I feel terrible...

rmm17 · July 2011

Ace continues to be a very needy guy and a terrible sleeper. We used to be able to rock him off to sleep and he would sleep several hours, up to nurse, right back down etc. Now he doesn't want to be rocked, held, or put down in his crib. Today for his nap i held him, nursed him laying down, snuggled and he still was fussing and wouldn't sleep. I got up and when he started fussing I rubbed his head, gave him his binkie, and left the room. He started crying again and i didn't know what else to do. I went to the porch for less that 2 minutes and when i can back he was asleep. I feel terrible for letting him cry but i don't know what else to do. The no naps and up every 45-90 mins. at night are making me a frustrated mommy. Will this hurt him? Is he going to not trust me if I don't pick him up when he cries?

shaunna&chad · July 2011

I think all will be fine :-) If he went to sleep in 2 minutes, he was probably ready to fall asleep. Some kiddos need to fuss/cry a bit as a means of release. There was an article posted here about it quite a long time ago (I'm sorry, I don't have a link. Maybe if someone else remembers they can share.) But anyways, I don't think leaving him to fuss a few minutes (as long as he isn't majorly crying/screaming) with falling asleep at the end is damaging in any way, and like I said, maybe even necessary for your LO. As H has gotten older, the longer I stay in his room while he is going down for a nap or bed, the more wound up he gets. I'm not a proponent of CIO, especially for young babies, but I do believe there is a difference between full CIO and fussing.

rosiemomma · July 2011

Hey it is better you walked away and got some air! Usually when something like this was going on it could be from teething or and illness, a growth spurt.. usually something that we don't know about until after the fact. If he fussy cried to sleep he is probably fine! Don't give up on your routine if he needs a minute alone to fall asleep so be it, if he continues to cry pick him up and try again...

3003girl · July 2011

Around that age LO would often cry before she would fall asleep, whether I was there or not. It was like she had extra energy she needed to get out. She didn't want me to hold her or rock her either. It was a phase. (one of many!)

Kristinmo · July 2011

2 minutes at that age is absolutely fine. He will be just as happy to see you as he always is when he wakes up.

My general comfort level has always been it's ok to let DS cry 1 minute for every month old he is.

Sinafey · July 2011

Here's the article about tension increasers vs. tension releasers. Don't feel bad, mama! AP is about doing what's right for your baby and yourself, and what you did worked.