# Will anyone admit to trying CIO with horrible regrets?



## Cutie Patootie (Feb 29, 2004)

I am ashamed to say that dh and I tried CIO before I was aware of Attachment Parenting. I get physically sick everytime I think about it. I have wanted to talk about it and tell my story so that other clueless mothers don't do the same thing to their sweet precious babes.

I was a nanny for 10+ years before we had ds. I always started with newborns, and I always did CIO when they were about 4 months old (by parents request). It is sad, but it always worked...first day they cried and fussed for maybe 15 minutes, with me running in and out...second day they fussed for maybe 5-10 minutes...third day, I layed them in the crib and they went to sleep with no crying or fussing. That worked with 3 babies.
When I was pregnant with ds, I said "he'll be sleeping in his own crib at 3 months"...I thought I knew better







.
Ds has always been a sweet baby with most mello temperment ever. We didn't actually hear him cry until he was 6 weeks old (from gas). We started CIO around 4 months, the whole running in and out of the room thing...My instincts kicked in and I couldn't stand it, so we decided to sit next to him in his crib and try and "soothe" him to sleep (with a pacifier...singing, rubbing his back, holding his hand...) It would take him forever to fall asleep and he wouldn't slow down his cry at all. He would cry until he just stopped and would sleep so soundly, it scared me. <tears> During the day, he was a different baby, he was sad all the time, and he stopped nursing himself to sleep or for comfort. I called my MIL and she said just keep going...I kept saying, how long is too long, how long is too long to cry? Maybe this isn't right for him. One night dh was up with him...he cried for 2 hours, nonstop, uke it makes me sick to think about it








I went upstairs and told dh we should stop, that it wasn't working...but he said maybe this was the last time and it would work? I went downstairs and cried and then started to search the internet for what to do...as if my own instincts were not good enough...I found a book called the NCSS and I bought it off of Amazon.com and downloaded it right then. I read the first chapter like lightening and got to the part about how the CIO baby feels...I ran upstairs and ds had just gone to sleep. I was sick with what we had done. After I read some of the book to dh, we both ran upstairs and took him out of his crib and cried and said how sorry we were and that we would never do it again. I wish he understood us. We slept with him in our bed from that time on. It took a really long time for him to get back to his old self. He is still very sensative and hasn't nursed himself to sleep since that incident. He also won't nurse for comfort anymore, he only wants his pacifier.









If only I had listened to my own gut feelings. All I knew was what people told me, and I wasn't strong enough for my own baby to do it differently. It has been almost 5 months since then and I still feel like we emotionally abused him, and that he is different because of it. I can't forgive myself...and I will never put another baby through that again.
Maybe this will change the minds of other parents considering CIO...don't put your most precious possession through such a heartless act.
I love my little guy with all my heart, and I always have...I just listened to other peoples opinions and not my heart, and I have to live with that. Some people might think I am way overdramatizing this but I know the damage that CIO can do...so here is someone saying, "DON'T LET YOUR BABY CIO!"


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## Suzetta (Dec 21, 2003)

One time, when dd was a couple of months old, I came home from the grocery store, and she was very contently sleeping in her carseat. I decided that this time I would unload the groceries from the trunk and carry them up, while she was asleep, so that she would not have to get impatient as she usually did while I was unpacking. I was gone for LESS than 2 minutes. When I came back she was so frightened, crying terribly. I felt awful. It took me a long time to forgive myself for this incident. But, you go on and learn from your mistakes. No parent is perfect, and you must trust that the love and affection you give them on a regular basis will overpower those times we use bad judgement.

