Baby Discussion Board

how to train a baby to sleep better at night

lilsquibb — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:42:28 GMT

MollyMcKeeverKline said…

please read my post. It is very normal for babies to go through periods like this. Letting them cry will make it worse. please check out the books I listed...

Thank you for sharing your opinion, although please keep in mind that not everyone buys into Sear's theories. It is true that the more you respond to baby's cries the more trust you build in them as well as attachment. Once baby gets older though, there comes a time when they need to learn to deal with things that occur whether it be a skinned knee or waking up in the middle of the night.

I do allow my little one (20 mo) to cry at night if needed. I know his cries well enough to know when he really needs me or when he's just fussing in his sleep. I honestly do not think it is selfish to teach/train baby how to put himself back to sleep after waking in the middle of the night. Not every mom is able to stay at home and nap when baby naps but have full time jobs and/or other responsibilities to take care of. I don't buy in to baby SHOULD be sleeping through the night by a certain time but good stretches of sleep are developmentally appropriate and healthy both for mom and baby.

In answer to the question at hand, routine is the most important part of baby getting to sleep and even staying asleep. Announce transitions in advance (after we get PJ's on we'll read a book... after our book it's bedtime). There are nights mine cries when I put him down. If he doesn't fall asleep within a few minutes we go in snuggle him, let him know we are there and love him then put him back down. Generally that's what he needs to get to sleep.

Abortion

lilmisssunshine — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:02:08 GMT

Touchy subjects! I definitely stand on both sides of the arguments, however, I am more pro-choice when it comes to abortion than I am with the death penalty. The unborn child has not done anything wrong and deserves to have a life. The issue with this is, not all babies born will have a life that could even be considered "good enough". If a 13 year old is raped by her father, which happens these days, why should she be forced to be ridiculed, outcast and miss her childhood by being forced to carry a child. Pregnancy takes quite a toll both physically & emotionally on people. As for the death penalty, if someone is guilty without a doubt for committing a crime that is considered heinous in any society or opinion, why should this person deserve to live a life better than many free people? If they definitely committed the crime, they should be executed! Naturally there will be fine lines that will need to be judged, but for extreme cases....

Inducing labor....

mmcross — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:19:52 GMT

I think it is best to go into labor naturally, I have had six children and have gone 2 weeks over and have never been induced. I think that it is up to the Doctor and if it's medically needed then that would be fine!

The things children say

AngiBowman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:22:45 GMT

We were looking at baby photos and our four-year old stood up and said, "when I am grown up, I am going to grow a baby in my tummy, and I'm going to name her Bailey."

I had to leave the room to laugh. We're going to touch on that subject in a few years.

Freebies for Babies

AngiBowman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:08:16 GMT

I don't know about all Chick-Fil-A, but the one here in Olathe is having a Family Portrait Night where you get a free 5 x 7 and photo session.

Also check local hospitals for events - a local one here had an event day that included free pizza (organic even!), drinks and dessert on top of balloons, fire hats and just plain fun stuff.

See if your local grocery store has a baby program. Our local HyVee has one. I never know all of the details, but if you earn 200 baby points, you can a free $10 gift card or something like that.