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1/10/12 1:25 P

I have 3 boys (5yo, 3yo, and 14 month old), and I used the cry it out method with all of them. All of them sleep in their own beds and have since we had them cry it out. It was the hardest to do with our first son, because we hadn't seen how effective it really is. We started with a soothing routine, bath, book, dimming the lights in the house, cuddling, and rocking. Then we placed him in his crib and would check on him every 10 to 15 min. I remember the first night took him about 20 min to fall asleep. We thought "Wow, that was easy!", but the second night came and it took him an hour! But we held strong and did it with our other 2 boys and am so happy with the results.
I have a friend who has a 5 yo and a 2 yo who both sleep in her bed. She didn't choose co-sleeping, but she never set a bedtime regimen for her kids. Now she can't get them to sleep in their own beds with out her. And I am so happy that my boys go to bed with no issues!
But it is a personal choice and crying it out isn't for everyone. I have another friend who chose to have a family bed and they are very happy with that. Every baby is different and every family is different. Good luck to you!!

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1/10/12 11:30 A

When you find that nerve know that you dont have to be cruel about it. It is okay and your doing it for them, to help them learn to be independent and to learn to self soothe. It will be just as much of a transition for you as it is for them so start out with five minutes or so to let them cry it out, go in, reassure them, then leave, repeat... or however you want to do it. I am young but i have helped many moms with the troubled sleepers. I have been a preschool teacher for ten years and seen it all to much children who have difficulty sleeping at night on there own usually have harder times during the day with playing and eating during lunch and nap way to long during nap time. BUT every child is different and what works for one or five parents may not work for you. Dont give up though, your doing a good thing for them and it will help you feel better in the long run. Your a great mom! Good luck!

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1/9/12 12:32 P

Hi, I have a 10 month little girl who also won't stay asleep in her crib. I have a 5 year old son and we did use the CIO method and it worked for him but this little girl is a screamer!! I am back to work in a little over 2 weeks and haven't had a full night sleep in the last 10 months. I'm not sure how i'm going to handle working all day on very little sleep. We had a rough night last night with her waking every 2 hours or so. I figure it was teething waking her because I found a new tooth in her mouth today. I am planning on trying the cry it out method but have to work up the nerve!!

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1/9/12 12:11 P

Hi. I am brand new to sparkpeople. I have a 14 month old daughter and I also do not believe in CIO. I LOVED cosleeping but realized I was keeping her awake and it wasn't working well for her. I have developed a night time routine that includes snuggling for a little bit (10 minutes maybe) after we put on her pajamas, singing a few special songs in her room while I hold and rock her and she holds her special blanket and then putting her in her crib and saying our little prayer and telling her I love her and goodnight. After about 4 months (wow that sounds like a long time) she doesnt even make a peep when I lay her down and when she is tired before I start the routine she will bring me her blanket and hum to me. This started with some crying and I would put her down and leave the room for a few minutes (which was agony for me so by a few minutes I mean probably 45 seconds) and the first time I went back in I would pick her up and reassure her. If I had to go in a second time I would just rub her back and reassure her and talk to her as I slowly moved out of the room.

I am a big believer in reading the "advice" out there and finding what works for your little one and your family. If she cries in the night I RUN to her room- seriously my husband giggles because I JUMP out of bed. I know toddlers wake through out the night but if I was screaming in my room I hope someone would check on me. I don't know if this was helpful but I hope you know you arent alone out there.

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1/9/12 8:58 A

You aren't alone, our daughter had colic, has always liked being held/cuddled, and is a SCREAMER if she's in the crib. So, we co-sleep. A lot of ppl are opposed to it and act like we are spoiling her, but it's a personal decision and she is developing great, has a terrific bond with us, and is a happy little girl.

That being said, while I'm not personally comfortable with CIO and don't feel that it would be a good avenue with my daughter, I think it does work for many families and would be something that you might like into. Ferber is the big name for CIO, I would maybe look for his most recent book. Good luck! Nighttime parenting is tough.

