Cry It Out? - Deer Park,TX

You could try a more middle of the road approach --baby whisperer or no cry sleep solution. I found that to work well for my family --my DD just didn't work well with CIO and I didn't want to cosleep and or be comforting her back to sleep all night long. It took time but baby whisperer worked for us.

Theres never a good time for cry it out.

I don't think it's ever time to cry it out. I think even supporters of CIO will tell you 6 months is a little too young. Is baby nursing? Teething in particular will bring on the need for more feeding (be in breast or bottle and more cuddles, and disturbed sleep)

You may or may not believe in using some of these suggestions, but hope one of them or many can help-
Try rocking to sleep
Co-sleep-very easy if you're nursing
shorten naps or take one away
adjust feeding schedule
walk with baby while she/he sleeps-the teething may be bringing on a need for even more touching and cuddling
introduce solids if you haven't already to get baby more full, hunger could be part of it, or reverse, stomach ache could be part of it, again, happens with teething.

My son is 27 months old, has never CIO, still breastfeeds, (obviously he eats a full diet as well) co-sleeps and I am so happy I made these decisions because he just started cutting molars and it's almost like reverting back to 6 months. He's needing lots of cuddling and rocking to get through the pain.

Whatever you do, just do it out of love. Best wishes!

He's crying because he's in pain, his teeth hurt, he's teething. Put some night time orajel on his teeth and he'll be fine... I think CIO in this situation would be doing it the hard way because he will wake up again and again out of mouth pain.

Maybe you could put a teether near him too so he can chew on it if he wakes up

I would honestly think CIO at this situation would teach him that you will not come and comfort him when he is hurt.

If you were irritable and in pain would you want comfort or would you want to be ignored with crying it out (or in other words toughing it out)

I think "crying it out" should be done for older kids (2yrs or older) who are having trouble with sleeping on their own or discipline based on separation issues.

Anytime a child younger than that is crying, something is wrong, and if as a parent you can't figure it out, try as many things as possible until you find one that works. There is no reason to just ignore it and let them cry it out.

PS: And if a child should learn to "self soothe" at a tender age, then who needs parents...they are self sufficient, right!

When I knew my kids were in pain because of teething I would give them infant motrin at night. It last longer than tylenol. Its only really painful until the tooth broke through then they were fine. Could he be going through a growth spurt? He might need a bottle at night to make it through the morning. It wouldn't hurt to take him to the doctor to rule out an ear infection. Those are really painful. Just because he was sleeping through the night doesn't mean he will continue to do so, it depends on his needs throughout his infancy. When they are older I think CIO is fine although I could never do it.

if he is crying because he is in pain (from teething) don't do "cry it out". Do you put him down for naps during the day? you might want to do shorter naps, or cut a nap out... maybe he is just not tired enough to stay down all night anymore? if it is his teeth. you could possibly leave 1 SAFE teething ring near him in bed to help him.

I am a co-sleeper... so until recently, when my daughter (2) began transitioning into her own bed, we had very few sleeping problems. That said, cosleeping isnt for everyone, but maybe you could have baby sleep in a playard in your room for a little while so that you are quick to comfort him at night, at least until he regains his feeling of security at night!

I found my daughter had 4 teeth come in all at once when she was about 9 months... there is a good chance if 2 have come through... there are a few more about ready to pop through too! If you are going to do CIO- wait till you are sure he is not in pain, because you don't want him feeling like it is bad (or ineffective) to call out to you when he is hurt!

Good Luck!
-M.

He's probably hungry. And hurting. Feed him and give him some pain meds.

And, in my opinion, it's never time to cry it out. ;)

Have you been giving him any oral gel or pain meds for his teeth? I used CIO from younger, and it worked great, so don't let anyone tell you it is too young to start. I just made sure to go in every 5 minutes to comfort so they would not get too worked up. I would not take them out of bed though, just lay them down and rub their back or tummy and sing or talk softly. Once they were calm I would leave, and if they started fussing again I would wait another 5 minutes. That way they knew I was there for them, but they also knew that is was time to be sleeping and that I was not going to get them up. It may take a long couple of nights, but in the end it will be well worth it.

CS, I realize that all Moms handle these things different, so you need to do what feels best for you and your baby. Crying it out is something I am a firm believer in. You truly rob your chld of the ability to learn how to self-soothe when you rescue them every chance you get. I also believe (whether anyone agrees or not) that teething is a myth- getting teeth does not hurt babies. My pedi told me that before I had my first child and I thought he was crazy but he was right- because I wasn't looking for teething symptoms, there weren't any. Neither of my girls ever had a problem with teeth coming in.

Every once in a while, when my girls were infants, they would go through a phase where they would cry out for me. As long as it wasn't their "Help me now, I'm in trouble" cry, I ignored it. I have always been blessed with children who sleep through the entire night, and I definitely attribute that to the cry-it-out method.

I don't blame other Moms for thinking it's cruel and unusual. Again, only you know what feels right for you and your baby. Cry-it-out felt right for me.

Good luck!

If he's in pain, give him some tylenol. Make sure you feed him enough during the day so he's not hungry. Other than that, 6 months is just about the right age to try cry-it-out. Letting him learn how to put himself back to sleep now will be a gift to him (and you) later in his life.

I have a baby that just turned 11 months old. She does the same thing. I put her to bed and then she wakes up 30-45 minutes later. I use to feed her but I think she is just needing comfort now. So, I just rock her and she cries and then eventually goes back to sleep. She is my 3rd and I have never done CIO with any of them. How horrible would it be if someone stuck you in a room all by yourself to cry and cry and you didn't know any other way to communicate with them? Your baby has been on this Earth less than one year. Everything is new to them and you are that baby's greatest source of comfort. Before you know it they will sleep on their own and not need you.
And unlike the previous poster said CIO does not teach them to be able to self-soothe. My other 2 children are 15 and 6 and both can self-soothe and they are independent and both go to sleep just fine on their own. In fact, I can hardly drag them out of bed. All CIO teaches them is that they can't rely on their own mother for comfort. Sad, sad, sad. Don't do that.

