I dont know if I should let my 6 week old cry it out some say yes and some say definitely not, who's right?

Question

as long as he's not wet or hungry what do I do I struggle with this every night to cry or not to cry too young will need you, or never too young they need to be alone

Answer 1

No, NO, NO!!!!! Your infant should not have to cry himself to sleep feeling like you are abandoning him or giving up on his Mommy being there for him.

Your Maternal instincts are God's voice......Listen to them. Are your instincts telling you let him cry it out? Can you honestly listen to your baby crying for you and not going to him.....turning off God's voice?

Your body has Maternal Instincts for a reason so just listen to them :)

Answer 2

Many professionals say to never let a child under the age of six months cry it out. My daughter is now 8 months and it is normal for her to cry a little bit when I put her in her crib when it is time for her nap or bedtime. But before she was 6 months I would never allow this. I started letting her get to bed by herself at 3 1/2 or 4 months(I gave in after a month or so lol) but I would not leave her to cry. I would let her lay in her crib and look at a book with her and sit next to her bed until she was sleepy enough to not even miss me. After a few nights she went to bed very easily. After that I started cheating and taking naps with her while I held her and messed it all up. But I started trying it again about a week 1/2 ago and all is well again! And she is much happier!
But a 6 week old still needs a lot of care. Maybe they have to burp? Do they have gas? Are they a little chilly? Some babies have a harder time being away from mommy than others. Some babies will not sleep through the night even up to the one-year mark. You're in this for the long haul, and you will just have to adjust right now. I'm sure you're tired and just want to get more than two hours of sleep at a time, but there's really not too much you can do to change your baby's needs.
All I can suggest is swaddling Baby before bedtime. This helped my daughter being able to sleep through the night at two months. But if that doesn't work I don't know what to tell you. Maybe someone else has a better answer~!
***extra*** I forgot to add, one of the reasons it is okay to let a baby get to sleep on their own after six months is because they start to develop a sense of object permanence - knowing you are still there even when they can't see you(which makes for fun peek-a-boo games!). Before they start to get this concept, it is like you have just up and abandoned them and they get very upset if they can't find mommy or daddy!

Answer 3

Six weeks is way to early to begin the crying it out method. A 6 week old is supposed to know that when they cry their mom or dad will come to them. Please don't do this this early. He still needs to be eating in the middle of the night at this young age (unless he sleeps through the night on his own). It's at 6 months when a baby does not not need it in the middle of the night anymore.

Answer 4

You will know if your child needs a cuddle or something else yes they need to cry so instead of getting up to them straight away count to 15 then go see that way they won't cry to get your attention if they do they have to wait. If this is your first don't be scared your child might just want to know you are there just put your hand on them that may soothe them, they may be bored give them a toy or put music on for them, through the day put your baby on the floor and sing/hum while you work, you are allowed to leave your child to cry you are not a bad mother for doing this but it never hurts to check they are alright they might just need a cuddle my son still does and he is 3 at Christmas

Answer 5

I don't have a problem with crying it out, but not for a 6 week old. At this age, he's still pretty "new" and just wants you for comfort. I started letting my sons cry it out when they turned about 4 months old--they would cry when I put them to bed just because they didn't want to go to bed. At 6 weeks, your baby is crying because he wants to be loved and held--not becuase he's being stubborn about going to bed. :) I'd wait a while before letting him cry himself to sleep. Soon enough you'll really want to rock and hold him, and he'll run away from you as fast as he can, telling you kisses and hugs are "yucky". lol

Answer 6

Let him cry it out. Last time I checked, a baby never died from crying to much or crying to sleep.

If anything it will strengthen his lungs.

I had to let my twins cry it out. I could not hold them 24/7. I had to get sleep and eat and sleep and eat...

Look at it ths way, babies just cry. That is what they do.

Like you said, if he is not wet or hungry,let him cry.

If you want to, you can sit in the room with him as he cries so he knows you are there. Let him see you leave the room and talk to him saying you are here, just in another room. He may not understand you, but he will see your lips moving.

Hope this will help you.

Answer 7

There might be something else going on. There could be gas which is painful. The baby could be cold or hot. The child could be lonely or scared. I suggest that you get help. Your baby still needs you. That is why they cry at that age. When your child is older, then you will need to ask about other motives. Your child will still need you, but you will need to use different methods at different ages.

Answer 8

Trust your instincts! Moms know what their children need.
Six weeks is too young to "cry it out". Hold him, hug him, kiss and cuddle him. He needs you, he is NOT working you!!

There is a sleep forum at www.askdrsears.com
You can read directly what other mommies have gone through, what they have tried and you will see that you are not alone, and you can find info that could help you out. It helped me!!

Good luck!

Answer 9

i believe that is 2 young to self soothe as well- right now they are developing trust in their parents and when u respond to their cries they know they can depend on u. At that age they are crying b/c they need u, not 4 attention.

Answer 10

Absolutely not...way too young to self soothe. He needs you right now. He was with you day and night for 9 months and then he was alone...he still needs that cuddling and comfort. It is impossible to spoil a baby that young.