When parents contact the Baby Sleep Site for the first time, they often say the same thing: "Are you going to tell me I have to let my baby cry? Because I can't handle that!" No parent enjoys the sound of their baby wailing in distress. That's why the cry-it-out methods advocated by Ferber, Weissbluth, and Ezzo are so controversial. Some parents feel like cry-it-out is a form of cruel and unusual punishment, but others are quick to point out that cry-it-out methods are fast and
crying it out
How Crying Can Lead to Babies Sleeping
A lot of times parents don't understand how crying can ever lead to their baby sleeping. They think that they will certainly exhaust themselves and fall asleep that way, eventually, but what are they really learning? This article is very much NOT about cry it out. There is a LOT in between helping your baby back to sleep every two hours at night and letting them cry it out. This article is discussing how crying can lead to sleep and why crying might be a necessary step in your baby learning how
How Long to Cry It Out (CIO)
This topic "How long to cry it out?" has come up a few times in the last few weeks in one way or another, so I thought I'd talk about it this week. I always preface any discussion about cry it out by making sure that everyone understands that I'm not a "Cry It Out Pusher" and I'm very much NOT an extremist or a hard-core "sleep trainer". I try to be realistic and just know that all babies are different and all family structures are different and what works for one won't work for everyone. I even
Why Does Baby Wake Up Crying?
Why does baby wake up crying? Most often, a baby wakes up crying to eat, because they are wet or dirty, or to have their sleep association recreated (such as replacing a pacifier). But, what does it mean when your baby wakes up crying from a nap, or in the morning when they are "done" sleeping? In this blog post, I'll provide information and tips for when your baby wakes up crying. Baby Crying Between Sleep Cycles Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a definitive reason as to
Will Cry-It-Out Change Your Baby / Child’s Personality?
I happened upon an article where a woman (and husband) was against cry-it-out and specifically, The Ferber Method, but ended up doing it anyway because it was what worked. In that article, Confessions of a Ferberizer, she said that, in the end, her son stopped wanting to be rocked or cuddle. She did not seem to regret doing cry-it-out, I don't think, but reading the article reminded me that many of us wonder whether doing cry-it-out will change our child's personality, so I thought I'd reflect
Is Sleep Training Cry It Out?
In today's article, The Baby Sleep Site® founder and expert sleep coach Nicole Johnson answer this common question: Is there a difference between sleep training and cry it out? ~~~ I thought I should first talk about my philosophy on helping your child learn healthy sleep habits. Sleep Training I don't define "sleep training " as cry-it-out (CIO). You don't have to let your child cry to teach healthy sleep habits. Some people seem to think they are synonymous and I disagree.
