It's been a rough week around here as far as sleep in concerned. Allie is going through a phase where she doesn't want to sleep in her crib. It started Sunday when we tried to put her down for a nap and she screamed bloody murder until we went to get her. She ended up not napping ALL day. Then that night, she woke up screaming again and wouldn't stop until I picked her up. I slept with her on the couch, which made for a miserable night for me. And it's been downhill from there. If I even go near her bed with her she starts screaming "mama mama mama", and it absolutely breaks my heart. She throws all of her paci's and her glow seahorse (which is pretty heavy for her and she chucks it across the room...quite impressive), and that's when I know she means business. That's her way of getting me to come back in there, and then she reaches out for me again screaming "mama mama mama" to which I usually end up giving in and picking her up.
But Tuesday night we decided to let her cry it out. She screamed non stop for an hour and then finally passed out (without her paci, b/c they were all on the floor). Waking up again at 2 am and 5 am screaming...both times I let her cry it out again. She cried herself to sleep for her nap yesterday too. And then last night she screamed for an hour again before finally falling asleep and then woke up screaming 3 or 4 more times throughout the night. And she just cried herself to sleep for her nap about 30 minutes ago. The only way to ensure a peaceful nap is to drive her around in the car, which is not feasible with the current gas prices, nor for my sanity.
Last night we googled "letting your baby cry it out" and we came up with multiple conflicting answers, which is often the case with google. But I need to know....do you let your babies cry it out??? And if so, how has that worked out for you? And how do you keep from crying along with them? It breaks my heart. She's cutting a new tooth and I'm pretty sure that's the problem and I know this too shall pass...but I also know, as history proves, it will come again along with the next tooth. I worry that I'm going to cause psychological damage by letting her scream for an hour straight alone in the dark. But I also fear that if I don't let her cry it out, I'll be creating a monster.
Moms, all thoughts and advice welcome. Thanks in advance.
xoxo,
Emotionally and physically exhausted Momma
I am friends with Alicia - so I saw your blog from her. We did the cry it out method with both of our kids (Jack is almost 3 and Julianne is almost 15 months). Now - they both rarely go to bed (or nap) crying and they put themselves to sleep easily. We started this when they were really young - so now they are used to it. Once in awhile - one of them will wake up crying (Julianne is teething, too) - but they usually go back to sleep on their own. It is hard - but it is the best thing for you and for them. We used the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child as a guide. I hope this helps and I hope you don't think I am weirdo for commenting :)
ReplyDeleteNot at all, I appreciate any and all advice/support and I'm so glad you read and commented...thank you!!
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ReplyDeleteJulie we did too, both kiddos cried it out. I'm a fan. Praying for you that you have peace about whatever decision you all make...and for some much needed sleep:)
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