I'm glad about that. If it was in fact a mantra, it could go on for a while. My understanding of mantra, from the book, was that it was more brief and usually at the end of the settling period right before sleep. Either way, this is how my DS1 liked to go to sleep and going in because I wanted to help him only mad him cross. This is where I lent on Tracey's work to respect him and listen to his needs, not mine. Now at almost 4, he likes to have me lay with him before sleep so, its all swings and round-a-bouts.
The significant experience for me in the context of CC however, was when my sister in law visited and, observing me allowing him to fuss as I described, told me that what I was doing was, in fact CC. I was horrified and assured her that it was not. Then I thought about it some more and wondered if we are splitting hairs a bit. Some parents are happy to let their LOs cry or fuss a bit while going to sleep, some are not happy with any crying. And I'm guess that most parents who are, even if they use a CC method, will go in if their child is distressed. Even if the strict technique says 10mins, most of us would only sit out the time if it was a fuss or tired cry, rather than a call for help. The CIO method I understand is a bit different in this regard and I also understand that you can do CC while staying in the room (in a chair or with your back to cots etc) and providing verbal reassurance. With some many variations around, I am wary to say that all CC or all versions are problematic. If we were to listen to our GP and use the CC times as a guide, it would always be vetoed by distressed cry. That, for me, is a no-brainer.
