Crying it Out Doesn’t Address Root Sleep Problems
Using cry-it-out sleep training does not address or solve the child’s real underlying sleep issues. It assumes that all children are exactly alike and refuse to sleep because they are stubborn, and if we ignore them (allow them to cry to sleep) then the problem is solved.
The truth is that there are many different reasons that children won’t fall asleep easily, or stay asleep, and sleep issues are com mon. One in three children under the age of five have disturbed nighttime sleep, an even greater percentage fight naps. Dr. William Dement of Stanford University , who is often called the world’s leading authority on sleep, says in his book The Promise of Sleep “With young children sleep problems may be the rule rather than the exception. Sleep problems in these early years are so com mon, in fact, that people should think of them not as sleep disorders but as normal manifestations of childhood.”
Children do not sleep like adults. Their unique needs and problems should be taken into consideration. “Sleep at all costs” is not an effective or com prehensive solution.
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Its ironic that the post is called what it is because non-CIO for sure doesnt adress the root sleep problem.
Infants dont know how to STAY asleep. It is normal to wake up, we all do but we all know how to go back to our sweet slumber. Infants on other hand dont know that. And patting them, letting then have the breast, rocking them and all other ways to put them back to sleep do nothing but reinforce the association they have with falling asleep and staying asleep. Sure if i would sleep on a soft chest i would want to wake up every time on it and then when I am not I get UPSET. That is the root cause (unless the baby is sick or has health issues) So how do you address the association with non CIO when u still offer them breast only to wait till they are asleep and slowly take it away (Dr Sears method) or run at the whimper and dont let the even wake up ( I have to be doing nothing else but listening to that monitor to figure this one out).
STTN doesnt always have to be CIO what every one seems to miss is that it is the lack of understanding sleep and how the associations happen and then we end up with the delimma of babies not sleeping and waking up. And then sometimes the only way to break that association is CIO and not letting them have the breast or rock and put them back down. I for one let me clarify dont believe in hours on end crying but if done the right way CIO is not going to damage a baby but before even going to that what parents need to do is start to learn how to help babies from the beginning to be self soothers and giving them a chance to settle. Wit my 6 month old 8 times out of 10 he does settle down and stays asleep without me running at a whimper or shhhing at him. But ta times when I know he is fed, dry and had been up for 2 hrs or so and is still nto wanting to rock or is getting into a hyper mode i know he needs to be put down and he cries yes, 10 min may be 15 off and on and plays off and on but he winds down and goes to sleep on his own
In my opinion NON CIO for sure do not even handle how slwwp is suppose to be and its not true that most parents do it bc they think that is the only way. I have helped many friends and family and trust me they have tried everything i had tried EVERYTHING before doing CIO 4 long months.
I come from a culture of joint family and grandmas and family and let me tell you my family back home is amazed at my kids who sleep through everything even when they are in a different time zone when its time for them to sleep while all the other kids are bouncing off of the walls and my cousins think they have attention issues...when they are really overtired and not sleeping like they should.
Children dont grown out of sleep problems with age, the problems grow with them and the many on the other side of the ocean are not very happy with their baby's sleeping habits, but we are still given their examples when in reality everyone i have talked to back home is really not even sure babies can sleep like mine do.
Just because other cultures accept the way baby's sleep doesnt mean that is the way they should be sleeping, and certainly doesnt mean that those moms are happy with this way and also let me add in those parts of world and europe etc there are plenty of times kids are left to cry for many things during the day because parents think its okay to not give in, but God forbid if we talk about crying at bed and moms in US are called all sorts of names.
I have been caring for children for 25 years, and I think it depends on the age of the child. Babies are used to being held and rocked before they were born, so it is natural to rock them to sleep. At some point they have to be winged. I feel if an infant is dry, has been fed and all is good then they can cry it out. They have different cries that set off an alarm letting moms know they need them. Parents need to learn what they are. Same goes for a toddler. But at the age of three the night terrors beggin and they want to come running to sleep with you. My grandaughter has these, I kept her for a month last month, We got out the monster spay (air freshener) I told her that I was going to demonster our house. Room to room I go, under beds, closets, under couches and bathrooms. It seemed to work great. I explaned what shadows were and how they are actually there play mate. So most nights after story time we had fun with our shadows. Communication is the key, listening to your child to figure out the problem. So my answer to this question is yes and no.