Question about crying it out....?

I would think that it has to do with the child's awareness and cognitive ability. Or it just could be one of those things that get thrown out there. I believe that we as parents know when our children are able to do things, regardless of what the "recommended" age is.

Because a four month old baby doesn't have any idea that mom is there when she is not in the room, a six month old is starting to understand that when you can't see something, it is still there.

may I suggest a more gentle way than crying it out the produces just as fast (if not faster) results??? Read the book "Good Night, Sleep Tight" I think the author is Kim West. She doesn't say no tears, but there were very, VERY few tears for us and more sleep in just one night!!! Look at your local library or buy it used (cheap) in amazon.com

because the first 6 months babies (for the most part) are unable to fully comprehend words, and situations and make things they want known. By 6 months most children can understand thing and know how they work. A newborn will cry when hungry, wet, ect. But lots of children at 6 months can go their diaper bags and pull out a bottle or hand a parent a pamper. They get what no means and are testing out their limits to see what can i do and get away with. Around 4 months they still might not fully understand thing as well as a 6 month old would. And this is also around the time they will start with the temper tantrums. Not every cry is just a tanturm but you know when your child is just showing out.

Supposedly babies are more able to self soothe at 6 months while at 4 they do not know how yet and leaving a smal small baby to cry can actually contribute to SIDS as somepeople think they can just leave baby to cry and not go back they get so worked up they can stop breathing.

because supposedly around 6 months babies begin to realize that they can 'manipulate' you with their crying to get what they want. This apparently means that a 6 month old baby who cries is just trying to deprive you of your sleep and therefore does not merit a response.

I believe 6 months is still way too young for CIO, by the way.

****brooklyn, what the hell? My son is 6 months old and he is barely learning to crawl. He hasn't the slightest understanding of the word 'no' neither does he have the cognitive skills to connect the word with an action or object. He can reach out and grab things but he cannot take his bottle out of the diaper bag. These are not normal skills that 6 month olds have, where in the world did you get that from?

They say 6 months is when they can start testing you and just crying for you and so if they CIO they will learn not to manipulate when 4 months old they dont understand etc. However,my little one can be dry, full up and wide awake and will cry and when you enter the room and look at her she will start laughing at you so she is only doing it for attention from mummy. This was fine in the day but she was doing it at night so i let her CIO. After 3 nights she settled herself to sleep at now sleeps 7pm-8am. She is 3 months old. I think there is too much of a fluffy hand with stuff like this these days...children need rules as much as they need cuddles.

because at six months they are learning how to get what they want and they are a little smarter and need to learn how to self soothe and be a little more independent and i wouldnt let them cry for then five minutes

i hate seeing babies cry but i will start leting my son figure it out on his own some since hes six months old now

To be honest i never heard of not leavin them cry when their 4 mths....Once a baby is well fed, clean nappy, winded properly, and not too hot or cold they should be content enough so if they cry u should leave them cry. You will know by watchin the baby if she has a pain or not by the way their cryin, my babys just gone 3 mths and already she crys when i put her sittin down after havin her up playin in my arms for a long time. she just wants to get bak up and play i leave her cry for a while and eventually she realizes i'm not pickin her bak up an she stops.

You should just go with ur own instinct girl!

I was told not to let babies CIO because they (especially baby boys) can cry so hard that it gives them a hernia. I don't know if that is true, but it's what I was told. =)

this is what my ob/gyn and our pediatrician said aout letting them cry, if theyre dry, warm enough or cool enough, and fed, and you know that they dont want anything..your just going to have to put them in their crib,a nd check on them every 10-15 minutes so the baby wil learn that you will come back for them, it will take a few weeks, but theyll live..