Also, I would like to add that dh did want to try CIO once. Of course it failed terribly. Our baby so used to getting tons of love and affection...it is silly to expect her to all of the sudden go without. Anyhow, I guess he needed to see it for himself. Sometimes when you are sleep deprived and desperately need sleep, you are willing to try things that don't make a bit of sense while awake. I refused to leave the room, I was there with her, and I picked her up immediately as soon as she went from a soft cry to a louder one, so I don't feel too terrible about it. DH had to see that our baby is too smart for a technique like that. I am so proud of my little girl for standing up for herself and stating her opinion on the whole thing! Now she sleeps either in bed with me or in her crib which attached to the side of my bed with a missing side. She can snuggle mommy whenever she wants.









I think the babies who CIO effectively belong to parents who tend not to pick them up on a regular basis. I have a friend who truly believes picking up her children when they cry is a huge mistake. She even instructed her dh not to pick the babies up when they cry. CIO worked wonderfully for her.

Not the type of mama I want to be.


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## Cutie Patootie (Feb 29, 2004)

Up until we tried CIO we held ds all the time, even for naps. I think that is why he took it so badly, he just couldn't understand what was going on and why he was being so neglected.









I keep wondering, after taking care of babies for so many years, why I never heard of AP? I wish I had.

I am all for ...when you know better, you do better...


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## perditafoster (Sep 30, 2003)

to you mama...thanks for sharing such painful memories. Hopefully your post will help someone else make the decision not to ever use CIO, no matter how tempting. And I'm sure your little boy will be just fine...babies are resilient and he knows that you love him and you're sorry....somehow my dd manages to forgive me every time I screw up


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## TeaBag (Dec 18, 2003)

My ds was so needy as a baby. He was/is very spirited, but on top of that, he had undiagnosed food allergies. EVERY time I put him down, he would cry and cry. I kept taking him to the doctor, saying "I know something is wrong!" and I kept getting told that he was crying because I was holding him so much. It was all MY fault that he cried like that. Then, of course, there were the well-meaning friends, the parents, the inlaws, it seemed everywhere I looked, I was being told I was doing everything wrong, I held him, I let him nurse to sleep, I carried him everywhere, I let him sleep on me (literally, laying on my chest with a boob in his mouth!) I found myself crying myself to sleep every night, I though he hated me, I thought I'd made the biggest mistake in my life, the decision to have a baby, the decision to become a mommy....how could my own child hate me so much??? At about 5 months, we decided to try CIO. I remember, I was posting on a SAHM board, and they all told me it would be the best thing I could do, he would learn to sleep without me, I could at least take a shower more than once every 3-4 days, etc, etc, etc. He cried. He cried for a long time. He screamed. I cried. He screamed some more. I cried harder. I kept telling myself that I was doing it "for his own good!" (whatever the hell that means!)...After about an hour, he threw up all over himself and I gave it up. I ran in there, and held him and cried with him and promised him I'd never leave him alone again....

The very next day, I went on a search for a new support group. I found an AP board. I read more and more about AP. It just made such sense to me. Follow those instincts. Trust your child. Trust in your own ability to take care of your child. RELAX....

And to this day, the sound of one of my children crying makes me physically ill....and I still cringe and want to cry when I remember what I put ds through. My poor little baby. And you can only imagine how horrible I felt when it was discovered that he had food allergies as well. Of course, this was closer to a year old, and I insisted on the testing, and wasn't really surprised by the fact that he had allergies, just the extent of them!! And amazingly enough, when I eliminated all traces of all the allergens from my diet, he slept a record 3 hours!!!!

Reliving this and sharing it in the hopes that another mama who's doubting herself can realize that she is capable of taking care of her child, no matter what the "others" are saying, that she *should* follow those instincts, she has them for a reason...because SHE is that baby's mother.


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## Gidget (Aug 31, 2002)

I tried once with ds1. It lasted all of maybe a minute. I could not do it. However, there are times when I have to let baby cry, especially with three kids and little help. Such as when I am in the middle of"taking care of business" or anything else I cannot stop immediately. It does not help that he is a screecher. But I do go to him asap.

