How Long Should a Baby Cry When Going to Sleep?
Other People Are Reading
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Allow the Baby to Cry for Only a Few Minutes
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Penelope Leach, author of "Your Baby and Child," argues that a baby should be attended to when he wakes up crying or if he has trouble falling asleep on his own. She argues that a baby left to cry and settle to sleep by himself will feel less secure. She advises parents to continue to go back into the nursery when the baby cries, reassure him by kissing and patting his belly, and leaving the room again. She warns against picking the baby up and bringing him out of the nursery, as this can become another obstacle to independence. The idea is to help the baby feel secure and confident so he can fall asleep on his own.
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Cry it Out
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Other theorists believe in allowing a baby to soothe herself until she falls asleep. Dr. Richard Ferber, creator of "The Ferber Method," advises parents to put the baby to bed while she is awake, and then wait a certain amount of time before comforting her if she is crying. On the first day of using The Ferber Method, the parents should initially wait five minutes before interfering, then 10, then 15, and finally 20. On the second day, the parent should begin consoling the child at 10 minutes, and extend the child's crying no longer than 25 minutes.
Bottom Line
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It is accepted that a bedtime routine and putting the baby to bed while he is still awake will alleviate some of his crying before sleeping. Most major sleep theories advise that, when a parent does console the child, he should not be picked up or moved out of the bedroom, as this will only prolong the crying in the long term. While some parents choose to comfort immediately, others allow the child to cry for a certain amount of time before providing attention.
References
- Photo Credit Sleeping baby image by Radoslav Stoilov from Fotolia.com
