Ciao Baby: The Controlled Crying Method App

If there’s one thing I’m obsessed with these days it’s getting little J on a sleep schedule that more closely mirrors … well, my own.  I’ve got the sleep books (now I just need time to read them – after work I’d really rather…um…sleep), have searched the web,  have spoken with friends and have cornered experts all in the hopes of finding that one magic button that delivers the world’s cutest baby straight into 8 hours of uninterrupted slumber (I know, I know…but don’t dream crush).

Anywhooo….In all reality, my wee one is a pretty fabulous sleeper (3 months old and she can make it more or less from 11pm ‘til 5ish…) – so deep inside I know I actually have nothing to complain about.  But that hasn’t stopped me from hunting down and researching all sorts of baby sleep trivia, tips and tools nonetheless…And look at what I stumbled upon today: an iPhone baby sleep app….

Ciao Baby helps parents who choose to use a controlled crying technique – aka ‘cry it out’  – with their children.  The application offers a “progressive waiting” approach, whereby you reassure and soothe your crying baby at set intervals – with the length of time between visits gradually increasing until your baby is asleep.

The application keeps track of which wait period the parent is on, and sounds an alarm when it is time to settle the baby again (which is more useful than it may seem – as any parent with tell you, even 3 minutes of a crying baby can seem like for-ev-er…plus it’s super easy to cave completely).  It also includes a checklist that parents need to go through before starting the process to ensure that the wee babe isn’t crying ‘cause he needs to be relieved of the world’s largest belch or is sitting in a soppy diaper.

Since little J doesn’t generally make too much of a ruckus for too long when she’s going down at night, I don’t think I’ll be needing this app any time soon (fingers crossed), but I figured I’d pass it along 

Note that experts agree that the controlled crying approach – and by extension this app – should only be used on babies who are at least four months, but preferably six months old.