Ginger


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## hipumpkins (Jul 25, 2003)

Thank you mamas!! The CIO stories brought tears to my eyes and it was so brave of you to sare them. My biggest CIO regret wasn't a bedtime issue. It was Thanksgiving and DD was just about amonth old. We were at IL's house and DD was in a little seat thing they got for her. I was misererable having her on that seat and not in my arms. Then she started crying and MIL said, "She is fine...blah blah she isn't hungry yuou just fed her..it is good for her" I couldn't eat with her so sad so finally I picked her up and MIL was as usual exasperated with me. I am still mad at myself to this day for not gettting DD immediately.


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## StarMama (Jun 25, 2002)

I appreciate everyone sharing their stories. Its very good timing for me, because Dh is pushing for us to "just try" CIO. I won't do it, and I'm looking for more reasons to tell him no (to try to get him to agree with me). So thank you all for sharing!


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## Paddington (Aug 25, 2003)

when ds was a couple of months old i was taking him to work with me. i was on my way to pick up my dh and ds started crying. it was one freeway exit--i figured i could take it. well, who counted on the bunch of traffic. by the time i got to my dh's work ds was screaming at the top of his lungs and covered in sweat. it was horrible.







i grabbed him and held him and wouldn't let him go for a good 20 minutes, even though he had finally fallen asleep in exhaustion.

my ds is now 11 months and last month we thought we would try to see if he would go to his own bed (we co-sleep) and that was another disaster. i stayed with him and sang to him and rubbed his back for 2 hours before he finally fell asleep. he was awake again within the hour. no one got sleep that night. since then we got a bigger bed and things have been much better


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## Bearsmama (Aug 10, 2002)

Thanks for sharing, ladies. I have never let DS CIO, but I had to share what I *think* are pretty horrible results that a friend has gotten from CIO.

Oh, I should say that she is pretty PROUD of this. I'm not kidding.

She has two kids. One is 2.5, the other is 4 mos. With both, at around 3-4 mos she has let them CIO. She just shared with me that she "knows so much better this time around with her baby" that she was able to 'help' him learn to sleep faster. She has already let him CIO and he is currently sleeping 9-11 hours straight at night! WOO-HOO! I, personally, don't think it's NORMAL for a newborn to sleep this long. Plus, she is nursing him. SO,we'll have to see what the ill effects are with the baby.

BUT with her 2.5 yo-he started developing a stomach bug in the middle of the night a few weeks ago. She said that she thought she heard him coughing a bit, but didn't check on him. He apparently was throwing up and was so scared to wake his parents that he got out of his crib, got box of tissues on his own, and tried cleaning himself up. She was impressed by all this. Sounds great to me! Teach your beloved that when he needs help to HELP HIMSELF-even when just a tot. And that mommy and dadday aren't REALLY there for you!

Don't get me wrong-our co-sleeping arrangement has been VERY CHALLENGING at times. But I can't imagine ignoring his cries and needs-even at this ripe old age of 26 mos.


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## MamaAllNatural (Mar 10, 2004)

With my first baby I felt that everywhere I turned CIO was recommended, required, was what even natural mothers did. When ds#1 was four months old, I caved.







I wish so much I could turn back time and do it over again. I can't even put into words the regret I feel over it. As a matter of fact, he's 5 1/2 now & I'm still so ashamed and guilty over doing it that I wasn't even going to post! I only shared my story in the hopes of stopping someone else from doing this to their baby.


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## ima062002 (Mar 23, 2004)

I agree with you that CIO is not a good idea but don't beat yourself up on it. Babies are more resillient than we think, just think about all the babies who are us now - whose moms were told that CIO is the only way to do things.

My own mom was proud that she let me cry all night when we got back from the hospital!!! Her mom thought it was barbaric but mine told her that this is what you are supposed to do and besides I need my nights sleep. So I was breastfeed every four hours and not a minute before - and not during the night... And you know what? I turned out pretty OK







.

So don't worry about having harmed him. Whatever sadness he might have felt, you are all making up for it now.

