What does crying mean? - Safe Sleep Academy (2024)

FAQs

What is the cry method for sleep training? ›

This is a type of graduated extinction sleep training. You let your child cry for set periods but come back to offer comfort at certain intervals. Developed by pediatrician and sleep expert Richard Ferber, this method involves coming back into your child's room at timed check-ins that gradually grow longer each night.

Sometimes referred to as controlled comforting, controlled crying is a sleep training method where caregivers allow a young child to fuss or cry for gradually increasing increments of time before returning to comfort them, in order to encourage a little one to learn to self-soothe and fall asleep on their own.

It's never easy to hear your baby cry, so it's quite common to wonder if leaving a baby to cry could damage their brain development or emotional health. Rest assured that crying it out isn't harmful to your little one and won't do any damage.

Cry it out method

Coming into your child's room to give them hugs and reassurance might be all the attention they need to fuss throughout the night. Because in the end, they know you're going to keep coming in the room. With the cry it out method, you don't re-enter the room, no matter how much they cry.

When I asked her how a baby should be allowed to cry during sleep training, her typical advice to clients is 45 minutes. That's the average amount of time a baby spends crying on the first night of sleep training.

After your usual bedtime routine, put your baby in her cot, sleepy but awake. Give her a kiss and say "It's time for sleep now. Goodnight", before leaving the room. If your baby cries for you, experts suggest that you let her cry for a short interval of between two minutes and 10 minutes, before going to comfort her.

Yes, research does seem to show that letting your baby cry for a short, predictable spell has no adverse stress responses and no long-term harmful effects on your child's emotions or behaviour. But it's really important, says Rachel, to make sure you: Don't use controlled crying on a baby younger than 6 months old.

There's nothing wrong with crying, but if you want to try to manage your tears, there are some things you can try: Focus on taking slow, deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. This may help you relax, which could also stop the flow of tears.

Of the few studies that have looked at the short- to longer-term outcomes of sleep training, none have found an effect on a baby's attachment or mental health.

Babies express their needs through crying. Letting babies "cry it out" is a form of need-neglect that leads to many long-term effects. The "cry it out" method releases stress hormones, impairs self-regulation, and undermines trust.

What is the best sleep training method? ›

Fading Method

The fading sleep training method is one of the best sleep training methods for some. To use this method, you take what techniques you normally use to get your baby to fall asleep – rocking, soothing, singing, babywearing, etc. — and you start to lessen the time you spend doing them to “fade” them out.

As long as your baby isn't hungry, sick or injured, it's fine to leave your baby to cry for an hour or more, this is an essential aspect of the Cry It Out sleep training method. While we understand it's hard to hear your baby cry, rest assured that crying does not hurt your baby.

Experts share that while various methods state you can start CIO as early as 3 to 4 months old (sometimes younger), it may be more developmentally appropriate to wait until your baby is over 4 months old. Some CIO methods go by a child's weight as a recommendation on when to start. Others go purely by age.

The 5 3 3 rule is a sleep training method that involves setting specific intervals for sleep. The method involves having the child sleep for 5 hours, followed by 3 hours of awake time, and then 3 hours of sleep again.

But if your baby is tired, they should fall asleep quickly. After 3 hours, contact your doctor. Crying nonstop for too long likely means there's something wrong. If no amount of soothing seems to work and they aren't crying it out, your doctor can provide guidance.