What is Controlled Crying? A Mum’s Night By Night Account
Controlled Crying is also commonly referred to as the Ferber Technique, the Ferber Method, CC, Crying Down and Crying Out.
Usually when parents hear their children crying during the night they will immediately rush in to comfort them. Controlled Crying is a method of sleep training proposed by Dr Richard Ferber that instructs parents to allow a short period of time for their child to cry on their own before rushing in to comfort them. The ‘response time’ then increases gradually every night until the child learns to soothe himself/herself to sleep. Many people have used this method of sleep training to great effect but it causes polar opinions and is wildly apposed by some.
Here is Lainy’s unedited account of implementing controlled crying into her night time parenting routine:
After months and months of being woken up every night (10 months to be precise), I’ve decided to do The Ferber Method starting tonight. I just want to sleep and I know its going to be hard but I need to do something otherwise I’ll be ending up walking down the aisle with black bags under my eyes.
I’m lucky in some respects, bedtime routine is up and running and I don’t have a problem putting little one to bed. It’s just as I’ve got myself settled and asleep for an hour she wakes up. I’m actually in two minds, I’m dreading this but then looking forward to the sleep. I know i’m going to be even more exhausted than usual but it is the bank holiday coming up and i’m hoping my other half will help.
Right its 20.10 little one is fast asleep in bed. She had loads for dinner tonight, we shall see how the nite develops and then i’m report back in my blog. Fingers crossed.
