10 Things You Should Never Say To A Mom Using The "Cry It Out" Method
byJennifer Germano
"Crying it out" is definitely not for everyone. Each family has to weigh the pros and cons and assess their personal situation to determine if the "cry it out" method is the best one for them. For my family, crying it out seemed to work for a little over a year. Then, completely unexpectedly, our situation changed and it no longer made sense to continue. However, during that year or so I heard things people, honestly, should never say to a mom who's crying it out.
When we were "crying it out" and friends or family visited, I found myself worrying about what they were potentially thinking, feeling, or even how they were viewing me as a mother. It's no secret that crying it out, while effective if done correctly and already proven to be anything but harmful, has a bad reputation. However, I quickly learned that worrying about what other people (friends and family included) were thinking was an exercise in futility and a waste of my precious energy. In the end, people will think what they think regardless, so the best thing you can do for your and your family is constantly research, ask questions, try different parenting techniques and find out what works best for you. If you let the opinions (or even perceived opinion) of others influence your decision making, you're in for a long, exhausting parenting road, my friends.
Still, that road sure would be easier to traverse if people stopped saying the following things to moms who use the "cry it out" method. In the end, we don't all have to agree with one another, but it would be nice if we all respected one another, and trusted one another to do what is best for our families. So, having said that, here are just a few things you should never say to a mom in the throes of this particular sleep training technique.