To Cry or Not to Cry?

I don't know about you, but I am a proponent of letting my babies "cry it out" in their beds. As soon as Sydney was old enough to squirm and fight her sleep while I was holding her, I decided she was old enough to squirm and fight her sleep in her own bed. Oh, don't get me wrong. I hate it. I hate listening to her cry especially when it's the kind of crying that leaves her sighing and sniffling even when she's done.

I have a strategy: If she's fighting her sleep, I flip her on her tummy and pat her bum firmly. If she slows down enough to slip a binky in her mouth, I do that. If not, I keep patting and hope that she will settle. When she doesn't settle, she just gets to cry in her bed for a bit. After 10 minutes or so, if she is still crying I will go back in and try again. Today, she was screaming so hard and flipping over when I tried the "lay-on-your-stomach-while-I-pat-your-bum-technique." So, I gave in and held her until she calmed. When I laid her back down, she still cried.

So, I let her "cry it out." She cried a few more minutes while I walked away, closed the door and distracted myself by talking to Brett. Suddenly, just when I got used to the screaming and it didn't really bother me anymore, I stopped to listen. Oh, she's not screaming anymore. VOILA... here she lays, fast asleep: