Thoughts on the "crying it out method"

Question

I never did it with my daughter but she was an easy sleeper. My son is 8 months old and he wont sleep now unless I breastfeed him to sleep. He then wakes up and wants me to just hold him until he falls asleep again. He has been doing this 5 or 6 times a night now for about a week. I have no idea on what to do! He isn't interested in eating, just wantsto be held. Any ideas or opinions?

Answer 1

My girls have to share a room, so I empathize with them waking up.  We just got rid of the pacifier and the youngest kept waking up the oldest.  For ONE night we let the youngest stay in our room, so she could get some rest.  Or -- make a pallet on the Living Room floor for the oldest to "camp out".  It is SO hard to do the crying out method, we tried it, and it works, but it is exhausting and it wears you out.  Go outside for 2 minutes if you need to, it's okay.  Be patient, out on headphones.  You may go in and rub his back if he lays down, but that usually only sets him off more.  With my oldest, she cried for 2 hours.  It can be done.  You can do it!  He knows that you will come in if he waits long enough -- you cant give in.  GOOD LUCK!

Answer 2

think of this way if you can let him cry it out tonight and probably tomorrow night, the time he is crying will get less and less when he knows mom isnt coming in to get him.

after the initial days it takes for him to realize you are not coming in, then he will stop.

The cry it out method may seem harsh but if you think about the fact he may cry really hard for a few days but after that there should be no crying again. it is over. your other child can sleep and you can sleep!

Answer 3

I have to, and I don't like it one bit. He is usually a very happy baby, he laughs a lot and everything, but around 8-10, there is nothing in my power to make the crying stop. I feed him, I change him, I put his jammies on, I try to play with him, keep him entertained, and there is nothing that will make the crying stop. Then I put him in his crib and he'll cry himself to sleep, which usually takes 2-5 minutes, so I am guessing he's just exhausted, but doesn't want to lie down. I hate doing that, so the best I can do is pat his back until he falls asleep, to comfort him, to let him know I am there. Daddy says I am spoling him, I am guessing my comforting him comforts me more than it does him.

Answer 4

Yes. The "crying it out" method works. It's tough hearing your little one cry, but soon he will realize he can sleep on his own. Good luck! :)

Answer 5

yes it works when they cry let them cry it out they will get tired and go to sleep.

Answer 6

let him cry it out try putting some classic music on while you put him to bed don't go back and check on him as soon as you put him down wait for a while then go back and check on him when your oldest is sleepy before the little one try putting her in your room or some other room to let her go to sleep when the baby is asleep then put her in their room it don't hurt a baby to cry i know it gets on your nerves but you'll get over it eventually i'm a mother of 2 and i've had to do this my self  

Answer 7

my sympathies.  at 8 months waking 5 or 6 times/night is odd.  is he cutting teeth? sounds like teething, which would explain him standing and screaming at you. most babies have never experienced pain of any sort, so it may freak him out to have teething pain. that's probably why he's not intersted in eating.  normally i am a strict "they need to learn to comfort themselves, let 'em cry" kinda person, but if he's waking up that much it must be an ear ache, teeth, or something similar.  i hate to start a habit, but does he have a cd player, nightlight, or tv in his room?  try one of those and some baby motrin.   my son loved baby einstein and that would soothe him in an instant.  good luck.

Answer 8

I know it sucks, but the crying it out method does work. Plus, if you run to him everytime he cries, he is just going to continue to do cry because he knows you will come.

As far as the two of them sleeping in the same room. Why not let your daughter fall asleep in your room. She can either sleep there for a few nights, while you work with your son. Or once your son is asleep, you can carry her to her bed.

Just relax, everything will be fine  :)

Answer 9

My son did the same thing at about that age. I would feed him to get him to sleep and for a while he would sleep pretty good, but then he started waking up in the night. I didn't know what to do and I'd feed him to get him back to sleep. What actually happened though was that I was basically training him that when he cried he should be fed. So when I finally got tired of getting up four or five times a night, I just let him cry. It didn't take very long until he stopped waking in the night and now he is a better sleeper than my other two kids. I know it is tough letting them cry it out, especially when you have other kids. Maybe you could let the older one have a "sleepover" on the couch or something special. Let him/her know it's not permanent, just a special privilege for a night or a couple nights and hopefully not be disturbed by baby. Just be patient. If you need to, leave the baby in the crib and close the door so you can get a little peace. Peek in after about 10 minutes and just remind baby, if he's still fussing, that everything is ok and he needs to go to sleep and you will check in on him. Repeat if necessary. If he knows that you're not leaving forever it should calm him down.  

Answer 10

as long as you are OK with your son sleeping with you, let him. I co-slept with all my kids at some point. I would have never got any sleep if I had to get up 5 times a night with a baby. My youngest is almost 3 and about to start weaning for sure. He has been nursing to sleep the past 3 weeks or so, after being mostly weaned. He stopped nursing in the middle of the night, but he still likes to snuggle. I put him in his bed when I go to bed and almost always find him and my 8 year old hogging the bed in the morning.

Answer 11

crying out does work as their little lungs cannot go on like that

why not take a trip to your doctor tomorrow - they should be able to give you some good advice

Answer 12

Keep them in different rooms they will get use to it, it takes time but if you keep them in same room it will never work out because its more distraction to get to sleep

Help?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...

Answer 13

try wrapping his body tightly in a warm blanket (fresh from the dryer or something) and then set him in a swing or some sort of rocking device. This will give the feeling of being held while you walk around, but without you ACTUALLY holding him while walking around.

At 8 months, you don't need to run to him at every cry any longer. He knows you are htere for him when he truly needs you, now it's time for him to learn to sleep on his own. Eventually you will have to suck it up and spend a few nights with non-stop crying so that he can learn to fall asleep alone.

Until you're ready to do that, try the blanket thing. It works with my clingy cousin.

Answer 14

if it gets too much for your stress level to handle, definitely let him cry it out.  kids can be very trying, and what worked for one is sure to not work on the other. couldnt let it be that simple! i had to walk and rock my middle son, i swear it drove me batty. the other 2 were so easy compared to him. they say that kids are in their deepest sleep 20 minutes after they fall asleep so once your son falls asleep try waiting 20 minutes to move him to his crib, see if that helps. good luck!

Answer 15

He's gotten in the habit of you putting him to sleep. Lay him down and tell him good night, kisses, hugs, etc. Just like he quickly got into the habit of you putting him to sleep, he will quickly get into the habit of putting himself to sleep. I know it's rough hearing him cry, but the more you go in there, the longer it will last.

Another thing I wanted to mention- kids (even babies) sense when their parents are frustrated and it tends to make them cry even more. Try to be calm and relaxed when you put him to bed or if you go in there at night. When your stress shows, it stresses them, which makes things more frustrating! :-)

Good luck! This will pass before you know it!