Crying It Out - Chicago Heights,IL

You need to do what you are comfortable with doing. I ended up using the CIO method with my older son and it worked out great. I needed to do it to keep my sanity, and he needed to learn how to sleep. I talked to my pediatrician about it, and he recommended it. He told me that it can take up to 14 days for it to work. Well, for us, it took the whole 14 days. Then, like magic, on the 15th day there was no more crying and he slept through the night. I had a very hard time doing this, so my husband helped a lot. I would get in the shower to drown out his crying (we were lucky though, he never cried for more than 20 mins)and if he cried in the middle of the night, my husband would remind me to not go in. Consistency is key! If you go in, you start the whole 2 weeks over. It may not take 2 weeks, you never know. My son is 5 now and is still a great sleeper. My pediatrician told me something that I am sure many others will disagree with, but he said that you need to teach your children to sleep. He said that if they want a candy bar and cry for one, do you give in and buy him one every time? It isn't exactly the same, but I felt a little better doing it at the time. Whatever you decide to do, good luck. Don't let others put you down for doing the CIO method, as every parent has to do what they feel is best for them and their child. Many parents have done the CIO method and their kids are not scarred. :)

I did exactly as Christy D. It does work, but it breaks your heart. You just have to get through it and will all be worth it in the end. My daughter is 6 1/2 and is also a great sleeper. When she goes down, she is out for the night. Hope this helps!

My daughter was a great sleeper but my son was the opposite. He was a terrible crib sleeper and napped mostly in our arms or in his swing. He had to be rocked and walked to sleep and still woke up 3 times a night at 5 months old. So, with the total support of my pediatrician, i started the CIO method (checking in every so many minutes, as prescribed in the Ferber book.) THe first night was horrible. My stomach was in knots and he cried for 45 mins. The next night, 20 minutes and the third night 5. THe change was remarkable, not only did he fall asleep on his own, he began sleeping 6-8 hours per night! Ever since, (he's 18 mos.) I am able to put him down, say goodnight and leave his room and he has fallen asleep anywhere - grandparents' houses, hotels, etc. without any problems. It really took the stress out of bedtime and definitely improved the quality of my son's sleep, which is the most important thing. It can be a challenge, but I highly recommend trying it again.

Hi A.,

I tried both CIO methods. Ferber & Weissbluth (spelling?). I chose the Ferber method because I was able to go in and check on her every few minutes...waiting a couple minutes extra each time. You need to stick to it for naps and bedtime. It was heart wrenching. It took a few days, but now my daughter (17 mos) doesn't even like me to sit with her anymore. We say 'O.K. Rose it's time for night, night'. She then says goodnight to the dog and my husband and I put her in her crib. It's wonderful. She does wake up every once in a while. I go in and rub her back (do not pick her up) and she goes bak to sleep. Since she doesn't do it often, I will pick her up at times if she's really upset. Not sure if she had a dream or maybe she's getting teeth.

Good luck.....stick with it if you try. The CIO method is a very sensitive subject, so just do what you think it right.

I couldn't use the CIO method only because my son was on a vent while sleeping. Since my son is a ceature of habit I decided to set up a bedtime routine. I tried to use the Ferber method to the best I could.... The bedtime routine was that he got a sponge bath, we put jammies on in his room and he went to bed. The trick was that you use the bedroom as bedtime only, not playtime or anything else. Therefore, his bed had no toys in it. Just his little blanket that he liked to sleep with.

Every child is different, you have to find what works best for you. It may be that you need to stay in the room with him until he sleeps, I had to do that for a while as well. Or the CIO method might work best...

Good luck, its a tough one as a mother...

He's not too young. Twelve weeks is the minimum age given by most to let them cry. My son is six weeks and I'm counting the days. It's hard when you have to work sleep deprived. Mine only cry bad for about three days, after that it's 15 min or less, then eventually not at all, so maybe plan for it and start on a Thursday night so you only have one day of work and then the weekend so you'll be over the worst before you go back on Monday. It does take some time, stick with it. since he's used to his car seat, maybe you should swaddle him?

You can do it and you should at least give it a try.
But, you need to be really really consistent.
We started a bedtime routine of:
Bath, Lotion, Jammies, Story, Bottle or Nursing, then down to sleep. Since she was 4 weeks old, we did this. When Maddie was 4 months old, we started letting her cry. She is so good now, she goes to bed, no problem, for ANYONE, sitters, grandparents, us, whoever. Crying it out, is sad, but if it helps your baby sleep, it is so worth the few (or 14, eek!) days of misery.
Good luck!

Hi A.,

I AM SO GLAD YOU POSTED! I thought we were the only ones in the entire world that let our little guy sleep in his car seat carrier at night!

We finally had to put him in his crib when his feet were dangling over the edge of the seat-

Don't give up on the crying it out- If you check on him and he doesn't need food, diaper change etc. then get him settled in bed again and let him be.

Do you have a nightlite or leave the closet light on? Both of my kids sleep with the closet light on with the door almost shut.

Sometimes it just takes time- Don't give up, it sounds like you are doing great.

I do have sympathy for you though- My husband and I both work- I know what it's like to need your sleep.

Hang in there- It will get better. :)

MV