Monday, February 1, 2010
Cry it out
Cry it out.....those words sound so harsh. I thought so before I understood them. We have rocked and held Ava from day one. The only way she would go to sleep was that....or so we thought. I heard the "Cry it out" method and it caught my attention. It seemed like every time I wanted to try it everyone found reasons to not. Ava was sick a lot during December and the first of January so I kept holding off on it. So finally last Sunday night I told Adam this is the night. I made sure she was fed, changed and ready for some sleep. I put her down and walked out of the room. It was hard.....not going to act like it wasn't. I was prepared for her to cry for hours, maybe more. I just think she is very strong willed and I imagined it was going to be a very hard task. She cried maybe 30 minutes and then I heard the best thing......silence :) WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!! So from then on I have been laying her down at night and for her naps. No parent wants to hear their baby cry, but when you know they are ok and its best for them its not so hard. I can't even tell you how better it makes me feel. Let me just explain. Ava wasn't the child that enjoyed being rocked where she would cuddle and let you rock her. She would fight me to no end....EVERY time. I would walk out of her nursery feeling totally exhausted. This is best for us!!! Now she sometimes doesn't even cry....other days it might be 10 minutes or so.
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Yeah.
ReplyDeleteGlad it's going good, and she is going to sleep. There is a huge reward in being able to put your child down to sleep without a big production.
Nayah was my hardest. She would literally scream for hours in the middle of the night. But I refused to get her because I knew I would be training her internal clock to get up every night if I caved. And eventually she got over it. But she would cry for hours and would do it every night. But we got over it!
Nissi was probably the most wonderful. She got the sleeping thign right away.
But it's our job as parents to set the standard and provide rules and boundaries. We've got to teach them to sleep through the night sometimes. :(
You go girl!!! EK was the same way!! She HATED to rock and I felt like I had been in battle, but that seemed to be what it took! I literally THROW her in the bed sometimes now :) She might whine for a few minutes, but very soon it is peace and quiet!
ReplyDeleteWatch out though - the middle of the night thing is for real! EK had been waking up and I had been going to check since she's been sick/teething, etc for weeks! Now she wakes up EVERY night at precisely 12:15!! I think we'll be crying it out then too!!
Only problem - when you're in public, there's no "politically correct" way to cry it out and no where to lay them down. Not a reason to go back - just be prepared!!
Maybe #2 will be a cuddle bug for you - neither of mine have been!
Yeah, Stephanie...I have yet to figure out what to do at church now? It poses a problem.
ReplyDeleteThat's great! It was a goal of mine from day one to get my girls to go to sleep on their own, because I physically could not rock them both to sleep since I'm here by myself most nights. They have really gotten good at it, and it is so relieving to just lay them down in bed at night, knowing they are exhausted and will soon be sleeping soundly! Now, naps are a different story, but we make it work. : )
ReplyDeleteglad it went good with Ava.... we're doing the same thing, but poor little Allie is a little more strong willed (wonder where that comes from?) she's cried for about 1hr 15 mins for the last 2 nights!! And it's not the whinny, i'm sleepy cry... it's the scream to the top of your lungs, i'm ticked off cry! but at the end she's asleep... all by herself :)
ReplyDeleteAmy Baker
OH Amy I am so sorry. I totally know what you are going through. Its so hard to hear them cry but we are doing whats best for them.
ReplyDeleteLove ya.
well... it must be working... we're down to about 20 minutes as of last night! Not sure what happened with her- i've always laid her down awake (for the most part) but last week she decided she didn't like that anymore! who knows, but she's slowly adjusting back... hope y'all have a good weekend!
ReplyDeleteAmy Baker
makes you feel better after they are asleep though.. lol! Wes has his days still, where he wants to be rocked, so I don't mind to as long as he'll stay down once I put him to bed After he's fell asleep. but most of the time he'll say night night' and go right to sleep! LOVE those nights!
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