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We used CIO but ONLY after knowing they were fed to full capacity all day long by offering food constantly. Once babies are full, they really don't wake at night, and sometimes they seem fine all day, but they could stand to eat a lot more, therefore they sleep lightly (learned that from a mother of 12). Also, there is the "45 minute friend" which comes anywhere usually from 20 minutes to an hour after falling asleep where they wake for a few minutes and fuss. Totally normal. We always ignored and it barely lasted. We did CIO through teething too, because we couldn't do more than make sure they had teething gel. They were still able to self sooth and not learn to need us to sleep, and it really wasn't a sleep issue-they were full and tired at night. Waking for teething is usually still hunger based.

I agree with Jen C., go in every 5 minutes. I used to start with 2 or 3 min. and add a minute or 2 to the length of time between each return trip. At least he knows then that you haven't disappeared. I think it would seem that way to them otherwise because I can't imagine a 6 month old can understand you're just in the next room.
My guess is that he's teething again. When my babies were teething and woke up at night, we gave them Tylenol, and they usually slept through the rest of the night.
I remember when I was getting my wisdom teeth, they wouldn't bother me all day, but woke me up at night. Some people get their wisdom teeth without even noticing. I guess it's that way with babies too.
Hang in there :)

Well it sounds like he is ready for the cry it out method. If he's not sick and has no fever and isn't eating when he wakes so you know he's not hungry then you can let him cry. I did the cry it out with both my girls but they were older. They loved to nurse at night so they weren't ready for the cio until later but if your son isn't eating then give it a try. I bet it will only take a couple nights.

Get some hilands teething tablets they're all natural gluten free and all that good stuff, if it's the teeth that'll calm your baby down, they work like magic! If the baby is full and you do the tablets I'd resort to CIO. Hope that's helpful!

It was rough for the firs 3 months for us, my drs actually recommended CIO at 3 months old. We didn't do it til he was 4 months but even then we still went in and comforted, did all we could. Fed, rocked, sang, gas drops, diaper changes you name it we did it. Finally he began sleeping through the night. He is almost a year old now and sleep perfectly through the night. He does this thing though called sleep crying hahahaha we'll hear him, go in and he's sound asleep. My suggestion make sure everything is ok with him, give him the tylenol or whatever also put some baby origel on his teeth and gums. it will help. :) good luck.

Here are some ideas that may be helpful re: children and sleep by Dr. Preutt. The link below has more details:

http://blogs.goddardsystems.com/Cedar-Park-TX/2010/01/09/...

sleep patterns mature over time just like other developmental skills.
* Polls tell us that one-third of American children and their parents sleep together some or most of the time before children start school. Co-sleeping varies hugely by culture and ethnicity. So think about what you want to do, and discuss the pros and cons with your pediatrician.
* Make sure your crib is safe (locking rails), that your older child’s ‘big bed’ has side rails, and if you are co-sleeping, that there is plenty of room.
* The human brain is active during sleep, but the deepest sleep is typically at the beginning of the night.  Babies spend more time than older children in stimulating REM sleep, with eye movements and irregular breathing. Don’t worry about all that action in your child’s body – it too is growth.

He is probably in pain from teething. I would try Tylenol or ibuprofen to see if it helps (call your pedi for dosages). Ibuprofen was the only thing that helped my daughter's teething pain; Tylenol didn't even make a dent. Teething is going to play a big role in the next year; so keep looking for signs (constantly chewing on things, drool, pain). You certainly don't want to leave him crying while he's in pain.

6 months is the youngest you should even think about CIO. If you do decide that his needs are met and he just needs to learn how to soothe himself to sleep, please read Richard Ferber's book Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems. It is a compassionate approach to CIO, not extinction (where you just let them cry till they're exhausted - very cruel). Ferber's approach caps the crying time and provides them with comfort while teaching them to go back to sleep on their own. Another great book is the No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. This book has lots of great ideas and can help you make sure you've covered all bases before you decide to do CIO. Hang in there. Ask for help and get your own naps at any opportunity. Lack of sleep is the hardest part of the whole thing.

give him teething tablets and tylenol and let him cry it out after that

no offense intended to the well meaning moms but dont cut out the naps. i had lots of sleep issues with my toddler from the time he was born till about 2 months ago and the lack of sleep was making him not sleep at night. i had to make him start taking naps again and now he drops at 930 or earlier every night. and he sleeps to about 9am everymorning. let him sleep more in the day and his night sleep will fix itself

Crying it out has lots of meanings to people I think! I would never just let a baby cry and cry....they learn nothing that way....especially in pain, all they learn is neglect. Definitely sounds like your little one is in pain from the teeth and during that time you just need comfort them and reassure them. It often takes a long time for those teeth. After they are done teething and things are okay, if you want to reestablish your routine, do it slowly. Go in comfort for while, rock or hold them at first then put them down...then SLOWLY start doing less and less. Sure they will cry in between, but it will slowly decrease if you are doing it right and giving them the tools they need to do it on their own again. There will be many more stages to go through that will disrupt sleep, but they need to know you are there for them and comfort them through it. 6 months is still VERY young to be really crying a lot at night without you and hunger always comes up around growth spurts too! Good luck! Hang in there and use your judgment about what you think crying it out should mean. You are the mom and you know your child.....