I know everyone has their own opinions on the Cry It Out (CIO) method of “sleep training”… with that said, we are CIO people. Well, some variation of CIO… we have been going back in to check on her (but not take her out of her crib) after 20 minutes, then 25, then 30, etc. Thankfully, Charlotte doesn’t often put us in a situation where this method is tested, as she typically goes to sleep pretty easily… or at least with only a little fussing.
For some reason, these past few days, she’s been exercising her lungs much more frequently at bed and/or naptime… and it’s killing me. Or at least today it is. She is now finally quieting down after a very long and painful 20 minutes. I know, I know… 20 minutes. But seriously, it’s been terrible. And, she’s not done. Just a little more settled than she’s been.
So, with all the pain of listening to our sweet girl howl, why do we let her cry? I can honestly say that my motivation is her. I know she is tired… exhausted even. She hasn’t had a good nap since early this morning and she needs some serious rest. However, if left to her own devices, our sweet girl would stay awake ALL day. She loves to hang out.
Earlier today, I went in to check on her after 25 minutes of howling, and within 30 seconds of seeing me, all cries had subsided and she had a huge smile on her face. That is a baby girl who just wants to hang out, but is in serious need of a rest.
So, I sit here, scratching the stress hives that have begun showing up on my body, hoping that this little nugget will tucker out and fall asleep soon.
Playing House 
Oh my goodness, I accidentally got into a ‘discussion’ recently with someone who was very much against the CIO method, and some of those parents are hard-core. As in, they’d claim that anyone who thought otherwise is a heartless parent, as apposed to a parent who is just trying to do what they feel is right. I couldn’t believe the passion / zeal behind their argument. Ha, ha.
At the end of the day, I firmly believe that we – as parents – need to do what we feel is best after we’ve looked over our options. And, like you, I am probably going to be a CIO parent too. I know too many kids who now know that once they scream or cry, their parents will pick them up, let them sleep in bed with them, or will rock them in their arms. I think that there has to be balance where the child knows that mommy and daddy are there for them, but – at the same time – they know that they might as well rest… because mommy and daddy are not going to come play whenever there’s a sniffle. 😉
Sounds like you’re doing the right thing to me, even though I can only imagine how hard it is NOT to pick her up!! (I’ll find out soon enough). 😉
Thank you! I totally agree! We’ve been real sticklers about making sure she’s napping when she should, etc., and because of it, she gets around 14-16 hours of sleep a day. And sometimes, that means letting her cry. Today, she only cried for maybe 10 or so minutes. Improvement! Also, for the future, I recommend Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. It’s been a great help for us these first few months.
Elliot’s sleeping has been a little funky- I am attributing it to the “4 Month Sleep Regression”- maybe Charlotte is also just going through some of the sleep changes too. I think we all know our children the best and what they need- I def heard Elliot on the monitor crying last night…and with in a couple minutes he was back to sleep. It’s important for them to learn the art of sleep- cause if they don’t we won’t get any!! Did she end up getting some sleep in?
I think it’s some residual funk from our trip to Florida. She wasn’t on any kind of real schedule while we were gone and she took a few naps on me. The first couple days of being back, she was so zonked, she just slept constantly and since then, she’s been more fussy. Thankfully, she did eventually nap after around 40 minutes of crying/fussing and went down very easily at night. Better yet, today has been a big improvement. How’s Elliot been sleeping overall? Does he seem to have a rhythym down?
Eh, he knows bedtime and takes naps in between bottles. As far as routine/schedule we don’t have one. He could go down to bed anytime between 6:30 and 9 and wake up once or twice to eat…(past 2 nights no wake ups..not holding my breath though) and then he has an early morning bottle around 6 when I wake up and doesn’t officially eek up for the day till 8-9. He clearly has my genes when it comes to sleep! Lol
Ahhh! Fingers crossed for continued sleeping through the night!
I am a CIO person too! Fortunately my baby girl has fell asleep on her own since about 3 months old. We only went through about one week of CIO and that was only for a max of 10 minutes. I give you credit about going 25 minutes! Just 10 minutes was tough for me. Now she lays in bed for 10 minutes kicking until she falls asleep. I know a lot of people who don’t agree with the CIO method but I am definitely for it! Check out my blog on life crafts and parenting also at http://www.myreallifemoments.com and thank you for sharing your experiences!