C-I-O

So, we've started doing the cry-it-out method. Yikes. We had no problem putting her to bed...except that we rocked her to sleep every night and eventually that is going to be a problem...

Whoops - 3 minutes is up...I'll be right back....

Okay - this SUCKS. I feel terrible letting her cry-SCREAM when I leave the room. Ugh.

We are motivated to do this now because a colleague of mine disclosed that his 2-year-old has uncontrollable tantrums because she never learned to "self-soothe" because she was rocked to sleep every night. UGH. Dahlia is SO TIRED right now and yet she just screams if she doesn't fall asleep in our arms. *sigh* I feel so bad when I go in there and she has little tears running down her face and she looks at me with those eyes that say "you're going to pick me up, right?"

*sigh*

It's hard. H.A.R.D. But I know ultimately she will be okay. Last night she did a 3 minute (go back into the room after 3 minutes), 5 minute and 1 10 minute. We didn't hear another peep out of her til almost 6:30 this morning. It's just so hard to sit here in the next room and listen to her, when I mostly just want to hold her and rock her to sleep.

:(

Comments

MamaD4 said…
It is terribly hard, especially with your first, but try to remember that you're doing her a favor (and yourself, as well!). Hang in there, you're doing the right thing. Have two beers, if it makes you feel better :)
1:11 AM
Meigan said…
Hang in there, babe. It's tough, but I can't agree more that it's the best thing for the kids to be able to calm themselves down.

Now if I could get my kids to stop expecting a book before bed each night! I can just see them at college - "Mom, can you call my cell and read Where the Wild Things Are? I can't get to sleep!"
8:50 AM
Cellomama said…
It is so, so hard, but I don't know anyone who wasn't relieved when they got through it. It took us too long to do it at bedtime, and it took me WAY too long to do it to get her over the 5AM feeding. It feels terrible at the time, but you will look back and be glad you did it.

Hang tough. She'll be OK. So will you. :-)
10:32 AM
Nanette said…
Eeek! I can imagine that that's really tough.

And now I know that we'll have to move out of our condo before we try the CIO methor or else our neighbors may lose it.
11:58 AM
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