In Episode 2 you hear us talk about sleep training a bit and the ‘cry it out’ method. We know there is so much debate about this online and among various groups but after sleep training 7 kids between the two of us, we both strongly recommend this process. It has worked well for both of us in training our children to put themselves to sleep at night and for nap-times. So, here’s a few tips for how we do it.
1.) Pick the right time. Make sure baby isn’t sick, or going through a growth spurt. Or that you haven’t recently moved or will be traveling soon. You want to make sure there is as much consistency as possible around baby to support the sleep training.
2.) Make sure baby is ready! I never recommend cry it out before 3 months old or before baby reaches 16 pounds. I was once told by our pediatrician that at 16 pounds a baby weighs enough to sleep through the night (now – I’m no doctor so take that for what it’s worth!)
3.) Use your intuition. As mom, you know your baby the very best. You know whether they are waking up in the middle of the night due to hunger or if they are just looking for a little social time or just to see your pretty face. If you feel confident that baby isn’t hungry through the night (and if baby’s doctor is OK with it) go for cry it out!
4.) Get ready! Before starting cry it out, make sure everyone in the house is on board and ready for a little noise. In all honesty, I have had some children who have only cried for 20 minutes and some who have cried over an hour. Either way, get ready for hard night.
5.) Just do it. Make sure to shower baby with lots of love all day. Fill up their love tank and make sure that they are well excerised and tired for that evening. Implement a bedtime routine if you don’t have one already (we do bath, pjs & prayer). After the bedtime routine, take baby to bed and give a hug and a kiss. Say to baby in a loving, soothing voice “Mommy loves you. Have a good night’s sleep… I’ll see you in the morning”. Then with lights off, walk out and close the door.
6.) Monitor the Situation. I have used video monitors for most of my sleep training. I like to be able to see how baby is doing and gauge the crying. It’s comforting to me to know that they aren’t crying because their arm is stuck in the crib or something has happened. So, if you have a video monitor handy, use it! Also, keep track of the time. I don’t advise letting your child cry for more than 50-60 minutes. At that point, I would go in and check on them and make sure everything is OK (no poopy diaper, no throw up, etc.). But I would do this WITHOUT SAYING A WORD and WITH NO EYE CONTACT. Baby needs to know that social hour is over and there won’t be any interaction during sleep time.
7.) Stick with it. It may take 1 night, 2 nights or a week – but it will work! I personally have never had cry it out last longer than 1 night. Our children are much smarter than we give them credit for. Once they realize the new norm they will jump on board.
8.) Enjoy your Evening! Once sleep training is accomplished, sit back, relax and relish in the quiet! Be proud of yourself for teaching your child how to be an independent sleeper and use the time to reconnect with your spouse!
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