Musings on education research, the link between research and practice, academic life, and life in general.
About this Blog
Intentional conceptual change involves changing one's deeply held knowledge and beliefs in favor of what one believes is a more fruitful way of thinking or believing. It is my hope that this blog provides a space to dialogue about conceptual change as well as to question our prior conceptions with openness to exchanging them when they no longer serve us or have sound bases in evidence.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Another nail in the coffin for the CIO supporters
Further support for the harmful effects of letting infants "cry it out" instead of attending to their immediate needs: Research on the Cry it Out debate
I personally don't believe in the CIO way of "teaching" a child to sleep through the night. Crying is an infants only form of communication with adults so when a baby is crying they are trying to tell us something. I feel like babies need warmth and love, not the cold shoulder. I'm happy to see research that supports my feelings on the issue.
The article on the sleep-training debate caught my attention immediately. I have a fourteen month old son and know the frustrations of being sleep deprived and trying to get a baby to sleep on his own. I have received a lot of criticism from some friends and family members on how I deal with my son with nap time and bed time. When he wakes up and I hear him start to cry, I go promptly and tell him “Mommy’s here,” and lay down with him until he falls back asleep. One person told me to pat him until he falls asleep. One person told me he needs to learn to self-soothe. I’ve had several people tell me to just let him cry until he falls asleep. An issue I’ve run into is that I chose to breastfeed my son so he is very attached to me. He finds comfort in nursing and that is how he falls asleep. I’ve noticed that the people who have told me that he should be able to go to sleep without me have children who were attached to a bottle, pacifier or blanket, or sucked their fingers. These children found their comfort in other objects. Being a new mother, I do not know the best way to raise a child. My mother-in-law, who we live with, gives me advice and does not pressure me to follow it. She encourages me to follow my instincts and do what I think is right and that he will learn to self-soothe with time. My instincts are to do what I am doing, I just have never felt right letting him cry for an extended amount of time without comforting him. I feel like he would learn that he cannot trust me, that he cannot rely on me for his needs to be met. I truly believe that if I meet his needs and a young age when is so reliant on me, he will grow up to be confident and emotionally stable.
2 comments:
I personally don't believe in the CIO way of "teaching" a child to sleep through the night. Crying is an infants only form of communication with adults so when a baby is crying they are trying to tell us something. I feel like babies need warmth and love, not the cold shoulder. I'm happy to see research that supports my feelings on the issue.
The article on the sleep-training debate caught my attention immediately. I have a fourteen month old son and know the frustrations of being sleep deprived and trying to get a baby to sleep on his own. I have received a lot of criticism from some friends and family members on how I deal with my son with nap time and bed time. When he wakes up and I hear him start to cry, I go promptly and tell him “Mommy’s here,” and lay down with him until he falls back asleep. One person told me to pat him until he falls asleep. One person told me he needs to learn to self-soothe. I’ve had several people tell me to just let him cry until he falls asleep. An issue I’ve run into is that I chose to breastfeed my son so he is very attached to me. He finds comfort in nursing and that is how he falls asleep. I’ve noticed that the people who have told me that he should be able to go to sleep without me have children who were attached to a bottle, pacifier or blanket, or sucked their fingers. These children found their comfort in other objects. Being a new mother, I do not know the best way to raise a child. My mother-in-law, who we live with, gives me advice and does not pressure me to follow it. She encourages me to follow my instincts and do what I think is right and that he will learn to self-soothe with time. My instincts are to do what I am doing, I just have never felt right letting him cry for an extended amount of time without comforting him. I feel like he would learn that he cannot trust me, that he cannot rely on me for his needs to be met. I truly believe that if I meet his needs and a young age when is so reliant on me, he will grow up to be confident and emotionally stable.
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