Have you ever been able to put a crying child to bed with the confidence that they’ll go back to sleep on their own again after a few minutes? Many parents have tried various cry-it-out methods, but it’s not something that works for everyone.
Some children simply can’t handle being left alone and will continue to cry until someone comes back. Others are happy to be left alone for a bit – but only for ten or twenty minutes. In order to figure out which approach will work best with your child, you first need some good cry-it-out method books.
There are many different types of books on this topic; some simply offer advice about how long you should leave them alone before coming back quickly; others give detailed instructions on how long you should leave them again and again until they learn not to call out anymore when they get scared.
There are also a few more unusual techniques, such as making the child believe they have magical powers that make it impossible for anyone else to hear them cry. We’ve reviewed the most popular books on this subject here so that you can pick the right one right away.
- The Sleepeasy Solution: The exhausted parent’s guide to getting your child to sleep – from birth to 5
Known as America’s foremost sleep experts, Jill Spivack and Jennifer Waldburger provide parents with the critical components for success: a personalized sleep plan, clear step-by-step instructions, and lots of emotional support. One of the best sleep training books for the cry it out method, but with a less cry approach that ensures healthy sleep patterns are developed rapidly without assumptions or guilt.
In this book, you will learn how to teach your child to sleep through the night and take regular naps; how to say goodbye to early morning wakings, how to resolve bedtime battles, and how to handle typical issues like teething, illness, travel, and managing multiple siblings. Parents who are troubled by the idea of their children crying it out will find this book comforting. This book takes a gentle approach that prioritizes your baby’s well-being.
- On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep
Pediatrician Robert Bucknam, M.D., and his co-author Gary Ezzo are among the world’s foremost experts on infant management concepts. Over six million parents from all 50 states have adopted this revised 5th edition that has been translated into 20 languages. One of the best sleep training books becomes the go-to resource for everyone in the family to synchronize their baby’s feedings, waking periods, and nocturnal sleep cycles so that everyone gets a good night’s sleep. Throughout the book, the authors demonstrate how order and stability, which are closely associated with a newborn’s metabolism, can be leveraged by parents to help their children succeed. It analyses the impact of parental routine or lack thereof on an infant’s physiology. There are some sleep training methods in the book that involve crying, but the authors also suggest a schedule that may not work for everyone. What do you think? Put into practice the book’s basic principles and see how they can work for you.
- Twelve Hours’ Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old: A Step-by-Step Plan for Baby Sleep Success
The author, Suzy Giordano, reveals in one of her best sleep training books how to get any child to sleep for twelve hours at night-and three during the day-by the age of twelve weeks old with her amazing “Limited-Crying Solution.” Giordano is a mother of five and one of the top baby sleep specialists in the United States of America. Her baby sleep plan has been tested with singletons, twins, triplets, babies with special needs, and colicky babies-and has never failed. The Washington Post calls her a baby sleep “guru” and an “underground legend” for her ability to teach newborns how to sleep through the night. The Baby Coach’s system of regular feeding times, twelve hours of nighttime sleep, and three hours of daytime sleep, and the peace of mind that comes with taking the parent and child out of a sleep-deprived environment benefits everyone, whether they are pregnant, first-time parents, or parents with their second or third child. If your baby does not seem to be getting tired, you can use some of the cry it out and self-soothing tips in here, but remember that you know your baby best, so don’t feel compelled to follow a strict feeding schedule to put him to sleep. The book provides some techniques for those who feel comfortable, but make sure they are tailored to your family’s needs.
- Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, 4th Edition: A Step-by-Step Program for a Good Night’s Sleep
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child is one of the best sleep training books on the market, and it uses the cry it out method to help your child fall asleep naturally without any sleep associations. As one of America’s finest pediatricians, Dr. Marc Weissbluth has revamped his pioneering method for solving and preventing your children’s sleep problems from infancy to puberty. In this book, the author explains step-by-step how to implement healthy sleep habits within the framework of your child’s natural sleep cycle, with authority and reassurance. This sourcebook, which was rewritten and reorganized to convey information in a more efficient manner, contains the latest research on:
- Prevention and treatment are the best approaches for sleeping problems.
- common blunders parents make when attempting to get their children to sleep
- Different temperaments have different sleep needs.
- Stopping cry baby syndrome, nightmares, bedwetting, and other issues
- Putting your baby to sleep by utilizing their internal clock
- How to handle nap-resistant children and when to begin sleep-training
- why both nighttime and daytime sleep are essential
- challenges for working mothers and children with sleep disorders
- the father’s role in child comfort
- how early sleep disruptions can lead to later issues
- the advantages and disadvantages of allowing children to sleep in the family bed
5. Sleeping Through the Night: How Infants, Toddlers, and Their Parents Can Get a Good Night’s Sleep
As opposed to focusing on middle-of-the-night training, Sleeping Through the Night teaches you how to create a schedule that is predictable for your baby and to banish any negative associations about sleep. Dr. Jodi A. Mindell, author of one of the best sleep training books, now offers tips, techniques, and answers to frequently asked questions, as well as quotes from parents who have successfully solved their children’s sleep problems, based on her ten years of experience. Unlike other best sleep training books on the subject, Dr. Mindell provides practical advice on bedtime rather than middle-of-the-night sleep training, and demonstrates how all members of the family can cope with the stress of teaching a baby to sleep.
Summary
For many exhausted parents, crying it out is the only option when times are tough. Although this method has some drawbacks and isn’t right for everyone, it does have some advantages. This is a good option for calm babies and parents who are willing to put up with prolonged crying. If your pediatrician has given you the go-ahead and you are ready to begin, stock up on Kleenex and remember that better sleep is just around the corner!
