CIO

JordynLeighx3

I'm curious to know if there are really any benefits or harm that could be done with the CIO method.
Can someone a little more knowledgeable fill me in, or is it all personal choice.
I haven't had to use this method before and don't know if I could actually do it but I'm curious to hear others point of view!

Mandmeesh

I think, from what I've read, using any CIO method is not meeting the needs of your baby. A baby is crying for some reason...even if the reason isn't clear to you. CIO does not let the child be comforted by you, they are left to their own devices to try to soothe, or fall asleep from exhaustion. My SIL used sleep training and CIO very young-barely 4 months because my nephew was waking up at night, seemingly hungry. He would only eat an ounce or two. This to her wasn't a full meal and meant he needed to be trained to sleep instead of wake up. I EBF, and two ounces is a meal...so for me, CIO just doesn't seem right. Obviously I won't use tha method. But from what I read ( and I read a lot) a baby is crying for some reason, even if its just for comfort. ETA she used sleep training and CIO because her baby waking up wasn't convenient for her and she needed sleep...which I understand sleep deprivation, but you had a baby and they need you for everything

Mandmeesh

Emotionally, I cannot use the CIO method

katief27

We did CIO with DS1 and ever since he has been a wonderful sleeper and I would definitely not classify it as neglect! He is a healthy, happy and emotionally stable little boy.

I would agree with PP who said if it works for your family, then go for it. If it doesn't, that's okay too! I would definitely do some research. We based ours off of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby. It's not like you shut the door and leave them screaming their head off until they pass out. Maybe check a couple books from the library and see how comfortable you feel with it after learning more

CrazyMary77

From the little that I've read so far, I think it depends to an extent on why the child is crying. If she's crying because she just wants to play, then CIO may be appropriate. But in general I'm not a fan. CIO often neglects some underlying emotional need, and the child ends up falling asleep from exhaustion while the underlying need goes unmet. Children need to feel secure and that they can depend upon us.

Then on the other hand, I know people whose parents used CIO, and they turned out OK... I just know I couldn't do it, at least not now at such a young age.

camdensmom32

Last night when DS woke up at 3am he was wide awake. I changed him and fed him and put him back down in his crib sleepy. Well he was wide awake again. Tried everything I could but nothing worked. I let him kick around and play for a bit. He began to fuss after a while, I attempted to give him his paci and soothe him but he wasn't having it. I let him lay there and fuss/cry for about 10 min then gave him his paci and he zonked out. Seemed to work so I may be using it again if I need to.

ChicagoBroad26

We sleep trained Ava and have been doing it again with Mila these past 10 days. We use the book HSHHC. I think there are a lot of misconceptions about "crying it out". If you use the methods correctly, there really isn't a lot of crying involved. Babies NEED sleep and in Mila's case, she could barely ever get past that first 30 minute segment of sleep. The night before we began sleep training, Mila would only sleep with us walking her and I got 1.5 hours of sleep. One week later, she was up three times to eat (10, 3 and 5:45) after having gone to bed at 6:30. I EBF and I feed her if she needs fed, soothe her back to drowsy if she wakes, but put her down awake. She's SO MUCH MORE well-rested and happy than she was before sleep training. It's not for everyone, but it's definitely for us. 

Would it be neglectful to throw the baby in the crib and let them cry themselves to sleep from exhaustion? Yes. But that's not really what most of us who are using these methods are doing. 

Angela814

I think teaching your child to self soothe and sleep on their own is a great goal. Some kids need to cry a little to wind down, and CIO methods work fine for them. Some kids get worked up the more they cry, and for them CIO would be the wrong choice. Like anything, there are people who do it the wrong way (like starting too early, doing it for the wrong reasons, etc) and give the whole method a bad name. Personally, CIO is not for us, but I don't think it's awful if done correctly.

Lhyacinth888

I think people have such different definitions of CIO. Some people think it's damaging because people are leaving babies to cry for hours upon hours. Other people will say it's ok because their definition is like 5-10 mins of crying and it can teach baby to self soothe. I personally believe a little CIO is ok if used correctly. Increase the increments but always come back after a set time to offer comfort and reassurance to LO. I think you have to be in the right mind set. You must try to feel calm and relaxed about the decision of using CIO and not think of it as a punishment or a giving up attitude. Give it a chance and start slow but if it's not working then wait or try starting slower. And don't let anyone let you feel bad about it- it's your child and your decision. As long as it's done with love and good intentions I think its a highly beneficial method.

OhSewCrafty

If you're going to use the CIO method, please read up on it. It is NOT just letting them cry themselves to sleep. Crying raises a baby's blood pressure and releases cortisol (a stress hormone that can mess with brain development). I'm not saying to never do it or that letting your baby cry while you run to the bathroom is going to kill brain cells, but CIO should be a controlled, consistent system of crying and parent response.

JordynLeighx3

I've never had to use it. Our girls sleep through the night and have for a whole now. Just kind of wanted everybody's opinion on it and if I were to have to use it, if there were any drawbacks or pros to using it. Thanks for all the replies!

OhSewCrafty

JordynLeighx3 said:

I've never had to use it. Our girls sleep through the night and have for a whole now. Just kind of wanted everybody's opinion on it and if I were to have to use it, if there were any drawbacks or pros to using it. Thanks for all the replies!

P.S. CIO is all well and good until they learn to talk and start yelling, "Mommy! Help! Mommy! Need you!" from their crib.....and your heart is ripped out of your chest.

suedell

And as a side note, when you have older kids, you can not always rush to the baby's side. The other day I put ds2 down for a nap but he wasn't quite going down well. Ds1 needed my help taking a poop (he's in the process of being potty trained). It took 5 minutes for me to help ds1 and yes, ds2 cried. We all survived.