Patricia


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## QueenMadge (Mar 25, 2004)

Please dont beat yourself up over this. You were a new mom doing what you thought was the right thing. I never was able to let my babies cio. I did discuss it with my husband but we just couldnt do it. We did recieve that advice as well. Most new parents do. Your baby will know and does know that you love him. Learning not to listen to well meant or otherwise intended advice is one of the most difficult things as a new parent. I trusted my inner voice most of the time and when I didnt is the few times I've had regret over my parenting. There are things we would do differently when we look back on things. I would have not entered my oldest or our other son for that matter in school for kindergarden for instance. I would not have accepted the things the teachers said so easily if I had listened to myself first. You are way ahead in your parenting skills if you know that there are options out there to just about every situation. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Blessings
Margot


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## Cutie Patootie (Feb 29, 2004)

Thanks so much for your stories and support!








It has taken me some time to come to peace with some of my earlier decisions, but I am working on it, and making up for it by loving ds to pieces! I told dh today, too bad we don't get a practice baby first, so the first baby doesn't get all the experimenting. He said, "that's probably why people leave everything to their first-born...to make up for all the mess ups...":LOL


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## QueenMadge (Mar 25, 2004)

Maybe so! We have already decided if we have anything to "leave" they get it equally. Hubby and I both come from very dysfunctional backgrounds and it is a wonder why we are as good of parents as we are, but if I learned nothing else I learned what I did not want to be as a parent and that in itself saved us from repeating some horrible things with our own children. Personally, I am also grateful to have the opportunity to raise our sons as well as we can. They are amazing people and it is a priveledge to be a part of their growing up.
Practice babies would be really good.lol
Margot


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## MamaAllNatural (Mar 10, 2004)

Quote:

_Originally posted by MySweetTruman_
*I told dh today, too bad we don't get a practice baby first, so the first baby doesn't get all the experimenting. He said, "that's probably why people leave everything to their first-born...to make up for all the mess ups...":LOL*
:LOL I have always felt like this too. The poor first babies are the experiments, the ones you learn all your mistakes with. It's so sad. But your husband's comment is just too funny! Maybe they do all deserve to be left with everything! It's true, all my Mothering regrets (so far) are things I did with my first.







Hmmm, please excuse me while I go re-write my will...


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## boycrazy (Feb 13, 2004)

The quote about the poor 1st child. Yup Yup Yup Pressure from the "other world" is very strong,but what I'm always happy to see is that I find supportive poeple in very unlikely places.I surround myself with them and not others that will bring me down.


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## Alvenchrst (Feb 3, 2003)

Thanks for being so honest. I agree with every one hear that you needn't feel guilty. We all do things we regret and fell guilty over, that is a normal part of motherhood.

I did use a very mild form CIO with my son but i feel no guilt, nor ever have. I think the reason for this is that we started when he was a wee little one and he would just whimper for 5-10 min or less then go to sleep. At 3 1/2 months he would just suck his thumb and put him self to sleep. There was no trauma, or hours of screaming involved. I do think though that many of you with horror stories about CIO I would also have a hard time listening to my child do the same. Some talk about sleep training as this awful thing, but i think we all sleep train our kids. Wether it is training them gently to fall asleep on their own, or getting them accoustomed to rocking or nursing to fall asleep. I think the problem comes when people have rocked or nursed their baby to sleep for 6 months, or a year, or more, then all the sudden try CIO with obvious horrible results. You child is like, hey, this isn't what I'm used to, this is not how we do things. I think the older they are, the harder it is. I think you have to commit to one or the other. If you want to rock or nurse your baby to sleep, then plan on doing it for a long while, and visa versa. I hope that makes sense and that I did not offend any one.

