When do you start letting your baby cry itself to sleep and for how long do you let them cry?

Hatzic83 · May 2015

My baby is 4 months old.

daniilovesyouu1 · May 2015

I would say around 8 months. In my opinion, I would never let my 4 month old cry themselves to sleep. They're crying because they need or want something.. I have a 2 month old & sometimes she cries when absolutely nothing is wrong but its times like those she just wants to be held & loved. There's nothing wrong with that. You can never love a baby "too much".

butchmum · May 2015

Our pediatrician recommends CIO from 2 months onwards. We didn't do it (ever) with our first--who's a terrible sleeper--and haven't done it with our second--who's a wonderful sleeper. You just have to figure out what's right for you. I know that I'm fundamentally incapable of letting my baby cry longer than a minute or two (though if he's fussing in the crib I'll wait till he's actually crying before picking him up, a bit of whinging I can tolerate), so the idea of CIO doesn't appeal to me. One of my best friends did CIO and swears by it; another did it and their kid still howls for hours (years later). I think it really depends on you and your child. Every child and every parent is going to react differently to it! Just do what you feel is right for you.

JoaPata · May 2015

The book says not to even attempt to try it until they are at least 5 months. Under this amount of time they are not capable of self soothing and you basically are not showing up for their needs (diaper/food) so they just cry until they fall asleep. I personally am not going to do that method. Mine is sleeping through the night in the crib at 5 months except for 1 feeding. I am working on her self soothing to go to sleep vs. breastfeeding to fall to sleep but I don't have the need for her to cry. Sleeping is so tough and it all depends on the baby. Good luck whatever method you try :-).

rosour · May 2015

I would like to say never, no judging but There's nothing wrong with answering to your child's needs, specially under 2 yo. I think is a cultural thing, very USA, in my country this isn't a thing.

JenLy2012 · May 2015

I never did it with DD1 because I just couldn't lay in bed awake listening to her cry. But I heard that you shouldn't do it before the age of months. They don't know manipulation so it's not like they are crying just because. The thought of a baby under 6 months crying it out is heartbreaking to me.

jbird1222 · May 2015

I may be crazy but definitely a pet peeve when children are referred to as "it" as noted in OP's title. It just sounds so dehumanizing to me..

emhall+ · May 2015

Since 3 months. He cries for about 10 minutes then falls asleep for the night!

emhall+ · May 2015

I should add that eventually he stopped and now goes to sleep on his own. Crying is now a rare occasion.

Lhurlie · May 2015

I'm not really a firm believer in letting them 'cry it out'...My son is almost 5 months old and he sleeps through the night since he was 2 1/2 months (with one feeding).... I truly believe that routine is key..we do dinner (he's eating solids), bath (he loves his little massages with lavender lotion), story, and then a bottle... He knows that once its bath time it's time for bed and starts getting sleepy immediately...good luck with your bed time!

andikay92 · June 2015

We've been doing it since our LO was 2 months because we realized she wasn't getting enough sleep. Start doing it at nap time first it makes bedtime go easier. Obviously feed burp and change baby before you kay th down put on their music or whatever you do to get them relaxed. We started noticing her different cries at about 2 months (fussy wanting mama or in need) so we listen for that we usually wait 20 mins before checking if all we hear is a fussy cry that comes and goes. If her cry becomes louder and more urgent we check on her instantly. But that's only happened recently now that she rolls on her back and startles herself. All in all she's usually asleep after 10 minutes. Of course this changes day to day as does the length of the nap we've had anywhere from 30 mins to 3 hours and she'll still sleep at night! It's very hard to listen to your LO fuss for even 10 minutes but it actually is good for their lungs and if they're not getting the right amount of sleep it affects their growth and development. We follow this same system at bedtime just add a bath before and quiet time (inbetween) that she's learned is just relax time no play. Every baby is different as is every parent you have to decide what works for you! I HATE making her cry it out some days bust she's learned that if she cries a certain way mommy will come to see her and nothing will be wrong. Fight trough it remind yourself it's for the best and GOOD LUCK

els1472 · June 2015

We tried the CIO method but it didn't work for us. Our little guy was sleeping for 5-7 hours a night at 2 1/2 months and now sleeps for 9-10 hours a night at 5 months. My personal belief is get into a bedtime routine. For us we start an hour before we want him to go to sleep do a bath, let him play in there for about 20 min, then he eats his cereal and fruit and then he chills with us, some nights we take a walk etc and then at 8pm I rock him until he's just about asleep and put him in his crib. Been doing that since he was 2 months old and for us it was the best decision we could have made.

Trust your instincts and do what works best for your baby. What works for one won't necessarily work for any others. We've gotten to the point though that when 8pm hits, he's rubbing his eyes and ready to sleep. Work on a routine and stick to it as best you can. It's definitely easier once they can eat cereal and foods. Good luck!

EEB88 · June 2015

We started CIO when my son was 9 months because we tried every other method and he would only sleep with us. The first night he cried for an hour and a half and dwindled down from there. By week three he'd cry for max 10 minutes. Now he's 2 and he may whine for 5 minutes before he falls asleep. You'll figure out what works best for you and baby.

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When do you start letting your baby cry itself to sleep and for how long do you let them cry?

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