Should You Let Your Child Cry It Out?

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Babies need a lot of sleep and for specific situations and when done responsibly, cry-it-out can be an effective solution for some sleep problems.

All babies have different personalities and temperaments and what works for one (such as simply developing a good bedtime routine) is not enough for others. There is a wide spectrum of personalities and they are complex as to what will work for one baby over another. Some babies sleep all night at 8 weeks while others take a whole year or more. The number of times per night they are waking up during that time will be crucial in what strategies a parent might use to help the whole family get more sleep.

A parent’s personality will be a factor, too, in whether the family can (or wants to) co-sleep and what the parent can sustain for a lengthy period of time, numerous times per night. While one baby can be rocked for 10 minutes and then proceeds to sleep all night, another baby will need to be rocked for an hour at bedtime and then every 1-2 hours after that (or will need to nurse every 2 hours or needs a bottle every 2 hours or needs a pacifier replaced 5-10 times each and every night).

Sleep deprivation is unhealthy for everyone and parents can be more patient and effective on a good night’s rest. We ALL feel better on a full night’s rest, including babies and children. It’s not just hard on parents, but sleep is instrumental to a baby’s mind and body development, as well as mood and behavior, so while they’re might be benefits to the parent’s, it is mostly important for the baby involved that he gets enough sleep. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach that will work for every baby and every family, and it is not up to each of us to judge another parent's philosophy or decisions they need to make for their family.