Babies are not always the best sleepers {in my experience}. They keep us up at night when they want to eat and make weird sounds. Why do we use the expression “I slept like a baby” for a good night’s sleep when in reality babies and their sleep can be a complicated thing?
I read a hilarious article about this subject last year and laughed out loud.
Click on over & check it out HERE!
I didn’t know if we would ever have another baby when I read this but I saved it because it was so true. If you read sleep advice for babies {or listen to people in your life} you will be totally confused. Many people have strong {and often very divisive} opinions on this subject. When I had Paige {my first child} I was totally confused. I had read about one method and thought it was the best/only way to feed/sleep train/deal with my baby. When that method wasn’t working for me I felt like a failure. I felt confused and didn’t know who to turn to because most of my friends loved and praised this method. My new-found “mommy guilt” told me there was only one right way to deal with my baby and discouragement set in. Finally my husband Aaron said “Honey you are a good mommy with good instincts…just put down the books and let’s do what we think is best for her.” Boy was he right. I finally felt like myself {and free} when I followed his advice and we just did what worked for her.
So here is my opinion of the best method when it comes to getting your babies to sleep, when to feed them, how often to hold them & all that good stuff:
::do whatever is best for you and your child::
I’m convinced there’s not a single method right for every child…not matter what anyone has told me. Each baby has their own needs, wants, complications and temperament. Likewise each parent has their own needs. Our job as parents is to juggle that child’s needs with the stage of life we are in as a family. I have noticed that some people find a method with their first baby that is just not possible with number 3 or 4 {for a variety of reasons} and sometimes the opposite is true. Some people & families are routine, some are not. Some babies are routine, some are not. Some babies have tummy issues or are sensitive to sound and some are not. Some babies need a lot of attention, some do not. Every parent just needs to decide what is right for their child and go with it. I think it is a huge challenge to figure out what each of my children need individually and balance that with the needs of the rest of the people in our family {including myself}. It’s a juggling act most of the time. This affects sleep training and feeding and schedules when a baby is in the picture. So be patient and just get to know your child. Ask advice, read the books and/or go with your gut and just do it. Block out all the voices, books and advice that will tell you the opposite advice, once you figure out what works for you. And be kind and gracious when you give advice…allowing other mommies to feel the same freedom to decide what their child needs on their own. We all need to support each other in this…not divide each other! Can you tell I’m passionate about this subject?
Here is the bottom line:
::God gave you this little baby because He knew you could handle it, you are the best parent for this child & you can do this::
Go take care of your baby the best you know how.
Pray. Ask your spouse and the Lord for help when you feel discouraged. Trust your gut.
And go soak up every minute with your babe because they will be almost 7 {like my Paigey} before you know it!
P.S. As much as I love my sweet Blakey boy I am tired! I have had a few meltdowns in my “sleep-deprived” state over the past few weeks. He is number 3 and you would think I have this baby thing dialed-in but I still have moments when I think “Do I know what I’m doing here with this baby?” So I keep going back to Aaron’s advice with Paige…and I tell myself that I can do this…and we will get a rhythm in time…just relax and enjoy him! I pray and believe that God gave me this boy and he will help me! And I enjoy Blake so much more when I do this! I hope you can do this too!
