Cry It Out

This app will you as a parent use the Cry it Out method to train your child to fall asleep on their own. It will also track the progress your child is making over time with a graph.

What is Cry it Out?

Cry it Out is a sleep training method which includes letting a child cry for a specified period of time before offering comfort. The goal is to help the child learn how to fall asleep on his or her own.

How to do Cry it Out?

Put child comfortably in bed and walk out of the room. The room should be quiet or have white noise and the lights should be off.
If child cries when you leave the room, let child cry for a specified amount of time. (see "Suggested Waiting Periods" below)
If child is still crying after specified waiting period, go and offer comfort to the child for about a minute. Then, walk out of the room.
Repeat steps 2 and 3, gradually increasing the waiting period, until child falls asleep.
If child wakes up again later, follow the same routine. Begin with the minimum waiting period and increase until you've reached the maximum waiting period.

Suggested Waiting Periods

1st Night: Wait for 3 minutes the first time, 5 minutes the second time, and 10 minutes the third and subsequent waiting periods.
2nd Night: Wait for 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, then 12 minutes.
3rd Night and any following Nights: Wait for 10 minutes, then 15 minutes, then 20 minutes.

How Do I Use This App?

Select the tab of what day you are on. (It should already default to the current day you are on).
Select a time to wait. The recommended waiting period will be the default.
Put child to sleep. If child starts crying, click the play button.
Wait for time to end. Try to distract yourself so you aren't tempted to go in before the timer goes off. Read a book, watch TV, listen to music, etc. As long as the child is safe, there is no need to go into the child's room until the timer goes off.
When the timer goes off, go and offer comfort to child.
Repeat this process until child is asleep.