words) says not to put the baby in the crib and not return until morning he also doesn't suggest it for 4 month olds. He also admits the method doesn't work for everyone (providing you are doing the cry-reassure-cry-reassure thing). At four months it sounds like he is just too young. For a baby this age 5-6 hours is actually considered through the night. By age 6 months nigh time stretches of 9-12 hours are possible, but that doesn't mean every baby of this age is ready. Here are some ideas that might help, but it will probably take more than a week to see results. From
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/baby-sl...
* Encourage activity during the day. When your baby is awake, engage him or her by talking, singing and playing. Surround your baby with light and normal household noises. Such stimulation during the day can help promote better sleep at night.
* Monitor your baby's naps. Regular naps are important — but sleeping for large chunks of time during the day may leave your baby wide awake at bedtime.
* Follow a consistent bedtime routine. Try relaxing favorites such as bathing, cuddling, singing or reading. Soon your baby will associate these activities with sleep. If you play bedtime music, choose the same tunes each time you put your baby in the crib.
* Put your baby to bed drowsy but awake. This will help your baby associate bed with the process of falling asleep. Remember to place your baby to sleep on his or her back, and clear the crib or bassinet of blankets and other soft items.
* Give your baby time to settle down. Your baby may fuss or cry before finding a comfortable position and falling asleep. If the crying doesn't stop, speak to your baby calmly and stroke his or her back. Your reassuring presence may be all your baby needs to fall asleep.
* Consider a pacifier. If your baby has trouble settling down, a pacifier might do the trick. In fact, using a pacifier during sleep may reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). But there are pitfalls, too. If your baby uses a pacifier to sleep, you may face frequent middle-of-the-night crying spells when the pacifier falls out of your baby's mouth.
* Expect frequent stirring at night. Babies often wriggle, squirm and twitch in their sleep. They can be noisy, too. Sometimes fussing or crying is simply a sign of settling down. Unless you suspect that your baby is hungry or uncomfortable, it's OK to wait a few minutes to see what happens.
* Keep nighttime care low-key. When your baby needs care or feeding during the night, use dim lights, a soft voice and calm movements. This will tell your baby that it's time to sleep — not play.
* Respect your baby's preferences. If your baby is a night owl or an early bird, you might want to adjust routines and schedules based on these natural patterns.

Mikayl - posted on 04/17/2009

Personaly, I do not agree with the cry out method. Your baby will only be a baby for a short time. So what you have to get up a couple of times a night. Enjoy every minute that you have with your little one. It doesnt last long at all. When it passes you will wish that you still had the nights when he would wake up crying and you would have to rock him back to sleep. I wish I could do that with my son still. these are such special times just relax and enjoy the child that depends on YOU!! They are so inocent. Enjoy it

Sarah - posted on 04/17/2009

All kids are different. My youngest didn't sleep through the night until they were 9 months. My other kids were 4 and 6 months. But that was their choice. If they woke up it was because they were hungry. I would wait to do the "cry it out". He is just too young.

Nicki - posted on 04/17/2009

I opened a jigsaw puzzle and worked on that till she finally fell asleep on her own. She is 3 and stays in bed all night long.

Kathi - posted on 04/17/2009

Please go to this website...www.sleeplady.com. I bought her book at the bookstore last week and now have an 18 month old who not only can get herself to sleep with little or no fussing, but will sleep for almost 12 hours at night (7:30ish to bed....) and takes a 2 hour afternoon nap. I don't believe in the CIO (Ferber) method, and while we did have some tears the first few nights (for maybe 30-40 minutes on and off the first night and none by the 3rd), I was always in the room with her. She loves her room and bed now and we all feel as though we have won the lottery! I used to think that some children just did not need as much sleep and was convinced that this was just the way it was going to be (our son was totally different). I was soooo wrong!! Now that she is sleeping well, she is also happier during the day (no more crankiness) and eating better too. I am amazed and sorry that I did not use this method from day one!!

Diane - posted on 04/17/2009

I think that some infants just sleep better than others, I wasn't blessed with good sleepers either, but 4 months I think is too young to leave crying, you don't want him to feel unsecure. You can help him learn to be happy without you nearby by not tending to every liitle wimper during day time hours, and not carrying him around or holding him all day, its hard to resist though, but then even if he's not sleeping maybe he'll be content in his crib if he's awake.

Eileen - posted on 04/17/2009

Every baby is different...and yours may not be ready. She may still need a night time feeding, as well. My 4 month old foster daughter goes to bed around 8:30 PM but wakes around midnight for a bottle, but goes right back to bed. Then up again around 6 AM for her morning bottle. This morning she decided she needed her bottle at 4:30 AM! My other daughter we got when she was 13 months old (she is now 4 yrs old and adopted) wasn't sleeping through the night when we got her and it took quite awhile to get her to sleep through the night and on her own.....like two new foster sisters to share a room with and just a couple of months ago? LOL Yet, both my boys were sleeping through the night by 6 weeks (10PM-5 AM) and they were breast fed. So, who knows. Enjoy all the time you can with her/him, because one day you will wake up and they will be graduating high school (like my oldest son).

Siobhan - posted on 04/17/2009

at 4 months he may be a little young (which you've already been told). What I found worked with my daughter was to take her out of the swaddle (because at this pointshe was too big and then couldn't soothe herself because she couldn't get her hands to her mouth). We would take a warm bath, but the lights on low and sit in her room reading a book. Once that was over we would put heri n her crib, and close the door. No CD or soft music, because that was distracting for her. I also found that I had to accept that I couldn't dictate when she got tired. I had to watch her for the cue to start bedtime, luckily it started coming and around the same time every night. I'd wait on crying it out for a couple more months.

Tammy - posted on 04/17/2009

My son didn't sleep through the night until he was 11 months old and then i had to do the cry it out method, after 2 nights it worked. However i do think letting him cry it out at 4 months is a little early, depending on how many times he wakes up in the middle of the night or how soon after he first goes to bed i would wonder if maybe he is hungry. If he is still on breast milk maybe he needs a little cereal or formula bottle before bed to help him sleep a little better. In time he will sleep through the night and you will once again sleep through the night your self right now just think of it as he wants to see his mommy and or daddy :)

Lauran - posted on 04/17/2009

4 months is young. I think right at 3 months I started her in her crib versus the bassinette. My daughter started sleeping all night around 3 months. Then months later is when she started waking up again in the middle of the night again. I wasn't sure what do do at fisrt. I figured it was because she was hungry, so I would nurse then put her back to bed. If she woke up again, I would let her cry her self back to sleep. Eventually she stopped waking up. My doctor told me to put her to bed still awake so that in time she would be used to putting her self to sleep, but that's advice we chose not to follow. To this day, she'll fall asleep next me, then I transport her to her crib. Hope this was some help. Good luck!

Amber - posted on 04/17/2009

I personally do not agree with the CIO method and it is a method that is often misunderstood by many. Here is an article I found on the Feber Method that might be helpful as I do not have any advice (you can also google "Feber Method" for other articles or information that might be helpful).

http://www.babycenter.com/0_the-ferber-m...

Jennifer - posted on 04/17/2009

In my opinion 4 months can be a little early to sleep all night.. he may need to eat.. I would wait until 6 months.. he doesn't know how to manipulate you yet - and is just needing his needs to be met.. My son slept through the night at age 5 months and my daughter at 14 months.. all kids are different. I have learned that you have to be ready to let him scream until he falls back asleep. it really is the only way..