Edited to add: I think it is great that you followed your instinct. I sounds like you have a very sensitive little one. It is really good to know your own child and what may have worked for those babies you nannied may not work for yur children. It is all about knowing your child and what is best for them. I also wanted to say, not to defend CIO, but hopefully to help you in your own healing, that what happend with you was not emotional abuse. Any Dr. or pediatric Psyciatrist would agree. Maybe your son will not nurse to sleep any more because you half trained him not to when that whole incident happened. He probably isn't scared, just trained to do diferently.


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## guestmama9924 (Mar 16, 2002)

When my dd was about 4 months old, my dh and I went to our Ped appt ( one of the last I might add) and to my suprise my dh springs " how can we get her to go to sleep at a bedtime?"







to my Pediatrician. Up until that point, I would nurse, and rock and nurse and cuddle and nurse and hold- I don't recall complaining....so the Ped tells us about the Ferber method, of putting her in a crib, crying, check in 5 min, blah blah blah....I immed say " she is not tired at 8pm, that won't work" and Ped says " if it doesn't work in 3 days I will come babysit for you ( he lived a few doors down)
So that night I nursed her, put her in my bed-cosleeper and went out to the couch. She SCREAMED and I start crying and dh persuades me to stick with it. It was just like that lame a$$ episode of Mad About You.








My pooor little Mallory! I still feel guilt, but out of that experience came even MORE determination to AP both my girls and they both still sleep with me ( ages 8 and 3). Yes she cried it out, yes in 3 nights it was automatic with no crying but big fat hairy f*#@ing deal that my dh got to watch tv in peace. UGH!
The upside ( if there was one) is that even though I Ferberized my first child, she still nursed and slept in our bed and was cloth diped/sling carried and other methods that were and still are dear to my heart.
Mamas don't ever be talked into something you feel is wrong.
DH now regrets it too, and basically gives me NO input anymore ( just the way I want it!)


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## thistle (Aug 10, 2002)

In an act of desperation I did try CIO once. Dd was never a good sleeper. I only lasted 45 seconds, which was about 25 seconds longer than she usually cried before she was picked up. I'm sure there are no lasting effects on her.

thistle


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## Alvenchrst (Feb 3, 2003)

That's cute thistle.







It is good to know what works for yu and to start doing it from the beginning and keep doing it all the way through. Start as you mean to go on!


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## Faye (Jun 17, 2002)

I tried something a little different. We nursed and co slept until she was almost two. Then I couldn't take it anymore. A king size bed with just me and her in it and I still wasn't getting a good nights sleep. I tried the CIO in a regular bed on the floor. I explained it to her during the day and did the whole bedtime ritual and then left. She cried but sort of half heartedly, like she was just complaining. Then she slept all night for the first time, like, ever. It worked great until she realized she can climb out of the bed. What am I going to do, lock her in her room? Now she's two and a half and back in our bed, which doesn't bother me at all. I felt a little better about letter her CIO because she was older, but it still sucked.

Also, don't beat yourself up. We are all doing the best we can! LOL.


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## Alstrameria (Sep 8, 2002)

Once, for a nap. She was overtired and wouldn't settle. I felt like I was going to lose it, so I left and put earplugs in. When I realized how absolutely stupid that was I took them out and checked on her - she had fallen asleep. I felt awful, really awful. That's how I know for certain that I wanted nothing to do with CIO. I found this site and kept on going









Jen

That was dd1 btw.


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## Paddington (Aug 25, 2003)

funny, Alstrameria, i actually ready somewhere about doing something like that in times of frustration. when you are about to lose it and can't get your sweet babe to calm down, to take a break from the situation by putting them somewhere safe and walking away for a few minutes. i guess it is supposed to prevent frustrated parents from beating their children.


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## monkey's mom (Jul 25, 2003)

Yep--did it, regret it, won't EVER do it again! Best thing I ever did was bring that child into my bed.

And that's all I have to say about that right now!


