7 Things You Should Know About Crying It Out Before Trying It
byOlivia Youngs
Sleep is one of the most coveted commodities in parenthood. It's so hard to come by that there are entire books and websites solely devoted to helping parents teach their children how to sleep. The problem is that with so many options — and so many sleep deprived parents — it can be hard to determine which sleep training method is best for you. You've probably heard of the phrase "cry it out" before and whether you're intrigued by the though of your child actually sleeping or turned away by the word "cry", there are a few things you should know about crying it out before trying it in your home, or deciding against it all together.
Take my daughters for example. I have one daughter who is a perfect sleeper, basically since day one. She's slept through the night since she was old enough to do so and required very minimal sleep training. My other daughter, on the other hand, is what I tenderly refer to as a "problem sleeper." Despite my best efforts at coaching her to sleep on her own (starting when she was old enough to sleep train), she continues to wake up in the middle of the night to this day.
It's easy to "cast the first stone" at a parent considering a cry it out approach to sleep training, but when you've exhausted all of your other options and are still waking up multiple times a night, it can be pretty tempting. Luckily, it's not as bad as the name implies, and when implemented correctly, can work wonders. Here are a few things to consider about the method before trying it out for yourself.