I read an article a couple weeks ago written by a mom defending why she was sleeping in a crib with her baby. The picture has gone viral! Apparently she went to an orphanage and the children were silent. She asked about why they were and the lady said it only takes a few days of them crying in their crib to learn that no one is going to come for them. The mother, because of this experience vowed that she would always come when her baby cries.
This incredibly moving story certainly makes it seem that the only right thing to do is to be there when a baby cries.
However, I have been getting quite ready to help my baby sleep on her own, which in her case means letting her cry. I feel like she is capable of learning to be more independent: fall asleep on her own, keep herself entertained, etc. Yes, I know she is young, but I think the longer I wait the harder and harder it will be to help her learn these things.
So I studied the "cry it out method." We have begun to ease our way into that, allowing her to cry in her crib when it is bed time. She resists! Boy does she resist. But every day she is getting better. Every evening I get a little more time to spend with my husband. She is learning to stay asleep for longer periods.
Is it possible for children to become independent because the know we love them rather than because they think we don't?
