Comments on: Is Sleep Training Selfish? Well, Yes…And No

By: Emily DeJeu

Emily DeJeu — Sun, 07 Sep 2014 23:14:38 +0000

In reply to Sabine. @ Sabine - no wonder you're so tired! It's tough enough to endure sleep deprivation, but it's extra tough when you're pregnant! There are several gentle methods that you can use to help your 6 month old learn to sleep. You can read about them in our free guide, 5 Ways to Help Your Child Sleep Through the Night. You can also see our sleep training "cheat sheet"; that has an overview of a few of the gentle methods we recommend. Hang in there, Sabine - and thanks for commenting!!

By: Sabine

Sabine — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 11:46:54 +0000

I’m a mother of a six months baby boy who sleeps for 9 to 10 hours at night but not straight which is very exhausting to repeatedly wake up at night to give him the pacifier to help him go back to sleep, specially that I’m 4 months pregnant. Please give me an idea of the non crying method to try it since my partner did not agree with the crying method. I’m ready to try watever helps and is for sure efficient Thank you.

By: Emily DeJeu

Emily DeJeu — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 03:50:10 +0000

In reply to Maria. @Maria - You're absolutely right that sleeping through the night without feedings is a developmental milestone! For some babies, things like sleep associations impact their ability for that milestone to develop naturally, and so they may need help learning how to fall asleep independently. We agree that there are gentle approaches to sleep training available that would be great options for many families. Thank you so much for commenting!

By: Emily DeJeu

Emily DeJeu — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 03:34:30 +0000

In reply to Anna. @Anna - I'm happy you were able to find what works for you and your family with your second child! I think your comment about doing what feels right for your family is key. CIO is not for every family, and there are also many other limited or no-cry methods to help teach your child how to fall asleep independently. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us!

By: Maria

Maria — Sun, 13 Jul 2014 00:36:56 +0000

I think it is important to talk about some of the recent studies about crying it out that show that it is bad for the baby’s brain (like the NIH study about the baby’s stress – showing that wven though babies stopped crying at some point after being left alone, their stress hormones were still very high. ) And it may even be harmful to future emotional development. Why not put all that information out there? WIO – or, waiting it out – or even gentle sleep support like the “No Cry Sleep Solution” are much better for the child. More and more experts say that sleeping is a developmental milestone like walking. You wouldn’t force your child to walk before they are ready …

By: Anna

Anna — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 20:17:09 +0000

If you feel guilty then it means something it’s not right.. Why so many people feel guilty about CIO method they use for their children- because it’s against their instincts, against the nature. I’ve been there, I felt that with my first child. I wish I could do it the other way, I wish I knew better. And no- I am not a super-mom 🙂 With my second child I did not make this mistake. I feel so much better even if I may get a bit less sleep 🙂 Do whatever feels RIGHT for your family – I mean whatever is guilt free.

By: Emily DeJeu

Emily DeJeu — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 01:11:12 +0000

@ Maddison – awesome response! I agree completely (obviously – I work for The Baby Sleep Site®! 😉 ) But truly, I think you’re right – a mom (and baby) can only go so long without sleep before it starts to seriously impact quality of life.

Thanks for commenting, Maddison!

By: Maddison

Maddison — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 16:39:38 +0000

Oh boy did I feel selfish! I knew it was the right thing, but the hard part came when my MIL kept saying that my baby was crying because he felt abandoned, then I was a huge mess! I know her intentions weren’t bad, but her comments, along with comments from Facebook friends about how CIO ruins children, made me wonder if I shouldn’t be doing it and if my life was destined to be catering to a tired and cranky child just because it was apparently abusive to let him cry. Luckily, I realized the benefits to sleep training, realized that my and my baby’s personalities were very different from these naysayers, and I did what I felt was the right thing. It was totally worth it!