What is the cry it out method?

Last updated: October 25, 2026

Written by the Watch My Baby team. Each method's duration and steps come from its own author's book or website, and so do the age limits, except the 4-month floor for cry it out, which is ours because its author favors starting earlier. This page has not been reviewed by a physician; it is for information only and its sources are listed at the end.

Cry it out (called unmodified extinction in research) is a sleep training method where you put your baby down, leave the room and don't go back in until morning, except for feeding, a diaper change or any suspicion of a medical problem. According to pediatrician Marc Weissbluth, its best-known advocate, babies learn to sleep well in 3 to 4 nights. It allows the most crying but is the quickest.

Age: 4 months and up
Duration: 3–4 nights
Crying: Heavy
Parent: Not in the room

Step by step

Use a temporarily early bedtime. According to Weissbluth, bedtime should be very early for the first days: your baby should be in the crib between 5:30 and 6:30 pm. An overtired baby has a harder time falling asleep.
Finish the routine. Make sure your baby is fed, has a clean diaper and a safe crib. Finish the calm routine in the same order every night.
Put down and leave. Put your baby in the crib and leave the room; you don't stay.
Wait until morning. Even if your baby cries, don't go in until morning. The exceptions are feeding, diaper changes and any suspicion of a medical problem. You can watch on a baby monitor.
Shape the naps. Don't start a new nap after 3 pm. Night sleep improves first, then the morning nap, then the midday nap.
Do it the same way every night. Going in one night and not the next teaches your baby that long crying sometimes works, and makes the process longer.

Pros

One of the methods with the strongest research support (Mindell 2006).
The fastest method; 3 to 4 nights according to its author.
The rule is simple: you don't go in. That can make it easier to stay consistent.

Cons

Emotionally the hardest method for parents.
Crying can last a long time on the first nights; giving up halfway can make it longer on later nights.
Most of the long-term safety data come from gentler variants, controlled comforting and the chair method.

What does the research say?

A review of 52 studies for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine rated unmodified extinction among the methods with the strongest evidence (Mindell 2006).

Long-term follow-ups, though, mostly studied gentler variants: those children did not differ at age 6 in emotional health, behavior or their relationship with their parents (Price 2012). No study has followed full extinction on its own for years.

Frequently asked questions

How many nights does cry it out take?

3 to 4 nights according to Weissbluth. Crying can last a long time on the first nights; a short rise on the second or third night is common and usually passes.

At what age can you start?

Weissbluth favors starting early, and for babies under 4 months he advises supporting day sleep any way you can (rocking, carrying, a dark room). This page describes the method for babies older than 4 months. For babies born premature or with a health condition, talk to your pediatrician first.

Should I never check on my baby?

Feeding, diaper changes and any suspicion of a medical problem are the method's own exceptions. You can watch on a monitor; always go in for vomiting, fever or any danger.

What if my baby vomits while crying?

Go in right away, clean your baby and the crib, and comfort them. If they don't seem ill, you can put them down again and continue. If vomiting keeps happening, pause and talk to your pediatrician.

Does crying it out harm babies?

Research has not found long-term harm to attachment or emotional health (Price 2012), but those data mostly come from gentler variants. Staying close and warm with your baby during the day matters during this time too.

Other methods

Chair method (14–21 days)
Ferber method (3–7 days)
No tears (no-cry) (21+ days)
Pick up, put down (At least 3 days)

Compare all five methods

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