Should You Let Your Child Cry It Out?

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Though some cry-it-out advocates promise a "one day miracle fix” my research has uncovered that real life families almost never report an easy result. It often takes weeks, and sometimes months, of very intense crying (and very little sleeping) for a child to succumb to sleep every night and for every daily nap, as well. This process is emotionally upsetting to parents and siblings as well as for the non-sleeping child.  

If you’ve fallen into the trap of thinking that letting a child cry-it-out is a quick fix, talk to parents who have attempted that approach, or visit any web site message board for parents using a cry-it-out approach to “sleep training.” You will see messages filled with the anguish of parents who must listen to their child cry for hours, night after night after night, sometimes for many months. Even when the cry-it-out approach appears to be working relapses are com mon – a vacation, a bad cold, an ear infection, or even a busy day of missed naps or a late bedtime can disrupt the sleep process and the family must start the crying process all over again.

It is highly unlikely that "a few nights of crying" will solve a child’s sleep problems. It is possible that the nightly episodes of stress and crying will cause chaos in the home. It is also likely that crying in bed will be com e part of the child’s falling-to-sleep routine.