To Cry or Not to Cry?

To Cry or Not to Cry?

 

This is the question that has sparked much controversy for many generations. Do you let your baby learn to cry himself to sleep, or do you rock him to sleep, and rock him again if he wakes up?

There are two sides to the spectrum. One is people believe that if a baby cries, it is the baby’s way of communicating a need to the parent. If ignored, it may cause undue stress to the child. The other side believes that when the child is emotionally ready (3 to 5 months) he will be able to learn to sooth himself to sleep. Hence the idea of “sleep training”.

What do experts say?

The tug of war continues as research doesn’t prove one way or the other and there still isn’t a way to really know the long –term effect (if any) of allowing your baby to cry themselves to sleep.

Some parents believe that letting a baby cry-it-out causes detachment issues, decreased development, making the baby insecure later in life and so on. Other parents swear by it and say that they have tried the CIO method and they have a healthy, happy baby both physical and emotional.

If you do choose to take the leap of faith and are ready to get some sleep yourself, here is a simple way that can play a role on both sides of the argument. Find a plan that you are comfortable with. Once you find a plan, stick to it. If you don’t, you will be running in that baby’s room at the first cry.

1. Remember that the point of CIO is not to let your baby cry indefinitely, but to start helping your baby learn to sooth themselves to sleep.
2. Establish a bedtime routine; bath, story time, last feeding, baby lullabies, lotion, etc. With some children the smell of a specific lotion can indicate that it is bedtime.
3. Put your little bundle of joy to sleep. And prepare for a rougher night.
4. At first, your baby will cry. Go in there every 10-15 minutes and let him know you are there. Pat him on his back, touch his face, sing to him but do NOT pick him up. Leave the room and do it all over again. You may need to do this many times the first night.
5. Don’t be tempted to feed the baby. He is not hungry. It is just a habit for him to wake up and ask for food.
6. The Second night shouldn’t be too much different than the first. But remember; stick to your plan! He will still love and need you in the morning.
7. Each child adjusts differently. It may take a few days for some, and a few weeks for others. Remember that the baby also sleeps better when is not interrupted by waking themselves up. You sleep better, and so does your baby.

If you choose to not try the cry-it out method, remember that this is just a short time of sleeplessness and this too, shall pass.



source :http://dmes.com

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