Rock to Sleep? Or Cry to sleep?

I usually rock or hold them to sleep but I will admit I have let both of mine cry to sleep a few times. Only time I've done that is when I've gotten overwhelmed (my partner works evenings) while being poorly

Some of his friends even encourage this way of nurture and say their babies are healthy today

I feel like its a men thing 😬 as my partner tells me to do it sometimes

Personally I think it can depend on a lot of factors. I don’t personally think it is neglect, as a baby’s only way of communicating is crying, so essentially it’s just their way of telling you they are tired and with words it would sound different. Now don’t get me wrong if my son was screaming I’d pick him and soothe him if i was not overwhelmed etc and he needed it! But if I need 10 mins I will leave him, because that is safer for me and baby. If he is just fussing/crying and I recognise that he’s just tired and he’s been fed, burped and changed, then I do try and leave him sometimes so that he can learn to soothe himself otherwise ya ending up with a Velcro baby and that isn’t always an option! But at the end of the day each baby is different and every single parent works differently too, so there shouldn’t be any judgement to any parent as long as baby is cared for and is safe at the end of the day 🩷🩵

It honestly pains me to know my baby voice is being ignored and neglected I have since then not allowed my child to “cry it out”.

I dont have my little one yet, but I will say my parents would let me cry myself to sleep after maybe 4-6 months? Of course, this would be knowing I had been fed, changed, etc and I was crying for attention not out of a need for anything. I think it just depends on the parent

There’s other techniques you can practice if you want baby to self soothe but I’m sorry I don’t agree with crying it out, such an old, cruel method. All they want is cuddles and closeness.

Trust me, you won’t have a Velcro baby for cuddling them to sleep. My LO was a Velcro baby and then around 5/6 months she wanted to self soothe so we practiced self soothing techniques when I was next to her.

With my newborn, no I don’t believe crying it out is healthy. Studies explain they are crying for a purpose (diaper, food, temperature, itch, etc.) they aren’t trying to annoy you or make life harder, they simply cannot care for themselves. As they get older they may be crying from exhaustion or more complex reasons so it depends on how you feel. My mother try’s to tell me to let him cry it out (at 2 weeks old) and I just don’t agree, but hey momma at the end of the day it’s your baby, if you want to nurture you should.

i did a modified ferber method with my daughter when she was about 8-9 months, she would cry for 3-5 mins, and then i would go in and comfort her until she was soothed, then i would put her back down. now she’s 14 months and she cries for a minute or 2 and then lays down and falls asleep all by herself. babies cry to communicate so they could just be telling you they’re tired. the key for me was to note the difference between “im tired” and “i need something” cries. the “i need something” cries are much louder and assertive than “im tired”. if babe is freaking out then of course comfort your baby!! that’s “cry it out” to me is letting them scream and cry uncontrollably for an uncontrolled amount of time. crying for a few minutes is ok, it teaches them to self soothe while also reassuring that you will still come to get them♥️ would also depend on how small baby is!

Fully agree with you, it’s very wrong!!!

I agree that it’s wrong , I’ve said to many people who have said “just let her cry” that I don’t think they would enjoy crying then selves to sleep

I tried it once or twice because that’s what I thought I was supposed to do and help my baby fall asleep and stay asleep independently but I was so wrong. Now he’s 16 months and I’ve just stopped rocking to sleep and we can lay there and cuddle to sleep. Every thing comes with time

I agree with you. I have never, and will never be okay with the CIO method.

i feel like every baby is different honestly. i personally can’t just let my baby cry it out, it breaks my heart 😭 but i also understand some moms do what works for them. as long as baby is safe and loved that’s what matters 🤍

I will never let my child cry it out. We are biologically programmed as infants to require the sense of safety of our parents nearby during sleep because if babies were left alone in nature, they'd be exposed to the elements or predators. Some infants experience this need more than others. My son has always been rocked/cuddled/laid with to sleep, and with time, he's becoming more and more independent. Do what you have to do as long as baby is safe, but I won't do it. (outside of letting him cry for a max of 5 minutes when he was learning to fall back to sleep by himself)

I didn't read the long text. But my quick response is to rock to sleep. I cannot and never have let my baby cry to sleep.

I will never let my little one cry it out, my heart pangs even when she’s crying and I’m on the toilet for a bit. It lowers their cortisol when you respond and it’s found that even though people say you’re “spoiling them” it’s actually not it’s found factually that mothers that are constantly cuddling and engaging with their baby and responding helps them to be able to start regulating and leads them to be more independent as they get older because it’s taught them that someone will always be there for them and they don’t have to worry about being alone