what age do u let your baby cry themselves to sleep???

Question

what age do u let your baby cry them selves to sleep when u know there is nothing wrong with them??

Answer 1

4-6 months is a good start especally after you have maintained a regular routine and the baby is staying full most of the night.

Answer 2

I have twins, and though I agree with bamm's approach, at some point I had to let them cry as I couldn't physically rock two babies by myself all night (husband at work). This is what I found out during this time:

Remember that being able to go to sleep on one's own is an adult value. Not necessarily appropriate value placed on a baby.

Before 6 months, you ideally should try to give the baby everything it needs, and not let it cry. Rock it, etc, as described above. The baby has no concept of what you're trying to accoomplish at this time. It also has no concept of your existence when you're gone, that is, object permanancy has not yet developed.

After 6 to 7 months, the baby does understand your existence after your gone, then people say it's 'OK' to let it cry to sleep. What we did was set up a make-shift bed I could lie next to the cribs, and I went to sleep with them and held their hand or leg through the bars as they cried. People would argue that this would cause sleep disorders as they still aren't learning to go to sleep it their own, but I gradually started to leave the room earlier and earlier over the months and now at 1 year they love their cribs and sleep very well.

Intuition is very important. If you're focusing on what your baby needs, rather than what you need (easier said than done I know), you'll know when the time is right.

Good luck!
Sarina

Answer 3

This is a much debated topic. There is the school of thought that you should let me cry themselves to sleep and they will learn to go to sleep. I have NEVER agreed with this philosophy. I have 3 children, all grown now, and 5 grandchildren. I rocked all of them to sleep as babies. Of course there were times they wouldn't go to sleep and I would be exhausted, but they eventually go to sleep. Some babies go through periods of time where they don't sleep well and are up in the night. This can be very frustrating for the exhausted mom, but I am proof that you can live through it. You must have patience. If you are really frustrated, put the baby down and walk away until you have your composure again. I promise you that you will not still be rocking this baby to sleep when he/she goes to high school. LOL Love your baby and cherish the time you spend with him/her. It will be gone before you know it!! I would recommend you turn out the lights and put on some quiet music, preferably lullabies. There are a lot of good CD's out there now with great lullabies on them. I don't know how old your baby is, so it is a little difficult to know what sort of recommendations to make, but I would follow your instincts. If you feel it's okay to let the baby cry itself to sleep then try it. Ultimately, it is your decision how to handle this. Most of all don't let anyone tell you that you have to do it this way or that way. If you follow your instincts I think you will figure out what will work best for you and your baby. Good luck. I know it's frustrating at times, but it is such a short time they are babies and the years pass quickly. As I said, cherish your time while you can.

Answer 4

It depends on what's going on. Sometimes babies need to cry to release extra energy. Routine is key for a child to learn how to fall asleep on their own. Personally, I do not beleive in the "cry it out method". This does not mean I don't let my daughtr cry but I have learned what the crys mean. When she was really little I would rock her until she was just about to fall asleep and then put her down. Yes, she would cry but usually just for a minute then fall asleep. She is now 12 months old and has no problems going to sleep after her book. If she does cry I know something is wrong and truly does need extra hugs and snuggles but it usually means that she is getting sick.

My favorite baby book is "The Bbay Whipserer". It really helped me understand alot of things about my daughter.

Answer 5

Around 11 months to 15 months. Usually when the baby starts teething. Give the baby Motrin or Tylenol before going to bed when you know they are teething.

Read Dr. Ferber's book. He has a technique that takes 3 days for the baby to learn to go sleep by themselves. It works!

Of course you should make sure the child is O.K. I believe this Mom knows that.
If you don't let the child learn to fall asleep by themselves, you won't sleep either. What good is an exhausted parent. Part of parenting is teaching you child life skills. Speak to your Pediatrician. Don't put a technique down if you don't need it, you may one day!

Answer 6

Never. If they're crying, there IS something wrong. It might not be a physical need, but aren't emotional needs just as real?

I would never walk by a room, hear my husband, my mother, my sister crying, and keep going, telling myself "it's good for them." I'd go in and see if I could help.

Babies have a great need for human warmth and comfort. Meeting that need builds trust and sets up a healthy future parent/child relationship. Sure, it takes more time, more emotional energy, but I'm a parent. I'm their MOTHER. What kind of mother would I be if I ignored their needs in favor of my own convenience or out of some misguided theory that crying is good for babies (despite numerous studies showing that "cry-it-out" methods inhibit brain growth, emotional intelligence, and cause great stress to infants).

Answer 7

After a couple of false starts, we started this at 11 weeks. The hardest part was letting our son soothe himself back to sleep in the middle of the night. It took three nights, but now he sleeps for 11 hours at night!

Answer 8

I have two kids, but both of them never experienced crying themselves to sleep as babies, because I had them close to me while falling asleep. The four year old is still my baby. I had a sibling who died of SIDS, which is why I watched my kids' breathing while they were sleeping when they were babies..... to be able to do that I had to have them close to me.

Answer 9

See the baby corner for guidance

Answer 10

if you know your child is just whingy its best to leave him cry but if he is worked up he's not going to fall asleep so try other methods , controled crying , rocking, reading , i have 2 kids and a book never fails to put them to sleep.