Thoughts on Crying It Out

also, It helps to have a support system at night with you when you do it, whether it's your spouse or a friend that will help you. We found that we would wait for five minutes and see if he would go back to sleep on his own, if he wouldn't then we would go in there, until he calmed down, not saying a word, not picking him up, and then we would leave, then we'd wait five minutes and start over (taking turns) I remember it took 2 nights or so, and he finally stopped waking up. It's easier to do it this way, then to just let them cry, I think it tends to take a little longer this way, but it's easier on your heart.(:

i still don't think it works with all children. my son cried for 4 hrs one night, no not straight we took 15 minute intervals. he was exhausted, whenever we went in after fifteen minutes he grew even more hysterical, there was no calming down without words or picking up, believe me we tried, and tried and tried. this child was NOT about to stop crying...at what point is it when you know this method just doesn't work??? the next night we did the same thing....4 hrs again, with no sign of letting up....are we supposed to have a child CIO all night long????? it was cruel and it was heartbreaking and i do not do it anymore, i'm of teh belief that he will not always need me. and as u said your child desperately needs his sleep. we rock him to sleep, now he doesn't have to be fully asleep just fully relaxed. and when he wakes in the middle of the night my husband has to get up with im because if i do then he expects to nurse, i'm not adding nursing in the middle of the night to the equasion. you do what works best for your family...and CIO isn't always it. there are firm believers that it's the only way but it is not.

Syndibee, Your right, it may not work for all children, some children have different needs. I know with my oldest, we ran into some snags, where he was waking in the middle of the night all of a sudden, and crying, we initially tried the cry it out method, but after a couple hours of crying, we realized that this was something where he needed us (not a couple hours straight, we did intervals like you did) so for a couple of weeks,we would stay with him until he fell asleep, then one night he stopped waking up. I don't know if he was having bad dreams, or what, but it was a phase for him. This is not a one-size-fits all solution, although it is generally a one-size-fits most or at least many. THere are many variations to it as well, one can leave the room completely from the beginning or start on a chair next to the bed and gradually work their way out the door. OR you don't have to do it at all. I would never suggest doing something with your child that you think is detremental to him. If he is crying that long, you are problably right, he problably needs you right now, you could try again in another month if you wanted to, or try a different way. Of course, there are those families who choose to co-sleep. In the end, as long as they are sleeping, that's what is most important. Also, I have found that the use of a teddy bear has been a great help for our oldest. We went to build a bear and made one together, we put a voice box in it, with my husban saying I LOVE YOU in it, and My son loves it. Sometimes in the middle of the night, we would hear him wake up and then we'd hear his bear! (: It was very cute. Good luck to you and your little one!