Crying it out vs. pacifier - Infant Care (up to 18 months old) Message Board

jmcummins3 · 09-27-2005, 07:33 PM

Up until last week, we had been getting up to feed DD once or twice a night because she was hungry. She would eat and go right back to sleep. She is 5 months. The doctor said that after 4 months and they are on solid foods 3 times a day, they don't need the nighttime feedings and to let her cry it out. (She also suggested getting her to associate a CD with sleep so we could just turn on the CD player to put her back to sleep without having to pick her up, but we haven't done that because I think it is just one more "addiction" that we have to bring with us on vacation, etc.) DH let her cry the first night for an hour and she eventually fell back asleep without eating at night. In the past week, she's slept through the night twice and the rest of the time, we get up, give her the pacifier and she falls right back asleep. I don't have a problem with the pacifier and eventually, she will be able to grab it, put it back in her mouth and put herself back to sleep. We have significantly reduced the amount of time we spend up with her at night, but am I doing more harm by giving her the pacifier instead of letting her cry herself back to sleep? To me, it's the same thing as using a CD to get her to sleep (we still have to go in there and turn it on in the middle of the night if she wakes up), but it's something she can eventually find herself and do herself without our intervention. It seems to be doing the trick and we have stopped feeding her in the middle of the night, which was part of the goal, but she's still waking once or twice a night. Last night, she woke up twice but put herself back to sleep and I didn't even have to go in there. Is the point of cry it out to get them to sleep soundly through the night or just to go back to sleep instead of getting up to eat, cuddle, etc.? I like the pacifier a lot better since it puts her back to sleep and I don't have to listen to her cry for an hour. Am I missing the point of cry it out?

shelliam · 09-27-2005, 07:53 PM

I did the pacifier thing too.Lets talk addicition!!! Not to scare you from it but he will still wake up at 22 months screeching our names until we go in just to find it fell on the floor or is twisted in the blankie. He was a very suckie baby. He had to have something all the time so instead of me or a bottle we gave him the nuk. I also had a chance to break him and I didn't take it. He just seemed to lose intrest temporarly. DD could go without as much she only takes it sometimes for a few min then spits it out. I hope I learned my lesson,lol.

rouge · 09-27-2005, 08:45 PM

Everyone wakes at night and then puts themselves back to sleep. The point is to get them to fall back to sleep on their own without you having to do it for them. You can do this by just patting their back but not picking them up. If you choose to let them CIO they will still wake they will just settle themselves.

Kiera1595 · 09-28-2005, 04:34 AM

In my opinion babies need comfort like a special blanket, a binkie, a stuffed toy. And some babies really need to suck. I play the binkie game with both of my kids. I chose cry it out to show them how to fall asleep without being held by mom for an hour. The binkie just seems to be the magic switch in the middle of the night because it comforts her. Some nights the baby sleeps straight through. Other times she wakes and wants the binkie. I don't mind getting up for 1 minute to stick a binkie back in her mouth if it means I get to go right back to sleep.

dizzygirl · 09-28-2005, 07:15 AM

I agree with Kiera- I think that at this age, they need comfort from something, and if it's not going to be you, then you need something else. I have to put the binky in DS mouth alot at night, but it's okay with me, because I don't agree with CIO.