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1/9/12 12:10 A

I wish I could help but I'm in the same boat, I have a 7 month old. She's fine during the day except for the fact she usually refuses to nap but she will not sleep in her crib or at least stay asleep. She was such a good baby when she was younger now it just seems to be getting worse. Hang in there and if you figure out any tips that work let me know;)

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1/8/12 5:04 A

Our first born was tough too to break back into his crib. My husband and I were BIG co-sleepers. However, we soon learned the value of not co-sleeping since now our son is 4 and still finds ways to wiggle himself inbetween us in the middle of the night. (Though our second son only co-slept with us for about week or so before moving him to his crib, he gave us no problems.) It took about 4-5 months of routine and tough love to get our oldest to sleep in his own crib (he was about 4 months old). My husband would have to practically hold me down so I couldn't give into our sons cries. It was really tough, but as long as you know that your child: has a clean diaper, fresh clothes, fully fed and not gassy then you know that he's capable of self soothe. We let ours cry it out in 10-15 min sessions before going into his room, laying him back down (swaddled), smoothing the hair on his fuzzy head before leaving the room again. This would go on and on for about an hour or two (when teething). But every family is different and every child is different but the one thing I found to be common amongst parents is: routine. It's tough but you can do it!

Our routine starts at 7:30pm daily with teeth brushing, couple of books (they pick out), a lullabye and a kiss + hug. (our sons are 4yr and 18mo). Oh if your child is gassy or has hiccups if you try some GRIPEWATER it'll help allot! Works great to soothe our formula babies, so I hope this helps. Chin up you're doing fine!



Edited by: CORICOLE0513 at: 1/8/2012 (05:06)

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1/7/12 10:33 P

Hmmm. We have a almost 12 month old and I won't do the cry it out (we've experienced this plenty while driving as he has never liked being in a car seat and it only escalates the situation most times). I'd say do what you feel is right for your kid, there are plenty of studies on both sides of the fence on this one. We do a bed time routine that starts at roughly the same time each night. He is and always has been very high energy, so sometimes he moves about prior to sleep, but he always goes down in about 30 minutes. He does sleep in a sidecar style bed next to ours, but I work full time and really cherish the time I can actually spend close to him, plus I am less tired in the morning as I don't have to get up and go in his room to soothe. That said, maybe I would have a different take if I stayed home with him all day. I really only get about 2 hours in the evening with him after I'm home from work. Again, your kid, your lifestyle. Good luck!

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12/9/11 11:06 A

I agree with 3266. Routine and Consistency is so so important for this age. The idea of letting them cry it out sounds unnerving but most pediatricians will tell you the same. You have to show who is the one who makes the decisions. It will be exhausting the first few nights of constently putting him down and waiting that fifteen minutes, the heartbreak of the cry, but they are smart and know more than you think they do at that age. With a little strength in yourself you can get through this. Keep up with your routine (even if he is crying through it) You know whats best and what needs to be done and your son will love you and learn to respect you the more paths you set for him :) When you set the routine make sure you end the night with something that says to him (sleep is coming) like a night song sung by you or a book before bed everyday. GOOD LUCK!

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12/8/11 10:34 A

Tshonda,
My husband and I have had the same problem with our 8 month old. Getting my son to sleep in his crib was a challenge. It only took about a week and now he goes to sleep just fine, sometimes a few minutes of crying. We let him self sooth..cry it out. We would do bedtime routine, bath bottle and lay him down in his crib. Then he would scream and cry, after about 10-15 minutes, I would go in and lay him back down, tuck him in and rewind his music giraff. I wouldn't say anything which seemed to help becasue he didn't get as excited. after another 10-15 minutes I would do the same and so on and so on until he went to sleep. Consisstancy is SO important! After about a week, he was going to sleep within the first 5 minutes.

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12/5/11 12:51 P

My 10 month old runs my house literally.... In short he doesn't like the routine that I'm trying to put him onHe screams unccontrollably and I don't know what to do. On top of that he doesn't like to sleep in his crib. This is my first child and I'm really fustrated, any suggestions would be very appreciated.

Tshonda