What is the best way to cope with my child's crying during sleep training?

What is the best way to cope with my child's crying during sleep training?

Gary Feldman (Medical Director, Stramski Disorders Center, Miller Children's Hospital ) gives expert video advice on: Will sleep training affect my child's attachment to me?; What are common mistakes during sleep training? and more...

Coping with your child's crying during sleep training depends on your make up. If you have resolve and you can stand it, then it's really just a case of hanging in there, and watching the clock until you can go in to reassure the child that you still exist. If your personality type is that you just cannot stand hearing the child crying, the best thing to do is have someone else deal with the sleep training. You may be at the sleep training if you want to, but you have to have an agreement that you cannot go in. Prearrange that, no matter what, “I am not going to go in even if I desperately want to hold my child, my poor baby that's crying, I can't stand it.” You've got to have the systems in place that if you desire to do that when you're child is crying, somebody's got to say to you, “No, you're not going in there.” If that's not going to work for you, then the best thing is to go out of the house and do something else while your partner trains your child.