More Sleep vs. Damaged Wellbeing: An Analysis of Competing Cry-It-Out Sleep Training Narratives

The objective of the current study was to critically analyze the competing narratives discovered for and against the use of the cry-it-out sleep training practice. The cry-it-out (CIO) method is a controversial sleep training technique that encourages parents to let their infants cry at night by themselves for specific increments of time in order to get infants to eventually sleep through the night, on their own. Using Fisher’s (1984) narrative paradigm as a theoretical framework, which argues that all types of communication are essentially stories, we revealed four pro-CIO themes and four anti-CIO themes found in online sources about the CIO method. The themes were evaluated for their narrative probability and narrative fidelity, and subsequently, for their narrative rationality, which together analyze the overall persuasiveness (yet not necessarily correctness) of a message. The analysis revealed that while there are strengths and weaknesses on both sides of this debate, the anti-CIO method narrative’s closer alignment with established theory significantly enhances its persuasive appeal. It is imperative that individuals and entities of influence work together to more widely disseminate healthy alternatives to the CIO method and give parents the tools needed to determine what is best for them and their child based on their child’s needs and theory. Since so many parents turn to the Internet for advice, online messaging should be a focus of these efforts.