"Cry It Out" - Santa Fe,NM

I prefer the attachment method since when we tried the cry it out method I got so stressed out plus our son didn't seem to respond very well (he cried longer) I have friends who have used the cry it out method, and it worked for them. As far as the attachment method goes, it just felt better to me. I will say that it seemed to be a lot more work, especially with our first child than our second. With our first, I really didn't get any sleep (up every 3 hours) until I night-weaned him at 9 months. For me it was still the right choice, though.

Hello A.,
It's really difficult as a mom when "professional" advice can be both convincing and contradictory. I held mine when he was little, if I were upset and crying I would want someone (my husband or mom) to hold me. Sometimes it was tiring and frustrating, in which case I would set him down to take a break. You don't have to pick on method or another, you can alternate, combine, and edit for you and your baby's own needs.

Check out this link from an episode I happen to see on Oprah, really intersting on the language of babies...it could help,

http://www.oprah.com/tows/slide/200611/20061113/slide_200...

http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200611/tows_past_2006...

-S.

I'm not a big believer in letting a baby cry it out. Because a child is not verbal, there is some distress when they don't stop crying. I always nursed, or let my kids sleep in our bed. I never let them get to the point of hysteria.

By the way, there is nothing wrong with letting your child sleep with you. Our first did until she was five and our 2 year old does now. She loves it. She wouldn't fall asleep anywhere else, not even her sister's bedroom! I'm not sure what the stigma is in this country and why parents put children in separate bedrooms. I almost sense moms are embarrassed to ask if it's OK, whenever that issue comes up on this site. I would think it would be scary for a child to be alone in a room. I also would never leave either one of my kids alone in the first couple of years. I was terrified of either one of them rolling over on her tummy and not being able to breathe, i.e. SIDS.

I have recently heard from 2 different sources that Crying releases stress hormones in the brain and deprives the brain of oxygen. I somewhat recall that development of the brain is hindered by excessive crying. Not to mention that crying is dehydrating and exhausting.

I think a lot of people do well finding a balance somewhere between the two. I did.