Should I let my eleven month old cry it out?
ByIs it too late to teach an eleven month old to sleep on her own? Should I let her cry it out?
Related posts:
- mothers how did you teach your baby to self settle themselves to sleep? NO cry it out method answers?
- How do i train my 3 month old to sleep throug the night? Is it too early to let her cry it out to help her own
- Can you do the cry it out method on a two month old or is that way too young?
- How do I get my 10.5 month old to sleep through the night?
- How do I get my 13 month old to sleep through the night? Do I let him cry it out? And for how long?
11 Comments
February 2nd, 2010 at 7:57 am
My son is 17 months. He has never been left to CIO and he falls asleep on his own just fine. Your daughter will learn how to sleep on her own without feeling as though she cannot depend on you when she needs you most.
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:28 am
Letting a baby cry is not teaching them anything other than mommy is not going to be there for you.
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:40 am
Do you like to cry yourself to sleep?
There are much more productive, comforting, and nicer ways of getting your baby to sleep on their own. Do you have a routine you do with her? If not, try one. We do bottle, bath, and then bed with our son and by the time we start rocking him he’s out in 5 minutes and sleeps through the night for the most part.
By wanting her to “sleep on her own” do you mean you were co-sleeping before now and are tired of it? If so you’re going to have to give her some time to ajdust to this new way of doing things. Put her down in her crib and pat her back or belly so she knows you are still there.
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:15 am
You should enjoy rocking your baby to sleep at night and having quiet time with you and your child. Why be in such a rush to “teach” a baby to sleep on her own, it won’t last forever and you will miss it when she’s older.
Cry it out is never the answer.
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:23 am
You can let him cry for couple of min and see wht happens. If he does not stop, you should not let your baby cry for longer than 10 mins.
I would disagree with another person who posted on here, that letting ur child cry will not teach anything- yes, it does teach.. teach to be independent…
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:15 am
I’m going through this now; I just bought my daughter a new bed room set. She wants to sleep in my bed. I lay her in her bed a give her, her baby (bunny teddy bear) and sing her a song and she’ll lay down and go to sleep; sometimes she’ll sing her self for a few mins then go to sleep
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:35 am
I don’t know why everyone thinks that “crying it out” means leaving a child to cry endlessly in a cold, lonely room.
If a parent is not comfortable co-sleeping with their child, then the alternative is:
put the baby in your room to sleep, or
put the baby in a separate room to sleep
If the baby is put in a separate room, they need to learn to not only fall asleep, but to put themselves back to sleep when they wake up during the middle of the night. It’s a skill we all had to learn. It doesn’t mean his mom doesn’t love him.
Do you have a relaxing bedtime routine? If not, that’s where to begin. After establishing a bedtime routine, then you can GENTLY ease him into sleeping on his own.
I’m not a fan of the CIO method (just my opinion), but if another mom believes in the method, who am I to judge? I know for sure that my mom was the CIO queen, and I am just fine 35 years later!!
February 2nd, 2010 at 11:20 am
While it’s certainly the unpopular response, I am a huge fan of the CIO method. When my son was five months old I let him cry it out one night. He cried for 2.5 hours. I checked on him every 15 minutes, and it was awful. However, the next night he slept through the night (9pm – 7am) and has since (knock on wood). So yes, it works, but you have to stick with it. A few times in the past I started letting him cry and then wimped out in the end; that didn’t work. You have to do it until they put themselves to sleep. And with some babies it takes a few nights.
Despite the inevitable thumbs-down, this method is not cruel. An 11-month-old has the cognitive ability to know you aren’t abandoning her. She just wants attention, and she doesn’t need it in the middle of the night.
The people I know who use the CIO method have kids who start sleeping through before six months old (it also works later, though—my friend just let her 14 month old cry, and she sleeps now).
Also, as an add-on, I have never once regretted not waking up in the middle of the night. I’m a person who needs sleep in order to function and be a good mother. I don’t think you should have to feel guilty for not wanting to wake up all night.
February 2nd, 2010 at 11:38 am
My personal opinion:
I never allowed my children to cry it out. To me when I child cries they are:
Scared
hungry
under stimulated
overstimulated
tired
I would never want my child to feel they could not depend on me for any of these issues. My personal belief is pretty soon they will be 5yrs and you will miss the days when they completely depended on you when they are independent and walking into their 1st day of kindergarten.
My kids are now 5 and 7 and I dont regret one bit waking up in the middle of the night at the age of even 15 months and would do it over again.
It is really up to you and how you view it. Everyone does what they feel is best for their child. Do as you please and what will make you feel OK. If you personally feel guilty then dont alow your child to cry it out. If you feel okay with letting your child cry it out, or feel its best then do it.
February 2nd, 2010 at 12:34 pm
I dont think that you should let her cry for hours when I put my daughter to bed if she crys I only let her for 10 mins. If its longer than that I get her out and take her back down stairs shes really not tired. But usualy when I put her in bed she will cry for a few mins if that and then go to sleep. Just lay her down and if she crys just walk out and wait 10 if shes still crying go get her. Or you could also rock her to sleep and then put her in her crib. Its not to late to have her sleep alone. I think the sooner the better my kids never slept with me unless they are sick and wont sleep unless with me. But my son only did that like 2 times and my daughter hasnt yet. My son slept in his crib thru the night from 2 weeks, my daughter it took her to sleep all night until she was about 3 or 4 months. I hope I helped you
February 2nd, 2010 at 1:12 pm
To answer your first question…
No, its not too late. My parents used CIO for me at about 14mths and apparently it worked in about 3days.
As for your second question…
It is ultimately your decision, but my personal opinion I wouldnt/couldnt do that.
I have 3 alternative suggestions for you.
1. Keep using whatever method you have been using to get her to sleep and when shes big enough for a bed/toddler bed, use the ‘back to bed technique’…where you put her to bed, read story etc, give kiss, say night night and leave the room. She will get right back up, so you tell her its time for bed and return her to bed, the next time she gets up you say nothing, just put her back to bed. You could end up returning her to bed 50 or 100 times but if you perservere it will pay off. I think its kinder than CIO because ultimately she is making the decision to stay in bed and go to sleep so is learning something useful. However you would probably not be able to try this for another year!
2. Buy Elizabeth Pantley’s ‘No Cry Sleep Solution’… It is full of loads of no tears ideas to teach your baby to fall asleep on their own but without the upset and stress to mum and baby of using CIO.
3. Is what I am going to try (my little girl just turned one and still has to be rocked to sleep)… Wait until she is in bed/toddler bed. Sit in the bed with her while she has milk and bedtime story and cuddle her until she falls asleep, next night same thing except dont cuddle just lie next to her, after that works successfully, move to beside her bed, each night move further from her til you’re outside the room and she can fall asleep alone. Again this method couldnt be used for about another year.
Good luck, shes your baby and I’m sure you will choose whats best for you and your little girl.x