CIO method

[luvthefluff]

just wanted input from some mammas about CIO (cry it out). i could never let my ds just cry without trying to solve the issue to console him. some women in my close family think i am spoiling him and think that a baby should be able to cry it out...he is 2 now and is anything but spoiled. actually very independant and communicates very well with words when he needs something. I am having a dd in aug and i know im going to get the opinions of my family when i jump to console my baby...

[JennTheMomma]

If CIO is not something you agree with just tell your family that if they say something. Nothing wrong with sticking up for yourself. We do not CIO and are expecting our 3rd child. I've had little comments about just letting them cry for 20 minutes and they'd be asleep. But I never did, CIO doesn't make sense to me. I don't think you can spoil a baby, and I don't think there is anything wrong with consoling them. I always did and I have 2 independent and healthy kids.

[hilaryisinked]

I smile and nod, ignore, or say "we don't believe in that method" and move on. I have gotten more comments than I can count about CIO pertaining to both of my girls. It does get old after a while.

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[lilly12]

Do whatever you feel is right.
I disagree with CIO, I think you can't spoil ANYONE with love.

[luvthefluff]

thanks ladies...ill just smile and nod next time and say thanks for the advice hehe

[thoennes6]

My sil has told me that I need to let my dd cio or she will never become independent. I straight out told her that I never did cio with my other 3 and they are all independent great kids. I also told her that she could do what she wanted to with her 2 kids but in our family we don't do that. I would just say thanks for the advice but that's not how you will handle your kids.

[HugeBabyBoy]

My BFF gave me a book on how get our second child to sleep through the night & kept ramming it down my throat. "You need to train him, so he doesn't end up like his sister." OMG!! Yes, she did!!!

My child's sleep habits don't bother me. (So, they certainly shouldn't bother her or anyone else!) I love night nursing and co-sleeping and having my baby cuddling time. It makes all of us happy, and the one thing we regret is the 2 nights of CIO we tried with DD because we caved to all the comments. I don't expect my baby to sleep through the night. As they get older, they'll get there.

Really, it's a very short time in life when we can give our little ones so much comfort and security... And sometimes, CIO is detrimental because it denies these very feelings and needs our children express. American society pushes "sleeping through the night" as a badge of honor for parents. In other parts of the world, there is no pressure about babies sleeping through the night, breastfeeding is supported by society and maternity leave is 6 month to a year... If only we could have a little more of that around here!!

If it doesn't bother you, it shouldn't bother them. It took me a while to learn to speak up when criticized, but we're all happy with the sleeping arrangements. DD began sleeping in her own bed at 2 1/2.

No one lives your life, or does things the way you do. "Spoiling" a child with love and comfort is a parents job and makes the world we live in amazing!

PS - Love doesn't spoil a child, material things do!

[luvthefluff]

I agree 100%! i night nursed and co slept my ds untill 16 months when he weened and hes two now and sleeps all night in his own bed in his own room

[NWNative32]

Do whatever works for your family! We never did CIO with our DD or our DS, and end up co-sleeping most nights or early mornings. Quality sleep for everyone is the goal! DD is a very strong willed little girl and very independent. At the same time, she is also has a very good relationship with us and is empathetic towards others. My general response to critical people about our kids not doing things by a certain age (sleeping on their own, weaning, using the potty) is that my goal is to get it done by the time they leave for college . Yes it's sarcastic, but I try to make the point that they are still very young and they will grow into their own person in their own time.