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## onlyboys (Feb 12, 2004)

Quote:

BUT with her 2.5 yo-he started developing a stomach bug in the middle of the night a few weeks ago. She said that she thought she heard him coughing a bit, but didn't check on him. He apparently was throwing up and was so scared to wake his parents that he got out of his crib, got box of tissues on his own, and tried cleaning himself up. She was impressed by all this. Sounds great to me! Teach your beloved that when he needs help to HELP HIMSELF-even when just a tot. And that mommy and dadday aren't REALLY there for you!
This brought me to tears.









Amanda


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## MamaAllNatural (Mar 10, 2004)

That just breaks my heart.


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

T Alstrameria, Sophie and Evelyn are ANGELS! I clicked your link and I was like "Awwwwwwwww!"







Such cute babies!


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## Bearsmama (Aug 10, 2002)

It broke my heart to hear it, too, ladies. When the mom re-told this story she said it very matter-of-factly. No remorse, no regret, no shame.

It's one thing to choose to do this CIO thing (which, of course, I would not choose myself), and it's another, really, to sort of brag about the results.

Yuck. Makes me really sad, too.


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## bubbles (Jul 26, 2002)

We tried soooo hard with ds to put him down in his bassinette early on and let him go to sleep. We did it over and over and it never worked. WE thought we should start as we intended to go on, but ds had a completely different idea. We resorted to rocking/bouncing to sleep while standing up 'cause that is all that worked. We got sucked in by all of the books and tried cio one night. Can't bear to go into the whole story as I am still hurt by what we did. Only tried it once. Then we went back to trying to put him down on his own. Did paci, back rubbing, etc. and nothing worked. Believe me mamas, we really tried hard. I was dead set he would sleep on his own. Out of desperation we found ap and found the peace that we needed in our home. We did what our ds needed and learned to live with his own cycles. I hate cio and wish noone would do it. I also hope I never have to hear anyone else tell me that if I just start something early enough and teach my baby it will work. We tried from day one and had definite expectations and all of the feedback we got from books and other people just showed that they never dealt with a child like mine. My opinion on cio, getting baby to sleep on their own, whatever, is that it works fine if your child is wired for it. I felt like a failure as a parent as I read these books and stupidly listened to people because nothing worked until we found ap. Some kids just don't respond and I am so thankful that I found a method that respects that and respects me as a parent. Can you tell I have very strong opinions on this?


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## nichole (Feb 9, 2004)

Quote:

_Originally posted by bubbles_
*We tried soooo hard with ds to put him down in his bassinette early on and let him go to sleep. We did it over and over and it never worked. WE thought we should start as we intended to go on, but ds had a completely different idea.*
thanks for sharing this. i ignored that advice and now ppl are so sure that it is my fault that ds doesnt fall asleep on his own. very annoying,







:

i'm gkad to say that he was held like 24/7 as a newborn, but he can entertain himself quite well now. i think its just his personality.


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## raleigh_mom (Jan 11, 2004)

I tried CIO a few times with DD1. Never even tried with DD2. The last time I tried it with DD1 was when she was an infant and that day she happened to have a scab on her chin from a bad scratch the day before. While I was in the living room trying to let her CIO for a nap, she proceeded to scratch off the scab. Imagine my horror when I went in after 5 mins and she was covered in tears, runny nose, and blood.

Never again. Didn't even put up a crib for DD2.


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## bubbles (Jul 26, 2002)

Quote:

_Originally posted by nichole_
*thanks for sharing this. i ignored that advice and now ppl are so sure that it is my fault that ds doesnt fall asleep on his own. very annoying,







:

i'm gkad to say that he was held like 24/7 as a newborn, but he can entertain himself quite well now. i think its just his personality.*
I am glad it helped. I get so tired of people telling me it is because I did not try something soon enough, hard enough, etc. I had definite ideas about how things would work and, boy did ds tell us differently! I really feel strongly that when sleep training, schedules, etc. work well for a family it is because the child was wired that way, not because that is how the family decided it would work.


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## Lucysmama (Apr 29, 2003)

I just want to say thanks for all the stories mamas...I bet some of those were not easy to share.


