I let my baby 'cry it out.'

 But not in the way you might think. As most mommies that know me know, I was TOTALLY against the CIO method. For the last 2 months Carter has been giving my 'gentle' parenting style a true run for it's money, when it came to night waking. Things had gotten so bad that Carter ( a fully fed and satified baby ) was waking ever 45 mins at night. He would fall asleep nursing or only being held and the moment he was placed in his crib... BOOM wide awake and not interested at all in "sleepy time."

I started thinking that there was no point to going to bed myself, because I would go to sleep to be woken up minutes later. This pattern ineveitably was going to catch up with me, and who was going to suffer? My teeny insomiac son. Instead I got serious about researching sleep training. (I still cringe at that thought. He's only 5 months, what am I doing thinking I should be training him so young?) But I knew if I didn't try to fix this night issue, my 'gentle' techniques would turn to that of an Ogar.

So, I spoke with my sisters and other moms, and did extensive research online. I realised that CIO didn't mean leaving your baby to fend for itself. Left to cry in a dark, lonely, scary room, to figure out that crying wouldn't get him anywhere. It was not to have my baby end up feeling issolated and abandoned. Nor was it to leave him for hours alone, in hopes of him "figuring" it out. The true CIO method is actually quite reasonable and so far, working for Carter and me.

I recognize that Carter is only demanding me so much at night, because he can. He knows if he cries, I'll come sweepng him up and put him to the breast. Or walk around with him singing him back to sleep. (who wouldn't want that?) So, after following our same familliar and sucessful bedtime routine, I lay Carter in his crib awake, kiss him and tell him I love him. Leave the room. He falls asleep fine the first time.

During the night I started letting him cry with me by his side, with a calm voice I tell him "It's time to sleep now, shhhh, time to close your eyes" and brush his cheeks with my fingers. Once he is calm I leave the room. If he cries, I allow 2 minutes to go by before I go back in and do the same thing. Gently reminding him that is time to sleep, and give him his soother. After going back into his room 3 times, my little guy usually takes his soother for the final time and falls asleep. I go through this 2-3 times a night, and it only last for about 5-10 mins. VS the hours spent trying to rock him or nurse him to sleep that clearly wasn't working.

I am hoping this new technique will benefit both my son and myself, and keep working. If not, I'll try something new. But for now, I am happy that I've learned the 'real' way to properly introduce the CIO method. I am optomistic.

Cross your fingers.