It is probably a little ironic that I just posted about my kid who does not enjoy sleeping and now I am going to step out on a limb here and posting something a little bit controversial in the baby world- letting your baby cry-it-out. I will first say that it is really hard to do and pretty much makes you feel like you are a terrible parent for wanting some sleep. We did it with both our kids and both times, I thought I would throw up. But according to a five year follow up study that was just published in the American Journal of Pediatrics- you can rest assured (pun intended) that your kid is ok and is not going to suffer long term consequences. I can only link to the free abstract (but you better believe I am reading the whole article when I get to work and have access too it). I think there is definitely a time and place for it- not for little babies (these kids were 7 months old when sleep trained), they need to be big enough and old enough to handle it (which according to our pediatrician and Ferber, the guy who started this all is 4 or 5 months). Sure it is still really hard then, and a lot of people might not ever choose to sleep train their kids. and that is fine- just like people who use cloth diapers probably think I am crazy for spending sometimes what feels like a ridiculous amount of money on disposables. To each their own :)
*I feel the need to give Lily credit- she sleeps about 11 straight hours a night, those hours just start really early in the evening and at this point, she can't really be stretched to stay up later to try to shift those hours. And if we do keep her up, we usually pay for it in the morning when she wakes up even earlier than normal (last night/this morning). Sure, I could go to bed at 7:30 when Tripp goes to bed and then I am sure I would feel very rested at 5:30 in the morning, but then when would I ever get anything done, let alone hang out with Nelson?
3 comments:
We love cry-it-out around here! Seriously, it's one of the best parenting decisions we've made for each kid. I have friends who can't imagine letting their kids cry, but I can't imagine not getting a full night's sleep after 3 or 4 months. You're right--know what's important to your family, and commit!
I agree - each family has to do what's best for them. A secure attachment relationship is about so much more than whether cry-it-out is part of sleep training (or if you do sleep training at all). You're doing a great job being there for Lily and also teaching her she can soothe herself & get herself to sleep.
On the subject of sleep training, I've had the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weisbluth recommended to me by a couple of friends. Have you read it? Do you recommend it?
We are in the throes of sleep woes over here. I audibly groan when they're up at 6. They're so grumpy! Should really be praying for these things and for folks like you all in the midst of it as well!
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