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## Morgraine (Mar 1, 2004)

I bowed to pressure to "just let him CIO" at 6 months. He cried in his room in his crib by himself for over two hours. What was I thinking, That KID IS GOING TO SLEEP IN HIS CRIB . . . What was I feeling? Anger, frustration, sadness, desparation, and totally disconnected from THAT KID.
When I finally went in his little body was rigid, he was covered in barf, he had picia around his eyes from crying, I think he was in shock. Of course when I saw him, I felt sick. What the hell was I thinking? I had assumed because I knew that he was tired that eventually he would cry himself to sleep. Wrong.
I learned some valuable lessons that day.
In order to let your child CIO you must disconnect - but when will you reconnect?
Follow your gut, most times when mothering is difficult for me I stop and look around. I ALWAYS find that when I am having a hard time it is because I am not respecting my childs needs and he is reacting. When I change my perspective, the situation often resolves itself naturally.

The CIO session led to ds crying if he even looked at his crib, so we took it down. He was despartely clingy for weeks following.
In truth, I feel bad about the whole situation but I don't carry it with me. Feeling guilty does nothing to enrich my relationship with ds and so I choose to let it go. I am a good mom. Made a mistake, learned a lesson, lived to tell about it. All is well.

Peace


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## CerridwenLorelei (Aug 28, 2002)

in a way it was forced on me and I knew nothing of AP then
I was young, in the midst of emotional rollercoaster-having a baby while getting divorced
being treated like dirt being 19
I had to live with my parents a bit again
The 'leave him alone it builds his lungs"
" he needs to know you won't be there every time he cries-and you know what THAT one stuck for a long time
I was even SAT ON to keep from going to pick him up

Years later when he was around 9/10 he told me ' you know why I didn't cry much when I was scared or hurt when I was little? I knew you wouldn't be there








Can you imagine that poor baby having a nightmare and I never knew because he just sucked it up or whimpered in his pillow???
I don't think I will ever get over the guilt

I asked my mother once HOW could you do that to me so I in turn did it to him? She said your gma did it to me and it was all I knew...

We still have some damage to undo but we have been working on it for 12 years
He is 17 now...and when he hears babies cry in the store he whispers to me "PICK UP THAT BABY "


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## MamaAllNatural (Mar 10, 2004)

I'm so sorry to hear what you and your son went through.


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## steff (Apr 7, 2004)

To me it is like this, if your child is crying there is a reason. To let them cry and not attend to them is cruel. I have never let my children cry in thier beds for more than 3 min. I have 1 child that sleeps with me at night. My youngest sleeps on her own fine and my middle child is starting to want to sleep with me. Ages are 3,2 and 1.

I trully feel that all children go through the stage of needing to be close to thier mother at night time. This comfort should not be ignored because it is a inconvenience for you. Eventually your child will sleep on thier own if they are in your bed. I wouldn't be scared to sleep with them. My three year old is on her way to her own bed slowly but surly with alot of encouragement that she is a big girl now. The more I encourage it the more she wants it but I do not force it.

Just my thoughts on what works for me and them. If cio works for others than fine but I don't believe in it.

Steff


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## Cutie Patootie (Feb 29, 2004)

steff, this is a thread for mothers "who tried cio with regrets", meaning they don't think it is right either but did what they knew how to do at the time and now realize that there was a better way. It is a thread meant to let other mamas know what we went through and to try to discourage other mamas from doing CIO. Thanks for voicing your opinion.







These stories were very hard to share...and to hear, and I know that they have already helped other mamas who were considering CIO at the end of their rope.


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## steff (Apr 7, 2004)

Sorry I thought I was refering to not doing it, that I am against it.
I did try it with the first and hated it. Thats why she is still in my bed because I won't force her to sleep on her own and cry all night. But I figured if someone who believes in cio was reading this, it would change thier minds about it.


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## Cutie Patootie (Feb 29, 2004)




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