Beginner's Luck and the Baby Bible

First, if you read yesterday's post, night 2 of our new sleep routine went great!! Ben squeaked at 11:15, I think because he was uncovered, and quickly went back to sleep.  I heard him stirring at 5 am and snuck in and covered him before he got fully awake and ........voila!!!......he slept until 730.  11.5 hours!  As I said yesterday, this isn't a first, but we are trying to make it a regular.

I will never take for granted how blessed we were with an infant who slept great.  At 9 weeks he was usually sleeping at least 7 hours.  There were lots of horrible afternoons of forcing him to stay awake to get there, but it paid off.  The blessing of bottle feeding was also that we always knew how much he was eating and well, .....he liked to eat:).

 Thank you for indulging me in a Chunky Monkey Montage.....

Back in the "good Ole' days," we used to walk a couple times a week with friends Tisha and Cadyn.  Anytime I'd have a baby rearing question Tisha would quip, "Get The Baby Whisperer."  This was also during a time when I'd ask for help on Facebook and my message box would be filled with suggestions of books to read and others to avoid.  I got a few, "you are NOT a Baby Whisperer mother!"  Of course I would think about the particular problem and how this particular advice givers children acted in said department and usually move forward based on those observations:).

At some point I gave in and agreed to borrow The Baby Whisperer, and it was love at first read.  I will quickly admit I don't fully agree with everything she says but there are two important facts.  

1)Every tool of hers that we've used has been smashingly successful.

2)She gives credence to the fact that kiddos are inherently different and should be treated based on their personalities.  There are no one-size-fits-all solutions.

I have recommended this book over and over and have witnessed that those who follow it all have also found success.  I was with the "common sense parenting" bunch and was quick to say I didn't need a book to raise my kids.  And while lots of the theories in my Baby Bible are common sense, others aren't.  For instance, with our current sleep issue, BW suggests "waking to sleep."  For example, because we know Ben's been waking at 4 or 5, we should wake him at 3:45 and settle him back down before he wakes on his own.  Now, to me, there is no common sense in that, and though we haven't gotten there yet, I'm sure it would work.  Because Ben's been going back to sleep when he wakes we are going to wait to try the "wake to sleep," but I won't hesitate if necessary.  

Another important piece of this book is that's it's very pro-active.  Unfortunately, when all is well you just go on with life and grab the book when problems arise, but reading it regularly, especially in the first year, could stop lots of issues before they start.  I've also had some friends utilize only parts of the book with limited success.  For instance, you can use all the sleep techniques in the world, but if you're not feeding your child enough, they are going to wake up hungry.  This book intertwines all aspects into a clear plan for a hopefully happy, healthy child.

Finally, if this one isn't your bible, I would recommend you find one that is:).  I was happy to take any advice I could get and at least see it through.  The Baby Whisperer has come through for us time and time again.

*Note: I was in no way paid or benefited from the exultations in this post.  It's just the plain truth that worked for us.