Cry it Out or Wait it Out?

My twinkies were bad sleepers. We still have about one night a week that one of them wakes up screaming about something and they are over three years old! With the butterball, I decided he could just sleep in my bed to save the time of running all over the house each night. Also with breastfeeding I don't even get up for that reason, just roll over and put a boob in his mouth.

Butterball is now almost 8 months old. He thrashes around in the night and whimpers and it keeps me awake. A few weeks ago we moved him into his own room. I tried CIO with the twins but frankly I don't have the cajones for it. I went back and forth between thinking if they cry themselves to sleep at night once and then get good sleep it would be worth it. Then I would think about how they had just been snuggled up in my body for nine months, is it so strange to think that they need human comfort? I sleep better with my hubby in bed with me so it can't be a huge stretch to think that little babies need comfort too. I also keep water next to my bed and drink when I want so I just couldn't wrap my mind around the notion that a small baby should be trained out of comfort and food, so I didn't do it. I don't think people who do CIO are child abusers or any crazy sanctimommy thing like that (unless you do extinction, ie just letting them scream without checking on them all night, that is just plain mean), but it doesn't feel right for me and my nuggets.

Well . . . I got home from my part time job at 9:45 and he was still up! I fed him but he kept popping up and thrashing around and trying to get after stuff. Once it was after 10 I laid him in his crib and turned on the mobile. About one minute later he started screaming. I looked at Hubby and he said just let him cry for a few minutes. Three minutes later there was no sound so I rushed in to be sure he was okay, and he was fast asleep. He slept until 4:30 a.m. and then I fed him. He has done that a few times on his own, but not many. He slept until 6 once last week. He had been sleeping all night when he was very little but got sick and never did it again.

Flash forward and we have been road tripping and he falls asleep in the car constantly. I now have to fight him tooth and nail to get him to sleep in the bed. Hubby and I have been rotating. Hubby doesn't have boobs but he can comfort a kid. No matter how annoying Hubby can be, seeing your 6' tall husband curled up in a baby crib singing ABC's is the sweetest. Anyway, we have been trying to put him to bed awake this week and he has been crying and screaming like a crazy. Last night it took an hour! I am not good at this because I go in every five minutes, but he needs to know I will comfort him but he also needs to sleep at night. Does that even make sense? I don't know!  After an hour and then me eventually crawling into his crib and giving him a boob he fell a sleep. Then slept until 6 am, which was awesome.

So I kind of did CIO. My precious snowflake cried himself to sleep, which I hate. At the same time, he slept all night without interruption, which is good.

Oy, making parenting decisions, it's hard.