People who don't do cry-it-out.. scenario, what would you do?

Question

What would you do with your 14 month old baby if they woke up every 2 hours at night.

You fed them, changed them, made sure they weren't too hot or cold, tried rubbing their back or tummy, tried bringing them to bed but they just wanted to play, tried rocking them but they kept pushing away and trying to get down onto the floor, and they just plain refused to go to sleep for you no matter what you did?

What would you do?

One of my girls did this last night and I was so tired.

I didn't know what to do. I fed her, changed her, stood over her crib trying to rub her back but she kept crying so I brought her to bed and she started to laugh and pull my hair, slap my face, she stood up and tried to walk off the bed.

Finally my husband brought her back to her crib and tried to calm her down but she wouldn't so he walked away. She cried for about 2 minutes and went to sleep. I honestly didn't think she'd go to sleep, though. I was shocked when she did go to sleep and I was up for about an hour and a half after that listening for her to start crying again before I finally fell asleep.

What would you do in that situation?

I'm not really a CIO person but I'm not dead set against it either... but I was SO TIRED! I'm just happy this doesn't happen very often at all.

Thank you.

Answer 1

You know my son did this thursday night, he is 5 months though. I didn't know what to do. He didn't go to bed until 1am slept to 5am then was up until 7am and back down until 9:30am, that was it for the night. I don't know what the deal was. I just stuck him in his crib with some toys so I could lay back down. I even thought about packing him up at 6am and taking him to my mom's so maybe she could watch him for an hour or two so I could sleep. I know he is only 5 months and I am not into CIO but I tried it to, didn't work for us though.

He did better last night.

I know I am not much help.

Answer 2

my daughter has done this on occaision. i lie on my back with her on top of me tummy to tummy, pull the quilt up over us up to her shoulders and cuddle her so that she cant wriggle away. my daughter wriggles for 2min, realises mummy isnt letting go, closes her eyes and goes to sleep.

my cousin is going through something similar with her 17month old. her helath visitor gave her literature to read on it, and in it, it actually suggests that if controlled crying doesnt work, that you sedate your child till they get into a regular sleeping pattern! honestly.

i do not use controlled crying or cry it out. she has been trying the controlled crying - her choice, not for me to comment on. i just found it laughable, but actually quite sad that a health proffesional would suggest you sedate uor child so they sleep. and it makes me wonder what the dr would say if you went and asked him for a prescription for sedation for your child.

Answer 3

I don't consider fussing for 2 min. crying it out.  Crying it out is when your baby is left screaming in his crib and not attended to.  There are times when my 6 month old does not fall sleep nursing, does not want to be rocked or cuddled.   I put him in his crib and he fusses, moves around, gets comfy and falls asleep in less than 5 min.  

Answer 4

Hi!!!! What is their bedtime? Maybe this can be contributing to the problem......If their going to bed too early, try putting them down a little later....olivia starts fussing and want to go to bed at 7:45 pm but i make her ride it out until about 8:30pm. She gets her bath then, and then a bottle and falls asleep by 9pm. Do you bathe the girls before bed? I noticed this really relaxes olivia....there was a night i couldnt bathe her and she didnt sleep as sound....Im so sorry this is happening for you! You must be so tired, pregnant and all! You could also try taking them for a walk or stroll before bedtime to get them tired....hope something works for you!

ps. im not a fan of cry out...but i DO let olivia whine.....she usually ends up falling asleep when shes done.

Answer 5

you might want to cut out on of her naps during the day. she could be out growing it. sometimes when they are over tired they do that too. i put a couple of toys in my dughters crib and she plays there until she falls asleep. when she does do that i lay her down tell her it is night night time and give her her blanket. when she starts to cry i go back and do it again. normally by the 3-4 time she goes to sleep. i dont really let her cry it out, i just let her play until she gets upset and then i go in and put her back down. eventually she gets it and falls asleep.

if you keep doing it they get tired of fighting it. i hope this helps.

Answer 6

Well for me.. I woulda gave up, lol.  I woulda took the baby into the living room, closed off all exits, threw some toys on the floor, and turned on Law & Order or something good on TV for me.. There's nothing worse than trying to sleep when your child won't.  I usually give in and let them play it out while I struggle to stay awake.  A good tv show usually helps.  I know alot of ppl think you can just MAKE your child sleep... but the fact is, you cant force your child to sleep.  Believe me, I've tried it all before in the past..  right down to beggin... lol..  The next step is PRAYING!!  "God Please, I need my sleep.."  lol

Hopefully last night was just a freak incident.. 14 month olds are just like adults.. they have their good nights, and their bad nights.

I dont think letting her cry for 2 minutes was a bad thing.  Shoot, if crying it out for 2 minutes is all it takes, then you're doing good.

Good Luck with tonight!

Answer 7

"I'm just happy this doesn't happen very often at all."

The answer is you just ride it out when it does happen. These tots will be teen-agers in a flash; it's not worth getting angry, or resorting to c**p like "crying it out," over these transient bothers.

Answer 8

If she's wide awake and wanting to play, could you put her in a safe spot (like a pack n play) or give her a few toys to play with in her crib?  Maybe she would entertain herself until she's ready to fall back to sleep?

EDIT:  Crying for two minutes is not CIO...CIO is when you leave your child to cry/scream without checking on them.  If you leave them for a few minutes at a time and then check in, that's CC (controlled crying).