52:8 Cry it Out???

So I just tried the cry-it-out method with Gwen and it definitely didn't work. She sleeps so well at night, but her naps are always a struggle. It's morning, and she woke up at 6:00. I was exhausted, and I tried to put her down at 8:00, but she cried for 8 minutes and I couldn't handle it, so I went and got her and nursed her for 15 minutes so she could sleep. Then I changed my mind, and stopped nursing to see if she would sleep longer, but she just cried.

Then I tried to put her back down at 9:30, and I rocked her and held her and put her down. She immediately started crying, and I let her go for 20 minutes. There was no slowing down, so I went in and rubbed her belly for a minute and left. Then she REALLY screamed for 12 more minutes until I went in and scooped her and hugged her. Her voice was hoarse and she had tears on her cheeks, and she was taking those breaths that kids take when they've cried too hard for too long...it was awful. She was still yelling little screams when I was getting ready to breastfeed her. Now I'm feeding her, and she's asleep. I cried when I saw how sad she was. How does ANYONE do cry-it-out??

We just got back from Dallas, and I think she got used to falling asleep in the car. Normally she goes down pretty easy for her morning nap, but this was terrible. I really don't know what to do.

I think I've decided I'll never really be able to do cry-it-out. She's such a sweetheart, it's not fair to her. Ive decided to help her nap any way possible, whether it's nursing, car rides whatever. She will eventually learn how to fall asleep on her own. I'll still keep trying to get her to sleep in her crib, but without the battle.

Ps: did I mention she still sleeps at night from 7:30pm to 6:30 am? I need to remind myself that!