Letting Baby Cry it Out

This morning posed a small success! I woke up at 5:30am today, and there was no baby in my bed. Never mind the fact that she awoke 3 times last night. Each time, I went to her crib, laid her back down (she always pops up in her crib like a jack in the box), told her "I love you," and to go back to sleep. It worked, but I am exhausted.

I am conflicted over the cry it out method versus the soothe back to sleep method. I am tempted to just let her have it out with herself for a good while for 2 or 3 nights and be done with it. As a mother, it goes against every instinct in my body, but as a working mother, it is tempting, just for 10 extra minutes of sleep. I am going to try as long as I can to keep going to her, so we will see about it.

I had to lay my clothes out last night, so I would have this extra 5 minutes to discuss how the morning is going! Maybe this will work for me, we shall see! I have 2 minutes until I have to leave the house, and I don't have a cup of coffee yet, so I will make it brief. Here's what the "experts" from the University of Michigan say about the cry it out method:

What’s there to know about sleeping?Sleep problems are some of the most common problems parents face with their kids. You may wonder about how to get your child to sleep through the night. Maybe you have a new baby and want to learn how to help them develop good sleep habits that will last a lifetime. Some children may have chronic sleep difficulties, and many children (like most adults!) are actually going through their days sleep-deprived. Read on for information on all these issues and more, and for lots of links to even more resources to help your kids (and you) get a better night’s sleep.

When people sleep, they cycle between rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. In REM, your eyes move around fast, you don’t move your body much, and you dream. REM is light sleep and the stage when your infant or child is most likely to wake up. NREM sleep is deep sleep.

In normal sleep, a child cycles between light sleep and deep sleep. Each light sleep stage is a time when the child is more likely to wake up.

What do I need to know about how babies sleep?Infants go through a complete sleep cycle about every 50-60 minutes, so they are in light sleep and could wake up many times each night!

Newborns just sleep any old time, on and off, all through the day and night. By age four months, your baby will probably be sleeping a 6-8 hour chunk at night, and by age 6 months, about 10-12 hours. But that’s not to say that they won’t wake up during that time! Most babies still wake up at least once a night even at age nine months. Some can get back to sleep by themselves, and some need you to help them fall back asleep. If all this night waking is not working for your family, then you may find some helpful resources on this page, so read on!

Mom's mood, baby's sleep: What's the connection? UM researchers find that babies born to moms with depression are more likely to have chaotic sleep patterns early on.
A special note about babies and sleep safety: Healthy babies should be put down to sleep on their backs to lower the risk of SIDS. Be sure all your baby’s caregivers are aware of the safe sleep guidelines.

Resources:

Nighttime Parenting: How to Get Your Baby and Child to Sleep, by William Sears. A nice reminder that parenting does not stop at bedtime, and we don’t have to view children’s nighttime needs as problems. This book offers advice on issues such as deciding where babies should sleep, what foods may help children sleep, tips for single parents, and getting children to bed without a struggle.

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Marc Weisbluth. This book teaches parents the basics of sleep science and helps them find their baby's optimal window for falling asleep both for naps and at nighttime.. Many parents are startled to discover that their baby is sleep deprived, which is actually making it harder for the baby to fall asleep! This approach falls within the "cry-it-out" school of thought. The book also covers teen sleep issues. Addresses mainly infants through age 3, but also discusses older children's and teens' sleep.

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Literature Cited
Written and compiled by Kyla Boyse, R.N. Reviewed by faculty and staff at the University of Michigan "